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My Vice Is Your Unfathomable Agony

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It was supposed to be an easy job. A quick way to turn a profit. Hit the truck, grab the goods, deal with the driver, bada-bing, bada-boom.

Little did these two wannabe mobsters know they were about to land on the wrong side of the big boss, and the big boss decides only the biggest, baddest revenge will do. Not only for them, but for their entire families, as they find themselves rounded up and turned over to the not-so-tender mercies of the man known as Hardware Tony.

Any goon can use a gun, or a knife. Hardware Tony prefers more elaborate methods. He’s an artist of pain. A craftsman of torture. A master with his ... tools of the trade.

Who really, really loves his work, as his victims will soon discover. One might even say that his only VICE is their UNFATHOMABLE AGONY.

135 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 14, 2023

39 people are currently reading
430 people want to read

About the author

Otis Bateman

13 books214 followers

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5 stars
102 (32%)
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102 (32%)
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59 (18%)
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24 (7%)
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26 (8%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
Profile Image for Elle_bow  🩷.
135 reviews42 followers
August 28, 2025
This book was WAAAY better than I was expecting! Slatterpunk books are super weird to rate because this book was awful…but that kinda exactly what I asked for lol.

This was such a fun lil read! Obviously it’s gory and upsetting but it’s written so amazingly that it’s very easy to look past all the messed up stuff that’s happening!
Profile Image for Janie.
1,172 reviews
December 1, 2023
Mique Watson's cover blurb is spot on. My bloodlust has been satiated, at least for today. I loved how Hardware Tony lovingly described his tools just like Patrick Bateman dissected his favorite music albums. What fun! Otis Bateman, I can't wait to read what you come up with next!
Profile Image for Peter Topside.
Author 6 books1,450 followers
October 26, 2025
A very enjoyable and nasty story about revenge. A really great introduction to everything and lead in to all the violence. One thing that really wore on was all the references to the Sopranos. I love that show as much as anyone else, but the majority of the characters had the same names from the series and there was just a ton of callbacks. This made the good story within just feel like a cheap copy of something that had already been done. And it’s a shame because there was a lot of entertaining stuff in here, most notably Hardware Tony. He was the highlight and a good chunk of the book was him doing his job. His very specific and nauseating job. But this just felt like it went from a promising concept to something that struggled to find its own identity. The author needed to make it its own entity and focus on what he created, not just poaching ideas from someone else.
Profile Image for Diane .
359 reviews13 followers
January 4, 2024
Extremely violent, ultra brutal and mega gory, every page from start to finish had me squirming.
Hardware Tony was awesome and his range of murder weapons were outstanding and very different from the norm...Brace yourself for the bucket full of s**t...it does have the shock factor!!!!😱😳
Otis Bateman wrote this book with a hatered passion for murder,death,blood,guts,brain matter and bodily fluids.
Wow...I loved it! Well written and addictive from the very first page.
This book will not be for everyone...so please read the trigger warnings before starting to read.
Profile Image for Angel Gelique.
Author 19 books473 followers
January 24, 2024
Brilliant writing and storytelling! The scenes of torture and gore are top notch! Full review to come!

Justin Fuller just wants to finish his job and deliver his truckload of DVD players when he is flagged down by a frantic boy who claims to need his help. Unfortunately for Justin, young AJ’s distraction leads to an ambush and things get bad fast. The thieves think it was an easy heist, but little do they know that Justin has a special connection to notorious mob boss Rossario Lochiano. Lochiano hires Hardware Tony to settle the score.

“What I do is parallel to artistry. I am a sculptor of slaughter.”

Indeed, Hardware Tony is a real artist—the Picasso of pain…a Toulouse-Lautrec of torture. He proudly devises horrifically creative ways in which to mete out justice using powerful hardware tools. He delights in inflicting pain. He doesn’t just want to kill. He wants to cause unimaginable anguish and suffering. And he’s extremely good at it.

This is such an incredibly gripping story! I was immediately pulled in by Justin’s plight and truly felt for him. The ensuing scenes of torture and gore are well-justified and essential to the storyline. I absolutely love stories driven by vengeance and the need for retribution. Bateman masterfully invites readers to witness the horrific consequences of crossing the wrong people. I think his character, Hardware Tony, is so memorable that he will gain legendary status and take his rightful place amongst the likes of Hannibal Lecter, Jigsaw, Leatherface, etc.

Just brilliant!
Profile Image for Ian.
554 reviews83 followers
January 6, 2024
‘Truly Torturous!’

Highly inventive ‘fun’ involving some unusual killing toys which are owned and operated by sadistic Hardware Tony, all the action happening behind closed doors in his professionally sanitised, murderous factory of blood, gore and excruciating death. A true expert in terminal punishment and a master creator, and ultra-keen enthusiast, of magnificent bloody ruinations, to be sure.

A mobster, parody revenge story taken to the extreme which leaves nothing to the imagination.

So I suggest sit back, accept the inevitable and just revel in the merciless atrocities, as in this disturbingly grim story there simply doesn’t exist any method of escape.

A piece of brutal escapism which should not be taken too seriously. Enjoy the festivities!

Rating: 4.1 dark red stars of absolute, heinous gruesomeness.
Profile Image for Pisces51.
764 reviews53 followers
January 14, 2024
MY VICE IS YOUR UNFATHOMABLE AGONY [2023] By Otis Bateman
My Review 3.0 Stars Out Of 5.0 Stars

This recent short novel of Bateman’s was published this past Fall and was one of the selections to read this first month of the new year. It was evident from the beginning of the narrative that it was well-written and that the author was both comfortable and adept at penning realistic dialogue between hardcore criminals and among the elements of organized crime in general.

A pebble is thrown into a still pond and it has a ripple effect. The scenario which is the real-life reflection of this catalyst is the senseless cold-blooded murder of a young driver for Comet Trucking. The author expertly lays out the background of our tale of terror. A regular Joe named Justin Fuller was driving his big rig full of expensive merchandise one night when the truck was “hit” by a pair of petty criminals. It was an easy job and a quick way to turn a tidy profit. Just hit the truck, grab the goods, and deal with the driver.

The reader is privy to the knowledge that our victim Justin is a simple family man, recently married to Nancy Lochiano, and the young couple have a baby on the way. Justin has heard rumors about his father-in-law Rossario being a big-time mob boss, but Justin has never observed or experienced anything but civility and helpfulness from the man.

The thieves stage an “accident” on the roadway which was fabricated to motivate Justin to stop his truck to provide humanitarian assistance. One of the two robbers (Brandon) had allowed his son to tag along, an enthusiastic little piece of shit called AJ who put on quite a theatrical performance. The budding little sociopath pretended to be a frightened youngster in fear for his father’s well-being. AJ’s aptitude for the performing arts might have signaled a potential future in acting. The ruse worked like a charm and a very frightened Justin nearly wrecked his big rig getting stopped to promptly offer aid to the man lying motionless on the highway and his distraught, hysterical young boy yelling for help.

The men had been tipped off about the cargo he was transporting, and their ruse to pull him over worked like a charm. Justin was mercilessly pistol whipped, and subsequently laughed at and mocked by the trio of thieves, perhaps most enthusiastically by the kid AJ who was quick to tell Justin he did not give a shit about him and was thrilled about getting a new movie player out of the scheme.

The two dimwitted criminals and the budding little sociopath called AJ did not have a moment of distress during the robbery. The mundane act of thievery for profit went without a hitch one might say. Their victim Justin had been beaten and never attempted to play “cowboy” or become aggressive in any way.

Justin tried an impassioned plea that he would cooperate fully, tell the police they wore masks, not mention the juvenile, and do whatever they wanted if they did not kill him. All three of the participants in the robbery, which included the kid, Justin thought surprisingly, told him they were going to kill him.

“They looked at him like he was a decrepit old man in the throes of severe dementia. All three slowly shook their heads “no” in unison.”

There was no attempt to allow Justin to attempt any additional bargaining. A gun was placed to his head, and the trigger pulled. Justin had little time to register what was happening. He experienced a moment of agonizing pain and then it was gone, along with the right quadrant of his skull.

It was the utter coldness and lack of any thought whatsoever that pushed the needle toward certainty that these men were callous sociopaths incapable of feeling remorse and no strangers to killing. AJ was another Brandon in the making, and he had crossed the Rubicon by his irrevocable actions on that bloody highway.

The domino effect from that single pebble, that moment in time when the killers blew Justin’s head off for no damn reason, would result in numerous death warrants being printed expediently off a very hot press. The thieves thought that they had gathered all the necessary intel, i.e., the nature of the merchandise on the truck, the known mob affiliations of the targeted big rig if there were any. Going in they thought they were “golden,” covered all bases they did (smug smiles allotted for all).

In all fairness, these dufuses were not casing Fort Knox, and it was not unsurprising that the information-gathering did not extend to the personnel, or more specifically, to the identity of the person who was the driver of the targeted truck, especially any mob ties he may have had to important figures in organized crime. The reader knows that Justin’s father-in-law Rossario is “The” big-time mob boss. The murder of his son-in-law Justin has far-reaching consequences in that his daughter who is pregnant with his grandchild responds to the shock and grief by committing suicide.

Rosario’s rage and feelings of loss are both unfathomable. He issues a sentence of Old Testament revenge caliber. His hardened trio of capos are even a bit taken aback.

“Damn boss, you must really be in a vendetta kind of mood. Sending people to Hardware Tony’s is like sending ‘em to Hell … but ten times fucking worse! Are you fuckin’ sure about this?” “I’ve never been surer of anything in my life. Get it done.”

The rest of the storyline is “Hardware Tony” making art with his devious imagination and the best hardware tools money can buy. The robbers and their family members are all rounded up and deposited at the warehouse to be checked in but never check out…alive, anyway.

In short, the rest of the book is sequential exercises in torture. Namely, how inventive can Tony be with his warehouse of hardware “toys”? Three quarters of the book did not check the boxes for me because I was not vested in any of the string of family members who were tortured to death. It was inventive and original in a storyboard sense, but repetitive nevertheless.

I do want to document something funny. I have become reasonably hardened when it concerns being bothered significantly by extreme horror, raw violence, gore in all its glory, etc. I am not at all bragging about that fact by the way. So, there was only one instance wherein Tony “got to me” so to speak. It was his creative torture to death treatment of the despicable little prick AJ. Specifically, the “Diarrhea Water Boarding”. I was looking at some of the reviews after I read the book because I knew that I had to be rating it below my peers in the book club. So, I came across the following comments from a reader and laughed out loud.

“This book is beyond brutal…so much gore and depravity! What a great story! My favorite scene was the diarrhea water boarding, brilliant!”

The only other feature of the storyline that I found a little abhorrent (can something be a “little” abhorrent?) was the mob boss’s reaction to the high-resolution photos provided by consummate businessman Hardware Tony. Yes, I know I have read far, far worse. It just seemed incongruous with the thematic Tony-orchestrated tortures. Like it did not belong?

Finally, Bateman prides himself on being an edgelord writer whose main goal is to disturb and offend. His “no-holds-barred” style may not be for me, but I have not made up my mind. I just bought “I Am Simply Not There” which Bateman recently released. It sounded good to me. So, we shall see (if his style is for me).

HARDWARE TONY BRINGS IT! UNFATHOMABLE AGONY? YOU BET!!

Profile Image for Karisa Sortor.
218 reviews
November 20, 2023
Bhagavad Gita: Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds

Proud member of the Maggot Colony here! So, I loved this book of course. I knew I would going into it but it was better than expected. I love the little nods in the books: Stephen Cooper, (This part is particularly interesting because I follow Stephen on social media so it was easy for me to picture this stuff actually happening to him. TMI? idk lol) Grace Budd, Meadow and Carmella and Tony...if you're a sopranos fan yk! The freaking Cannibal Corpse reference, are you kidding me?! Absolutely losing my mind over this part because Corpsegrinder is my favorite. Ive seen him live a few times and he is just the coolest most normal dude you could ever hope to meet. My favorite chapter is Diarrhea Waterboa...you get the idea. Upon finishing this book I am left wishing that Myth Busters still existed and that they could test the air compressor chapter for its validity because if you've read it...Can you imagine? I absolutely cannot. I loved this book and recommend it 100%. The only part I wish I had not read was the epilogue because Rossario has a nasty peen and I would rather not have had that picture in my head :)
Profile Image for ♡Chrystianna♡.
17 reviews33 followers
January 9, 2024
ok, so as a true fan of EXTREEEEMEE horror this one started out a tad bit slow. but hoooooollllyyyyy fuck. this was by far one of the most gruesome, vile, and addicting books i've read in awhile. the world and character building was far beyond most i've read in this genre. there was rhyme and reason to the brutality which made the story have so much more depth. the madness that ensues in the pages of this book is one i could never even fathom. Otis Bateman, i am now absolutely hooked and i cannot wait to devour more work from your twisted mind.
Profile Image for EdIsInHell.
83 reviews20 followers
December 17, 2023
A twisted tale of torture. Hardware Tony is a savagely brutal being. Good story.
Profile Image for Kiera ☠.
335 reviews125 followers
Read
May 29, 2024
In light of recent revelations about this author I am removing my review. I do not support or condone the abysmal behaviours by Otis and I will never support him again.
Profile Image for Rachel M.
412 reviews17 followers
January 6, 2024
This was a quick, fun read with some great torture scenes but I would have liked a little more. I can’t quite put my finger on it I didn’t seem to connect with this book the way the author intended. I think it was because I didn’t care for any of the characters so didn’t really care what was happening to them and some of the torture parts felt rushed as if not leaving the reader time to process what had just happened previously. But overall I did enjoy this book and it has got some great, gory, not the run of the mill torture scenes.
Profile Image for Tamra Alger.
247 reviews11 followers
December 27, 2023
If you're looking for a short, straight to the point, and gore-tastic book with a blood fetished deprived and HIGHLY educated on his tools madman then ladies' and gentlemen....you have found your author. Otis Bateman found a way to plaster a permanant stink face while reading. The amount of detail in these torturing kills was very welcomed and definitely scratches that splatterpunk itch part of your brain. Don't fuck with Justin or Hardware Tony will get you good...
Profile Image for Jessicka.
77 reviews25 followers
July 20, 2025
I can’t - and won’t, support someone that’s abusive towards women and has been arrested for CSAM.

Trash human.
Profile Image for Axl Barnes.
Author 5 books134 followers
July 12, 2024
My first book by Otis Bateman and I’m blown away: lean and mean splatterpunk delivered with a sadistic delight reminiscent of the best of Aron Beauregard and Ryan Harding. Wrath James White was right that Bateman is one of the big names in the fourth wave of Splatterpunk. In a unique, confident voice that is both funny and brutal, Bateman paints a hopeless universe of extreme violence and depravity. His references to death metal acts like Cannibal Corpse are clues to the appropriate soundtrack for the relentless butchery detailed in these pages. Bateman is a student of horror, both movies and fiction, and his disturbing prose comes straight from his black heart, with no frills, gimmicks, or pulled punches. This exquisite filth was a breath of fresh air for me and I look forward to reading more vile offerings by this scholar of extreme horror.
Profile Image for Marisa.
48 reviews14 followers
December 7, 2023
First of all, let me say this author has made his way into my top 10 splatterpunk authors. Maggot Girl series has a special place in my little black heart, lol. That being said, this revenge story didn't disappoint. It packed the gore it was a good paced book as well. I can't wait to make my way through the list of this authors books. By the way, Otis, we need another maggot girl book, lol.
Profile Image for Ashley Hana.
715 reviews17 followers
January 4, 2024
It started with me just being squeamish, but ended with me being ready to run to the toilet to vomit all over the place. DIARRHEA WATERBOARDING DID ME IN. FUCKING EW.
That was actually so fucking violent, I love it so much. Highly recommend it!!

Also I loved the little personal touches Bateman added. I thought that was cute.
Profile Image for Stephen Cooper.
Author 13 books194 followers
October 17, 2023
Brutal, Gory, and very well written. Otis Bateman is one of the best around when it comes to Extreme violences, and Hardware Tony may be his new masterpiece and muse.
Profile Image for The_5ft_reader.
500 reviews5 followers
November 24, 2023
Hardware Tony is one evil son of a b@*@h! This book is full on gorgeously gorey and violent, very detailed descriptions that had me squirming with a plot that just flows so easily! Excellent read!
Profile Image for Rainbeaux Harvest.
229 reviews5 followers
December 4, 2023
Diarrhea waterboarding LOL!!! I've been walking around laughing at that all day. This was an excellent book of depravity.
Profile Image for Gillian.
52 reviews16 followers
January 3, 2025
"I'm totally lucid...for the most part. Now, when it comes to my work and the pride I take in it, I can fully admit that my mind goes to another plane of existence. One where demons reside, demons who tell me what to do to the sheep that I slaughter. I get my orders straight from Hell itself."

I was initially drawn to this book by the cover alone. Then, after reading the synopsis, it was evident that this was going to be one hell of a gore fest and it did not disappoint. While the plot is weak, the kill scenes were incredibly detailed and disgusting and made up for its lack of direction. I found it comical that Mob Enforcer, Hardware Tony, likes to rave about the tools he uses in his trade--everything from chainsaws, lawnmowers, air compressors and woodchoppers. Just when you think the torture and mayhem couldn't be outmatched, Bateman throws in a bloodbath and takes you completely by surprise.

While there were several formatting and typographical errors, it was the handful of grammatical errors that really broke my train of focus. That will take me out of the atmosphere quickly and distract me from being able to get back into it. With another edit I think this could be a masterpiece of diabolical perfection.

If you're looking for a disgustingly good time, this is definitely the book for you.
Profile Image for Hail Hydra! ~Dave Anderson~.
314 reviews11 followers
April 17, 2024
An amalgamation of destroyed, nude, female corpses pirouetted in his misogynistic mind as he headed off to bed. None more so than the doomed daughters though. Rossario felt like a child on Christmas eve knowing that Santa was going to deliver the present he desperately wanted.

Yes sir, he told himself, newborn babies won’t slumber as happily or soundly as I will tonight! And just think, I have tomorrow to look forward to! I can do what I want to her body! Afterall, nothing is off-limits to a corpse!
Profile Image for Rachael.
484 reviews25 followers
October 20, 2023
Sounding Off!! Like screaming about this book, not really Sounding. Because ya know, I'm a girl and I don't have a screwdriver handy. Don't Google it! Just don't do it!

Jesus H. Christ.....This was brutal!! Revenge taken to a whole nother level. Hardware Tony is the man with a plan. "The boss is the bull, and I am the horns!" Hardware Tony added, crackling diabolically. I mean, he loves his job. The brutality in this story is wicked and spectacular! Bravo Mr. Otis Bateman. You have don't it again. Your degenerates are once again singing, with out little black hearts full of gore.

Happy Reading and Splatter On.....
Profile Image for Jack Brunner.
9 reviews2 followers
February 15, 2025
This is easily my favorite book from Otis so far. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love Morticia and her antics, but something about Hardware Tony’s ruthlessness and sheer creativity in his torture kills really floated my boat lol 😝 If you enjoy a good revenge story, this is the most brutal one I’ve yet read and the revenge is definitely justified. I have begged Otis for a second Hardware Tony book and am thrilled to death he’s getting one (you know why Otis). I was already extremely jaded when this came out having 100s of splatter books under my belt and this one still sucker punched me. Top tier extreme horror, do NOT skip this one. 😈🖤🪓
Profile Image for Mrsgmamma.
207 reviews38 followers
January 26, 2024
What a great book about revenge. A mob boss gets a call from his daughter that her fiancé isn’t home yet nor answering her calls. He gets his squad together to find out that some people stole the man’s work truck and killed him. His daughter finds out by him and she ends up killing her self, so now it’s pay back to the people who conflicted this and their families get the shit end of it and get pulled into the torture. This was a disgusting, gory and vile take of saw to me, and the ending was pretty foul too. I definitely dug this book!!
Profile Image for Sarah McKee.
62 reviews25 followers
October 25, 2023
Hardware Tony. That's a name and character that I'll never forget.
If you love a good revenge splatter, then add this to your TBR right now. Do it.
See what happens when you "off" a loved one of the mob and you then get sent to the monster of vengeance.
It doesn't take long for this story to get right down to it without the lacking of character development, or compromising the storyline. It flows nicely.
This easily get a spot on my top 10 for this year.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews

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