Don't bother calling Repairman Jack if your washing machine is busted. Jack is a fixer of a different nature: he investigates crimes that go beyond the norms of traditional law. In 1984's The Tomb, Jack tracked down a prized (and cursed) family heirloom; in 1998's Legacies, he sniffed out the sinister secret behind a man's last will and testament. The enigmatic sleuth makes his third appearance in Conspiracies. "I don't do missing wives," Jack protests at first, but the bizarre circumstances surrounding Melanie Ehler's disappearance convince him to help out the woman's distraught husband.

Melanie is a leading voice in the conspiracy-theory movement, a true believer that crop circles, UFOs, and even El Niño are all part of the same vast plot against humankind. She dubs this her "Grand Unification Theory," or GUT. One week before announcing the GUT theory to the world, Melanie vanishes and Jack is plunged deep into her weird world as he attends the conference where Melanie was due to speak. Jack is initially amused by the eccentricities of the alien abductees and Satanic cult survivors Melanie counted among her colleagues; but an apparently supernatural force, a murder, a disappearing corpse, and a creature straight from the bowels of hell put his skepticism to the test.

Conspiracies is another tightly plotted thriller from F. Paul Wilson, tinged with enough horror and supernatural suspense to please both mystery lovers and horror hounds. Repairman Jack reigns as one of the most alluring and mysterious private investigators in the business. --Naomi Gesinger


From Booklist
The third Repairman Jack novel (after The Tomb in 1984 and Legacies in 1998) is by far the best. Jack, a fix-it man who specializes in problems that frequently require him to face powerful foes and slip into the world of the supernatural, is hired to locate the missing wife of a businessman. This time he must find a missing woman who happens to be one of the world's leading conspiracy theorists (she was preparing to reveal her Grand Unification Theory, which would explain the truth behind all manner of strange goings-on). To find her, Jack must attend a convention of conspiracy buffs, most of whom seem more than a little strange. This is a funnier novel than the first two Repairman Jacks; those who look at conspiracy theories with a skeptical eye will have a great time, as will anyone who likes a well-plotted, spooky thriller. Wilson tells a great story. David Pitt


Review
"Wilson strolls in X-Files territory and makes it his own, keeping the action brisk and the level of suspense steadily rising."--San Francisco Chronicle

"Repairman Jack is a wonderful character, ultracompetent but still vulnerable. While there's plenty of violence in Conspiracies, there's also a lot of humor."--San Francisco Chronicle

"Repairman Jack is one of the most original and intriguing characters to arise out of contemporary fiction in ages....Hugely entertaining."--Dean Koontz



Review
"Wilson strolls in X-Files territory and makes it his own, keeping the action brisk and the level of suspense steadily rising."--San Francisco Chronicle

"Repairman Jack is a wonderful character, ultracompetent but still vulnerable. While there's plenty of violence in Conspiracies, there's also a lot of humor."--San Francisco Chronicle

"Repairman Jack is one of the most original and intriguing characters to arise out of contemporary fiction in ages....Hugely entertaining."--Dean Koontz



Book Description
Repairman Jack, F. Paul Wilson's vigilante hero from 1984's New York Times bestseller The Tomb and 1998'2 Legacies, returns in a thriller that thrusts Jack back into the weird, supernatural world that he thrives in. Looking for clues to mysterious disappearance of leading conspiracy theorist Melanie Ehler. Jack attends a convention of bizarre and avid conspiracy theorist. It's a place where aliens are real, the government is out to get you, and the world is hurtling toward an inevitable war of good versus evil incarnate. Jack finds that nobody can be trusted--and that few people are what they seem. Worse yet, Jack's been having vivid dreams that make him wonder whether he's headed for a clash with his own past--maybe The Tomb's evil rakoshi beasts aren't through with him quite yet.



From the Publisher
Repairman Jack's exploits continue in ALL THE RAGE, the next installment of the Repairman Jack saga, with the Gauntlet hardcover in late-June.


About the Author
F. Paul Wilson, a New York Times bestselling author of horror, adventure, medical thrillers, science fiction, and virtually everything in between, is a practicing physician who resides in Wall, New Jersey.

FROM OUR EDITORS

Fifteen years have passed since Repairman Jack debuted in Wilson￯﾿ﾽs novel The Tomb. Beginning with Legacies and now continuing with Conspiracies, we are once again swept up in a high-octane thriller that never ceases to let go of the reader. Repairman Jack is one part Travis McGee and one part the Saint, an enigmatic antihero without identity, working outside the system. Jack￯﾿ﾽs moral imperative is sometimes questionable but always leads him into the heart of darkness and beyond.

