Jack Wakes Up could easily have been called Jack Kicks Ass. Seth Harwood’s ex-movie star tough guy Jack Palms roars through this action novel, cool as… well as cool as a guy who drives a 66 Mustang Fastback.

Written in present tense, Jack Wakes Up hits the action quickly, giving us enough detail about Jack’s past life to make the reader curious but not getting too bogged down in details before the real action starts. Jack, somewhat down on his luck after kicking Heroin is running out of money. He’s offered a slightly dodgy job by a very dodgy friend and ends up agreeing to escort a gaggle of Easter European drug dealers (read: lunatics) around town while they hash out what should be a relatively simple cocaine deal.

Jack Wakes Up could also have been called Jack Makes a Poor Life Decision.

Seth Harwood takes a relatively simple set up and spins a tale of destruction around his main characters that boggles the mind. Blood flies, teeth get knocked out, people get stomped on and so many rounds of ammunition are expended that you could use the spent shells to make a full sized statue of the author.

The writing in Jack Wakes Up is excellent. Normally I find present tense hard to read, but Seth Harwood’s ninja grip on the characters dialogue makes the story fly past. He also does an excellent job of making some very unlikable people into the kind of guys you’d like to hang out with, although you might not let them know where you live.

While we’re on the subject of characters, the storyline and its subplots are fairly straightforward, but the characterization is so strong it doesn’t need to be any more complex than it is. Jack Palms himself is written so well that I never once disbelieved that a guy like him would act in the way that he does. He’s an ex movie star, not a Navy SEAL. Sure there are some great action sequences, but Jack gets through trouble by acting like Jack Palms, not James Bond.

Jack Wakes Up’s supporting cast also get their own lives. In particular the various shady types that form the rouges gallery feel like they have their own lives and goals. It’s nice to see bad guys who don’t just step into frame to twirl their mustaches. Seth Harwood also makes strong use of San Francisco, going beyond the tourist brochure to involve San Francisco as a character in its own right.

I really enjoyed Jack Wakes Up. If you can spare the time, it makes for great reading all in one go. You can buy Jack Wakes Up, and check out Seth Harwood’s other projects at www.sethharwood.com.

Go get it.