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Missing Dad
Missing Dad – Wanted is the first in a new series featuring the gutsy Joe St Aubin, the teenage son of a secret agent who has disappeared while working undercover.
Sixteen year old Joe and his girlfriend Becks Bowman must learn the hard way how to deal with the criminal underworld after his father, secret agent Commander Julius Grayling, disappears. Desperately missing his father and failing at school, Joe is in deep trouble for driving underage, and suspected of a hit and run. In a chance encounter with the real culprit, a drug runner, Joe attracts the attention of billionaire drugs baron Alfredo Bertolini, who is hell bent on revenge.
Joe is offered a glamorous job as chauffeur to the charismatic Monsieur Le Directeur of L’Ētoile Fine Wines, but his world implodes when he realises that he has been set up as a drug runner, in a Bentley loaded with cocaine and men with guns behind him. In the most terrifying drive of his life, Joe has to resort to some unusual tactics to deal with his unwelcome company.
But even more danger awaits Joe and Becks when they confront Monsieur Le Directeur. The price of discovering whether he is friend or foe to Joe’s father turns into a nightmare of darkness, fire and water that drives the teenagers to the edge of despair.
This series draws its appeal from Joe’s desperate search and love for his father and features compelling characters, fast cars and heart-stopping action.
Sixteen year old Joe and his girlfriend Becks Bowman must learn the hard way how to deal with the criminal underworld after his father, secret agent Commander Julius Grayling, disappears. Desperately missing his father and failing at school, Joe is in deep trouble for driving underage, and suspected of a hit and run. In a chance encounter with the real culprit, a drug runner, Joe attracts the attention of billionaire drugs baron Alfredo Bertolini, who is hell bent on revenge.
Joe is offered a glamorous job as chauffeur to the charismatic Monsieur Le Directeur of L’Ētoile Fine Wines, but his world implodes when he realises that he has been set up as a drug runner, in a Bentley loaded with cocaine and men with guns behind him. In the most terrifying drive of his life, Joe has to resort to some unusual tactics to deal with his unwelcome company.
But even more danger awaits Joe and Becks when they confront Monsieur Le Directeur. The price of discovering whether he is friend or foe to Joe’s father turns into a nightmare of darkness, fire and water that drives the teenagers to the edge of despair.
This series draws its appeal from Joe’s desperate search and love for his father and features compelling characters, fast cars and heart-stopping action.
- GenresYoung AdultMystery
185 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 28, 2015
9 people want to read
About the author
J. Ryan
1 book4 followersI never thought I would write a teen spy thriller. For most of my professional life I was an advertising copywriter for the motor industry; what's not to like about tearing round test tracks at terrifying speeds in an all-new Jaguar? But I knew this wasn't real writing.
Then I quit advertising and went to work in a school as a teaching assistant - and found inspiration. Many of the teenagers I worked with had been dealt a really bad hand in life - yet they got on with things with a quiet courage, and their mates really looked out for them. These amazing teenagers should be celebrated! And so 'Missing Dad' was born - the story of a teenager desperate to find his missing secret agent father. The quest takes Joe St Aubin and girlfriend Becks Bowman into the criminal underworld where his father vanished while working undercover, and many times they are threatened by almost certain death. But all the way through, the teenagers look out for each other with courage and ingenuity, as Joe encounters tantalising clues to his father's fate.
And on 28 November we're launching the series, in the school where it all began! Please see my website for details.
Then I quit advertising and went to work in a school as a teaching assistant - and found inspiration. Many of the teenagers I worked with had been dealt a really bad hand in life - yet they got on with things with a quiet courage, and their mates really looked out for them. These amazing teenagers should be celebrated! And so 'Missing Dad' was born - the story of a teenager desperate to find his missing secret agent father. The quest takes Joe St Aubin and girlfriend Becks Bowman into the criminal underworld where his father vanished while working undercover, and many times they are threatened by almost certain death. But all the way through, the teenagers look out for each other with courage and ingenuity, as Joe encounters tantalising clues to his father's fate.
