It's A Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad World is a bad-ass tale about bad people doing bad things to bad people. It's a story where bad things happen to good people, and where even those good people do bad things. You expect the drug dealer, mercenary assassin, serial killer duo, occult weirdo, and others to be bad - and they don't disappoint. What you don't expect is for Detective Eva to be so casually cruel, or for Sister Michelle to be the baddest bitch of the lot.
 

He pulled it up just enough to catch the base of the guy's pecker in its teeth. His victim howled in pain and squirmed in his urinal seat.

Dabbling in a wide range of influences - including cop thriller, spy thriller, splatterpunk horror, detective noir, and urban fantasy - Curtis M. Lawson weaves a surprisingly well-told story that careens along at a breakneck pace. Even as I was marveling at the increasing darkness of each new twist, I was struck by just how well the story was told. Usually the narrative gets lost in the mayhem of a story like this, but here it's strong enough to shine through.

"The one witness, a little girl, said the killer was dressed like a nun and looking for some magic knives that her mom's boyfriend had stolen from a fat guy."

This is a dark story, but also one that's a lot of fun. Everyone is so bad that you find yourself gleefully rooting for them, championing one bad guy over another. It's the ultimate guilty pleasure, and the supernatural element driving it all just helps put it over-the-top. The big final confrontation pays off in every way, and the few little twists that follow, tying up all the loose ends, are just perfect. It's A Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad World is a good, good, good, good read.

When the Vatican's top assassin, a Rhodesian merc, a pair of serial killer lovers, a dirty cop, and a professional sadist compete in a mad race for a pair of priceless magical artifacts, betrayal, theft, and murder are just the opening moves in a game of death.

Oh my goodness!  I had so much fun with this book!  It's kind of like Rat Race but with the dregs of society! 

Let me get my only complaint out of the way first.  In the beginning few chapters, Lawson has a little trouble finding his voice.  The storytelling style changes from scene to scene.  At first, I was hoping this was in an attempt to change storytelling styles as each character was prominent, but I don't think so.  After a few chapters, Lawson settles into a nice flow.  Don't let the storytelling style affect your decision whether or not to read this.  The fluctuation is over quickly and the rest of the book is smooth as sea glass.

I loved the characters and the world building!  It's ugly and crass and horrible!  These are some mean, nasty, vicious people and the world they live in is the same.  You'll find no saints here and you'll be hard pressed to find what can pass as good values.  Each person has their own code of rules, which they try to live by.  You'll find a lot of 'Well sure I kick camels, but I don't hit them!  That's just wrong!'  I use that as a loose example.  Each one sees what they're doing to be perfectly acceptable while at the same time, not being able to comprehend the wretched sin of the others.

Reading this was a lot like watching a ninja gang fight.  You know you're going to see some horrible stuff.  You know you're going to be scarred.  But at the same time, you can't help but admire the cleverness and proficiency.  This is the entertaining side of the ugly side of the human condition.

This is an extremely graphic and upsetting book.  If you get a little queasy, you may not want to attempt this one just yet.  Otherwise, you'll find a well-crafted story with fascinating characters.  You'll be left wondering who's going to be standing at the end.  Pick your favorite and cheer them on!

I'm glad to hear that there's a second book coming out.  I'm particularly interested in the character of Philip Carver.  Watch for him when you read the book!

I don't normally say a lot about illustrations, but I had to stop reading long enough to look through the book to find who was responsible for them in this case.  At the beginning of chapter nine, Broken Finger Blues, there's a picture that just really caught my eye.  I've gone back to look at it several times.  I'm not sure what I find so captivating about it, but it really hits me.

When the Vatican’s top assassin, a Rhodesian merc, a pair of serial killer lovers, a dirty cop, and a professional sadist compete in a mad race for a pair of priceless magical artifacts, betrayal, theft, and murder are just the opening moves in a game of death. A boldly original, wildly irreverent cross-genre story about bad people and wicked acts.

The author's entre to let the reader know of the quest ahead. And it is a quest, but not the typical quest for treasure, knowledge or redemption. No, it is a quest for a powerful weapon once owned and used by not one, but two iconic and infamous individuals of history.

Think MAGNIFICENT SEVEN mixed with THE DIRTY DOZEN mixed with LORD OF THE RINGS mixed with SPEED and the MATRIX.

This fast paced read of horrible humanity  is curious, exciting and funny. It is hard to blur the lines of good and bad, sympathetic character and psychopathic character, Mr. Lawson does this masterfully so much so mayhem seems normal.

This is a brand new tome with a strikingly attractive cover by James Biggie and atmospheric internal illustrations by Monastery. 

Much like it's namesake, the 1960s film IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD!, this a rollicking ride with a collection of lovable miscreants well worth your strategy, time and coin. The edginess of this novel though makes it relevant and timely.

Buy it before it clears the shelves: