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Lawson Vampire #2
The Invoker
THE FIXER and THE INVOKER (2 Lawson Vampire Novel Perbacks). Both published by Pinnacle Books. THE FIXER (Lawson Book 1, May, 2002, 349 pages, 0786015004) and THE INVOKER (Lawson Book 2, October 2002, 351 pages, 0786015012). "Meet vampire by birth, Fixer by trade. His preserve the secret existence of vampires by any means necessary. There's just one problem - his oldest enemy Cosgrove is back, killing humans and threatening to unleash an ancient unholy evil. Can Lawson stop Cosgrove and still adhere to the very laws he protects by not falling in love with a beautiful human assassin named Talya?"
Paperback
First published October 1, 2002
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About the author
Jon F. Merz
115 books486 followersAs a writer, Jon has published over 40 novels with major publishers like Kensington's Pinnacle Books, St. Martin's Press, and many more. He is also the author of eleven installments in the internationally bestselling adventure series Rogue Angel (2006-present) with Harlequin's Gold Eagle line. His short fiction story "Prisoner 392" (appeared alongside Stephen King in FROM THE BORDERLANDS, 2004, Warner Books) earned him an Honorable Mention in 2004's Year's Best Fantasy & Horror edited by Ellen Datlow. Jon has also co-authored two non-fiction books: LEARNING LATER, LIVING GREATER with Nancy Merz Nordstrom (2006, Sentient Publications) and THE COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO ULTIMATE FIGHTING with Rich "Ace" Franklin (2007, Alpha Books/Penguin/Putnam).
Jon is perhaps most famous for his Lawson Vampire series of supernatural action novels starring the Fixer Lawson, a jaded anti-hero charged with protecting a race of living vampires from exposure. There are currently six novels (The Fixer, The Invoker, The Destructor, The Syndicate, The Kensei, The Enchanter) two novellas (Slave to Love, The Courier) and five short stories (The Price of a Good Drink, Interlude, Red Tide, Rudolf the Red Nosed Rogue, Enemy Mine) in the series with many more adventures yet to come.
Jon's latest novel is the new Shadow Warrior series debuting in September from Baen Books. Book 1, UNDEAD HORDES OF KAN-GUL is due out September 3rd in stores everywhere.
Jon also publishes his backlist independently. You can find his ebooks on Amazon: http://bit.ly/jonfmerz Barnes & Noble's Nook store: http://bit.ly/bnjonfmerz and on Kobo: http://bit.ly/kjonfmerz
As a producer, Jon has formed New Ronin Entertainment with longtime friend Jaime Hassett to create television and feature film projects in the New England area. Their first project is THE FIXER, a new supernatural action series based on Jon's Lawson Vampire novels. Filming of the pilot begins in 2013.
Jon has studied authentic Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu/Ninjutsu for over twenty years under Mark Davis of the Boston Martial Arts Center. He has also trained with senior Bujinkan instructors both in the United States and Japan. During a trip to Japan in February 2003, Jon earned his 5th degree black belt directly from the 34th Grandmaster of Togakure-ryu Ninjutsu, Masaaki Hatsumi. In addition to traditional training, Jon has also taught defensive tactics to a wide range of clients, including civilian crime watch groups, police and EMS first responders, military units, and federal organizations including the US Department of State, the Department of Justice, and the Bureau of Prisons.
In his past, Jon served with the United States Air Force, worked for the US government, and handled executive protection for a variety of Fortune 500 clients.
Jon is perhaps most famous for his Lawson Vampire series of supernatural action novels starring the Fixer Lawson, a jaded anti-hero charged with protecting a race of living vampires from exposure. There are currently six novels (The Fixer, The Invoker, The Destructor, The Syndicate, The Kensei, The Enchanter) two novellas (Slave to Love, The Courier) and five short stories (The Price of a Good Drink, Interlude, Red Tide, Rudolf the Red Nosed Rogue, Enemy Mine) in the series with many more adventures yet to come.
Jon's latest novel is the new Shadow Warrior series debuting in September from Baen Books. Book 1, UNDEAD HORDES OF KAN-GUL is due out September 3rd in stores everywhere.
Jon also publishes his backlist independently. You can find his ebooks on Amazon: http://bit.ly/jonfmerz Barnes & Noble's Nook store: http://bit.ly/bnjonfmerz and on Kobo: http://bit.ly/kjonfmerz
As a producer, Jon has formed New Ronin Entertainment with longtime friend Jaime Hassett to create television and feature film projects in the New England area. Their first project is THE FIXER, a new supernatural action series based on Jon's Lawson Vampire novels. Filming of the pilot begins in 2013.
Jon has studied authentic Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu/Ninjutsu for over twenty years under Mark Davis of the Boston Martial Arts Center. He has also trained with senior Bujinkan instructors both in the United States and Japan. During a trip to Japan in February 2003, Jon earned his 5th degree black belt directly from the 34th Grandmaster of Togakure-ryu Ninjutsu, Masaaki Hatsumi. In addition to traditional training, Jon has also taught defensive tactics to a wide range of clients, including civilian crime watch groups, police and EMS first responders, military units, and federal organizations including the US Department of State, the Department of Justice, and the Bureau of Prisons.
In his past, Jon served with the United States Air Force, worked for the US government, and handled executive protection for a variety of Fortune 500 clients.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 8, 2019
The Invoker: A Dawson Vampire Novel #2
Book 2 of 35 of Lawson's adventure. Lawson is send to kill a vampire he think is bad but it was a mistake and now he must keep Jack save. Can he do it? Ok story.
Book 2 of 35 of Lawson's adventure. Lawson is send to kill a vampire he think is bad but it was a mistake and now he must keep Jack save. Can he do it? Ok story.
June 2, 2011
The Invoker by Jon F. Merz
On a rainy autumn night in Boston, Lawton is sent to terminate a man whom he believes is a drug dealer. It is just another day in the life of a fixer – a guardian of the secret vampire society that lives within our own, and has its own rules and Council. As the man lays dying, Lawton realizes that there is something wrong with the entire situation and the man – who pleads with Lawton to protect his son – is not at all what he thought. Lawton soon finds himself caught up in a tangle that leads him on an around the world chase, and tied to a 10 year old boy with a remarkable talent.
This is the second of Jon F. Merz’s Lawton series, and if you are looking for vampires that sparkle, chase after waitresses or mope about in old castles, this isn’t the book to read. (Though admittedly, there is a lot of sex appeal going on, even though in this particular story there is no romantic line.) As with the first book, there is little time spent developing the world, we are thrown right into the story from the first opening scene. However, Merz has clearly done his homework, and has built a fully formed and airtight world that he never strays from. We get enough explanation to know what is going on, but not enough that you lose the flow of what is happening. Actions first, explanations later – exactly what you would expect from someone like Lawson, a vampire who is part police officer, part hit man and all action hero. Merz has taken an otherwise questionable character and made him complex, sympathetic and dare I say it – human. Lawson has to take time to recover from injuries (granted not as long as a human would, but still) has weaknesses, gets confused and has moral dilemmas. We can relate to him.
The pacing is very good on this novel – we are kept running right along with Lawson and his charge. There is of course the question of what a vampire action hero does with a 10-year-old boy in tow, so there are the curious choices of babysitters. Just at the point where I was starting to think, “How stupid are the bad guys they aren’t noticing the kid is with the sitter instead” Merz throws in a twist that sends the story off in a different direction. The writing is excellent and there are the continuations of subplots from the first book that clearly are going to be carrying over through the series. There is enough romantic interest thrown in to make Lawson complex, not enough to interfere with the story line, and even the “darlings,” characters that seem untouchable are not invincible or immune to being killed. The only observation I have – out of the four Lawson novels I have read so far – the bad guy is always part of, or sanctioned in some way by the Council, and they are predictably pissed off at Lawson because he notices that they are, well evil. While these books are more thriller/suspense than mystery, it makes one wonder if the five or six people on the council were really so rotten, why haven’t the rest of the vampires booted them out by now? Even bad presidents are voted out eventually. It is strange that these Council members have been in place for several hundred years and no one has noticed them being evil until now.
My review this time – 4 out of 5 stars
On a rainy autumn night in Boston, Lawton is sent to terminate a man whom he believes is a drug dealer. It is just another day in the life of a fixer – a guardian of the secret vampire society that lives within our own, and has its own rules and Council. As the man lays dying, Lawton realizes that there is something wrong with the entire situation and the man – who pleads with Lawton to protect his son – is not at all what he thought. Lawton soon finds himself caught up in a tangle that leads him on an around the world chase, and tied to a 10 year old boy with a remarkable talent.
This is the second of Jon F. Merz’s Lawton series, and if you are looking for vampires that sparkle, chase after waitresses or mope about in old castles, this isn’t the book to read. (Though admittedly, there is a lot of sex appeal going on, even though in this particular story there is no romantic line.) As with the first book, there is little time spent developing the world, we are thrown right into the story from the first opening scene. However, Merz has clearly done his homework, and has built a fully formed and airtight world that he never strays from. We get enough explanation to know what is going on, but not enough that you lose the flow of what is happening. Actions first, explanations later – exactly what you would expect from someone like Lawson, a vampire who is part police officer, part hit man and all action hero. Merz has taken an otherwise questionable character and made him complex, sympathetic and dare I say it – human. Lawson has to take time to recover from injuries (granted not as long as a human would, but still) has weaknesses, gets confused and has moral dilemmas. We can relate to him.
The pacing is very good on this novel – we are kept running right along with Lawson and his charge. There is of course the question of what a vampire action hero does with a 10-year-old boy in tow, so there are the curious choices of babysitters. Just at the point where I was starting to think, “How stupid are the bad guys they aren’t noticing the kid is with the sitter instead” Merz throws in a twist that sends the story off in a different direction. The writing is excellent and there are the continuations of subplots from the first book that clearly are going to be carrying over through the series. There is enough romantic interest thrown in to make Lawson complex, not enough to interfere with the story line, and even the “darlings,” characters that seem untouchable are not invincible or immune to being killed. The only observation I have – out of the four Lawson novels I have read so far – the bad guy is always part of, or sanctioned in some way by the Council, and they are predictably pissed off at Lawson because he notices that they are, well evil. While these books are more thriller/suspense than mystery, it makes one wonder if the five or six people on the council were really so rotten, why haven’t the rest of the vampires booted them out by now? Even bad presidents are voted out eventually. It is strange that these Council members have been in place for several hundred years and no one has noticed them being evil until now.
My review this time – 4 out of 5 stars
March 30, 2022
The second outing in the Lawson Vampire series was an enjoyable read but at the same time it came off very amateurish. Cardboard characters, dialogue and motivations that don't ring true, slipshod editing, and other issues. There was some difficulty maintaining suspension of disbelief...
It felt like a lot of stuff was just kind of thrown in to up the ante, and then resolved far too easily. A few things that puzzled or annoyed me (spoilers):
I'm starting the third book today. Here's hoping things improve a bit moving forward!
It felt like a lot of stuff was just kind of thrown in to up the ante, and then resolved far too easily. A few things that puzzled or annoyed me (spoilers):
I'm starting the third book today. Here's hoping things improve a bit moving forward!
June 23, 2018
Another great story with lots of action and intrigue. It will keep you guessing through the whole book.
The story is a great on that I enjoyed tremendously and would gladly recommend to anyone loving a great mystery with a kick ass vampire to boot! What’s not to like! Jason Bourne, look out!!
