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When She Was Bad cover art

When She Was Bad

Written by: Ron Faust
Narrated by: Stephen Bel Davies
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Publisher's Summary

Chantal is the ultimate femme fatale, the deadly siren of every man’s dreams and nightmares. A ruthless - and beautiful - black widow, she seduces and destroys those around her. To her lover, Dan Stark, she promises paradise and more. But as her web descends, he must decide his role - one of her victims...or her killer. Christine Terry is rescued after spending 19 days in the Caribbean on a life raft, then mysteriously escapes from the hospital before she can be questioned about the wreck and disappearance of the yacht she was on - and its owners. Cynical but likable reporter Dan Stark is suspicious but obsessed, and soon finds that she is absolutely nothing that she pretends to be. He agrees to help her retrieve a fortune in stolen emeralds from the sunken boat, but when she abandons him on an empty atoll, he vows revenge. Soon, like Chantal (her real name), he learns to change himself and his appearance to fit the situations he meets in pursuit of her. After more than one dangerous engagement with her over the next several years, he discovers a much more personal reason for tracking her down to a final confrontation....

©1993, 2013 Jim Donovan (P)2014 Audible Inc.

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Gritty, Quirky Duplicitous Character Evolution

Ron Faust offers a highly unusual Suspense-Thriller that reminded me at times of a Charles Willeford ('Hoke Mosely') novel, at others of a Gregory MacDonald ('Fletch') entry, and at still others of Richard Stark's 'Alan Grofeld' stories. That incongruity between the "serious-as-a-heart-attack" subject matter and the lighthearted (almost jocular) style is striking.
Faust introduces affable 'Dan Stark' - one-time investigative reporter, sketchy under-the-table/off-the-books sailboat sales go-between, and procurer of Columbian cocaine. The author pits him against 'Chantal d'Auberon' - exotic enigmatic aristocrat/prostitute, drug kingpin, and murderous con artist. The two assume alias after alias and take turns screwing each other over and trying to kill each other in a rollercoaster-ride of a societal underbelly exposé. It "kinda" works.

Similar to the "meh" plotting & writing, reader Stephen Bel Davies provides a competent but unspectacular narration. His diction and cadence are undeniably professional - and his timbre and tone are well-matched to the chief protagonist - but Audible Studios Inc. could easily have found a different voice-actor who could have delivered similar effectiveness (Bel Davies reads too slowly and exhibits an annoying sibilance that another option may not display, for example).

Altogether, 'When She Was Bad' rates a respectable 6.5/10-stars. As a 'Plus' selection, it was a reasonable distraction for a couple of quiet afternoons.. but save your Credit for something else should they ask for one.

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