When the federal government, the CIA, Cuban rebels and the Catholic Church are involved, action reigns

books:


	• Magic City: A Novel (Thorn Mysteries) James W. Hall St. Martin's Paperbacks, 2008 - 336 pages average customer review:based on 20 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

"Magic City" has that James W. Hall magic.

Magic City is a fun read from beginning to end, as are all of James W. Hall's books. Really, the core of a James W. Hall book is the portrayal of the central character - in this case, Thorn. Thorn is a person who is very genuine and easy to relate to. One can feel his pain, his anger, and admire his willingness to take a stand on behalf of justice. In this book's case, justice is about all that Thorn is able to gain, but, as with all his books, that is sufficient to leave one with a very good feeling for having read it, and looking forward to the next. Dr. Richard Beck

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Thorn and the Case of the Perilous Picture

With most authors, there is something special that makes us keep coming back to them. Sometimes it's the characters or the plotting, and occasionally it's some gimmick, like a monk, chef or cat that solves the mystery. For James Hall, there is no gimmick, just great writing, but if there is one thing that always makes his stories stand out, it's his wonderfully twisted villains. The villains are a little less warped in Magic City, but it's still typical James Hall, and that's a great read.

The story actually starts four decades earlier on the day of the Cassius Clay-Sonny Liston fight. After the fight, twelve year old Snake Morales witnesses the murder of his family, most notably his beloved sister. He and his brother Carlos become the wards of Miami mayor Stanton King, but both kids are psychically damaged from the massacre.

In the present day, a photo of the boxing match comes to light that shows several people in the stands who seem to be tied to the murder, including King. Although the ex-mayor realizes the danger of the picture, he appoints Snake and Carlos to destroy all copies of it. What he doesn't count on is Snake's photographic memory picking up on the significance of the picture, but Carlos has already destroyed most of the copies. There is only one left, and it belongs to Lawton Collins, the father of Alex Collins, the girlfriend of series character Thorn.

Carlos and Snake's attempt to steal Lawton's copy is stopped by Thorn, whose resistance will trigger a series of events that will endanger not only the lives of Alex, Thorn and Lawton, but also the relationship between Thorn and Alex. But even as Thorn and Snake engage in their battles (with the uncontrollable Carlos posing his own threats), Thorn feels a certain sympathy for his adversary (having been orphaned suddenly himself) and also realizes that the real enemy is not Snake but someone lurking in the background and linked to the picture.

As often is the case, Hall balances the story being the heroes and villains, and even if the bad guys are not as memorable as past ones, they are still formidable enough. And on the "good" side of the story, Thorn is as engaging as always, as he starts to come to terms with the fact that he's getting older (he's in his late forties) and that there may need to be changes to his solitary beach bum life. But even if you haven't read other Thorn books, this one stands alone well, so whether or not you're new to James Hall, Magic City is a good novel to pick up.

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When the federal government, the CIA, Cuban rebels and the Catholic Church are involved, action reigns

On February 25, 1964, Cassius Clay defeated Sonny Liston. In Miami, Florida, a 12-year-old boy named Manuel Ricardo Morales, known as Snake, listens excitedly to the radio transmission of the fight. Originally from Cuba, Snake and his family came to Miami to elude the Fidel Castro regime. On this night, most of the members of the Morales family are killed, as Snake sees who he believes to be Castro's hit men enter his home and leave him an orphan. Although he fights back valiantly --- like his hero, Cassius Clay --- Snake also loses his beloved girlfriend, Carmen, to these thugs.

A photograph of the fight becomes critical to the plot from this point forward --- because sitting in row three of that picture is the man responsible for these horrific murders. A now-grown-up Snake discovers that Lawton Collins is in possession of a copy of the photograph and goes to Lawton's house to retrieve it. There, he and his friend find Thorn Truman, our protagonist, who is engaged to Alexandria Collins. "He would find the photo, decipher its meaning, and then do what was necessary, accomplishing each step with dispassionate focus. As Cassius had fought. Aloof, above the fray, deliberate, calculated, and merciless."

Lawton Collins is a terrific character. A retired cop, with a great sense of humor and irony, he is not a fan of Thorn dating his daughter. "It's about time she got back," Lawton said. "Leaving her old man in the hands of an unreliable doofus, what kind of daughter would do that to her defenseless old dad."

As a highly valued CIA operative, Pauline Caufield's role in maintaining a high-profile manufacturing executive cover provides readers with a second plot. The two storylines come together with the significance of the Cassius Clay-Sonny Liston photo.

What is particularly interesting about MAGIC CITY is the weaving and depth of the plot lines. Just when you think that James W. Hall has written a commonplace novel, he smacks you with another piece of the puzzle. This incredibly well-crafted story has all the elements to surprise, captivate and reassure the reader that this is a book worth reading.

Thorn Truman is hesitant to leave his home in the Florida Keys for his visit to Alexandria in Miami. He will soon see that he has good reason to be reluctant, as his trip to Miami will be nothing but ordinary. When the federal government, the CIA, Cuban rebels and the Catholic Church are involved, action reigns. Who is exonerated, who is blamed, and who sinks back into the woodwork? Read MAGIC CITY and find out for yourself.

--- Reviewed by Marge Fletcher

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Dependably JamesWHall

As always,James W Hall brings the smell and feel and sound of Southern Florida to your chair. His villians are awful people,his protagonist is our reliable Thorn,defending the weak or helpless and smiting those bad guys as only Thorn can. All in all,a great read for a long winter's night,or weekend if you can put it down.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4

A simple black and white photograph taken during the 1964 Cassius Clay-Sonny Liston fight on Miami Beach may hold the key to a horrific, politically-motivated crime forty-two years earlier. After it mysteriously reappears, the photo is burned in an act of arson that sets off a modern-day killing spree reaching from the quiet neighborhoods of Miami to the back corridors of the White House.

What the killer did not know is that a copy of the photograph still remains. When it falls into Thorn?s hands, he and everyone he close to him?including his beloved Alexandra?become the targets of madmen and trained hitmen, each of whom has a powerful motive to see the photograph destroyed?and will go to murderous lengths to make it disappear forever.

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