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Bad Karma
Rated “R” for language and violence. Mature audiences only.
Flynn, is a disgraced former cop, an unlicensed PI and underground street lawyer
Flynn’s got a problem. He pulls in a routine blackmail case, and sees a signature blackmail scam and goes to Lamar, a local scammer, to get it straightened out. Lamar has other plans and if he wants Lamar’s help, then Flynn needs to help Lamar with a problem of his own. Speaking of personal problems, Flynn has demons of his own, including being haunted by the ghost of James Cobalt, who Flynn had a part in his murder.
Lamar is a clever hustler who has problems of his own.
Lamar’s got a problem too. He’s being pressed out of business by the local Vietnamese mafia. Lamar wants Flynn to surveil and set up a sting so Lamar can neutralize his chief rival, an insane Vietnamese enforcer, named Johnny Tran. In return, Lamar won’t go ahead with the blackmail plot against Flynn’s client. Johnny Tran is psychotic, runs prostitution and drugs through his Vietnamese nail salons and restaurants.
Johnny Tran is a psychotic enforcer for the Vietnamese mafia.
Johnny Tran has so many psychological problems they can’t be counted with a calculator. Flynn is survelling a nail salon when a beautiful woman walks out and flags down Flynn’s yellow taxi surveillance car. Flynn picks her up and learns she works for Max Cobalt, James Cobalt’s son. The son of the man Flynn helped assassinate. Flynn gets drawn into a conflict that, once again, is spinning out of control.
Max Cobalt has enough enemies and doesn’t need any more.
Enter Max Cobalt, Ning, and Wee. Max is a corporate raider, Ning is his chief negotiator and VP, Wee is his slightly insane bodyguard. The three are drawn into Flynn’s plan when all hell breaks loose with Lamar trying to take out Johnny Tran during a backroom poker game that goes horribly wrong.
Battle lines are now drawn between Flynn, and Johnny Tran and neither side can afford to lose.
Street smart good guys, psychotic bad guys, human sex trafficking, prostitution, martial artists, corporate raiders, and a Asian beautiful business negotiator.
Come together when Flynn uncovers Johnny Tran’s operation of recruiting young girls from Vietnam, and using the nails salons as a front for his prostitution business. This starts an epic cat and mouse battle between Flynn and Johnny Tran that will leave the reader gasping for air.
Readers of John Rebell know that no one else blends fact and fiction, nonstop action, plot twists and turns, and surprising climaxes the way he does.
Get ready for another nonstop thrill ride into urban hell.
Flynn, is a disgraced former cop, an unlicensed PI and underground street lawyer
Flynn’s got a problem. He pulls in a routine blackmail case, and sees a signature blackmail scam and goes to Lamar, a local scammer, to get it straightened out. Lamar has other plans and if he wants Lamar’s help, then Flynn needs to help Lamar with a problem of his own. Speaking of personal problems, Flynn has demons of his own, including being haunted by the ghost of James Cobalt, who Flynn had a part in his murder.
Lamar is a clever hustler who has problems of his own.
Lamar’s got a problem too. He’s being pressed out of business by the local Vietnamese mafia. Lamar wants Flynn to surveil and set up a sting so Lamar can neutralize his chief rival, an insane Vietnamese enforcer, named Johnny Tran. In return, Lamar won’t go ahead with the blackmail plot against Flynn’s client. Johnny Tran is psychotic, runs prostitution and drugs through his Vietnamese nail salons and restaurants.
Johnny Tran is a psychotic enforcer for the Vietnamese mafia.
Johnny Tran has so many psychological problems they can’t be counted with a calculator. Flynn is survelling a nail salon when a beautiful woman walks out and flags down Flynn’s yellow taxi surveillance car. Flynn picks her up and learns she works for Max Cobalt, James Cobalt’s son. The son of the man Flynn helped assassinate. Flynn gets drawn into a conflict that, once again, is spinning out of control.
Max Cobalt has enough enemies and doesn’t need any more.
Enter Max Cobalt, Ning, and Wee. Max is a corporate raider, Ning is his chief negotiator and VP, Wee is his slightly insane bodyguard. The three are drawn into Flynn’s plan when all hell breaks loose with Lamar trying to take out Johnny Tran during a backroom poker game that goes horribly wrong.
Battle lines are now drawn between Flynn, and Johnny Tran and neither side can afford to lose.
Street smart good guys, psychotic bad guys, human sex trafficking, prostitution, martial artists, corporate raiders, and a Asian beautiful business negotiator.
Come together when Flynn uncovers Johnny Tran’s operation of recruiting young girls from Vietnam, and using the nails salons as a front for his prostitution business. This starts an epic cat and mouse battle between Flynn and Johnny Tran that will leave the reader gasping for air.
Readers of John Rebell know that no one else blends fact and fiction, nonstop action, plot twists and turns, and surprising climaxes the way he does.
Get ready for another nonstop thrill ride into urban hell.
168 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2014
1 person is currently reading
335 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 20, 2014
I won a copy of this book through Goodreads Giveaways. I loved it! It was an intense ride of a book. Definitely highly recommended to all thriller fans!
April 29, 2017
Wow, what a ride! This is the book that made me reconsider the whole genre.
As one of the beta readers and a man lucky enough to read this book twice before publication, I felt I had to leave an honest review.
Bad Karma is an unusual book. One would expect that its complete lack of pretension and extreme realism would make it a casual read. But no; this is a book that grabs your heart straight from the very beginning and twists your mind even after you’ve read the final page.
It’s INTENSE!
The action got me wide-eyed and grabbing my screen more than once, and the only power stronger than my temptation to read half of the chapters twice was the adrenaline-pumped sequences that exploded the story forward. (Mind you I read the whole book all over again when I was done.)
The author employs a clever economy of words that often escapes even the masters. He writes with razor-sharp precision and doesn’t waste a single word to immerse you into a dark reality of non-stop action.
One might think there is exaggeration in the action sequences and character interactions that take place within Bad Karma’s pages. However, the author strikes a perfect balance between realism and over-the-top events, resulting in a powerful and literally epic (in the classical sense of the word) narrative that never strays away from reality. In a way, this book paints a realistic picture of life using colors brighter and darker than those we usually see around us, but the picture is realistic nonetheless.
I am no fan of the genre… or at least I wasn’t until I stumbled upon John Rebell’s books. This one, Bad Karma, is arguably the book that made me reconsider the whole crime thriller genre. I am now an outspoken convert, eagerly waiting for another chance to see the book’s characters (at least those that survived) in action again.
As one of the beta readers and a man lucky enough to read this book twice before publication, I felt I had to leave an honest review.
Bad Karma is an unusual book. One would expect that its complete lack of pretension and extreme realism would make it a casual read. But no; this is a book that grabs your heart straight from the very beginning and twists your mind even after you’ve read the final page.
It’s INTENSE!
The action got me wide-eyed and grabbing my screen more than once, and the only power stronger than my temptation to read half of the chapters twice was the adrenaline-pumped sequences that exploded the story forward. (Mind you I read the whole book all over again when I was done.)
The author employs a clever economy of words that often escapes even the masters. He writes with razor-sharp precision and doesn’t waste a single word to immerse you into a dark reality of non-stop action.
One might think there is exaggeration in the action sequences and character interactions that take place within Bad Karma’s pages. However, the author strikes a perfect balance between realism and over-the-top events, resulting in a powerful and literally epic (in the classical sense of the word) narrative that never strays away from reality. In a way, this book paints a realistic picture of life using colors brighter and darker than those we usually see around us, but the picture is realistic nonetheless.
I am no fan of the genre… or at least I wasn’t until I stumbled upon John Rebell’s books. This one, Bad Karma, is arguably the book that made me reconsider the whole crime thriller genre. I am now an outspoken convert, eagerly waiting for another chance to see the book’s characters (at least those that survived) in action again.
December 3, 2014
Flynn, forced out of the Des Moines police force four years earlier without pension, is now a private investigator. His current client is being blackmailed through an internet chat room scam. Flynn is tough, but in taking on this case he comes up against some real nasties: the local branch of the Vietnamese Mafia and its leader, Johnny Tran.
This is an exciting read, full of plot twists, car chases, close calls with death, and ultra violent fighting and killing. John Rebell's lean writing style is suited to this type of novel, and it works well. The characterizations are very good: you like Flynn and the good guys, even though they all have their faults, and you hate his enemies. But Flynn is certainly not a simple hard-boiled investigator; he constantly has to deal with guilt and ghosts from the past. I hadn't read any of Rebell's earlier novels, where Flynn and some of the other characters are introduced, but the author provides a brief recap in the introduction that gives you the essentials.
This book is certainly in the upside of the genre. I found this to be a well-written and entertaining read and recommend it.
This is an exciting read, full of plot twists, car chases, close calls with death, and ultra violent fighting and killing. John Rebell's lean writing style is suited to this type of novel, and it works well. The characterizations are very good: you like Flynn and the good guys, even though they all have their faults, and you hate his enemies. But Flynn is certainly not a simple hard-boiled investigator; he constantly has to deal with guilt and ghosts from the past. I hadn't read any of Rebell's earlier novels, where Flynn and some of the other characters are introduced, but the author provides a brief recap in the introduction that gives you the essentials.
This book is certainly in the upside of the genre. I found this to be a well-written and entertaining read and recommend it.
October 3, 2014
This story starts off with a riveting first chapter, where we meet Flynn, a cop who has most definitely lost his way. The book delves into the dark world of corruption, murder, and crime within the Korean community, and in a police force, with some very bent cops, doing the bidding of equally bent politicians.
Instead of talking about the plot, I will instead, talk about the writing and how I felt about the story's entertainment value. Mr Rebell does not pull his punches, especially in the area of dialogue. His writing is engaging because it's natural and he leaves very little to the imagination. He moves the chapters swiftly along, and this compelled me to pay great attention to each paragraph
This a gritty story, which is captivating from the first page to the last. I loved the characters, their thoughts, and their actions, good or bad. This is definitely one of the most action packed crime stories that I have read in a long time. it snaps like a bullet, and I highly recommend it to other readers.
Instead of talking about the plot, I will instead, talk about the writing and how I felt about the story's entertainment value. Mr Rebell does not pull his punches, especially in the area of dialogue. His writing is engaging because it's natural and he leaves very little to the imagination. He moves the chapters swiftly along, and this compelled me to pay great attention to each paragraph
This a gritty story, which is captivating from the first page to the last. I loved the characters, their thoughts, and their actions, good or bad. This is definitely one of the most action packed crime stories that I have read in a long time. it snaps like a bullet, and I highly recommend it to other readers.
September 30, 2014
"Bad Karma: A Crime Thriller" by John Rebell is a book that brings you in and keeps you entertained throughout. I love a good crime drama and this one was that and more. The suspenseful turns kept me glued to the pages and curious as to what would happen next. It's pretty dark so at times I had to read with one eye open. There is an intensity that feels like you are watching an action-packed mobster movie. You can see the characters and feel the surroundings. The author has a clear and precise writing style that made this a quick and ever so entertaining read.
Murder, lies, deceit, scandal and oh boy is there corruption and that is just a hint. Highly recommended.
Quote ~
"Johnny Tran always hears revenge was a dish best served cold. By age thirty-three, Johnny Tran had been feasting for almost twenty-five years."
Murder, lies, deceit, scandal and oh boy is there corruption and that is just a hint. Highly recommended.
Quote ~
"Johnny Tran always hears revenge was a dish best served cold. By age thirty-three, Johnny Tran had been feasting for almost twenty-five years."
October 3, 2014
I rarely find myself in the crime drama genre, as I normally go for more fantastical fiction, but this book sucked me right in and made me wonder whether I should read more in this genre. Bad Karma is a well designed roller coaster inside a dark cave that kept me excited until the end. The characters are interesting and all troubled in their own way, so there is no hero in shining armor cutting his way through the crime world. Even if crime novels are not your thing, you can't go wrong here and might just discover a new genre to enjoy like I did.
October 1, 2014
Not for the squeamish. This is a nonstop action story of life and death in a Vietnamese community in the Midwest. Complete with a guiding mentor ghost, the main character finds himself dealing with a crazed killer with the help of one very lovely Asian woman. The supporting characters are an odd lot and the author makes them come alive in this fast paced story.
May 27, 2015
A fast paced thriller.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews