The Last Bad Job

It’s a hell of an assignment: Five months on a New Mexico desert compound to cover what could be the next Jonestown. For one reporter, it could be a career-maker. But when a cult member close to him drowns herself, he flees, setting unimaginable events into motion. From the author of the widely acclaimed novels Another Broken Wizard and What Smiled at Him comes The Last Bad Job—a book the late Norman Mailer touted as showing “something that very few writers have; a species of inner talent that owes very little to other people.”

Praise for The Last Bad Job “No one has done the Apocalypse better! From the opening scene to the final shocking line, this book is full of gruesome twists, profound insights, and absolutely brilliant writing. Definitely one of the best books I've read in the past ten years.” -Boston Literary Magazine “The Last Bad Job is a fantastical trip… I absolutely loved it in a weird crazy way… the characters are what really pulled me into this book… a very realistic post-alcoholic breakdown journalist who is also very introspective and likable all at once… The writing is flawless and the irony of the story is just absolutely fabulous… Colin Dodds has picked up a new fan - I’m definitely going to go back and pick up his prior books and stay on the lookout for more!” -Kathy LaMee, Tracyriva.com “The Last Bad Job is a dark, weird apocalyptic trip with profanity, paranoia, and comedy–a beautiful elemental mix… I loved this book for many reasons: the detached but paranoid tone, the comedy and strong voice, the unpredictable turns and switchbacks, and the gonzo-style narrative.” -Marissa van Uden, marissavu.com Praise for Colin Dodds’ What Smiled at Him “The novel has an angry edge to it, recalling the spirit of the Beats. Many of the peripheral characters speak like prophets… Marv and Lynn are just as self-aware as their supporting cast, and their abundance of wisdom sometimes stretches believability; it’s tempered, however, by the flaw of their continually self-destructive behavior. Watching them ignore their better instincts… makes the characters more endearing.” -Kirkus Reviews Praise for Dodds’ Another Broken Wizard “Dodds gets Worcester and shows it in all of its glories and cracks…He runs through the streets of the city and nearby towns and takes the reader with him…Dodds is a master of writing the town life and capturing all of the said and unsaid. His characters are so full of waiting, of pain, and of hope that never reaches past the next day.” -Worcester Pulse Magazine “Masterfully written with all the grit and grisly humor of returning to one’s dingy blue collar hometown, Another Broken Wizard is the compelling, tightly-woven story of a couple of 30-year old boyhood chums who don't grow up until it's too late.” -Boston Literary Magazine “It kept me nostalgic for something that isn't my story, isn't my town, and I got really emotionally involved.