James W. Hall books

James W. Hall is an American crime fiction author known for the Thorn series, seventeen novels of Florida noir following a loner who keeps getting drawn into violent conflicts in the Keys and Everglades.

Akashic Noir Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Brooklyn Noir 2004 Buy
Trinidad Noir: The Classics 2017 Buy
Chicago Noir 2005 Buy
San Francisco Noir 2002 Buy
Hasidic Noir 2004 Buy
D.C. Noir 2006 Buy
Brooklyn Noir 2 2005 Buy
Dublin Noir 2005 Buy
Manhattan Noir 2006 Buy
Baltimore Noir 2006 Buy
London Noir 2006 Buy
Miami Noir 2006 Buy
New Orleans Noir 2007 Buy
Los Angeles Noir 2007 Buy
Twin Cities Noir 2006 Buy
Wall Street Noir 2007 Buy
Bronx Noir 2003 Buy
Havana Noir 2007 Buy
Detroit Noir 2007 Buy
Queens Noir 2008 Buy
Las Vegas Noir 2008 Buy
Toronto Noir 2008 Buy
Brooklyn Noir 3: Nothing But the Truth 2008 Buy
Trinidad Noir 2008 Buy
Chicago Noir: The Classics 2015 Buy
Miami Noir: The Classics 2020 Buy
Istanbul Noir 2008 Buy
D.C. Noir 2 2008 Buy
Paris Noir 2008 Buy
Manhattan Noir 2 2008 Buy
Rome Noir 2009 Buy
San Francisco Noir 2: The Classics 2009 N/A
Portland Noir 2009 Buy
Seattle Noir 2003 Buy
Delhi Noir 2009 Buy
Boston Noir 2009 Buy
San Francisco Noir 2 2009 Buy
Phoenix Noir 2009 Buy
Mexico City Noir 2010 Buy
Richmond Noir 2010 Buy
Los Angeles Noir 2 2010 Buy
New Orleans Noir: The Classics 2016 Buy
Orange County Noir 2010 Buy
Indian Country Noir 2010 Buy
Moscow Noir 2010 Buy
Lone Star Noir 2010 Buy
Philadelphia Noir 2010 Buy
Haiti Noir 2010 Buy
Copenhagen Noir 2010 Buy
Pittsburgh Noir 2011 Buy
San Diego Noir 2011 Buy
Barcelona Noir 2011 Buy
Cape Cod Noir 2011 Buy
New Jersey Noir 2011 Buy
Staten Island Noir 2012 Buy
Mumbai Noir 2012 Buy
Long Island Noir 2012 Buy
Venice Noir 2012 Buy
Kingston Noir 2012 Buy
St. Petersburg Noir 2012 Buy
Kansas City Noir 2012 Buy
Boston Noir 2 2012 Buy
USA Noir 2013 Buy
Manila Noir 2013 Buy
Buffalo Noir 2013 Buy
Dallas Noir 2013 Buy
Haiti Noir 2 2013 Buy
Singapore Noir 2014 Buy
Prison Noir 2014 Buy
Tel Aviv Noir 2014 Buy
Tehran Noir 2014 Buy
Belfast Noir 2014 Buy
Helsinki Noir 2014 Buy
Rio Noir 2014 Buy
Providence Noir 2015 Buy
Memphis Noir 2015 Buy
Zagreb Noir 2015 Buy
Marseille Noir 2015 Buy
Beirut Noir 2015 Buy
Stockholm Noir 2016 Buy
Brussels Noir 2016 Buy
Mississippi Noir 2016 Buy
St. Louis Noir 2016 Buy
Prague Noir 2016 Buy
San Juan Noir 2016 Buy
Oakland Noir 2017 Buy
Atlanta Noir 2017 Buy
New Haven Noir 2017 Buy
Montana Noir 2017 Buy
Buenos Aires Noir 2017 Buy
Montreal Noir 2017 Buy
Berlin Noir 2018 Buy
São Paulo Noir 2018 Buy
Santa Cruz Noir 2018 Buy
Lagos Noir 2018 Buy
Marrakech Noir 2018 Buy
Baghdad Noir 2018 Buy
Vancouver Noir 2018 Buy
Sydney Noir 2018 Buy
Hong Kong Noir 2018 Buy
Amsterdam Noir 2019 Buy
Milwaukee Noir 2019 Buy
Houston Noir 2019 Buy
Nairobi Noir 2020 Buy
Columbus Noir 2020 Buy
Santa Fe Noir 2020 Buy
Alabama Noir 2020 Buy
Berkeley Noir 2020 Buy
Addis Ababa Noir 2020 Buy
Tampa Bay Noir 2020 Buy
Accra Noir 2020 Buy
Belgrade Noir 2020 Buy
Palm Springs Noir 2021 Buy
Paris Noir: The Suburbs 2022 Buy
Denver Noir 2022 Buy
South Central Noir 2022 Buy
Cleveland Noir 2023 Buy
East Jerusalem Noir 2023 Buy
West Jerusalem Noir 2023 Buy
Honolulu Noir 2024 Buy
Sacramento Noir 2025 Buy
Hamburg Noir 2025 Buy

Anthologies

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Putt at the End of the World 2000 Buy
Blue Christmas 2011 Buy

Harper McDaniel Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
When They Come for You 2017 Buy
When You Can’t Stop 2018 Buy

Non-Fiction

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Hot Damn! 2002 Buy
Hit Lit 2012 Buy

Short Stories/Novellas

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Haze 2016 Buy

Short Story Collections

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Paper Products 1990 Buy
Over Exposure and Six Other Stories 2011 Buy
All My Pwoblems 2011 Buy

Standalone Novels

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Bones of Coral 1991 Buy
Hard Aground 1992 Buy
Body Language 1998 Buy
Rough Draft 2000 Buy
Forests of the Night 2004 Buy

Thorn Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Under Cover of Daylight 1987 Buy
Tropical Freeze 1989 Buy
Mean High Tide 1994 Buy
Gone Wild 1995 Buy
Buzz Cut 1996 Buy
Red Sky at Night 1997 Buy
Blackwater Sound 2002 Buy
Off the Chart 2003 Buy
Magic City 2007 Buy
Hell’s Bay 2008 Buy
Silencer 2009 Buy
Dead Last 2011 Buy
Going Dark 2013 Buy
The Big Finish 2014 Buy
Bad Axe 2020 Buy
Trickster 2022 Buy
Stare Down 2024 Buy

James W. Hall has been writing Florida crime fiction since 1987, with the Thorn series as his central achievement. Thorn is a Key Largo recluse who ties bonefish flies and wants nothing more than to be left alone — but seventeen novels prove that the world won’t let him. Under Cover of Daylight through Stare Down follow Thorn through decades of Florida-set crime, from poachers and smugglers to corporate villains and family secrets buried in the mangroves.

Beyond Thorn, Hall wrote the Harper McDaniel thrillers, standalone crime novels, and short fiction. He also served as series editor for the Akashic Noir anthologies, overseeing more than 120 city-specific noir collections from Brooklyn to Baghdad to Sacramento. His non-fiction includes Hit Lit, an analysis of what makes certain novels become massive bestsellers.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has James W. Hall written?

James W. Hall has written 154 books across eight series.

What was James W. Hall's first book?

James W. Hall’s first book is Under Cover of Daylight, published in 1987.

What is James W. Hall known for?

Hall is known for the Thorn series, seventeen crime novels set in the Florida Keys following a reclusive fly-tier who keeps getting dragged into dangerous situations. He also edited over 120 volumes in the Akashic Noir anthology series, wrote literary thrillers as standalones, and authored non-fiction about bestselling fiction including Hit Lit.

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