Body Language

by James W. Hall

Book Overview

Eighteen years ago, a girl shot down a rapist while her father's lawnmower sputtered in the yard outside. Somewhere in the heat and shadows of that day, Alexandra Rafferty took on the burden of her... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312969120
• ISBN13: 9780312969127
• Release Date: August 1999
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Top-notch new book signals a different direction for Hall.

Last night, I finished James W. Hall's latest novel, _Body Language_, which is something of a departure for him. Hall has an ongoing series featuring the character Thorn, a generally easygoing type, who spends his days tying sought-after flies for fishermen and is often dragged into all manner of violent and complicated situations involving an assortment of his old friends and lovers. The Thorn books are great and highly recommended. In _Body Language_, Hall introduces a new character, Alexandra Collins, who is a photo technician with the Miami police department, spending her nightly shifts photographing murder scenes and apparently paying penance for a violent incident in her own past (which opens the book, by the way, so it's not much of a spoiler). This same incident appears to be coming back to haunt her, in the form of a series of rape- murders being committed by the "Bloody Rapist." Most writers would be happy with this as the complete plot for a novel, but Hall only uses this as a starting point, adding a whole variety of other criminal activity into the mix. The whole is at times gruesome, but then the mood will quickly change to black comedy or to a very moving, emotional moment. Sure, there are some rough edges, particularly noticeable during the book's conclusion, but the whole is so well-written and comes off as a sort of mixture of Carl Hiaasen and Elmore Leonard's Florida-based crime stories. Without my really realizing it, Hall has snuck in and become one of the few authors whose work I will snap up without reservation. The last Thorn novel, _Red Sky at Night_, made my ten-best list for 1998, and I would place _Body Language_ in my early forecast for best books of this year. For anyone who enjoys Carl Hiaasen or the work of Randy Wayne White, James W. Hall is another name in the pantheon of Florida-based crime writers to be added to your list.

Language, action, characterization: this book has it all.

James W. Hall is a master wordsmith. His descriptions and colorful language are some of the finest I've read in any genre. His plotting and misdirection are like an advanced course in how it should be done. This is the first novel I've read by Hall; it definitely won't be the last.

The Best Book James W. Hall has written!!!!

When I heard that James Hall had written another book, I was all set to read another adventure of the Key Largo Beach Bum, Thorn. I must admit I was a little disappointed when I learned that Thorn would not be appearring in Body Language, but nevertheless I thoroughly enjoyed the book!Think you got problems? Consider Alexandra Rafferty, Crime Photographer for the Miami Police Department. She was sexually assaulted at age 11.Her husband is not only having an affair, but he's also planning an armoured car heist.Her best friend is on the hit list of every anti-Castro Cuban organization in Miami.Her live-in Dad is sufferring from severe memory lapses due to Alzheimers Disease. She's on the run from a pair of gun-toting Whack-O's, one who's built like a Rhino and the other keeps a cochroach as a pet.With all that on her mind how can she possibly help the police to capture a serial rapist? James Hall spins a suspense filled tale that takes the readers from the seedy back streets of Miami to the white sandy shores of the Florida Panhandle. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat up to the final paragraph! If you've never read anything by James W. Hall, Body Language is a great place to start!

excellant

I have read other novels by Hall but found this particular one extremely satisifying. The humor alone caused me to laugh out loud several times. The characters very down-to-earth believeable. I've always been a big fan of Ed McBain's series of the "87th" due to the humor injected along with the suspense plot. I also have a soft spot for police dramas. BODY LANGUAGE reminded me of McBains writing style. I would highly recommend this novel. DO IT AGAIN, JAMES. e

Zany South Florida mystery that is one of the best

Forensic photographer Alexandra Rafferty buries herself in her gruesome work for the Miami police department as a means of forgetting the time she was raped as an eleven-year old. Recently, her father, a retired cop and the only person besides his daughter and the culprit who knows about that rape, is becoming forgetful due to Alzheimer's. Her spouse, a Brinks driver, is an idiot who robs an armored car. As her personal life spins out of orbit, her professional life becomes more intense when a serial rapist-murderer takes front and center stage in Southern Florida. Before Alexandra realizes what is happening, she is on the lam with her father and the loot he stole from her spouse. Her husband, other crooks, and a vicious killer give chase as Alexandra heads to Seaside. Anyone of them is willing to eliminate Alexandra as a threat. BODY LANGUAGE is as crazy as a tale gets without losing its sense of direction (from Miami north to the Panhandle). James W. Hall shows why he is one of the leading lights of the zany Southern Florida mysteries with a frenzied, yet exciting and detailed tale. The characters clearly make the show as all are fully motivated and a bit off-centered. Especially of note is three of the prime men in Alexandra's life: her father (his comments are dark comic relief), her spouse (using chaos theory to pull off his heist), and the killer (as bloody a rapist as one will read about). Mr. Hall continues to be one of the best mystery writers of non-stop thrillers.Harriet Klausner