Hosts is the 5th book in the Repairman Jack series. For those of you who haven’t been introduced, Repairman Jack fixes things, fixes situations that are out of control. When people have a problem caused by illegal behavior, when there may not be a legal answer to the problem, they call Jack. Just Jack, because in his line of business you can’t have a traceable name or life.

Bit by bit in the series we see a little more of Jack’s life. He has a
code of honor that is unshakeable, but he knows sometimes the people he confronts can only be treated with the same medicine they dish out. He’d do anything to protect his girlfriend and her daughter, who’ve had close calls, some due to proximity to him. He has his arsenal, of course, and his go-to man for necessary supplies. He now has a car with someone else’s license number, a deeper step towards anonymity.

Sometimes the solutions to the dilemmas are unique, such as the tire
incident in All the Rage, a previous book.

Jack has a direct conflict in that a reporter is trying to proclaim him a hero, while boosting his own career. His mission is also personal,
because his big sister Kate is the one with the problem. Many of Wilson’s books have a sci fi angle; in this one, a virus is used to heal and simultaneously take over the minds of patients. Kate’s battle reveals that the Other (recurring theme) is involved and Jack has a destiny regarding it.

I have not read the book that started it all, The Tomb. I feel like I’m missing something key. I learned of the series through Wilson’s Jack: Secret Histories (a YA book), and was thrilled to see that most of Wilson’s books have themes in common, especially Repairman Jack. Hosts is the best one I’ve read of the adult series so far.

Note: The Tomb is also part of The Adversary series.