In Wilson's well-wrought ninth Repairman Jack novel (after 2004's Crisscross), the off-the-books fix-it man, urban vigilante and paranormal adventurer reconnects with his estranged brother, Tom, after their father is gunned down in a terrorist attack at La Guardia Airport. Tom, a corrupt Philadelphia judge who's fleeing the law and rapidly running out of money, persuades Jack to help him look for the wreckage of a Spanish treasure ship that sank in 1598 off Bermuda. Instead of treasure, however, the brothers haul up an odd, skin-covered, oblong object known as the Lilitongue of Gefreda. It looks harmless enough, but research tells them that those who come in contact with it vanish to the "Otherness." The plot moves briskly but never recklessly, the dialogue is salty and witty, and the characters have enough dimension to elevate them above the genre pack. Jack, introduced more than 20 years ago, is aging gracefully. Agent, Al Zukerman at Writers House. (Nov.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Anonymous hero goes through some family issues, recovers treasure, fights terrorism. Repairman Jack lives off the grid under an assumed name and does a lot of off-the-books "repair" work, through exactly how and why is not spelled out in Wilson's ninth entry in the series (Crisscross, 2004, etc.). Jack, who has a nice little Manhattan life going with the lovely Gia and doesn't want more complications than his shady work already offers, is awaiting the arrival of his retiree father, who's flying up from Florida for some quality family time. But a terrorist attack at LaGuardia leaves Jack's father dead and Jack scouring his network of reprobate acquaintances to find out who was behind the attack. His father's funeral brings Jack into unwilling contact with his brother Tom, a Philadelphia judge who-with his ex-wives, drug and alcohol problems and extremely lax attitude about bribes-is an even less upstanding character than Jack. Tom ropes Jack into taking a ride on a boat to Bermuda in order to withdraw some funds that Tom had stashed away in a bank there. Along the way-just maybe-they'll look for lost Spanish treasure marked on a map that fell into Tom's hands. Then it's back to New York, where they need to deal with those terrorists. Some things work (especially the well-rendered brotherly relationship), but a lot (such as Jack's joyfully racist mafioso buddy Joey) fails to connect.

“Repairman Jack is a wonderful character, ultracompetent but still vulnerable . . . Wilson strolls into 'X-Files' territory and makes it his own.” —San Francisco Examiner & Chronicle

“All the Repairman Jack novels are exciting science fiction thrillers. . . . If you don't know Jack, you are missing one of the stranger, but better ongoing series in which every entry enthralls the audience, proving that Mr. Wilson is quite a storyteller.” —The Midwest Book Review on Hosts

“If you're a lover of horror fiction, vampires, and early Stephen King novels, take note: Midnight Mass is the best thing to come along in years.” —Rocky Mountain News on Midnight Mass