Bad Karma cover art

Bad Karma

The True Story of a Mexico Trip from Hell

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Bad Karma

By: Paul Wilson
Narrated by: Joe Zieja
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About this listen

In the summer of 1978, 21-year-old Paul Wilson jumps at the chance to join two local icons on a dream surf trip to mainland Mexico, unaware their ultimate destination lies in the heart of the drug cartel country. Having no earthly idea of where he’ll get the money to pay his share and determined to prove his mettle, he does the only thing he can think of: He robs a supermarket. And, if karma didn’t already have enough reason to doom the trip, he soon learns one of his companions is a convicted killer on the run and the other an unscrupulous cad. Mishap and misfortune rule the days, and mere survival takes precedence over surfing.

Original photographs (including pre-kingpin El Chapo), and Wilson’s strong narrative style, combine to make this true story personal—in the tradition of Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, Motorcycle Diaries by Che Guevara, and Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas—except this tale had to wait for the statute of limitations to expire before it could be told.

Readers Favorite Silver Award winner for 2020!

©2019 Paul Adam Wilson (P)2021 Paul Adam Wilson
Adventurers, Explorers & Survival Travel Writing & Commentary Water Sports Sports Latin America Mexico True Adventure

Critic Reviews

"Bad Karma has instantly joined the pantheon of great adventure writing!” (Elizabeth Howard)

All stars
Most relevant  
Uneventful and poorly written, don’t waste your time with this book. I’d rather have a running chainsaw thrown at me than have to read this again.

Probably the worst book ever written

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