Rating: 3 1/2 stars

Jack Palms was a Hollywood star. The action hit Shake 'Em Down put his name in lights but fame was fleeting; drugs and domestic violence charges ended his career. Now he's sober and the checks are getting thin so when an old friend and drug buddy, Ralph Anderino, calls with an offer of fast cash...how can he refuse?

The job is simple: use Jack's former celebrity to show a few wealthy ex-KGB Czechs a good time and along the way, help them out with a big score of coke. Bored with his life, Jack has no problem going along with the plan until he finds Ralph dead in his jacuzzi with parts of his head missing. Knowing he will end up as the prime suspect, he calls up the cop who popped him on the battery charge and spills the whole story; but instead of help, Jack is given an ultimatum: he has 24 hours to bring down the Bay Area's largest drug dealer.

As if his life hasn't gone from bad to worse, Jack finds himself in the cross-hairs of some very shady characters: a hulking Samoan assassin, a hot and sexy bartender who is probably plotting his death, a strip club owner and a rival drug cartel. So what's a bored, ex-star supposed to do? If you're Jack Palms, you do what you do best: step into the role of Ralph, finish out the deal and hope you've given the best performance of your life. Or die trying.

I can't help thinking that I've seen this movie before; handsome leading man with questionable morals, a hard-nosed cop, a hot chick and a motley cast of bad guys to fill out the credits. But this script has been written before by many other writers in this genre. Nothing truly sets it apart from the pack, even with the above average writing skill of the author and a lovable character such as the shallow, greedy Jack Palms.

Although the pace is breakneck and there is plenty of violence to hold the reader's attention, Jack Wakes Up is the literary equivalent of fast food... something to hold you over until you can grab something better.
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Publisher: Crown Publishing Group
Pub. Date: May 2009
ISBN-13: 9780307454355