Book Review - Cold City by F. Paul Wilson

I came to the Repairman Jack books, brilliantly written by F. Paul Wilson, late in the series. My wife was a big fan and had read all of his books, but I just never had taken the time to do so. However, a later book in the series showed up on the list of books available to review for Curled Up With a Good Book. Since I wanted to get a copy of it for her to read, I requested it. Of course, if you request it, you have to review it, so I read it first.

I found myself blown away, and while the details of the mythos were all new to me, it was written well enough for a beginner that I had no problem figuring out what was going on.

This was By the Sword, and I was hooked.

Jack's story ended last year, but Wilson is now writing three prequel books that tell us how Jack became who he is. He's a man who's lived his life off the grid, untraceable because he refuses to do things like use credit cards or things like that. He pays cash, he works for cash, and when he needs weapons, he has friends who will sell them to him.

Cold City is the first book in this prequel series, and it is a very good book, though I think it may be better ready if you're at least somewhat familiar with the Adversary Cycle of books. It is understandable if this is your first one, and it's still an excellent story, but you'll get a lot more out of it if you have read some of the other books first.

My review of it is up on Curled Up With a Good Book.

From the review:

"It's 1990, and a man named Jack (we never will find out his last name, I don't believe) has dropped out of college and headed to New York to make his way. Strange things have been happening to him, dark urges that he must fight before they overwhelm him. He's gone off the grid, living on cash and the odd jobs that will pay him that, which almost necessitates some jobs that are a bit on the shady side. After he suffers one dark attack and almost kills a co-worker who has been bullying him, he's not sure what to do. Getting hired as a driver to smuggle cigarettes is quite lucrative and will definitely keep him able to live well—and buy the weaponry he might need for the days ahead. Especially when he encounters a preteen smuggling ring, some jihadists, and the mob trying to deal with his good friend, the bartender Julio. With all of that, he may be wishing for a monster from the dawn of time to deal with."

Wilson's writing is great, drawing you into the story and not letting you go. I highly recommend this novel, no matter whether you're familiar with the series or not.

Read the review and let me know what you think!