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Liked It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “Pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I look forward to reading the series.” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“Great start to the series. Neat twist at the end.”
Gail Sylvia wrote this review Friday, February 24, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Repairman Jack hunts down a crazy man from India who has kidnapped someone dear to him: the daughter of his love to be. A great story of drama, adventure, and a good amount of science fiction.”
Weston wrote this review Saturday, July 9, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“As some other reviewers stated, this novel starts off a little slow but the ending is terrific. I really started to get into it a quarter of the way through and the book gets more exciting the further you go. I'll definitely read some more Repairman Jack stories in the future.”
Oniren wrote this review Thursday, June 16, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This was my first - and THE first - Repairman Jack book, and I really enjoyed it. Well written and super-exciting.
Kristen R wrote this review Monday, May 2, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Repairman Jack isn't your average repairman. He doesn't fix appliances or broken fences. He "fixes" things for people who can't, or won't go to the regular authorities for help with problems. Jack is the last resort for people who are desperate for help and have nowhere else to go.
Jack doesn't exist as far as the "normal" world is concerned. He doesn't have a bank account, a social security number or any legitimate identification, and the IRS doesn't even know he exists. But even so, he's the answer to a prayer for the people who need his help . . . if they can find him, that is.
In this book, Jack is approached by a diplomat from India. He tells Jack his grandmother has been mugged and brutally beaten and is at death's door in the hospital. What he asks of Jack is odd, however. One of the things the mugger took is a necklace his grandmother was wearing. He tells Jack the necklace is a family heirloom and of great sentimental value and he wants Jack to find it and return it to her before she dies. And just to make it more complicated he tells Jack he MUST find the necklace and get it back around her neck within 24 hours or she will be dead and it will be too late.
Jack takes the assignment, never for a moment believing he has a hope in hell of finding a particular mugger in a city the size of New York, not to mention any hope that the necklace is still in one piece, in 24 hours. And yet, he does!
Once the necklace is returned, however, everything gets weird very fast. The grandmother is spirited secretly out of the hospital and the diplomat goes back to his work at the U.N.
And Jack goes back to trying to convince his ex-girlfriend Gia to give their relationship another try. When Gia found out what Jack's life is REALLY all about, she could not get past the violence and the secrecy his work involves and she definitely doesn't want him or his work around her young daughter, Vicky. Unfortunately, Vicky adores Jack and can't accept his departure from their lives. So between Jack and Vicky, Gia's having a hard time keeping Jack away, especially since she really loves him.
Then, one of Gia's two beloved and elderly aunts by marriage [to her rich but rotten ex-husband now living in London] disappears from their townhouse without a trace. Gia is desperate enough to ask Jack for help finding her.
And Jack is happy to help, especially since if he finds Aunt Grace, he hopes Gia will give them another chance. But once he starts investigating, the trail leads back to the Indian diplomat and his younger and beautiful sister. Jack can't figure out what's going on.
When he finally does figure out what is happening, he can't believe it. The things he sees and learns can't be real - they just can't! [No spoilers - you'll have to read the book to find out].
Things really heat up when Vicky is taken by the same evil that got Aunt Grace. At that point Repairman Jack goes full force and doesn't care who he has to go through to get Vicky back.
The story is extremely fast-paced and thrilling. Once the facts about what's going on are revealed, the book moves like lightening and the events really grab you and drag you along with them at 90 miles an hour. Towards the end I realized I was actually holding my breath and that doesn't happen to me very often.
There are some aspects of this story that require you to suspend disbelief about what is possible in the real world. But if you can go with Hamlet and embrace his reminder that: "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosopy," well then, this is a great thriller with a terrifically exciting plot and great characters. I will definitely read other books in this series and recommend them to others.”“It was kind of hard to get into this book but the last 100 pages were really good. ”
Emily S wrote this review Monday, April 11, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This book took a little while to get going but it ended with a bang.”
Zach B wrote this review Saturday, February 26, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No1 of 1 members found this review helpful“Pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I look forward to reading the series.”
Carole S wrote this review Saturday, February 19, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
1 of 1 members found this review helpful“The first book in the Repairman Jack series, published way back in 1981, I think. Two shows (both coincidentally on CBS) have had an extremely similar premise to the man people go to for help when they can't go to the law, The Equalizer and that other one with Michael Morse. But RJ also comes up against the supernatural, as you'll really come to see as the series progresses.
Gerald R wrote this review Wednesday, February 16, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
But for the first time around Jack is tasked to help a one-armed man find his mother's necklace. It's a family heirloom and the man needs her to have it before she dies. Jack does, but not only does the woman not die, but she gets younger.
Anything more and I will probably spoil it, but you will not be disappointed (even though there are no tombs in this).”
“Great”
T B wrote this review Monday, January 10, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
1 of 1 members found this review helpful“This is the first in F. Paul Wilson's books concerning Repairman Jack, a character that has become one of the most interesting literary creations since James Bond.
Bill L wrote this review Wednesday, January 5, 2011. ( reply | view 1 replies | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Repairman Jack is a fixer of situations -- situations wherein someone has gotten a raw deal and wants to set things right. He has no social security number, no credit cards, pays no taxes, and makes every attempt to avoid the spotlight whenever possible.
The Wesphalen family is living under a curse; a death curse placed a century ago in retaliation for the murderous acts committed by a greedy ancestor.
Kusim Bhakti and his sister have come to New York City to carry out the curse and wipe out the rest of the Westphalen line. To assist with this task, Kusim has brought with him the Rakoshi, perversions of the human species brought about eons ago from the Otherness. You'll discover more about the Otherness in the books that follow.
As it turns out, Kusim hires Jack to track down the thief that mugged his mother and return the necklace that was stolen. Kusim tells Jack its return is a matter of lie and death. Jack succeeds and returns the heirloom to Kusim's bedridden mother. Jack is paid the rest of his price and assumes the job is done. Little does he know he'll meet with Kusim (plus some really mean Rakoshi) again on different terms.
Gia Westphalen has broken off her relationship with Jack, yet her daughter Vicky (the last of the Westphalen line) loves him like a father. Jack still loves Gia and can't bear the thought of never seeing Vicky again. As it turns out, Jack becomes intimately involved with the Westphalens again, protecting Vicky from Kusim and his Rakoshi.
This is an excellent read, and the series only gets better. You don't necessarily have to start here, the other books can be read separately, but this probably the best place to start to fully enjoy the rest of the books.
You'll find once you finish the book, you'll be asking yourself, Tomb? What's this have to do with a tomb? Wilson had inteneded to call the book "Rakoshi," but his editor requested that he change the name to "The Tomb," thinking it'd sell better. Whatever the case, it's a great beginning to a series that gets better with each book. Enjoy! (choma)
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