In the first Thorn mystery, a troubled soul—Thorn—hunts for the men who killed the woman who raised him

Thorn’s parents died the day he was born, run off the road by a drunk driver on their way back from the hospital. The baby lived, the offender beat the rap, and both men went on with their lives until nineteen years later, when Thorn took revenge—hunting down his parents’ killer and taking his life in a vain attempt to bring back those who had been lost.

Two decades later, Thorn remains scarred by his crime. He lives in Key West, selling fishing flies and keeping an eye on Kate Truman, the woman who adopted him. Soon he loses her too, to a pair of brutal murderers whom the police have no hope of tracking down. Thorn knows the Keys, and he will find them—but before he can take revenge, he must confront the horror of the first time he killed.

Review

“James Hall’s writing is astringent, penetrating, and unfailingly gripping.” —Dean Koontz

“Will slice readers’ sleep into slivers.” —Publishers Weekly

“Hard-hitting, nuts-and-bolts prose, effectively picturesque characterization, periodic sex and violence, and a wonderful, cinematic climax.” —Library Journal

“It starts good and stays good, right to the end.” —Chicago Tribune