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shelleyrae's review against another edition
3.0
When Michelle Wu's sister goes missing in Sante Fe, she can't inform the police because she is rarely on the right side of the law herself, so she begs FBI Agent Jack Harper to interrupt his vacation and find her. Leaving his teenage son in the care of his father, Jack heads to the desert only to become the target of a meth dealing biker gang, a vicious Razorback and new age seniors who claim to have found the fountain of youth.
As far as I can tell, The Best Bad Dream is the first book by Robert Ward to introduce FBI Agents Jack Harper and Oscar Hidalgo though it feels a little like this could be the second or third book of a series. I'm not sure how to articulate why I feel that way except that previous events are referenced in the manner that often occurs when authors link books that are written as part of a series. I have no idea if Ward plans to create a series from the protagonists of The Best Bad Dream but there is certainly the scope to do so.
Widowed agent, Jack Harper is a strong protagonist with a complicated personal life, which includes his attraction to career criminal Michelle Wu, and despite his job in law enforcement, isn't averse to bending a rule a two. He owes Michelle his life so he feels he has to answer her distress call but he also recognises that his feelings for her compromises his actions. As it turns out, Michelle is never entirely truthful with Jack leading him into a mess of her own making. First there is the bikie gang leader she tries to rip off and then she can't resist an attempt at a big score despite the obvious dangers to not only herself but her sister and Jack. As the case gets more complicated, Jack calls in his partner Oscar for back up who sees Michelle more clearly but is unable to convince his partner that the girl is bad news.
I enjoyed the mystery as Jack searched for those responsible for abducting Jennifer. There are rival bikers to contend with, both of whom are dabbling in some nasty stuff like the sex slave trade and drugs. Yet it's the New Age retreat, Jennifer's employer, that is making claims of reversing the aging process that becomes a shadowy suspect suspect. I was intrigued right up until the moment that the plot was given a sort of science fiction twist I was a little disappointed in. I don't want to give too much away but I thought the book didn't need to go that far. I felt the same about the sub plot involving Jack's son and the local librarian, the conclusion was just a little too extreme.
Despite being somewhat disappointed by the final twists, I did enjoy The Best Bad Dream. The combination of action, suspense and humour was entertaining, the characters were well rounded and the writing strong. Should Ward decide to write another book featuring Agent Jack Harper I would look forward to reading it.
As far as I can tell, The Best Bad Dream is the first book by Robert Ward to introduce FBI Agents Jack Harper and Oscar Hidalgo though it feels a little like this could be the second or third book of a series. I'm not sure how to articulate why I feel that way except that previous events are referenced in the manner that often occurs when authors link books that are written as part of a series. I have no idea if Ward plans to create a series from the protagonists of The Best Bad Dream but there is certainly the scope to do so.
Widowed agent, Jack Harper is a strong protagonist with a complicated personal life, which includes his attraction to career criminal Michelle Wu, and despite his job in law enforcement, isn't averse to bending a rule a two. He owes Michelle his life so he feels he has to answer her distress call but he also recognises that his feelings for her compromises his actions. As it turns out, Michelle is never entirely truthful with Jack leading him into a mess of her own making. First there is the bikie gang leader she tries to rip off and then she can't resist an attempt at a big score despite the obvious dangers to not only herself but her sister and Jack. As the case gets more complicated, Jack calls in his partner Oscar for back up who sees Michelle more clearly but is unable to convince his partner that the girl is bad news.
I enjoyed the mystery as Jack searched for those responsible for abducting Jennifer. There are rival bikers to contend with, both of whom are dabbling in some nasty stuff like the sex slave trade and drugs. Yet it's the New Age retreat, Jennifer's employer, that is making claims of reversing the aging process that becomes a shadowy suspect suspect. I was intrigued right up until the moment that the plot was given a sort of science fiction twist I was a little disappointed in. I don't want to give too much away but I thought the book didn't need to go that far. I felt the same about the sub plot involving Jack's son and the local librarian, the conclusion was just a little too extreme.
Despite being somewhat disappointed by the final twists, I did enjoy The Best Bad Dream. The combination of action, suspense and humour was entertaining, the characters were well rounded and the writing strong. Should Ward decide to write another book featuring Agent Jack Harper I would look forward to reading it.
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