And on 28 November we're launching the series, in the school where it all began! Please see my website for details.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 10, 2016
This is a YA book, and it is intended for 15-16 year old boys. If you appreciate the Fast/Furious series, and like Top Gear, it works well. Set in Gloucester and Bristol England. And yes, it is the first in a series and just ends. The author, J. Ryan, was at the Bay Area Book Festival in Berkeley, CA last weekend, with a booth to promote this book. I wish more people had seen her and talked to her. I believe this book has a real place for its target audience. While I am definitely not that target, I do read a fair amount of YA books and know that a lot of them are really for girls.
One more item: I see from her bio page that she wrote ads for the motor industry. That's what makes the car scenes so great---she really knows what she's writing about.
One more item: I see from her bio page that she wrote ads for the motor industry. That's what makes the car scenes so great---she really knows what she's writing about.
October 24, 2016
"Joe if someone had asked me if you would ever do something like this, I would have said absolutely not, that you just weren't the type. Now, I feel as though I hardly know you. "
See reviews first on my blog
When Joe is caught out late at night driving without a license and suspected of hitting a young man and then running, he is caught by the police and taken home to his mum and grandad. From there he is caught up in a legal case, and suspended from school. With this he is now spending all of his time working and searching for a new job and trying to figure out where his dad is and if he even remembers him at all. While working one day he searches for a new job and finds one that sounds like his dream job, driving a fast car and delivering wines. He gets the job almost immediately and moves to Bristol in order to be able to deliver the wines when needed.
"Am I sailing with the man who waved back to Dad? The colleague that Mum had said had sailed over from Marseilles? But even if I dared to ask,, I'm not sure where I'd began. "
One day when he is driving Monsieur (his boss) he takes him out on his boat and that’s when Joe remembers a memory from his father and begins to wonder if maybe this Monsieur is someone who knew his father and maybe he would know where his father was now.
As Joe continues to do the deliveries he realizes that something isn’t right and one night he opens them and sees that he’s not just delivering wine, but also cigars and an illegal substance. One that if he was caught with, would get him thrown into jail for a very long time.
With this new realization he knows he has to try to tell the police and find a way out of this job without getting killed. Easier said than done though and he has multiple attempts on his life, and it isn’t until he is able to contact his best friend Beck’s and she gets a message to the police that he is able to get out alive.
Overall I did struggle with this book a little at first, do it being a little slow paced and not understanding certain slang terms. But I did end up enjoy the last half of the book especially when him and Beck's were trying to find a way to safety.
If you want a quick action novel I would say this is a pretty good choice.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc of this book.
See reviews first on my blog
When Joe is caught out late at night driving without a license and suspected of hitting a young man and then running, he is caught by the police and taken home to his mum and grandad. From there he is caught up in a legal case, and suspended from school. With this he is now spending all of his time working and searching for a new job and trying to figure out where his dad is and if he even remembers him at all. While working one day he searches for a new job and finds one that sounds like his dream job, driving a fast car and delivering wines. He gets the job almost immediately and moves to Bristol in order to be able to deliver the wines when needed.
"Am I sailing with the man who waved back to Dad? The colleague that Mum had said had sailed over from Marseilles? But even if I dared to ask,, I'm not sure where I'd began. "
One day when he is driving Monsieur (his boss) he takes him out on his boat and that’s when Joe remembers a memory from his father and begins to wonder if maybe this Monsieur is someone who knew his father and maybe he would know where his father was now.
As Joe continues to do the deliveries he realizes that something isn’t right and one night he opens them and sees that he’s not just delivering wine, but also cigars and an illegal substance. One that if he was caught with, would get him thrown into jail for a very long time.
With this new realization he knows he has to try to tell the police and find a way out of this job without getting killed. Easier said than done though and he has multiple attempts on his life, and it isn’t until he is able to contact his best friend Beck’s and she gets a message to the police that he is able to get out alive.
Overall I did struggle with this book a little at first, do it being a little slow paced and not understanding certain slang terms. But I did end up enjoy the last half of the book especially when him and Beck's were trying to find a way to safety.
If you want a quick action novel I would say this is a pretty good choice.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc of this book.
February 18, 2016
Missing Dad: Wanted is the first book by J. Ryan. Joe St. Aubin is the son of a secret agent who has disappeared while working undercover. He got into trouble for driving underage, and suspected of a hit and run. Joe soon encountered the real culprit and upsetting the billionaire drug.
This book was really exciting, fast-paced and thrilling. Joe was a teenage boy who missed his dad and would sometimes get into trouble. I like Joe and his characters. But, I find it was a bit hard to believe how Joe got the job with his age. The story was really thrilling. I especially enjoyed the driving and the car chasing. The author's description of the fast-driving scene was exciting. It was like watching a movie. I bet the car chasing scene would look really good in a movie. There was also a bit of mystery surrounding Joe's father. Turns out that Joe found out a bit about his father while working for L’Ētoile Fine Wines.
I would totally recommend this thrilling young adult books to crime lover. There are just enough suspense, mystery and romance in the book. I was a bit disappointed that Joe hadn't learnt a lot more about his father in this book, but I hope to see more Joe and his adventure to find out what happen to his father in the next book.
This book was really exciting, fast-paced and thrilling. Joe was a teenage boy who missed his dad and would sometimes get into trouble. I like Joe and his characters. But, I find it was a bit hard to believe how Joe got the job with his age. The story was really thrilling. I especially enjoyed the driving and the car chasing. The author's description of the fast-driving scene was exciting. It was like watching a movie. I bet the car chasing scene would look really good in a movie. There was also a bit of mystery surrounding Joe's father. Turns out that Joe found out a bit about his father while working for L’Ētoile Fine Wines.
I would totally recommend this thrilling young adult books to crime lover. There are just enough suspense, mystery and romance in the book. I was a bit disappointed that Joe hadn't learnt a lot more about his father in this book, but I hope to see more Joe and his adventure to find out what happen to his father in the next book.
March 31, 2016
This is my first time reviewing a net galley read now. Not too happy that either the book was incomplete or it ended in a cliffhanger as one that seems to end in the middle of a paragraph. This book seems like it is more geared to a younger age group not adult. Story plot was somewhat there but way too much time used in describing a situation and not enough character building to suit my taste.
December 14, 2015
Book review will be posted on blog soon www.mrripleysenchantedbooks.com
July 9, 2016
Review on theperksofalisha.blogspot.com
March 31, 2017
This is the first book in the adventure series by J. Ryan featuring Joe, a reckless, rule-breaking teen with good heart, and his delightful best friend/girlfriend, Becks.
Joe is a teenage boy who loves fast cars, and who has a habit of making exceedingly poor choices that land him in one mess after another.
When Joe takes a chauffeur’s job that he’s unqualified for (he’s not even old enough to have a driver’s licence!) Joe lands in the midst of a drug distribution ring where he just barely manages to survive by his wits, and by his skill behind the wheel.
More exciting than Joe’s escapades is the larger, more promising story about Joe’s father, Commander Julius Grayling, who disappeared a long time ago, but whom Joe suspects is connected to the people he’s working for.
This is teen adventure thriller, aimed at thrill seekers and gearheads.
Joe is a teenage boy who loves fast cars, and who has a habit of making exceedingly poor choices that land him in one mess after another.
When Joe takes a chauffeur’s job that he’s unqualified for (he’s not even old enough to have a driver’s licence!) Joe lands in the midst of a drug distribution ring where he just barely manages to survive by his wits, and by his skill behind the wheel.
More exciting than Joe’s escapades is the larger, more promising story about Joe’s father, Commander Julius Grayling, who disappeared a long time ago, but whom Joe suspects is connected to the people he’s working for.
This is teen adventure thriller, aimed at thrill seekers and gearheads.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews