david_agranoff's review
5.0
This might be the best of the Repairman Jack series so far. Legacies (#2) was the best plotted, Conspiracies (#3) is probably the most fun, and Hosts (#5) was the most heart-breaking. The Haunted Air is the most perfect blend so far. It has all the elements that make a great Repairman Jack novel and it is a quick fun read.
It is fitting that Wilson does a slight of hand plot wise, he has done that before with Legacies and The Keep. Those novels will dupe you with misdirection. Well F.Paul Wilson you fool me once shame on you fool me twice double good on you. I was convinced 100 pages into the novel that Legacies was a haunted house novel. It was in no way a haunted house novel. This Repairman Jack novel is very much a haunted house novel. Of course I assumed it was another trick. Damn you Wilson!
It is indeed a haunted house novel, and due to the house’s unique residents the novel becomes a refreshing take on the classic tale. It is a Repairman Jack novel after all. Jack is hired by two so-called psychics who run a bait and switch scam out of the haunted house. (The hardest trick of the haunted house novel is why would the victims stay? Solved here by the scammers needing the house for their scam)
At first the haunted aspects of the house are considered the acts of jealous competing psychics. Jack helps fix the problem by running a scam on the psychics. At the same time the greater web of horror involving the background of Jack’s life begins to unravel. His girlfriend Gia is pulled into the horror hidden below the house. Jack already knows there are no coincidences in his life anymore.
This near perfect Repairman Jack novel weaves small touches from the Adversary novels (The Keep and Reborn) while moving the greater story of Jack forward. I loved this novel, as I have the others. The only tiny nitpick I would have would be the dialogue of Lyle and Charles, the scammers were born and lived most of their lives in the Detroit ghetto. Some of it didn’t ring true; I had this same problem with Dan Simmons Carrion Comfort. Tiny thing in a novel that is so solid.
Haunted Air is a great stand alone Repairman Jack novel, but it also weaves into the greater story of the Secret history of the World. If you only read one I would read Legacies or this one. You can’t go wrong.
It is fitting that Wilson does a slight of hand plot wise, he has done that before with Legacies and The Keep. Those novels will dupe you with misdirection. Well F.Paul Wilson you fool me once shame on you fool me twice double good on you. I was convinced 100 pages into the novel that Legacies was a haunted house novel. It was in no way a haunted house novel. This Repairman Jack novel is very much a haunted house novel. Of course I assumed it was another trick. Damn you Wilson!
It is indeed a haunted house novel, and due to the house’s unique residents the novel becomes a refreshing take on the classic tale. It is a Repairman Jack novel after all. Jack is hired by two so-called psychics who run a bait and switch scam out of the haunted house. (The hardest trick of the haunted house novel is why would the victims stay? Solved here by the scammers needing the house for their scam)
At first the haunted aspects of the house are considered the acts of jealous competing psychics. Jack helps fix the problem by running a scam on the psychics. At the same time the greater web of horror involving the background of Jack’s life begins to unravel. His girlfriend Gia is pulled into the horror hidden below the house. Jack already knows there are no coincidences in his life anymore.
This near perfect Repairman Jack novel weaves small touches from the Adversary novels (The Keep and Reborn) while moving the greater story of Jack forward. I loved this novel, as I have the others. The only tiny nitpick I would have would be the dialogue of Lyle and Charles, the scammers were born and lived most of their lives in the Detroit ghetto. Some of it didn’t ring true; I had this same problem with Dan Simmons Carrion Comfort. Tiny thing in a novel that is so solid.
Haunted Air is a great stand alone Repairman Jack novel, but it also weaves into the greater story of the Secret history of the World. If you only read one I would read Legacies or this one. You can’t go wrong.
op_ivey's review against another edition
4.0
Love the Repairman Jack series. This is one of the better ones so far.
neilsb's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
acknud's review against another edition
3.0
This would have been a good story except the author's attempt to speak like a city/urban black man was distracting. The story was decent and brought us a little closer to the Otherness.
op_ivey's review against another edition
4.0
Love the Repairman Jack series. This is one of the better ones so far.
trevert's review against another edition
4.0
As excellent as every other Repairman Jack book. Repairman Jack books are like Jack Reacher books with a horror element added, and you can basically pick one out of a box blindfolded and know it will be good. In this one, Jack gets embroiled with a pair of fake mediums, brothers who run a flimflam seance op but start having real problems with a real haunting, plus a child murdering cult.
buildhergender's review against another edition
5.0
Another great repairman Jack novel.
Gia is in trouble, and so is Jacks child?
A group of child kidnappers are stealing kids, but not for the reason everyone suspects.
A couple of high tech scam artists who pretend to control the paranormal will now face it.
Jack will need to get over his sisters death if he wants to get out of this one alive.
Gia is in trouble, and so is Jacks child?
A group of child kidnappers are stealing kids, but not for the reason everyone suspects.
A couple of high tech scam artists who pretend to control the paranormal will now face it.
Jack will need to get over his sisters death if he wants to get out of this one alive.
jeanetterenee's review against another edition
4.0
I've been reading these Repairman Jack novels in no particular order over the past several years. This one is the most fun of all the ones I've read so far. It has a lot more humorous dialogue, and manages to be both whimsical and seriously creepy at the same time. And the little twist at the end was perfect! I'm surprised Wilson didn't go anywhere with the Lom reference, though. He probably just threw that in to amuse alert readers like me. :)
The main plot deals with a haunted house and ring of evil men seeking immortality. There's a snappy little subplot that takes a jab at so-called psychics and the people foolish enough to waste money on them. I don't believe in ghosts or psychic abilities, so this was all a fun ride for me. If you DO believe in ghosts, this one might make you lose a little sleep.
I think this book makes a great stand-alone story if you're not the uptight sort who's afraid you might be missing something. All you really need to know is that Repairman Jack does not officially exist. He went off the radar at age 21, so there are no records, no way to trace him. The series has an underlying theme about battling forces called the Otherness and the Ally, but they don't play a part in this particular installment.
The main plot deals with a haunted house and ring of evil men seeking immortality. There's a snappy little subplot that takes a jab at so-called psychics and the people foolish enough to waste money on them. I don't believe in ghosts or psychic abilities, so this was all a fun ride for me. If you DO believe in ghosts, this one might make you lose a little sleep.
I think this book makes a great stand-alone story if you're not the uptight sort who's afraid you might be missing something. All you really need to know is that Repairman Jack does not officially exist. He went off the radar at age 21, so there are no records, no way to trace him. The series has an underlying theme about battling forces called the Otherness and the Ally, but they don't play a part in this particular installment.