To be fair, this probably warrants 3.5 stars. I took a 5 1/2 month break from the Repairman Jack series, and had a little trouble remembering all of the code names for the good guys and the bad guys. A childhood friend of Jack's (Weezy) is kidnapped, and her brother contacts Jack based on a note she left based on a premonition. She is a 9-11 conspiracy nut, who it turns out is correct: the Twin Towers were attacked by terrorists, but knocked down by the Others to help get to a sentient being named Orsa to create a quasi-human weapon (Darryl) to kill the Lady. ( )

Best one since Florida. Granted, I couldn’t give it more than three stars. Two more to go! ( )

GROUND ZERO breaks away from the pattern of the normal Repairman Jack novel. Wilson has already been working on tying up the series and bringing it to an end. Something that has been noticeable in the last few books due to their subplots that are both accelerating and not resolving completely. This time though Wilson takes it one step further and just builds on the mythos. The usual pattern for the Repairman Jack books is to have a primary plot that is related to the Adversary Cycle but at the same time it is a separate plot that can be resolved. This time though the primary plot starts with the introduction of a character to help fight the Otherness and the plot doesn't move off from the One and the plans made by the Otherness the entire time.

Weezy is Jack's friend from his childhood days. While I haven't ready the Secret Histories or the Young Jack stories yet, I would imagine that Weezy is a recurring character in those novels. Weezy is a conspiracy theorist of the extreme type; combined with her ability to remember everything she's read and seen, she sees connections that show the Order's plans. It is these connections that put Weezy's life is at risk when she links the Order to the 9-11 attacks. Fortunately Jack came back into her life shortly before things hit the fan for her and saves her life. Since she knows so many of the pieces but not the bigger picture, Jack lets her in on the secret history and even gives to her the Compendium. Jack hopes her ability to remember everything will make sense of the Compendium. The story continues with the development and culmination of one of the side plans of The One, something that has a huge impact on Jack and his team of helpers.

Unfortunately I would have to say that if you are not current with your Repairman Jack reading, this is not the book to start. We're pretty much at the tail end of the series. GROUND ZERO is exactly the book that long-time readers will love because it moves so many things forward and is creating a bigger impact. New readers will be lost. Trust me, go back to THE TOMB and read all of the books in order. I would also recommend reading them back-to-back. Just binge read them all. You'll catch many of the nuances that I've missed over the years. ( )

What if the 9/11 attacks were not purely an act of terror against the US but rather part of an elaborate operation to gain access to an unspeakable evil buried beneath the foundation of the World Trade Center? This concept is the driving force behind the 13th book of F. Paul Wilson’s Repairman Jack series in which Jack must unravel these subterranean secrets to save those he loves most.

I was not sure if I was ready for this particular very real factual event to be blended with a work of fiction, but I was able to get through it and it was not as uncomfortable as I thought it might be. For those of you who have made it this far in the series, rest assured many of your questions will FINALLY be answered. ( )

Dang it, I'm just not feeling the series like I used to. I've never delved much into 9/11 conspiracy. I wish Hank Thompson and the Kickers would go away. Maybe I'm just feeling tired and cranky. ( )