Jack's back, and just in time for Halloween enjoyment! "Jack" is Repairman Jack, the major character in a series of "horror" novels by F. Paul Wilson. While this will get me some quibbles from Jack fans, The Haunted Air, the latest of the Repairman Jack (or "RJ," as fans refer to them) novels, may be Wilson's best in the series.
Much more a fast-paced action thriller than horror, The Haunted Air continues in the RJ series, picking up some time after the conclusion of the previous novel, Hosts. Jack's moping after the untimely death of his sister, and trying to come to terms with some unwanted news he received at the same time. A trip to a scamming psychic proves intriguing, and ultimately launches Jack into another confrontation with the "Otherness." A challenging concept to explain, it's the dark side in Wilson's unique and interesting take on the ages-old rivalry between good and evil. Jack has somehow been pegged as a VIP on the good side, which makes him an enemy of Otherness denizens. 
Jack's personal life has also become more complicated in The Haunted Air, with his lover, Gia, becoming drawn into one of his fixes. And can it really be that Jack is contemplating getting into the system, after being successfully outside it for so long? The challenges seemingly never end, yet Jack manages to keep a handle on them as he does his business and tries to come to grips with the new directions his life seems to be heading.
Already known among libertarians for his terrific science fiction (such as Wheels within Wheels, An Enemy of the State, and The Healer) F. Paul Wilson keeps a steady undercurrent of freedom-oriented ideas flowing in all the RJ novels. One result is that much of it is practically oriented, rather than preachy sermons that are likely to turn non-libertarian readers off. In The Haunted Air, Wilson also deftly weaves an examination of epistemology throughout the book. Wilson is masterful at rendering complex characters and keeping them true, and creating atmosphere so rich that it can be difficult to shake loose from one's mind when one must put the book down.
If you've not read any of the Repairman Jack novels yet, do yourself a favor -- do it right and start at the beginning, with The Tomb, and work your way to The Haunted Air. You'll understand a lot more in The Haunted Air (although nothing is dependent upon having read the preceding novels), and will likely find yourself thinking about various freedom-related issues in new ways. F. Paul Wilson proves himself a master not only of fiction, but also of working in important libertarian ideas in the most unusual places.
Order The Haunted Air from Amazon Books, currently $17.47
Other Repairman Jack novels (in chronological order):
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