Repairman Jack is a Mr. Fix-It who isn￯﾿ﾽt afraid to break the law in order to help people who are willing to pay for his services. Jack sticks to his own code though, never trusting any of his clients without first perusing the situation for himself firsthand.

Jack is an everyman who makes sure nothing of his persona is memorable or stands out in any way -- not his looks, his dress, his car, or his demeanor. Now that Jack has his own home page he￯﾿ﾽs able to advertise his talents on the Internet while remaining out of sight. His latest case involves the missing Melanie Ehler, an "expert" on conspiracy theories who has vanished without a trace. She reappears only once over the television, her disembodied voice urging her husband, Lew, to find Repairman Jack because only "he would understand."

Actually, Jack doesn￯﾿ﾽt have a clue as to this latest puzzle, and though he￯﾿ﾽd prefer not to get involved with so strange a mystery, the fact that his name has come up compels him to accept. He attends a conspiracy conference with Lew and is immediately swept up in the bizarre world of paranoia, where every guest has a different theory as to the world￯﾿ﾽs woes: UFOs may be from outer space or the center of the earth, the government may be in league with aliens or may be covertly fighting them, or perhaps all our troubles are simply caused by Satan.

Before her disappearance, Melanie Ehler was working on GUT -- her Grand Unification Theory, one that would tie all unexplained machinations together under the umbrella concept of a chaotic force known as "The Otherness." Though Jack is amused by the usual eccentric conference attendees and their weird beliefs, he soon comes to realize that there is a supernatural evil at work here.

A demonic creature almost kills him in the hotel basement even while he￯﾿ﾽs being scrutinized by the leader of the conference, Professor Roma, who seems to know more about Jack than anyone alive should. Also thrown into the plot are the "men in black," who may be involved with a hideous mutilation murder on the premises or might be Jack￯﾿ﾽs only allies when the Otherness is finally unleashed. Repairman Jack￯﾿ﾽs craving for anonymity is perfectly juxtaposed by the personal life he can￯﾿ﾽt escape.

Though the reader is let in on little, we do ascertain that Jack loves his girlfriend, Gia, and her daughter, Vicky, and that Jack also is terrified over visiting his father after a long absence. Though we don￯﾿ﾽt learn the details of Jack￯﾿ﾽs guilt and personal familial fears, we discover just enough to make the story thread involving as it sheds new light on Jack￯﾿ﾽs cryptic character. Also giving us clues to Jack￯﾿ﾽs integrity is another case he￯﾿ﾽs working on, which involves a sadistic husband and an abused wife. Jack￯﾿ﾽs personal code comes into play here, especially when the situation doesn￯﾿ﾽt end quite the way he expected.

F. Paul Wilson has given us another immensely readable and highly enjoyable novel that literally speeds along without a snag anywhere. Although Jack doesn￯﾿ﾽt need to exert his cleverness or skill quite so much in Conspiracies as in previous stories, he still faces incredible odds of the supernatural variety. Fans will delight in the return of Repairman Jack even while this novel conspires to garner F. Paul Wilson even more legions of wildly fanatic followers.

—Tom Piccirilli

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Repariman Jack, F. Paul Wilson's vigilante hero from 1984's New York Times bestseller The Tomb and 1998's Legacies, returns in a thriller that thrusts Jack back into the weird, supernatural world that he thrives in. Looking for clues to the mysterious disappearance of leading conspiracy theorist Melanie Ehler, Jack attends a convention of bizarre and avid conspiracy theorists. It's a place where aliens are real, the government is out to get you, and the world is hurtling toward an inevitable war of good versus evil incarnate. Jack finds that nobody can be trusted—and that few people are what they seem. Worse yet, Jack's been having vivid dreams that make him wonder whether he's headed for a clash with his own past—maybe The Tomb's evil rakoshi bests aren't through with him quite yet.

FROM THE CRITICS

Edward Bryant - Locus

This is a novel in which the author trowels on another layer of weirdness whenever the action threatens to flag...[C]learly structured to pave the way for at least one sequel. That's not wholly satisfying from a dramatic stance, but it is encouraging to know that Jack'll return for at least one more outing.

Edward Bryant - Locus

This is a novel in which the author trowels on another layer of weirdness whenever the action threatens to flag...[C]learly structured to pave the way for at least one sequel. That's not wholly satisfying from a dramatic stance, but it is encouraging to know that Jack'll return for at least one more outing.

Charles DeLint - Fantasy & Science Fiction

￯﾿ﾽan entertaining read, with engaging characters and a plot that twists and turns￯﾿ﾽ

San Francisco Chronicle

Wilson strolls into X-Files territory and makes it his own, keeping the action brisk and the level of suspense steadily rising.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING