Bloodline

Repairman Jack, Book 11

By: F. Paul Wilson

Narrated by: Dick Hill

Length: 14 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

It starts off simply enough. (Doesn't it always?) Jack has been on hiatus since the tragic events in Harbingers. With his beloved Gia's encouragement he dips his toe back into the fix-it pool.

Christy Pickering's 18-year-old daughter is dating Jerry Bethlehem, a man twice her age. Christy sensed something shady and sinister about him, so she hired a private investigator to look into his past. But the PI isn't returning her calls. Will Jack find out why?

Jack learns there's a very good reason for the unreturned calls: The PI is dead, victim of a bizarre water-torture murder.

As Jack delves into Jerry Bethlehem's past, he finds connections between Bethlehem and the Creighton Institute. The Institute, a government-funded facility, is researching a newly discovered and frightening variation on human DNA. Jack learns that Bethlehem is not the man he pretends to be.

Who - and what - Jerry Bethlehem really is will have a devastating effect on Jack's life and future.

And as the bodies pile up, Jack finds another piece of the puzzle about his own identity and why he's been drafted into a cosmic shadow war.

©2008 F. Paul Wilson (P)2007 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

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Bad narration

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I bought this book against my better judgement. No.

What other book might you compare Bloodline to and why?

By the Sword. In as much as it has the same narrator, it is torturous to listen to.

What didn’t you like about Dick Hill’s performance?

He has never been a good narrator. Occasionally, a few of his main male characters start out with reasonable voices. However, all of his male characters wind up sounding like Dustin Hoffman in Midnight Cowboy, though often with a voice up one octave. The females always sound like bimbos with high squeaky voices. His volume is all over the place as he overly dramatizes. His angry voice goes from screaming to a swallowed whisper. He is a very bad actor. I don't know what the judges were listening to when they gave him recording awards. I avoid any book that he does. There are many series books I have skipped for just that reason.

Any additional comments?

Bring back Alexander Cendese, or any of the previous narrators, It was all so much more enjoyable before- I liked the characters then.

Don't start with this late entry in the series!

I'm a big, big fan of the Repairman Jack series and have waited for years for the books to be available on Audio. Why the publishers have to start with the two latest entries in the the series is anyone's guess, and too, too bad. The first five or six Repairman Jack books are much less serialized and the story can be picked up at any time, but the final entries really require some dedication and to be read in order.

I've never much cared for Dick Hill as a narrator although his voice is bland enough not to be a major issue. In this case his thick Rust Belt accent is totally inappropriate for Jersey-born Jack and even worse for Iowa-bred Gia, but the production values are fair and the book moves along fine. Still, overall disappointing to true diehard RJ fans.

I truly hope that this confusing offering doesn't turn off potential RJ readers, who should really go back to "The Tomb" and get the story from the beginning.

Help,Jack!

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I would find Jack and see if he could fix this by having Dick Hill removed and Christopher Price read in his place. Hill has no sense of the character whatsoever.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Bloodline?

When I had to stop listening and just read the book was my most memorable moment.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator detracted from the book by opening his mouth and reading.

Was Bloodline worth the listening time?

Any other Jack book is great excepting the two Dick Hill read.

Any additional comments?

Please allow a reading of Bloodline and By The Sword by Christopher Price.
The Dick Hill reading is a farce.

Wrong voice

Don't like the change of narrator, he changes the mood of Jack. It's not Jack, Abe or Gia. I need the other guy back.

ARGH, Torture! Where is Christopher Price?

Would you try another book from F. Paul Wilson and/or Dick Hill?

It is a testament to how much I've been enjoying the Repairman Jack series that I would not skip the two narrated by Dick Hill. A Pox on whoever made the choice to use him as a replacement!! So many other choices out there if Mr. Price wasn't available. WHY did you pick this hideous voice actor?? As a rule I avoid ANY books narrated by him, but how can I miss out on 2 whole books in a series? I need to know what happens! I may have to give up and take the time to physically read the books. *sigh*

What didn’t you like about Dick Hill’s performance?

Oh, let me count the ways.... He's overly dramatic, his accents are awful. He's too nasal. His female characters all sound like stupid whiny twits. He can't pronounce entirely too many words, and comes across as sooo smugly superior, I want to reach through my earbuds and smack him! I cannot imagine how this man has won any narration awards!

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Yes, anger,sadness, disappointment-- it's all about the horrible narration. I resent having to struggle through this gawdawful production to get to the real story hidden in there, somewhere!

Any additional comments?

I have been enjoying Repairman Jack's Stories. It's well written and not the same ol' stuff. He's a likable, though not too perfect character. I'll be happy to get back to the Christopher Price versions so I can relax and enjoy again.

Bad Narrator

Would you consider the audio edition of Bloodline to be better than the print version?

I didn't read the print version

What other book might you compare Bloodline to and why?

All of the other Repairman Jack books have been great to listen to, however this one has a lousy narrator. Instead of the manly voice for Jack, here we have someone who sounds like a 'wiseguy' from an early Dick Tracey type of 1940's movie. The narrator also fouls up Abe's accent. Instead of sounding like New York Yiddish, he sounds like a transylvanian vampire.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Dick Hill?

Christopher Price

Any additional comments?

The story is great, but the narrator ruins it.

Like the story but not the narrator

Like the story but not that new narrators voice. Bring back the other guy please.

WORST. PERFORMANCE. EVER.

Terrible, terrible terrible performance.
The voices he does for the characters are awful.
I really can’t express how much Dick Hill has ruined this book for me. I dread slogging through the next one.
For some reason he can read the descriptions in a more normal voice, but every time he does a character’s line, he MUMBLES the last word of EVERY line.
Obviously I’m not the only one that feels this way. They switched back to Price for the later books.
Please get this book(and the next one- I’m already dreading it) re done by Christopher Price.

Excellent book, melodramatic voice acting

I have been a huge fan of F. Paul Wilson in general and Repairman Jack specifically for a long time. So you can imagine my dismay at downloading this book and having to struggle to hear the whispers and wince at the yelling as the voice actor (Dick Hill) attempted to sacrifice comprehension for the sake of over-acting. Having said that, my hearing isn't the greatest, having been to war and all. But my critique is still valid. Buyer beware, unless you listen to these audiobooks in a very quiet place.

Narrator was awful!

I love the series but found myself pausing the book just to have a break from the narrator's voice.

meh!

I have loved all the repairman jack books but I got to this one and it nearly stopped me from listening to the rest of the series. why? well I hate giving negative feedback but the narrator of this book was a snooze fest! I understand that it is personal preference but he sounded like he'd overstayed his welcome at the local pub's lock in. he was slurry and had a tendancy to speak whisper quiet at times (like he was bladdered!). I couldn't hear or understand alot of what he was saying. I humbly apologise for my critique dick hill but so glad it was only the one book you narrated or I would probably have give up after the first book. christopher price IS repairman jack! Over and out....

Ouch.....my ears!

Please come back Christopher Price! I can't listen to this narration. I'll have to read the next couple of books then come back after Christopher returns. The characters are unrecognisable, most notably Abe. Utterly painful!

Struggling…..

I have been totally loving the Repairman Jack books but OMG….. this one has rather devastated me because this narrator is totally not suited to the story or the characters.

I’m really finding it hard stopping myself just going to the end to find out what happens because it’s getting painful listening to this .

The same person is doing the next in the series, what a complete let down.

Good story but bad narrator

A good repairman jack story but nearly ruined by the new narrator, Dick Hill.
For some reason he changes his speaking volume all the time and mumbles other lines.