The story is a great on that I enjoyed tremendously and would gladly recommend to anyone loving a great mystery with a kick ass vampire to boot! What’s not to like! Jason Bourne, look out!!
October 10, 2018
Invoker Vampire Story
Good action, nice character development and great locations. Interesting world of vampires with humans. Another megalomaniac to defeat . That character, however, was a little 2 dimensional. She was not as fleshed out as her henchman.
Good action, nice character development and great locations. Interesting world of vampires with humans. Another megalomaniac to defeat . That character, however, was a little 2 dimensional. She was not as fleshed out as her henchman.
December 15, 2024
Garbage, but garbage I love. He now watches a kid he has to watch?? who has like super powers?? and he goes on a road trip to some snowy mountain?
absolute insanity. a dip in energy and excitement from the first one but I knew #3 is cray cray delulu so Im putting in the work
absolute insanity. a dip in energy and excitement from the first one but I knew #3 is cray cray delulu so Im putting in the work
August 28, 2013
This is the second book in the Lawson series and the story picks up just a few months after the close of the previous novel. The initial world building of Merz’s vampire culture was done in the first book of the series, The Fixer. This world is that of a race that evolved parallel to the human race and walks beside the humans in sunlight. But they are not known to the humans as such and the keeping of that Balance is Lawson’s occupation. He’s a Fixer, an assassin officially sanctioned by the vampire race’s Council.
This is a series best read in order. Many of the important events of the first book are oft mentioned in this second novel, but are not explained. Also, further world building continues and different classes within the race are introduced.
Merz has created, in his vampire race and in Lawson, a situation in which the device called “suspension of disbelief” does not have to be used by the reader. Lawson does not have super strength or super speed nor does he use mind-control on humans.
The author presents Lawson, as well as his race, as simply a creature that requires blood for strength and is very hard to kill. Thus, the author has created a protagonist who has to do his job and survive based on WHO he is, not on WHAT he is.
But it is the first person POV that truly makes the story. This allows for the reader to hear Lawson’s internal monologues and they are a thrill to read. First, Lawson is the master of sarcasm. It is not vicious sarcasm; it is truth-off-the-tip-of-the-tongue sarcasm and it is often hilarious in its honesty. And secondly, the reader gets a look into his mental state, one that is greatly enhanced and balanced by his firm belief and adherence to the principles involved with older branches of Japanese martial arts.
The author’s writing style, while detailed and brutally descriptive at times, is also to the point, not just a device for creating a large word count. The dialogue rings true to the way “normal” people talk. And he often uses only one or two words on a printed line, not sentence fragments but an artistic device that continues the sentence and that somehow actually illustrates the feelings behind the sentence.
My only complaint is with the editing. There are missing and misspelled words as well as a few missing capitalizations and end-of-sentence punctuation. But the problems are usually with minor connectives of only two or three characters and do not detract from the meaning of the sentence involved. Since this book has a copyright date of 2002 and was purchased in 2011, I believe these editing errors are due to the conversion software used for creating the e-book.
This is a series best read in order. Many of the important events of the first book are oft mentioned in this second novel, but are not explained. Also, further world building continues and different classes within the race are introduced.
Merz has created, in his vampire race and in Lawson, a situation in which the device called “suspension of disbelief” does not have to be used by the reader. Lawson does not have super strength or super speed nor does he use mind-control on humans.
The author presents Lawson, as well as his race, as simply a creature that requires blood for strength and is very hard to kill. Thus, the author has created a protagonist who has to do his job and survive based on WHO he is, not on WHAT he is.
But it is the first person POV that truly makes the story. This allows for the reader to hear Lawson’s internal monologues and they are a thrill to read. First, Lawson is the master of sarcasm. It is not vicious sarcasm; it is truth-off-the-tip-of-the-tongue sarcasm and it is often hilarious in its honesty. And secondly, the reader gets a look into his mental state, one that is greatly enhanced and balanced by his firm belief and adherence to the principles involved with older branches of Japanese martial arts.
The author’s writing style, while detailed and brutally descriptive at times, is also to the point, not just a device for creating a large word count. The dialogue rings true to the way “normal” people talk. And he often uses only one or two words on a printed line, not sentence fragments but an artistic device that continues the sentence and that somehow actually illustrates the feelings behind the sentence.
My only complaint is with the editing. There are missing and misspelled words as well as a few missing capitalizations and end-of-sentence punctuation. But the problems are usually with minor connectives of only two or three characters and do not detract from the meaning of the sentence involved. Since this book has a copyright date of 2002 and was purchased in 2011, I believe these editing errors are due to the conversion software used for creating the e-book.
March 26, 2011
I am really enjoying this series! I read the first one and thought it was great, the second one did not disappoint.
I expected the romance from the first book to continue in this one and was mildly surprised when it did not. It was a possibility in the background, though, so I expect it may be explored further in a later book. But its absence did not ruin the book for me. Rather, the plot in this book still grabbed and sustained my interest. Yes, it was another conspiracy plot, with corrupt higher ups trying to rule the world through some supernatural power grab--but it was such an enjoyable one, and in the context of the adventure story, utterly believable. There was no eye-rolling on my part. It was very much like watching a really good adventure movie.
I still didn't see the 'James Bond' likeness that other people have mentioned. However, especially in this one, I definitely saw the 'Jason Bourne' comparison that others have mentioned. I could easily picture this as a Bourne movie, with the tough, street wise, mostly-loner main character having to solve a global conspiracy with his fists and his wits.
And with the support of a few friends... The main character made more familial-type connections in this book, reducing his usual loneliness a little, and I loved this aspect of the characters growth. I actually liked that it wasn't romance driven, but friendship driven. It gave his life even moe depth.
I look forward to reading the third one!
I expected the romance from the first book to continue in this one and was mildly surprised when it did not. It was a possibility in the background, though, so I expect it may be explored further in a later book. But its absence did not ruin the book for me. Rather, the plot in this book still grabbed and sustained my interest. Yes, it was another conspiracy plot, with corrupt higher ups trying to rule the world through some supernatural power grab--but it was such an enjoyable one, and in the context of the adventure story, utterly believable. There was no eye-rolling on my part. It was very much like watching a really good adventure movie.
I still didn't see the 'James Bond' likeness that other people have mentioned. However, especially in this one, I definitely saw the 'Jason Bourne' comparison that others have mentioned. I could easily picture this as a Bourne movie, with the tough, street wise, mostly-loner main character having to solve a global conspiracy with his fists and his wits.
And with the support of a few friends... The main character made more familial-type connections in this book, reducing his usual loneliness a little, and I loved this aspect of the characters growth. I actually liked that it wasn't romance driven, but friendship driven. It gave his life even moe depth.
I look forward to reading the third one!
August 6, 2011
This was one of those books that I wonder if what was happening in my life while I read it affected me reading it. I liked the very beginning and then later almost wanted to move on to a different book. Because of things happening this week I did continue reading. I probably would have given it a 4 star in the beginning, 2 in the middle and 4 stars again at the end.
I do usually like vampire books and this one had a different take on vampires that was unique. They could be out in daylight and holy water didn't bother them. They ate normal food but did also need blood which they usually obtained already prepackaged.
The main character is called Lawson and he occupation is fixer. As you might have guess from his occupation he fixes things. In his case he kills vampires that are doing things inappropriate. Specifically anything that would make humans realize that vampires really do exist.
In this book he starts out by killing a vampire that begs him to take care of his son. Lawson realizes that this vampire should never have been killed and that his son had been the prize. Jack the son is an invoker. They have an interesting gift.
