A man called Thorn

“...may remind you of John D. MacDonald’s immortal Travis McGee…or perhaps Lee Child’s Jack Reacher…”

—Washington Post Book World

Thorn is Henry David Thoreau with a .357 magnum

I first met Thorn in the early 80’s.

He lived across the street from me in Key Largo. He also lived a few miles north on the Overseas Highway, and he lived down south in Islamorada and Key West too. He also lived inside the covers of novels by several favorite authors. But mainly he was the guy across the street, a fishing guide with a country boy’s down-to-earth view of the world and a simple moral code. My neighbor also carried a gun, and he’d used it.

And would use it again if he had to.

In other words, Thorn is a patchwork of the tough, independent Keys folks I got to know in the years I’ve lived there. Pioneer stock, heartland Americans, tough, resourceful, people you can trust and can count on in an emergency.

That’s a few of things Thorn is, but there are lots of things Thorn is not.

He’s not ex-Military, ex-Special Forces, Special Ops, Triple Secret Decoder Ring hero.
He’s not six foot five or six or seven.
He’s not a body builder or heavily muscled.
He’s not a martial arts expert or a crack shot.
He’s no Sherlock Holmes capable of miraculous logical deductions.
He’s not a cop, a journalist, a lawyer, or a computer hacker.
He’s not a goofy, silly, oddball, screwy, ludicrous Florida man.
And he’s not a comic serial killer.

He’s not George Clooney. He doesn’t even know who Clooney is.

Read The Whole Thorn Series

Thorn is a Keys guy

Nothing special. A loner who ties bonefish flies and sells them to a few loyal customers. His flies are imaginative and unique and they catch their share of fish. He lives in a stilt house he rebuilt by hand out of salvaged hardwood after his original house was destroyed by someone wanting to kill Thorn. His property is on the edge of Blackwater Sound in Key Largo. He’s lived on that island forever. And he’s watched with growing dismay as real estate developments bulldoze the native landscape.

Thorn was orphaned on the first day of his life and years later he tracked down the man who killed his parents and got justice. Haunted by that violent act of revenge, Thorn has tried to retreat from the world and live a life of solitude and meditation while remaining available to the occasional romantic interlude.

The women who have come and gone in Thorn’s life have often drawn him away from his tranquil ways and sent him off into perilous adventures. Women have put his life in danger and he’s too often returned the favor. But he’s experienced more than his share of love, and the occasional woman has been enchanted by Thorn’s passionate intensity.

He’s a reluctant vigilante but when he straps on his six gun and heads out to seek justice, he does so because there is no choice.

Thorn has an intimate knowledge of the water

He knows the birds, the fish, the shape and texture of ocean breezes, and the scent of approaching rain. He knows the natural world of the Keys intimately from years of paying close attention and exploring the creeks and mangrove islands, the hidden lagoons, the flats.

He has lots of casual buddies, fishing guides, old salts, bar owners, Keys riff raff, but only one close friend, a virtual brother named Sugarman. An African American who grew up with Thorn in Key Largo and who often sensibly steers Thorn away from his mad impulses.

Thorn is Henry David Thoreau with a .357 magnum. He’s my neighbor across the street, a fishing guide with a simple, steadfast moral code.

All he truly wants to do is sit on his deck and watch the sun dissolve into the Gulf with an icy Red Stripe in his hand.

Hall’s Complete Works

Keep in touch with Jim

We check in with Thorn over at Snappers or the Lorelei every once in a while. Maybe he’ll have some new stories to tell us.

Any information you provide will not be sold, rented, leased or forwarded to any third party, or used for other commercial purposes.