A native of Kentucky, James W. Hall has made Florida his home, as well as the setting for his popular suspense thrillers. He obtained his B.A. in Literature from Florida Presbyterian College (now Eckerd College) in 1969, an M.A. in Creative Writing from Johns Hopkins University in 1970, and a Ph.D. in Literature from the University of Utah in 1973.
For the last 29 years, he has taught literature and creative writing at Florida International University, where his students have included Dennis Lehane, Barbara Parker, and Vicki Hendricks. After publishing four books of poetry-three with the Carnegie-Mellon University Press-and several works of short fiction in such magazines as the Georgia Review and Kenyon Review, Hall began writing crime novels in 1986 with Under Cover of Daylight.
He lives on the edge of Blackwater Sound in Key Largo, Florida, with his wife, Evelyn, and his dogs, Travis and Sofie.
Genres: Mystery, Young Adult Fantasy
Series
Thorn P.I.
1. Under Cover of Daylight (1987)
2. Tropical Freeze (1989)
aka Squall Line
3. Mean High Tide (1994)
4. Gone Wild (1995)
5. Buzz Cut (1996)
6. Red Sky At Night (1997)
7. Blackwater Sound (2002)
8. Off the Chart (2003)
9. Magic City (2007)
10. Hell's Bay (2008)
11. Silencer (2010)
12. Dead Last (2011)
13. Going Dark (2013)
14. The Big Finish (2014)
15. Bad Axe (2020)
1. Under Cover of Daylight (1987)
2. Tropical Freeze (1989)
aka Squall Line
3. Mean High Tide (1994)
4. Gone Wild (1995)
5. Buzz Cut (1996)
6. Red Sky At Night (1997)
7. Blackwater Sound (2002)
8. Off the Chart (2003)
9. Magic City (2007)
10. Hell's Bay (2008)
11. Silencer (2010)
12. Dead Last (2011)
13. Going Dark (2013)
14. The Big Finish (2014)
15. Bad Axe (2020)
Novels
Paper Products (1990)
Bones of Coral (1991)
Hard Aground (1992)
Naked Came the Manatee (1997) (with Brian Antoni, Dave Barry, Edna Buchanan, Tananarive Due, Vicki Hendricks, Carl Hiaasen, Elmore Leonard, Paul Levine, Evelyn W Mayerson and Edna Standiford)
Body Language (1998)
Rough Draft (2000)
Forests of the Night (2005)
Bones of Coral (1991)
Hard Aground (1992)
Naked Came the Manatee (1997) (with Brian Antoni, Dave Barry, Edna Buchanan, Tananarive Due, Vicki Hendricks, Carl Hiaasen, Elmore Leonard, Paul Levine, Evelyn W Mayerson and Edna Standiford)
Body Language (1998)
Rough Draft (2000)
Forests of the Night (2005)
Collections
The Putt at the End of the World (2000) (with Lee K Abbott, Dave Barry, Richard Bausch, James Crumley, Tami Hoag, Tim O'Brien, Ridley Pearson and Les Standiford)
Over Exposure (2011)
Over Exposure (2011)
Series contributed to
Star Wars : X-Wing Rogue Squadron (with Steve Crespo, Drew Johnson and Michael A Stackpole)
7. Blood and Honor (1999)
7. Blood and Honor (1999)
Non fiction
Awards
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James W Hall recommends

The Mango Opera (1998)
(Alex Rutledge, book 1)
Tom Corcoran
"THE MANGO OPERA is a powerful debut novel full of juicy characters, crackling dialogue and thrill-a-minute action. Not since McGuane's 92 IN THE SHADE has Key West been rendered so vividly and with such spare poetry. This is a smart, exciting novel, one not-to-be-missed."

Dark of the Moon (1999)
(Louis Kincaid, book 1)
P J Parrish
"Put 'Dark of the Moon' at the top of your must read list...Parrish is an author to read, collect and root for."

The Guards (2001)
(Jack Taylor, book 1)
Ken Bruen
"Why the hell haven't I heard of Ken Bruen before? He's a terrific writer and The Guards is one of the most mesmerizing works of crime fiction I've ever read... This guy is the real thing."

Surface Tension (2002)
(Seychelle Sullivan, book 1)
Christine Kling
"An exceptionally rare first novel... moving and full of suspense."

Derailed (2003)
James Siegel
"It's been years since I read a book as gripping as DERAILED. Mesmerizing from the first chapter, the novel is full of whiplash twists, compelling characters and visceral and wrenching dramatic moments. The pace is relentless, the emotions powerfully real. Like only a few of our best thriller writers can do, Seigel left me limp and gasping."

Time to Say Goodbye (2006)
Pat MacEnulty
"Pat MacEnulty's Time to Say Goodbye starts fast and strong and whiplashes along to an explosive and emotional conclusion. This is writing without pretence, but with real power."

Erased from Memory (2006)
(Carla Day, book 2)
Diana O'Hehir
"A sleuth worthy of comparison to Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot or Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone."

Takeoff (2018)
(Seth Walker, book 1)
Joseph Reid
"Takeoff is a blast. From the first explosive scene to the last page, this story pins you to your seat and never lets you go. Seth Walker, the hero of this riveting tale, is a man worthy of many books. It’s a good thing he’s so well-armed with highly unique skills and street smarts and a charming wit, because Seth is on the frontlines in a very dangerous world. My money’s on this guy in the battles to come."
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