The Best Bad Dream

FBI Agents Jack Harper and Oscar Hidalgo are burned out from too many cases so they schedule a two-week vacation. Jack plans to hang out with his son, Kevin, then go fishing in Baja: surf, sun, and son . . . a great combination. Then Jack gets a phone call from his snitch and on-again-off-again girlfriend, the sexy and unpredictable car thief, Michelle Wu. Her sister, Jennifer, has been kidnapped. Frantic, terrified that Jennifer will be killed, Michelle begs Jack to come to Santa Fe at once. This is the last thing Jack wants to do but he owes Michelle big time: She once saved his life. Michelle is pretty sure a biker named Lucky Avila had something to do with Jennifer's disappearance. She also admits she did a little business with Lucky, who might be angry at her. Jack goes out to see Lucky, hoping for a simple end to the case, but he should have known better. Anything in which Michelle Wu is involved is bound to be complex, dark, and wild. Soon Jack is up to his neck with bikers, Mexican gangs, and a giant pet Razorback hog named Ole Big, who may offer a major clue to finding the missing girl. Meanwhile, the innocent Jennifer Wu is trapped in a cell by a man wearing a black rubber suit and a terrifying mask. While Jack is struggling with Ole Big and some very hard criminals, he begins to discover some of the shocking secrets of an exclusive spa for the elderly called the Blue Wolf. Back at home, Jack's son is having his own little adventure with the very hot local librarian--a teen-aged boy's dream come true--while her brutal husband is away. Out of his mind with lust, he, too, is in over his head. "Ward is simply one of the best." --Michael Connelly