Official Review: See Jack Die by Nicholas Black

claire mckay · Post by **claire mckay** » 11 Feb 2014, 08:47

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "See Jack Die" by Nicholas Black.]

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See Jack Die by Nicholas Black is a supernatural horror book about a man who has woken up in hospital with amnesia and has no idea who he is or what has happened to him. The doctors at the hospital name him Jack Pagan as he has no time for religious propaganda or a so called God that would allow his entire existence to be snatched away from him. He's angry and confused and fed up with annoying doctors who poke, prod and pretend to understand him, particularly his condescending and rather creepy case worker. The one exception is a young, slightly stoned nurse called Ricky who quickly becomes his friend and is quite a mystery himself. As if Jack didn't have enough to deal with he sees dark shapes moving in the shadows just before he falls asleep.

Jack doesn't know whether his brain is so damaged it's playing tricks on him or if the spooks are real but as events get increasingly bizarre and terrifying he begins to hope he is just going crazy as that would be an easier option! Ricky sends Jack to see a psychic he knows, the wonderful Ms Josephine who is as spooky and delightful a psychic as you could wish for. Of course she has been expecting him and gives him a mysterious old book to read to help discover who he is and what he is meant to do. The only problem is it has no words and the spooks in the shadows are appearing more and more frequently to an increasingly freaked out Jack. Then a dead girl turns up in his bathroom and Jack is utterly captivated by her and is convinced she knows who he really is. Jack, Ricky and Ms Josephine must work together to try and discover the answers from the book, find out what the dead girl wants and who on earth Jack Pagan is.

I absolutely loved this book. The story is narrated by Jack in the first person so everything is described in his dry, funny, sarcastic style which had me hooked from the very first page. He is very down to earth (apart from a strange love of aromatherapy soap) and has no desire to be a hero or do anything other than find out who he is and eat a lot of junk food. He is a wonderful creation and approaches everything in a believable manner which is always essential in a horror book. I particularly loved Jack's reaction to the ghost of the dead girl as it was so emotional and very moving. It brought out a whole new side to the character and also provided a strong motivation for the character to pursue the mysteries around him.

I liked all the characters in the book and the way they interact with other is great. Ms Josephine deserves special mention as an especially funny and fascinating individual but Ricky, Rupert and the ghost girl are all strong, interesting characters. Every character that appears in the story is given such an excellent description that you instantly know the type of person that Jack is dealing with and empathize with his reaction to them.

Nicholas Black is a fantastic story teller. He can describe whole rooms in one sharp sentence instantly filling your imagination with exactly what Jack is dealing with and usually making you laugh in the process. I sometimes have a bad habit of skimming over long flowery descriptions but with this book I read slowly to ensure I didn't miss any of his writing. Although the plot above sounds very mystical and fantastical his writing makes everything utterly believable and engaging and I couldn't put this book down.

This book raises all the issues about faith, God and the after life and through Jack considers them all. However, there is no indulgent pontificating from the author just some very thought provoking points and scary revelations. The conclusions may not be what I personally believe but that really doesn't matter as the story is exciting, compelling, keeps you guessing right up to the very end and the conclusion doesn't disappoint. It is also extremely funny which is an added bonus for a horror book as the writer has such a sharp wit and wonderful way of describing people and places. My only complaint is about his use of the word retarded. Initially the way it was used didn't really bother me but it was said a lot in Chapter 25 and the way it was used there set my teeth on edge a bit. It really adds nothing to the story and in such a skilfully written book it was a jarring note for me.

I give this book 4 out of 4 stars. It is superbly written, compelling, scary and very funny. The paranormal and supernatural theme is similar to that of a John Connolly or Michael Marshall Smith novel only funnier but his skill at storytelling and creating characters I'd rate alongside Stephen King who is one of my favourite authors. Nicholas Black has written quite a few books previously and there is also a sequel See Jack Hunt which is going to be the very next book I read!

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