All the Rage (Hardcover)

Jack is a poor man's James Bond who makes his living providing 'repair' work for people who need help, but can't go through standard law enforcement for it. Throughout the many Repairman Jack stories, the author has established Jack as someone who knows how to deal with natural and supernatural problems alike. In Jack's first book, The Tomb, he encountered a vengeful Bengali named Kusum with his army of unearthly creatures known as the Rakoshi. By the end of The Tomb, Jack thinks he's dealt with all of these creatures. But at the beginning of 'All the Rage', the reader sees that one has survived. The blood of this creature is being synthesized into a powerful street drug known as Berzerk. This drug grants a feeling of total euphoria, and also sends the user into fits of homicidal rage (thus the title).

Jack is hired by a young researcher because she sees her boss being bullied by a known underworld figure. She wants Jack to protect her boss, Dr. Monnet, from Dragovic, the head of a major criminal cartel. As the story unfolds, Jack connects Monnet and Dragovic as the creators and distributors of Berzerk, and also learns of the survival of the last Rakosh. His efforts to stop this drug ring, as well as deal with the last remaining Rakosh are immense fun to read.

For me, Jack's solutions are always the best part of the story, and in this one we see some of his most creative ones yet. The way he brings Dragovic and Monnet down is classic! And then later, his confrontation with the Rakosh is equally compelling. I honestly couldn't put it down.

But readers of this book should beware. This isn't simply a sequel to another book. All of the Repairman Jack stories are intimately tied into the larger "Adversary Cycle" written by F. Paul Wilson. In fact, a number of conversations and events referenced in this book wouldn't make sense unless you had also read 'Conspiracies' in addition to 'The Tomb'. And 'Conspiracies' only makes sense if you've read the rest of the Adversary Cycle. The primary books in this cycle are: The Keep, The Tomb, The Touch, Reborn, Reprisal, and Nightworld.

One final note to make...The Ozymandius Prather Oddity Emporium, taken from the pages of 'Freak Show' and authored by Thomas Monteleone and Steven Spruill, is one of the very best things about this book. I thought they fit very well into the overall story, and I got a real sense of the "Otherness" when reading about them.

If you've not read any Repairman Jack stories, don't start here. Start with The Tomb. But definitely keep reading until you get here. It's impossible to be disappointed by one of these novels.

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This time, Urban Mercenary Jack has been hired by Dr. Nadia Radzminsky to protect her boss, Dr. Luc Monnet, from SERIOUSLY off-kilter Bosnian drug-kingpin Milos Dragovic. Nadia suspects that Luc is the victim of an extortion scheme, but the truth is a little more sinister. But what else would you expect from one of Jack's cases...? Soon Jack is up to his eyeballs in murder, revenge, and a designer drug called Berzerk, which amplifies the users latent hostility to the Nth degree. The real treat for longtime fans of Repairman Jack is just WHERE the drug is coming from, which sends the book to a thrilling conclusion in the Jersey Pine Barrens. Familiar faces abound, from the usual suspects (Abe, Julio, Gia & Vicky) to the decidedly UNusual (The omnipresent "Sal Roma", and The Ozymandias Prather Oddity Emporium, which was introduced in Freak Show, an anthology by The Horror Writers of America, Edited by F. Paul Wilson. I loved these characters so much I went right out and snapped up a copy of Freak Show online.) The book is a satisfying read in and of itself, but it also manages to advance the ongoing Sal Roma/Otherness storyline, and sheds new light on Jack's personal life. For my money, All The Rage ties Conspiracies for best Repairman Jack novel. And that's saying A LOT! Highly recommended!

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