The Last Christmas: A Repairman Jack Novel

Last seen in 2014’s Fear City, Repairman Jack makes a triumphant return in Wilson’s 20th outing for the Manhattan freelance fixer, which falls chronologically between Ground Zero and Fatal Error. In late December, a year after Jack’s father’s death and his brother’s disappearance, a despondent Jack is pointed by old friend Edward Burkes toward doctors Hess and Monaco , who need him to hunt down and retrieve an escaped hybrid creature, H3, that’s half-ape, half-wolf. No surprise, the docs aren’t on the level, and H3 turns out to be far from the expected. Meanwhile, the mysterious Madame de Medici hires him to protect the Bagaq, an ancient object with supposed healing powers. As Jack seeks H3, hired investigator Tier Hill pursues Jack and the Bagaq while wrestling with strange signals he fears only he can hear. Jack is at the mercy of events involving the secret history of the world, touched on in earlier adventures. Wilson’s storytelling is as crisp, sharp, and entertaining as always. Fans of this fantasy thriller series will hope Jack is back for good. (Dec.)