I learned something about Cherokee Indians and also about schizophrenia from this crime novel. And then there were some truly nasty characters that were conceived in "the forests of the night." Here's a quote:"What she [Charlotte, the cop protagonist] absorbed in those lonesome hours in the forest near her home laid the groundwork for what minimal belief system she had. It was her conviction that on some level the human condition was forever rooted in that same unruly soil. A destiny based on dirt and blood and unceasing conflict. Try as we might to rise beyond the earth, lift our bodies into the faultless sky in airplanes and antiseptic high-rises, dress for the opera, pray to our civilized gods, pretend we've refined ourselves beyond those primal urges, still, the earth and its feral laws and endless skirmishes were rooted in our cell memory. As far as she was concerned, it was inescapable. Every corner of the world was as perilous and unpredictable as the forest floor. Our blood forever howled with its animal song."
Hall is at his best when writing about the Florida Keys and coastal waters, but even so, the setting of this work in the forests of North Carolina doesn't detract from his expert plotting and fascinating characters. With as many twists and just as much family lore as you'd expect from a Hall novel, this thriller lives up to some of his best works. The main protagonist Charlotte doesn't come close to being as much of a drive as his more well-known Thorn, but she also doesn't drag the novel down, which is all I can ask from one of his non-Thorn novels. And, truth be told, the lesser character Gracie is so strange and well-written (frighteningly believable) that we don't miss the sympathy we'd normally give to a primary protagonist. All in all, this is a well written and twisting adventure of a thriller, and well worth the while. Long-time fans of Hall might miss some of the norms of his earlier works, but they won't be too disappointed with this departure either. Absolutely recommended.
Do You like book Forests Of The Night: A Novel (2005)?
Mr. Hall writes a really deftly woven tapestry of many characters and histories, with very believable dialogue and plot pacing. Only had a couple of minor plausibility concerns. I would have given it at least 4 stars, but for the fact that I found the daughter's character totally implausible. Not so much the fact that she had schizophrenia, but in the way she was depicted. I remember being a 16 year old girl very well, and I don't know any who thought or spoke the way she did. we were all very m
—Erin
Hall has long been a favorite of critics and fans alike. He creates page-turners, sure, but his books are much more than that: they offer multi-dimensional characters with rich inner lives. Hall has taught creative writing for the past 32 years at Florida International University, and perhaps this explains how he mastered the skills that have critics resoundingly praising his 13th book, Forests of the Night. Though the Plain Dealer thinks burgeoning (but not always fully developed) plot lines weigh down the book, critics otherwise universally laud the novel for its suspense, historical perspective, and the way in which Hall's characters both expand and surpass the crime genre.Copyright 2005 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.This is an excerpt from a review published in Bookmarks magazine.
—Bookmarks Magazine
Whoa, this is a faced paced ride that doesn't quit until the last page. A natural psychic policewoman Charlotte Monroe is married to Parker an outstanding attorney, together they are raising their schizophrenic daughter. The FBI is after Charlotte to teach their agents her natural abilities to read people. If that doesn't grab you, stay tuned. Life is good until a man shows up at their door with a warning, "you're next" he tells Parker Monroe. Then their daughter runs away. They set out from Miami to the Great Smokey Mountains to bring their daughter back. It's not long before they find themselves at the center of a centuries old Cherokee blood feud endangering everyone connected with a crime of long ago. Well worth your time.
—Linda
