What do you think?
Rate this book
The Cursed Manuscripts
Bad Luck
NEVER TEMPT FATE...Emily Carlton's life is a relentless cycle of boredom. Single, broke, and trapped in a job she hates, she yearns for a little excitement. That's why tonight is so important. Planning to reunite with old friends for an evening on the beach, she might finally get the excitement she's looking for...
Yet, what begins as a night of fun and laughter soon spirals into a nightmarish hell when one of Emily's friends succumbs to a violent, racist outburst and targets a group of immigrants. The repercussions are harrowing, and they soon fall prey to a malevolent curse—a curse that unleashes the darkest form of misfortune. Deadly misfortune.
Yet, what begins as a night of fun and laughter soon spirals into a nightmarish hell when one of Emily's friends succumbs to a violent, racist outburst and targets a group of immigrants. The repercussions are harrowing, and they soon fall prey to a malevolent curse—a curse that unleashes the darkest form of misfortune. Deadly misfortune.
225 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 26, 2022
About the author
Iain Rob Wright
195 books1,898 followersWith over 50 novels written over 16 years, Iain Rob Wright is the well-respected British horror author with a reputation for reliably scaring his readers. His books have sold millions of copies worldwide, earned tens of thousands of reader reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, and are being translated into multiple languages.
He is currently best known for the Cursed Manuscripts shared horror universe, the apocalyptic Hell on Earth series, and many stand-alone chillers such as The Room Upstairs and Scrapbook.
J. A. Konrath, New York Times bestselling thriller author, claims, "Iain Rob Wright scares the hell out of me!"
Born and raised in England's West Midlands, Iain now lives in the beautiful, gothic County Durham with his family, 2 pugs, and a cat named Tigz. When he is not writing horror, he is reading horror, watching horror, or playing Stardew Valley.
WHERE TO START: If you have never read Iain Rob Wright before, try Witch - the first Cursed Manuscript and the entry point to the universe - or The Gates, the opener of the Hell on Earth saga. Both are available FREE with Kindle Unlimited.
For new releases, free stories, and the occasional confession of authorial despair, readers can find Iain through his author page on Amazon or by visiting his website (where you can download 6 of his books absolutely FREE).
Iain's work has been compared to Stephen King, Richard Laymon, and James Herbert - the three writers he credits with making him want to scare people for a living.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
December 28, 2025
It's not a terrible read, I actually really enjoyed it. I just have an issue with happy endings, makes the story a bit unfinished.
January 12, 2023
No more CURSED MANUSCRIPTS for Me...
No spoilers. 2 stars. I think I'm officially over this CURSED MANUSCRIPTS series. What messy, politically correct drivel...
A brief synopsis: a group of teens meet on the beach and, after getting drunk and high, get into a p*ssing contest with some Syrians...
Then all h*ll breaks loose...
The Syrian who got the worst of the beating put a curse on the English crowd...
Good luck... Not!!
This juvenile novel is strictly for young adults of the snowflake generation. The author used this story as a vehicle for woke awareness.
The plot covered toxic white males, racial insensitivity, substance abuse and any other woke social issues he could think of.
In addition, he over-used words and phrases like "babes" and "pulling a face" which had me rolling my eyes.
Serious ADULT horror readers should leave this disaster to uncooked high schoolers and very young adults.
No spoilers. 2 stars. I think I'm officially over this CURSED MANUSCRIPTS series. What messy, politically correct drivel...
A brief synopsis: a group of teens meet on the beach and, after getting drunk and high, get into a p*ssing contest with some Syrians...
Then all h*ll breaks loose...
The Syrian who got the worst of the beating put a curse on the English crowd...
Good luck... Not!!
This juvenile novel is strictly for young adults of the snowflake generation. The author used this story as a vehicle for woke awareness.
The plot covered toxic white males, racial insensitivity, substance abuse and any other woke social issues he could think of.
In addition, he over-used words and phrases like "babes" and "pulling a face" which had me rolling my eyes.
Serious ADULT horror readers should leave this disaster to uncooked high schoolers and very young adults.
December 27, 2022
Bad luck is no joke
I love Ian Rob Wright's Cursed Manuscript books and this one doesn't disappoint. A completely new take on bad luck vs good luck. Here's to keeping my fingers crossed for good luck cause I want nothing to do with his idea of bad luck.
