Not the best of the Repairman Jack series, but still a good read with interesting characters (especially Jack himself!).
After reading By the Sword I read Black Wind. I wish I had read BW first as it set up the storyline to By the Sword and made everything crystal clear(well to a point:*). I agree that this isn't one of Mr. Wilson's best Repairman Jack novels but it is a fine read. He also explains in the Authors Note why the Jack tales seem to have spawned a life of their own.
By the Sword makes more sense if you read the previous book first, [which I did] but you can also read it as a stand alone novel. He leaves you knowing in the end that there is more and you need to read the next book to find out exactly what. I am not sure I am that curious
