The Tomb (Repairman Jack #1; Adversary Cycle #2) (1984)

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by F. Paul Wilson

Halloween Reviews 2020
Something is happening to the members of the Westphalen clan. 
Fortunately, one of them is dating Repairman Jack, a man who lives off the grid and handles situations that no one else can. 
And this situation definitely needs some special handling, because it involves East Indian monsters and an old curse. 
F. Paul Wilson tells a heck of a story here, which makes up for his frequently clunky prose. 
F. Paul Wilson
There are some really nail-biting scenes and a few surprises that came along just when I thought I understood everything that was happening. 
Many readers say that Repairman Jack is one of their favorite literary characters and I may end up agreeing (I intend to go on reading these novels), but I felt his presentation was a weak point of the book. 
He never really seemed as dark and dangerous as Wilson wanted me to believe because too much time was spent on his soft side. 
There is a harrowing flashback to the events surrounding his mother's death that is very effective, but all of the angst about his romance with Gia and his attachment to her daughter made him too warm and fuzzy. 
Take that for what it's worth; thousands of devoted readers would obviously disagree with me. 
I still recommend it.

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