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Bloodline: A Repairman Jack Novel    by F. Paul Wilson Amazon.com order for
Bloodline
by F. Paul Wilson
Order:  USA  Can
Forge, 2007 (2007)
Hardcover, Audio, CD

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* * *   Reviewed by Martina Bexte

By the end of Harbingers, the cosmic forces controlling Jack had once again turned his world inside out: the two loves of his life (Gia and her daughter Vicky) were involved in a horrific accident and left clinging to life, forcing Jack to make yet another deal with the Otherness to spare them. But he was unable to bargain for the life of his and Gia's unborn child Emma.

As Bloodline opens, six months have passed and Gia and Vicky are both well on the mend, although Gia still suffers from dark moments of depression over Emma's loss and finds no pleasure in her artistic endeavours, despite Jack's unfailing encouragement. She's equally worried about Jack's state of mind and urges him to start taking on some fix it jobs again, directing him to one enquiry in particular. Single mom Christy Pickering is determined to break up the romance between her teenage daughter Dawn and Jerry Bethlehem, a man twice the girl's age, who Christy is certain has ulterior motives. The first PI she hired to investigate Bethlehem has dropped off the map and now she wants Jack to find him and compare notes.

Jack quickly discovers that the PI is the victim of a grisly murder. When an inquiry into his death is slickly covered up, Jack's radar goes on high alert. Further investigation takes the urban mercenary to a top secret government facility conducting research on violent criminals, one of whom is Jerry Bethlehem. Now Jack is as determined as Christy to get Jerry away from Dawn, off the streets and back into permanent lock-up. But as Jack continues digging into Jerry's increasingly unsavoury background, he discovers an even more monstrous scheme, one that has a direct link to a charismatic self-help guru as well as the powerful otherworldly forces that control every aspect of Jack's life.

Wilson doesn't include dual plot lines as he has in past instalments, concentrating instead on Jack's quest to expose Bethlehem. Nevertheless, Bloodline presents another complicated and riveting chapter in Jack's continuing struggle to learn more about his role in the dark cosmic struggle between the Adversary and the Otherness. Tidbits from past books once again come into play, as well as new revelations, all of which add intriguing layers to the mythology. F. Paul Wilson remains at the top of his game here and followers of his Adversary Cycle will not be disappointed in the direction he's taking this gripping and highly original series.

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