Bad Juju & Other Tales of Madness and Mayhem [Kindle Edition]

This book was like a bag of Cheetohs; once I started I couldn't stop until I finished it. The stories were all so interesting, I couldn't wait to see what crazy situation would happen next. It was very satisfying that in many cases the bad guy was punished, severely. I liked the variety of settings all over the world and the quick pace of the stories. It was like being in the mind of people you read about in the paper who have done stupid things. Lots of sex and violence, although nothing too graphic. I plan to have my bookclub read it, I think it will provoke some good conversation. It was well written on top of the characters and scenarios being fascinating. I highly recommend this book, especially if you like dark humor.

"Bad Juju & Other Stories of Madness and Mayhem" is the best collection of crime noir stories that I've read in a long time. Many of the locales are exotic; some are as close as the local drug store. The characters are as intriguing as anything found in the works of John Huston, Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler or Quentin Tarantino, but are as familiar as your next door neighbor. And just how well do you really know your next door neighbor? In other words, Woods' stories have a way of sucking you in quickly, leading you down a labyrinth of mystery, "madness and mayhem" and just when you can't take it anymore, releases you into the next story where you eagerly start all over again. The tropics, the Texas coast, southern Vermont; gamblers, losers, prostitutes, the lucky and the luckless: this collection of short stories has a little bit of everything. Granted these stories are not for everyone. Those with a faint heart may want to stick to the latest teen vampire product from the industrial machine, but if you want great crime stories with a twist--and a kick--look no further than this assortment of 19 fresh and original stories that hit like the business end of a Louisville Slugger, guaranteed to get your pulse racing and take you somewhere that--hopefully--exists only in the imagination of Jonathan Woods. Bad Juju is good stuff!

This is an excellent collection of violently comic tales of blood, sex and money. Woods does a fantastic job of straddling the line between straight-up pulp stories and contemporary crime fiction, and I enjoyed every story. "Incident in the Tropics," the title piece, and especially "Dog Daze" were my favorites.