This was the second book in the series. I think at some point I will read the first one. (The Fixer)
I do usually like vampire books and this one had a different take on vampires that was unique. They could be out in daylight and holy water didn't bother them. They ate normal food but did also need blood which they usually obtained already prepackaged.
The main character is called Lawson and he occupation is fixer. As you might have guess from his occupation he fixes things. In his case he kills vampires that are doing things inappropriate. Specifically anything that would make humans realize that vampires really do exist.
In this book he starts out by killing a vampire that begs him to take care of his son. Lawson realizes that this vampire should never have been killed and that his son had been the prize. Jack the son is an invoker. They have an interesting gift.
This was the second book in the series. I think at some point I will read the first one. (The Fixer)
December 24, 2011
I'm going through some books I read earlier this year and am horrified to find I neglected to write reviews for the Fixer series. I recommend Jon's books to pretty much anyone who will listen.
Since I read this book earlier this year, I've read everything Lawson currently available. I love the "voice" Jon Merz uses in his writing. It reminds me so much of Robert Parker, another favorite Bostonian.
Lawson has a heart, but he still kicks ass. He's a very well rounded character who is easy to read and easy to like. My heart belongs to Boston, so the setting couldn't be more perfect, but Jack... Now there's another amazing reason to read this series. Jack's just a kid here, but watching him grow and mature as this series progresses is truly a treat. And riding the roller coaster that is a Lawson adventure is better than a trip to Six Flags.
Since I read this book earlier this year, I've read everything Lawson currently available. I love the "voice" Jon Merz uses in his writing. It reminds me so much of Robert Parker, another favorite Bostonian.
Lawson has a heart, but he still kicks ass. He's a very well rounded character who is easy to read and easy to like. My heart belongs to Boston, so the setting couldn't be more perfect, but Jack... Now there's another amazing reason to read this series. Jack's just a kid here, but watching him grow and mature as this series progresses is truly a treat. And riding the roller coaster that is a Lawson adventure is better than a trip to Six Flags.
January 31, 2012
This is turning out to be a very interesting series of books. The style is too glib for my very own personal taste, but the author is giving first person narration that is genuinely in character. I don't exactly love Lawson either, but he could not do his job if he had also to be always personable and perfectly in his best grammar and usage. And I do kinda like him. He's a good kind of dope.
The introduction of a magical character into the series is a nice touch. I'm looking forward to seeing where it will go next.
The introduction of a magical character into the series is a nice touch. I'm looking forward to seeing where it will go next.
February 7, 2012
Another good one. I liked the Himalayan twist to this and how it explored some more of the Vampires history and heritage, not a lot mind you, it was still a teaser. But Merz obviously plans to keep rolling out more information about them which makes me happy.
It sucks that the Ghurka died. Being a personal fan of the Ghurkas that stung. Anyway, I think that if you liked the first book in this series then you won't be disappointed with this one. I plan on going onto the third in the series as soon as possible. Maybe download it today.
It sucks that the Ghurka died. Being a personal fan of the Ghurkas that stung. Anyway, I think that if you liked the first book in this series then you won't be disappointed with this one. I plan on going onto the third in the series as soon as possible. Maybe download it today.
July 23, 2011
A continuation of the Lawson series.
Pretty much the same book as the first.
Not to say that it's not a fun read but it's not a lot of growth for Lawson and not a lot of a deviation from the formula of the first book.
a 3.5 but no half grades.
Will continue on to the 3rd book.
Pretty much the same book as the first.
Not to say that it's not a fun read but it's not a lot of growth for Lawson and not a lot of a deviation from the formula of the first book.
a 3.5 but no half grades.
Will continue on to the 3rd book.
April 9, 2011
Still a lot of fun. Merz is becoming a fave of mine.
October 31, 2012
Very good read. Keeps you wanting more.
June 26, 2013
Really enjoy this series, looking forward to the next book.
February 13, 2016
It was okay. I enjoyed some of the mythology elements but other than that it was fairly standard
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews