by James W. Hall

3.6 stars - 12 reviews

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Here's the set-up:

From an acclaimed “master of suspense”(New York Times Book Review) comes a thriller in which Thorn must confront an assassin whose victims and methods are taken directly from the script of a popular TV showApril Moss writes obituaries for the Miami Herald.  Her son, Sawyer, also a writer, has been scripting a cable TV series called “Miami Ops” and has been using his mother’s work as a central element of the show's storyline.  In “Miami Ops,” a serial killer is using obituaries published in the local paper as a blueprint for selecting his next victims.But midway through the season, a copycat appears off-screen, a real-life killer who is using the same strategy to select victims.  When this serial killer crosses paths with the reclusive Thorn, he has no choice but to leave his sanctuary in Key Largo and join forces with a young policewoman from Oklahoma who is investigating the murders.In addition to the show’s head writer, April’s other son, Sawyer’s twin brother, works on “Miami Ops” as the lead actor.  Could one of them be involved in the killings?  Or are they orchestrated by the director of the TV series, an aging mogul who badly needs a hit? And what about the female star of the show, a deliciously strange young woman who seems willing to do anything to promote her career.Thorn walks into this hotbed of entertainment business intrigue totally unprepared for the life-altering shocker he’s about to face. This loner from Key Largo has brought down his share of killers, but he's never confronted one that was his own flesh and blood. With the pacing of a thriller, and the lyrical prose for which Hall is renowned, this story pits Thorn against a killer—or killers—whose motives are as elusive as their identities.

One Reviewer Notes:

Sawyer Moss, son of Miami Herald obit reporter April, uses his mom's obituaries as a key source in writing scripts for the cable series "Miami Ops"; a show in which his twin stars. The show's theme centers on a serial killer using obituaries as a guide to selecting his next kill. However, a fan duplicates the TV show using April's obits to pick and kill. Starkville, Oklahoma teenage sheriff Buddha Hilton travels to Key Largo to ask for reclusive grieving widower Daniel Thorn's help. Thorn's late wife Rusty's Aunt Michaela Stabler (who also was Buddha's adoptive mother) was stabbed to death in Starkville; Rusty's Miami Herald obituary next to her. Thorn agrees to assist the Sooner law enforcement official in finding out who enforces real life to imitate art. The latest Thorn thriller ... is a superb whodunit as the protagonist wonders if someone from the show is willing to do anything for publicity. The story line is fast-paced while containing plausible exciting twists. Thorn is at his best as he prefers to grieve his loss alone, but out of homage to his late wife works the case. James W. Hall always provides a great mystery.

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