Book Review: DOUBLE THREAT by F. Paul Wilson

DOUBLE THREAT by F. Paul Wilson (Tor/Forge, June 29, 2021) Hardcover, 384 pages. ISBN # 9781250776648 

Summary on the Goodreads website . . . . .  

Double Threat is a new stand-alone thriller from New York Times bestselling author F. Paul Wilson.

Daley has a problem. Her 26-year life so far has been unconventional, to say the least, but now she's got this voice in her head. It claims to be a separate entity that's going to be sharing her body from now on. At first she thinks she's gone schizophrenic, then considers the possibility that maybe she really has been invaded - but by what? Medical tests turn up nothing, yet the voice persists... and won't stop talking!

When she finally accepts the reality that she has a symbiont, she discovers that together they can cure people of the incurable.

Maybe hosting a symbiont isn't such a bad thing.

She retreats to a remote town in the southwest desert to hone her healing skills. But there she runs afoul of the Pendry clan, leaders of an obscure cult that worships the Visitors who inhabited the area millions of years ago. They plan to bring them back but believe Daley is the prophesied "Duad" who will undo all the cult's efforts. She must be eliminated.

You know things are bad when the voice in your head is the only one you can trust.  

     My Four-Star Review on the Goodreads website . . . . .

DOUBLE THREAT is a very entertaining thriller that mixes humor in with the suspense and adds elements of science fiction and the supernatural. 

    A symbiotic relationship between a 26-year old female con artist and the (alien?) slug that fell from a cave roof and affixed itself to her head/brain. Soon it seems like she's talking to herself all the time, but it's the learning process of discovering and then benefiting from the human/organism bonding . A friendship develops that is equal parts weird and heart-warming. The dialogue throughout this novel is very engaging. 

     A side effect of the fusion is a newfound ability to heal. To avoid being mobbed by salvation seekers who want to tap her powers to cure their ailments, heroine Daley (Stanka Daley) retreats to a small southwest California desert town. There she interacts with the clannish Pendry family, members of an elite wealthy cult that are utilizing Tesla technology to signal The Visitors who they anticipate returning to Earth. However, they suspect that Daley represents a threat to their plans. 

    This novel was billed as a stand-alone story. I guess that is because it's not a continuation of the Repairman Jack series or any others that Wilson has written. However, as the back matter explains Wilson is developing a Secret History (leading up to a cataclysmic mega-event) that links all his novels and short stories together. 

     While there is plenty of conflict throughout the story, DOUBLE THREAT does end with a solution/conclusion of sorts but leaves lots of unresolved story themes. There's no mention of a sequel but after reading this, I can almost sense it. I'd certainly welcome another novel featuring these characters. This is a great read and recommended, especially if you're looking for something a bit different that strays off the established genre paths.