5 Stars for Legacies by F. Paul Wilson

One of the best ways to spend your time during a pandemic is with Repairman Jack. I figure if he can't fix the problem, he can certainly take my mind off of it. Legacies is the second book I've read in the Repairman Jack series and I was not disappointed. As a matter of fact, I plan to buy all of the books in order and savor each one. To encourage others to read these books, I've decided to review each one and give a top 10 list for reasons to read the series and each book in the series.

Top 10 reasons to read the Repairman Jack Series in order

10. Jack seriously reminds me of Dean from Supernatural. He's a resourceful guy with heart. I'd follow him anywhere.
9. It doesn't matter what genre your into, you'll find it with Jack. He explores conspiracy thriller, paranormal mysteries, medical mysteries - you name it, Jack has fixed it.
8. Dialogue is real and funny with spot on allusions I get.
7. Jack's movie collection steals my heart.
6. Jack has a darkness and he gets scared sometimes. Even though everyone loves Superman, its Batman they find the most interesting. A hero should be flawed for me to follow.
5. F. Paul Wilson gets to the point and doesn't load the reader down in exposition.
4. Plots work weaving details from page one to the last page, so that every question is answered in the end. Yes, there is a semi-certain formula, but like a well-shuffled deck of cards, every game explores chance endings.
3. Love the mystery! I would even compare these to Agatha Christie.
2. Stephen King is the president of the Repairman Jack fan club.
1. The books always fight injustice. In the first book it was Jack's revenge for what happened to a loved one. In the second book it was the injustice of children born with AIDS, and other stuff, but I won't spoil that mystery.

Top 10 reasons to read Legacies with spicy glimpses under the cover - that don't spoil.
10. Santa saves the day.
9. Female power.
8. Questions paranoid Jack.
7. Jack fixes several problems.
6. Jack gets the girl.
5. Complicated interesting villains.
4. Different viewpoints.
3. Jack's claustrophobia.
2. Someone with an S in their name dies.
1. Where Jack spends Christmas.

Go out and buy these now. They leave you with a warm fuzzy feeling that all is now right with the world. I wish Netflix would pick this series up. They would have some serious viewers. I can see Jack Reynor playing Jack.

5 Stars for Shadowland by Peter Straub

Shadowland by Peter Straub is hard to begin. The setup is initially boring, but once you muddle through it is well worth the wait. If a book makes me loose sleep to read, then I'm giving it a five. This is definitely one of the creepiest books I've ever read warping fairy tales into nightmares and forcing youth into a fast adulthood. The main characters, Tom and Del are forced into challenges that only an adult should face and not even then. Straub is a story teller first. The characterization of Del and Tom simply fell in line with the story he wanted to tell. It did not matter if you liked them or not, but their story was so incredibly interesting - you had to follow. Betrayal wove through as an underlying theme forcing your compassion to flee for both Del and Tom. Both boys were driven intrinsically by curiosity, love or jealousy. In the end they were boys trying to experience magic even though all that remained was ugly and dark leaving a wolf rather than the girl in the red hood open to love. Shadowland wasn't just one story, but a creative mix of so many fairy tales heard before. Musically it was an overture of classic 80's stemming from an old Doors album lighting fires with baby. I found it totally bitchin' and copacetic all at once. I highly recommend it and hope to see it as a Netflix series staring Timothée Chalamet as Tom and Max Charles as Del.