Though a native of Kentucky, James W. Hall (b. 1947) has lived most of his life in Florida, where he established himself as one of the foremost authors of crime in the Sunshine State. Originally a poet, he began writing crime fiction in the mid-1980s, publishing his first novel, "Under Cover of Daylight", in 1986. A murder mystery starring a Key West fisherman named Thorn, it was a well-received beginning to a series that has, to date, yielded twelve books, most recently "Dead Last".Besides the Thorn books, Hall has written stories and novels of life in South Florida, as well "Hot Damn!", a collection of essays. He teaches writing at Florida International University, and lives with his wife Evelyn. They divide their time between the Florida Keys and the mountains of North Carolina.