I love Ian Rob Wright's Cursed Manuscript books and this one doesn't disappoint. A completely new take on bad luck vs good luck. Here's to keeping my fingers crossed for good luck cause I want nothing to do with his idea of bad luck.
April 17, 2023
Test your luck.
I have written many, many times how much I like Iain’s work and how I’ll race to pick up his latest output.
But, yeah…. Not completely sold on this Cursed Manuscripts theme. I think the theme is terrific and the ideas for each novel are intriguing but the level of quality is not always there. There have been two excellent books so far: Hell Train and Zombie. Unfortunately, Bad Luck did not fall in that category for me.
Part of the issue I felt was that the transitions to advance the plot were wonky, and beggars belief. Some of the decisions made by the characters were either a little too predictable in places or just seemed outright out of character. The debate between who should live and who deserves to die could have been a little more promising.
I did like specific parts of the story like when they met Steve ( he also was quite funny) .
All in all though, not the greatest book in the series. But, because this is Iain, the standard is quite high.
I have written many, many times how much I like Iain’s work and how I’ll race to pick up his latest output.
But, yeah…. Not completely sold on this Cursed Manuscripts theme. I think the theme is terrific and the ideas for each novel are intriguing but the level of quality is not always there. There have been two excellent books so far: Hell Train and Zombie. Unfortunately, Bad Luck did not fall in that category for me.
Part of the issue I felt was that the transitions to advance the plot were wonky, and beggars belief. Some of the decisions made by the characters were either a little too predictable in places or just seemed outright out of character. The debate between who should live and who deserves to die could have been a little more promising.
I did like specific parts of the story like when they met Steve ( he also was quite funny) .
All in all though, not the greatest book in the series. But, because this is Iain, the standard is quite high.
March 22, 2023
Ok but definitely not my favorite in this series. Definitely a Final Destination kind of feel. The deaths were gruesome but kind of quick and just didn’t grab me in a horror-type way. There was a lot of running around waiting for things to happen and it just didn’t all pull together for me.
May 16, 2023
This entry was kind of silly and meandering. Definitely not my favorite. I'm taking a break before I finish the Cursed Manuscripts.
August 24, 2026
It kind felt all over the place but I enjoyed it for ths most part.
January 5, 2023
Another killer read by Iain Rob Wright! I just devour his books, they're so fluid and full of twists and unexpected horror. 4/5 unlucky skulls 💀
September 18, 2025
Good morning Goodreads Family, I gave the book 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book was really good 🤩 I have to say that as a avid reader I love ❤️ reading. It’s like taking a vacation to a different world while sitting in my car, in my recliner, in my bed. 🛌 Which I’m not much of a traveler 🧳 Anyway, with that being said I’m mostly a true crime reader ( I have a bachelors in Forensics & Criminal Investigations) which thats probably why I love reading those type of books 📕 but this year especially I have read different types of books 📚 I love reading books that are series. It introduces the characters and as you read you get to know them. Now, I read a book from Ian Robert’s called The Witch 🧙 I didn’t read what the book was going to be about. I just happened to see in the Kindle App on my phone and even better it was a kindle unlimited book which I suggest to any reader to get it. A lot of books are on the Kindle Unlimited. Back to the book, the series is called The Cursed Manuscripts and these are horror stories but not like gruesome or anything but the story line is really good. The main character is Emily (but they call her Ems) and she has a group of friends and 3 of them are boys and they get into a fight with a group of guys which provoked a series of bad luck…. Thats as far as I’m going to go. The book is really good and interesting which keeps the reader wanting to read more. Give this author a chance. I’m sure you’ll like it.. Anyway, see you at my next review…..😉
February 24, 2023
Crazy bonkers but i enjoyed it
August 17, 2025
I would like to give this no stars. Honestly what a drag.
Tried so hard to persevere but just could not finish it.
I feel like the writer became bored or just needed to get to a certain word count.
Tried so hard to persevere but just could not finish it.
I feel like the writer became bored or just needed to get to a certain word count.
January 23, 2023
This series of books are very interesting. They are all very well written. This could and should be turned into a television series. I am looking forward to see what comes next in this series.
January 4, 2023
Struggle to finish
Felt like I was reading a story developed for early teen audiences. No depth to characters and certainly no feelings of fear or anxiety. Ridiculous reactions to nearly all characters dying and subsequent dialogue. Small town, a boatload of people suddenly meeting gory demise, but hey let’s all head to the malt shop for a cold one… just nope.
Felt like I was reading a story developed for early teen audiences. No depth to characters and certainly no feelings of fear or anxiety. Ridiculous reactions to nearly all characters dying and subsequent dialogue. Small town, a boatload of people suddenly meeting gory demise, but hey let’s all head to the malt shop for a cold one… just nope.
January 5, 2023
Overwrought with Wokeism
Decent plot. Could have been really fun… but the author chose to use 20% of the book to push open-borders nonsense and social equality messaging.
Decent plot. Could have been really fun… but the author chose to use 20% of the book to push open-borders nonsense and social equality messaging.
February 24, 2024
I have enjoyed every single one of the cursed manuscripts that I have read and I only have the latest one Flesh Bargain left to read now! This book enthralled me, I was gripped waiting to see what would happen next. The book moved at a fast pace and was a page turner. I didn’t find any of the characters particularly likeable except for maybe Dante, even Emily I didn’t really warm to. I found this book a bit reminiscent of Final Destination in the way that some events transpired and with how they couldn’t escape their fate. The only thing that didn’t really sit right with me was the final sentence of the book. No spoilers but it made me laugh 😆 not how I would expect her to feel.
February 27, 2023
Overall, a pretty interesting book. I love the whole demon premise of this book. Yes, it's about a group of young adult friends that get into a twist with a group of foreigners. There is racism involved. I thought the word "babes" was overplayed. I wish I counted how many times it was used, and that was annoying. I really enjoyed the plot and twists and turns, and even though some gruesome parts, it could have had a bit more horror.
Overall, a great, easy read that I was able to finish in 4 hours and am moving to the next book in the series.
Overall, a great, easy read that I was able to finish in 4 hours and am moving to the next book in the series.
February 1, 2023
What a woke piece of garbage! This was a horrible book by an obviously talented author. Was he trying to please the woke community? He pushed the racist agenda right to the end of the book. This book is nothing but but wokeism and superstition clichés it doesn’t tie into the other books into the series so do yourself a favor and skip it. If his next book is like this one I will not be reading anything else from him!
January 8, 2023
Fantastic
Years since I have found an author who makes me choose to snuggle up and read, I'm a bit late in finding Iain rob wright but just means there's lots too catch up on and loads to read, this whole collection has me hooked and even though he skips over things a bit quick in places I'm his new biggest fan
Years since I have found an author who makes me choose to snuggle up and read, I'm a bit late in finding Iain rob wright but just means there's lots too catch up on and loads to read, this whole collection has me hooked and even though he skips over things a bit quick in places I'm his new biggest fan
January 16, 2023
Easy read mild horror, more suited to YA audience rather than the usual great in-depth story from Mr W. It felt like the writing was forever mindful of being politically correct making some of the aspects of the story feeling forced rather than being fluid. I wouldn't recommend this for a first time reader of his works as this isn't the best reflection given he has some amazing books.
April 10, 2023
Only worth 2 stars
It was a good story and I enjoyed reading it but it wasn't worth5 stars purely because you overused the word babes , it was babes this, babes that and it spoilt the story, it may be because I hate that word but it was also a little corny in places and I wanted to stop reading but my curiosity wanted to know the ending so I had to keep reading.
It was a good story and I enjoyed reading it but it wasn't worth5 stars purely because you overused the word babes , it was babes this, babes that and it spoilt the story, it may be because I hate that word but it was also a little corny in places and I wanted to stop reading but my curiosity wanted to know the ending so I had to keep reading.
February 20, 2023
Not bad, but my least favorite of the Cursed Manuscripts. Felt a bit like It Follows meets Final Destination.
November 23, 2024
Hey there, book lovers! It is your old pal, Ninetoes, coming to you from Ninetoes Loves Books Headquarters. Today, I have for you my review of Iain Rob Wright’s Bad Luck (The Cursed Manuscripts book 4). I have coffee in my system and my thinking cap on, so let’s get to it!
Emily is in a dead-end job and it just keeps getting worse. Her boss is a handy kind of guy and not in the best way. Her co-worker gets injured on a bottle and she is forced to work the next day. All she wants to do is go home and go to sleep so she is ready for the next day. Her friends coerce her to go to The Rock with them for a couple of drinks. While hanging out with her friends, they decide to walk up the beach towards the pier. They see a group of young men, one thing leads to another and terse words are exchanged, punches are thrown, and a curse is laid upon the six friends. One by one they start to die, each one dying worse than the last. Emily is desperate to find a way to break the curse. To do so may stain her soul for all eternity. Is she up to the task? Would dying be better?
Now, I will admit I just oversimplified what happens in the book. I do not want to give away all of its secrets. This book is reminiscent of the movie “Final Destination”, but that is not a negative. Just when you think you know where it is going, Mr. Wright throws another curve ball and he amps up the death process. Sure, it starts light, but there is one where the image will stick with me for a long time.
The book is fast-paced; I took it down in a couple of hours. The writing is sharp. The characters are wonderfully flawed and engaging. He does fall back on some racial bits dealing with immigrants, and there is a teaching lesson in here that will make you stop and think. There are stereotypes on both sides that are a bit worn out, but effective for what is being done with them.
I give this book 4 bookmarks out of 5.
Emily is in a dead-end job and it just keeps getting worse. Her boss is a handy kind of guy and not in the best way. Her co-worker gets injured on a bottle and she is forced to work the next day. All she wants to do is go home and go to sleep so she is ready for the next day. Her friends coerce her to go to The Rock with them for a couple of drinks. While hanging out with her friends, they decide to walk up the beach towards the pier. They see a group of young men, one thing leads to another and terse words are exchanged, punches are thrown, and a curse is laid upon the six friends. One by one they start to die, each one dying worse than the last. Emily is desperate to find a way to break the curse. To do so may stain her soul for all eternity. Is she up to the task? Would dying be better?
Now, I will admit I just oversimplified what happens in the book. I do not want to give away all of its secrets. This book is reminiscent of the movie “Final Destination”, but that is not a negative. Just when you think you know where it is going, Mr. Wright throws another curve ball and he amps up the death process. Sure, it starts light, but there is one where the image will stick with me for a long time.
The book is fast-paced; I took it down in a couple of hours. The writing is sharp. The characters are wonderfully flawed and engaging. He does fall back on some racial bits dealing with immigrants, and there is a teaching lesson in here that will make you stop and think. There are stereotypes on both sides that are a bit worn out, but effective for what is being done with them.
I give this book 4 bookmarks out of 5.
December 9, 2024
Hey there, book lovers! It is your old pal, Ninetoes, coming to you from Ninetoes Loves Books Headquarters. Today, I have for you my review of Iain Rob Wright’s Bad Luck (The Cursed Manuscripts book 4). I have coffee in my system and my thinking cap on, so let’s get to it!
Emily is in a dead-end job and it just keeps getting worse. Her boss is a handy kind of guy and not in the best way. Her co-worker gets injured on a bottle and she is forced to work the next day. All she wants to do is go home and go to sleep so she is ready for the next day. Her friends coerce her to go to The Rock with them for a couple of drinks. While hanging out with her friends, they decide to walk up the beach towards the pier. They see a group of young men, one thing leads to another and terse words are exchanged, punches are thrown, and a curse is laid upon the six friends. One by one they start to die, each one dying worse than the last. Emily is desperate to find a way to break the curse. To do so may stain her soul for all eternity. Is she up to the task? Would dying be better?
Now, I will admit I just oversimplified what happens in the book. I do not want to give away all of its secrets. This book is reminiscent of the movie “Final Destination”, but that is not a negative. Just when you think you know where it is going, Mr. Wright throws another curve ball and he amps up the death process. Sure, it starts light, but there is one where the image will stick with me for a long time.
The book is fast-paced; I took it down in a couple of hours. The writing is sharp. The characters are wonderfully flawed and engaging. He does fall back on some racial bits dealing with immigrants, and there is a teaching lesson in here that will make you stop and think. There are stereotypes on both sides that are a bit worn out, but effective for what is being done with them.
I give this book 4 bookmarks out of 5.
Emily is in a dead-end job and it just keeps getting worse. Her boss is a handy kind of guy and not in the best way. Her co-worker gets injured on a bottle and she is forced to work the next day. All she wants to do is go home and go to sleep so she is ready for the next day. Her friends coerce her to go to The Rock with them for a couple of drinks. While hanging out with her friends, they decide to walk up the beach towards the pier. They see a group of young men, one thing leads to another and terse words are exchanged, punches are thrown, and a curse is laid upon the six friends. One by one they start to die, each one dying worse than the last. Emily is desperate to find a way to break the curse. To do so may stain her soul for all eternity. Is she up to the task? Would dying be better?
Now, I will admit I just oversimplified what happens in the book. I do not want to give away all of its secrets. This book is reminiscent of the movie “Final Destination”, but that is not a negative. Just when you think you know where it is going, Mr. Wright throws another curve ball and he amps up the death process. Sure, it starts light, but there is one where the image will stick with me for a long time.
The book is fast-paced; I took it down in a couple of hours. The writing is sharp. The characters are wonderfully flawed and engaging. He does fall back on some racial bits dealing with immigrants, and there is a teaching lesson in here that will make you stop and think. There are stereotypes on both sides that are a bit worn out, but effective for what is being done with them.
I give this book 4 bookmarks out of 5.
January 4, 2023
A 3.5 from me. Decent writing as always from Mr. Wright and the story was good...just not as great as I expected. I thought of Final Destination style deaths, and although there were a couple, i wanted more. The "bad luck" the characters experienced were a lot more minor than that (not all, but some of it). It got quite twisty and turny towards the end with regards to the curse and i found myself getting a bit lost. The ending also had a couple of discrepancies too - i fully expected Kaley to be able to hold up the pier wood with her new found powers, was disappointed she couldn't. And also it mentions a point of CCTV after an incident which results in a death - Emily wouldnt even be looked at if the police already had that video footage as the death would be on it too (with who was to blame), along with what is stated (bit vague, i know, but don't want to give any spoilers!).
Overall, it was a decent read. I think i just wanted more from it. There was things i liked and things i didnt.
Overall, it was a decent read. I think i just wanted more from it. There was things i liked and things i didnt.
October 13, 2025
Darkly Funny, Twisted, and Completely Addictive!
Bad Luck by Iain Rob Wright is one of those books that hooks you from the very first page and refuses to let go. It’s a wild mix of dark humor, horror, and pure chaos — exactly what I’ve come to expect (and love) from Wright’s writing. The story takes an unlucky situation and turns it into a rollercoaster of bad decisions, bizarre coincidences, and shocking twists that keep you both laughing and cringing.
The pacing is fast, the dialogue is sharp, and the characters are delightfully flawed — the kind of people you root for even when you probably shouldn’t. Wright balances tension and humor perfectly, creating a story that’s equal parts disturbing and entertaining.
If you enjoy horror with a wicked sense of irony and a bit of madness thrown in, Bad Luck is absolutely worth the read. Another hit from Iain Rob Wright that proves bad luck can make for great fiction!
I received an ARC copy and this is my honest review.
Bad Luck by Iain Rob Wright is one of those books that hooks you from the very first page and refuses to let go. It’s a wild mix of dark humor, horror, and pure chaos — exactly what I’ve come to expect (and love) from Wright’s writing. The story takes an unlucky situation and turns it into a rollercoaster of bad decisions, bizarre coincidences, and shocking twists that keep you both laughing and cringing.
The pacing is fast, the dialogue is sharp, and the characters are delightfully flawed — the kind of people you root for even when you probably shouldn’t. Wright balances tension and humor perfectly, creating a story that’s equal parts disturbing and entertaining.
If you enjoy horror with a wicked sense of irony and a bit of madness thrown in, Bad Luck is absolutely worth the read. Another hit from Iain Rob Wright that proves bad luck can make for great fiction!
I received an ARC copy and this is my honest review.
July 25, 2023
My first thought was...no way was this written by Iain Rob Wright. I have read a bunch of his stuff and loved a lot of it. Usually creepy, good plot,interesting etc etc. This book is horrible. Not scary, not interesting, not a particularly new concept and just poorly written. Its about 225 pages...take away the non stop "woke" references and its a 5 page short story at best. Every single chapter has it. Ruined the book. Never a problem to have socially conscious plot lines or even want to get across ones own political views but its so ham handed - its just crap. I will chalk it up to either a poor ghost writer or perhaps the author is trying to impress a new love of his live with how "woke" he is.
I will continue to read this author..unless he pumps out another diatribe against todays society under the guise of a horror novel.
I will continue to read this author..unless he pumps out another diatribe against todays society under the guise of a horror novel.
January 17, 2026
Are you superstitious? What about curses? If something bad happens, do you brush it off as random? What if it’s a series of bad happenings?
A group of friends finds themselves having a series of unfortunate events after they attack another group simply because of race.
The racial tension in Bad Luck is in your face (literally) and mirrors some of the happenings in today’s society both in rhetoric and uncomfortableness.
I almost didn’t read Bad Luck after I read a two-star review, but I’m glad I didn’t let it stop me.
Having said that, towards the end of the book, some of the dialogue came off as how difficult conversations should be had.
But at the end of the day, Bad Luck was a thrilling read that packed in a lot of events, real-world & supernatural, along with a not-so-hidden example showing how we can do better.
A group of friends finds themselves having a series of unfortunate events after they attack another group simply because of race.
The racial tension in Bad Luck is in your face (literally) and mirrors some of the happenings in today’s society both in rhetoric and uncomfortableness.
I almost didn’t read Bad Luck after I read a two-star review, but I’m glad I didn’t let it stop me.
Having said that, towards the end of the book, some of the dialogue came off as how difficult conversations should be had.
But at the end of the day, Bad Luck was a thrilling read that packed in a lot of events, real-world & supernatural, along with a not-so-hidden example showing how we can do better.
March 15, 2023
I can’t stand to not finish a series so I’ll be reading the last 2 books BUT it took a lot for me to finish this one. Once again, I couldn’t get myself invested in any of the characters. They were all ridiculous in their own way. I appreciate Iain’s spotlight on racism and women’s rights and such but they just read very young adult for me. I’m still confused about the “cursed manuscript” part of these. I guess I understand now that the books themselves are the cursed manuscripts? Apart from being labeled “the cursed manuscripts” there’s no other mention of it. I’d have to say this is my least favorite of them so far but I will keep trucking on!
August 20, 2025
I didn’t really enjoy this book. I picked it up because of the attempted social commentary (a racial attack leads to consequences) but this was only superficial.
I think the issue with this book is that the supernatural and odd plots don’t work as well for Wright compared to his more constrained works like ‘Hell Train’, ‘Escape’ or ‘Housemates’ where the plot evolves organically through character drama.
I didn’t like how this book’s pace was too quick, never lingering on key emotive moments. It felt thin.
I don’t think I’ll read another of Wright’s books, although I wish him well - he definitely has a following!
I think the issue with this book is that the supernatural and odd plots don’t work as well for Wright compared to his more constrained works like ‘Hell Train’, ‘Escape’ or ‘Housemates’ where the plot evolves organically through character drama.
I didn’t like how this book’s pace was too quick, never lingering on key emotive moments. It felt thin.
I don’t think I’ll read another of Wright’s books, although I wish him well - he definitely has a following!
August 27, 2026
The Cursed Manuscripts: Bad Luck is a gripping horror read that takes an ordinary night and turns it into something genuinely terrifying. I loved how quickly the story shifts from fun and excitement to an atmosphere filled with dread and danger.
The curse is a fascinating element, and the idea of misfortune becoming something deadly creates a constant sense of suspense. The story also touches on darker human behavior and the consequences that can follow from it, giving the horror an unsettling edge.
A tense, disturbing, and entertaining read that kept me wondering what terrible turn would come next.
The curse is a fascinating element, and the idea of misfortune becoming something deadly creates a constant sense of suspense. The story also touches on darker human behavior and the consequences that can follow from it, giving the horror an unsettling edge.
A tense, disturbing, and entertaining read that kept me wondering what terrible turn would come next.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews