The Bouncer

Joe the Bouncer #1

by David Gordon

If you like a heavy dose of mayhem with your murder, this is crime fiction at its most fresh and most fun.

Joe Brody is just your average Dostoevsky-reading, Harvard-expelled strip club bouncer who has a highly classified military history and a best friend from Catholic school who happens to be head mafioso Gio Caprisi.

FBI agent Donna Zamora, the best shot in her class at Quantico, is a single mother stuck at a desk manning the hotline. Their storylines intersect over a tip from a cokehead that leads to a crackdown on Gio's strip joint in Queens and Joe's arrest.

Outside the jailhouse, the Fed and the bouncer lock eyes, as Gordon launches them both headlong into a non-stop plot that goes from back-road gun running to high-stakes perfume heist, and manages to touch everyone from the CIA to the Triads. Beneath it all lurks a sinister criminal mastermind whose manipulations could cause chaos on a massively violent scale.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Crime, Suspense, Contemporary, Mystery Thriller

224 pages, Hardcover

First published August 7, 2018

About the author

David Gordon was born in New York City. He attended Sarah Lawrence College and holds an MA in English and Comparative Literature and an MFA in Writing, both from Columbia University, and has worked in film, fashion, publishing, and pornography. His first novel, The Serialist, won the VCU/Cabell First Novel Award and was a finalist for an Edgar Award. His work has also appeared in The Paris Review, Purple, and Fence among other publications.

Reviews

[8stitches 9lives · Rating 3 out of 5]

The synopsis of 'The Bouncer' was so enticing, and I decided to request it on NetGalley right away. This is David Gordon's second novel which unfortunately suffered from the age-old problem that many thrillers tend to suffer from - going overboard on the amount packed into the book. Here, there are too many characters, too many different plotlines and too much action, that the overall consequence is that both the story and the characters lack depth.

The characters were superficial and not a lot of information is given about who they are, and how they got to where they currently are. As a result, I found it incredibly hard to appreciate them and would've liked more background, especially on the bouncer himself and FBI agent Donna Zamora.

I am gutted that I didn't enjoy this as it sounded excellent. I do hope Gordon continues to write in this vein, and I would definitely try another of his books should he publish more of his work in the future. I feel he has all of the necessary components to create truly thrilling crime fiction so long as he tones it down a little. I did appreciate his dry wit and darkly comic tendencies which are on show throughout this novel.

Many thanks to Grove Atlantic/Mysterious Press for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was frigging fun! I can never resist a quiet, kickass anti-hero with blood on his hands and a cool as can be smile across his face. A charming, crooked character is a huge weakness of mine. Huge!

The Bouncer by David Gordon is a fast moving, crime caper thriller FILLED with characters to keep an eye on. Don’t turn your back on this lot! We get the full line up of gangsters, thieves, thugs, terrorists, suits, spooks, and….Joe.

Joe Brody is our bouncer. A man with an easy way about him and mystery shadowing his every move. He’s the guy that has the off-limits, top secret file in a drawer somewhere with people always chasing after him for some reason or another. But he takes it all with a shrug and a smile. I love it! Is Joe a crook with a heart of gold or a hero always tripping over trouble? Maybe he’s somewhere in between. Just jump in and have fun trying to figure Joe out. He ain’t no ordinary bouncer. :)

This book is a page turner on speed! One bullet-flying job leads right into another. Double crosses, secrets, and sudden turns leave you hanging on for dear life. BUT even though the events and action move along at full tilt, Joe moves at a calm and cool pace. I loved those two speeds working together. The action and blood splatter is quick and unapologetic. People get caught in the crossfire, necks get snapped, and everything is up for grabs! For me, the little connections and crossed paths and humor really made the book and style stand out though. It felt almost like an old school detective tale, but from the other side of the desk. The bad guys are running the show! And everyone is just one step behind or ahead until they aren’t. The secrets and tailing and running around all comes together so beautifully at the end. I smiled, shook my head with humor, and tipped my hat with respect.

Joe is the star here, but I do have to say Gio runs a close second. I would love to hear more from both men. Here’s hoping this was just the start of the show.

Recommended. I’m looking forward to reading more from Mr. Gordon.


p.s. Kudos on the cover. It made me curious enough to stop and read the blurb.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75

Overall I thought The Bouncer was a solid piece of fiction.

The first half was definitely the strongest as we were introduced to Joe "The Bouncer" and were quickly taken on an adventure. From there we met a slue of characters and stumbled into unforeseen set backs which were equal parts comedic and the right level of overdramatic.

I loved the ensemble of quirky characters in the novel and would love to find out more about each and every one of their journey's. I did find however that the story of the protagonist did get lost after the first half, where I wasn't even sure if it was Joe's tale anymore.

In a way it was all one big jigsaw puzzle, with each event being connected; seemingly or otherwise. The only issue I found with this, is that when situations/events did come together and were a success, it was all accidental. It would have been nice to have seen some things being worked for by the characters instead of just falling into their laps.

Interesting, fun and surprisingly moreish.

[LenaRibka · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one starts off strong. But unfortunately it couldn't keep this promising start up to the end.

Too many things happened, too many characters got involved into the story that for its part appeared overloaded with events and twists.

What I liked: humor, a fast pace.

What I didn't like: a superficial story-line, fast paced action, changing of point of view - if it was a Joe's POV at the beginning, it changed later to some indifferent general point of view that didn't do any favor to the story.

***ARC provided kindly by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.***

[Bandit · Rating 4 out of 5]

A vague but favorable recollection of Gordon’s Serialist had me interested in this one, the author’s latest. And it didn’t disappoint. While Serialist may have had more of a plot for my interests, this mishmash of high octane action, irreverent slapstick, cops and robbers (and gangsters and fanatics) crime thriller was just oodles of fun. Easy to imagine as a movie and just the kind I’d watch for pure mindless entertainment, with mad pacing, dynamic vibe, great energy likeable characters across the board and a high five all around happy ending…this book was, in fact, bouncy and thus aptly titled. Although the main protagonist is actually a bouncer, among other things. And the dude is seriously awesome, he fights, he jokes, he reads, he’s got a strong customized take on justice and he’s irresistible to the ladies. Sort of like a Queens’ (maybe Brooklyn’s) James Bond. Can't not mention my favorite tv game show Jeopardy featured here and with a goof no less, there's no $5o0 round, it's all even numbers. Now I'm thinking it's either a typo or neither the author nor the editor has even seen the show, the latter would be so sad. Everyone should watch Jeopardy. Anyway...quick and very entertaining read. Thanks Netgalley.

[Janet Newport · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and Grove Atlantic/Mysterious Press for this ARC.

I've been so bad......read, read, read, reading and not posting ratings or reviews. I'm trying to catch up.

This was an okay book and I enjoyed it. The story moved along at a good pace for me and the characters were interesting enough. But not that memorable. But it seemed to be the same old good guy disguised as a bad guy / bad ass with superman abilities on a chase story. I would read more books by David Gordon if they fell in my lap, but I'm not sure I would go out of my way to look for them.

[Julie Parks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I will start off with an unusual fact. For some reason, this book made me smile and even laugh out loud a lot. Even though I'm sure, it's not intended to. I think it was because due to all the small bits and pieces and so many various characters that seemingly jumped in and out of focus The Bouncer reads much like a typical British comedy where not everything that's dire and serious is supposed to be taken that way.

I'm not saying it's a mockery, I'm hinting at its unique style and mood.

I loved the harshness of where and how the places where set. And especially the way things and the happening was described. It felt real in that same film noir that's a bit funny way. It was easy to imagine Billy Bob Thornton somewhere there, maybe even having a smoke in the background.

To me this kind of writing and structure left loads for imagination and being a very imaginative person, maybe I had a blast reading this only because of that.

I think this is a fantastic book for those, like me, bored of the conventional storytelling, of the same old Girl plots, the chiseled jaw on every man that's supposed to be handsome etc. This was fresh and truly unpredictable.

On the downside, I wouldn't say it was exactly unputdownable (seems to be one of the publishers' favorite target describers these days). It's not addictive. More like a series you watch while eating lunch. Something you can devour in bites over a prolonged time knowing there aren't many others like it out there, so savor it while it lasts.

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gosh I feel so bad giving a bad review. A very rare DNF from me. I made it about 70% of the way through and told myself I had no interest in the ending so why keep reading this when you have so much more to read.
I just couldn't get into this book. It was fast faced with lots of action but the content wasn't there for me. I couldn't relate to the characters and in the end this book just wasn't working for me. There was mobster and criminal activity but the characters were unforgettable and the story didn't develop for me. It was one fast paced scene and then on to the next. Some people may like this style of writing and enjoy the action.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Mysterious Books for allowing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Sorry I didn't the book more!

[Pratibha Pandey · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 / 5

This was a good fun read that kept me glued to the book all through my flight. I liked the characters and would have liked a little more detail and back story to them. Sad there was not much romance but there was good lot of humor and friendship and that kept this boat floating for me.

The book missed to close all the plots effectively. Like it was so sudden that scene in end .. it was no where in picture I felt.

[Douglas Castagna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to Net Galley for a chance to read this book. This was one I could not really get into. I tried several times, and managed to get incrementally farther, but it was a chore. There seems to be the kitchen sink method of putting a plot together here, there was so much going on, and no where to really land a solid focus. I thought I would like it by the description, but it was not for me.

[RG · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt like there was too much packed into too little. There was an abundance of action, alot of characters but not alot of depth to the characters themself. Also the story just felt too short. Good solid tough guy action, give it a go if this is what youre looking for.

[Carole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for an e-ARC of The Bouncer by David Gordon in exchange for an honest review. This book captured my attention in the first chapters. Joe Brody, a bouncer in a strip club owned by criminal elements, is a sympathetic sort of man who gives most people a break. His gentle nature is what endears him to the reader. What did not read well was the over-abundance of characters and plot lines: Joe's attraction to FBI agent Donna Zamora, his lifelong friendship with crime boss Gio Caprisi, the CIA, the Triads, gun running, a perfume heist, a confidential informant etc. etc. I read until the last fifty pages before I gave up, mainly because I found myself not caring what happened to our hero. A simpler plot might have been an asset for this novel. Not a bad read, but not a great one.

[Don Dunham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it, it was fun. Comparable to a David Baldacci book, except better and with a protagonist who is more Dennis the Menace than Boy Scout. An excellent pool side book.

[Ross Cumming · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this novel recommended on Twitter and the synopsis also enticed me in, so I decided to give it a try as I had never previously heard of the author David Gordon.
Joe Brody is a very effective, if unconventional, bouncer in a New York strip joint run by his best friend and mob boss Gio Caprisi. Joe was ex Special Forces but suffers from PTSD and has an tendency to shoot up dilaudid to deal with his condition. Donna Zamora is an FBI agent and single Mum whose job is to answer the 'tip line' in her local Bureau office but her and Joe's paths cross when the Feds raid the strip joint where Joe works. Their paths coincide again when Donna stumbles upon a heist gone wrong that Joe happens to be part of. As a result Donna starts to take an interest in Joe and his activities and likewise Joe is also drawn to Donna. Throw in a gang turf war between Gio's mob and the Triads, a heist on a perfume laboratory and a couple of international terrorists and it all adds up to an combustible mix of violence, double crosses and intrigue.
I read this between the Christmas/New Year holiday period and it was a perfect read for that time of year, as although the topic matter is quite serious, the writing is fast paced, full of humour and doesn't take itself too seriously. It's quite a convoluted plot that has everything including the kitchen sink and the term 'less is more' just doesn't apply here. I thoroughly enjoyed the novel and Gordon's writing style kept me glued to the page in case I missed a detail of the plot. I've got to say that the author also includes two of the worst Irish non de plumes that I've ever heard and one especially that we used to use in school many years ago !! By the way the story finishes, I kind of get the feeling that the author may resurrect Joe, Donna and Gio again in a further escapade, as not all the matters in the novel are fully concluded.
P.S. - I've just went straight on to read The Serialist which is another of the author's novels.

[Thethingsiread · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started of super good, interesting main character, but the overall storyline was too fast and the build up wanted too much in too little time. Next time more charachter development and less character with crazy person histories. Nonetheless read it in one go on a long flight and kept me hooked. So good read all in all

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5-3 stars

i picked this up off the new shelf at the library b/c it had an interesting premise.
i wasn't sure what to expect. i liked it. it was different.

i liked the Joe character. i liked the FBI agent Donna. those 2 characters had great chemistry. i think that should have been explored more.

short chapters , not long, fast pacing action. a quick read.

to be honest, about 1/3 way thru, i was going to stop reading it b/c i said "I DO NOT like where this is going" so i read the last chapter to see how it ends.
it was intriguing. i decided to go back to where i left off & finish reading to see how it happens.

i was a bit apprehensive b/c Joe is a criminal and drug addict. so i had issues w/rooting for him but then i kept reminding myself it was fiction. also, it was a good story that i got carried away enough to remind myself of that.

the side story of Gio and his "secret double" life was stupid and unnecessary. i didn't like or understand that at all.

it was well written.
but i thought that the characters weren't fully developed which made me think that perhaps this was a first in a series and there would be more to come.
i probably would read it to find out what happens next with joe & donna.

[Patricia Doyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s a lot going on in The Bouncer – FBI agents, high military security classification, mafia, strip joint, terrorists, high stake robbery, CIA, murder, drugs, organized crime, stolen firearms, cross dressing, grand theft, germ warfare, double crossing, and more. Unfortunately, there’s too much going on. Each of these storylines is poorly elaborated and underdeveloped. I felt the author tried hard to create interest and had too many situations to cover properly.

Terrorism was alluded to often, but the terrorist himself – along with a quick one-paragraph history lesson explaining his reasoning – didn’t show up until about 70% into the book, and, I’m afraid, wasn’t very credible. The terrorist/terrorism premise is weak at best.

I never got to like or dislike any of the characters since I never really got to ‘know’ them.

Somewhere in the book’s description was mentioned that there would be a heavy dose of fun. I never saw it. There was, however, definitely a lot of action in the book. I think this book has a lot of potential but that it needs to be whittled down a bit in some places and expanded in others.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

[Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really tried with this one. The blurb caught my interest and it looked like an exciting read. The start of the story held true to that, but it didn't take long before my interest started to wane. By about the twenty percent mark, I was setting it aside for later. I kept picking it back up and I would get a bit further into it, but it reached the point that trying again felt more like a chore and that is certainly not what any reader wants in a book. Maybe this one just wasn't for me, but try as I might, I just couldn't connect with any of the characters and there was so much going on that after a while, I wasn't even sure whether or not the story was about Bouncer Joe. It felt a bit like throwing everything you can against a wall and hoping something sticks. Unfortunately, that just didn't work for me, and I finally gave up at about the sixty percent mark. Life's too short to have to work that hard at something meant to be entertaining.

[Alaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on the description, I was expecting a lot more fun but after the promising start, the story took a turn into what felt like a checklist for plot:
Out of nowhere villain with 'reasons'? Check.
Action sequence where a few non-essentials get killed? Check.
Sort of romance? Check.


Joe is an interesting character and I would have enjoyed reading more about him specifically instead of racing through plot at breakneck speed. But like other reviewers mentioned, this will make a great movie one day.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for an advanced copy of this book**

[Leslynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Copy courtesy of NetGalley

A fun, entertaining read! The protagonist is my kind of hero: simple, understated, fly below the radar, dangerous and competent. The story was an easy read, good writing and interesting. A good book for a fun read.

[Carol Custer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had so much happening that it was hard to really get involved and easy to get confused. I liked some of the characters and perhaps if there hadn't been SO much action, I would have liked the book better. I just couldn't connect with it.

[Don Gorman · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3 1/2). I marked this one up because it flows so beautifully. Plus, our protagonist is as engaging as any you will come across. A silly story of sorts, but Joe, the bouncer, holds your attention pretty much from the first page to the last. A short read that I really enjoyed.

[Benjamin Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was fun starting but by the end there were far to many plot holes

[Ctgt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good setup story for what looks to be a very interesting character.

6/10

[Bookreporter.com Mystery & Thriller · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Gordon has an exotic and wonderfully checkered career, particularly when it comes to all things written. His history regarding the latter includes a couple of stand-alone works and a collection of short stories that have helped to confer upon him the rarefied status of being a “writer’s writer.” THE BOUNCER, his newly published crime novel, feels like the introduction to a series. I certainly hope so. The characters and situations --- resolved and otherwise --- are much too interesting and intriguing to be lost to the ether.

Joe Brody is the bouncer of the title, a complex character who defies expectations and stereotypes. He is a well-read strip club peace enforcer who reads high literary classics when things are quiet at his place of employment. But when things get nasty, he is not above judiciously using force when he must while utilizing persuasion when he can. This is demonstrated to good effect in the opening pages. Gordon drops fact nuggets about Brody’s background throughout the third person narrative that informs the story, occasionally telling but usually showing.

Joe is not above earning a dishonest dollar, and it is that propensity that lands him in a bit of trouble when a plan to hijack a truckload of firearms goes terribly wrong, thanks to an informant who decides to play both ends against the middle. When the dust settles and the smoke clears, Joe is on the run, with a quietly sexy FBI agent after him without her quite knowing it, while an Asian gang lord seeks mistaken retribution against him.

Meanwhile, Joe’s friend and employer is a Mafioso head named Gio Caprisi, who has a snake bag full of his own complications and complexities. Gio has an idea to get the FBI and other federal and local law enforcement agencies off his back and away from his strip club business interests, and presents his plan to the other crime organizations that call Queens and the surrounding environs their own. It is audacious enough that it just might work. Joe, of course, is more concerned about staying alive. If he can live through the last quarter of the book, which is one long, violent chase through a shopping mall and residential complex (and worth the price of admission all by itself), we just might see a sequel.

THE BOUNCER is loaded with interesting, quirky characters who are just different enough from those one usually encounters in a crime novel to shoulder its way to the top of your reading list. Joe Brody is first among equals in this regard, but Gio Caprisi runs a close second, what with his strip clubs and the unique manner in which he cooks the books. Gordon has garnered critical acclaim for his previously published fiction but deserves more notice in the public eye. This may be the book that provides that impetus. And somebody in the video industry needs to read it as well.

Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

[Aristotle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Godfather is a cross dresser?

When i saw the title 'The Bouncer' i thought strippers!

Page one line one
"When the drunken football player went berserk and tried to steal a stripper, everyone yelled to get the bouncer."
HA! I was right.

Joe Brody a bouncer at a Gentleman's Club, run by the mafia, is recruited to hijack a shipment of guns. Things go wrong and a couple of his crew die.
Then he's recruited to steal vials of very expensive perfume. Perfume? Things go wrong, he's double crossed, and a couple of his crew die.
Now he's looking for some payback.

A good read but at 224 pages the author tried to do too much.
Too many characters and the plot(s) moved too fast.

So back to the cross dressing Godfather. Uhm, what? Does Barzini know? What do the other families know?
Maybe we'll get some answers the next time we see Joe Brody and his crew.

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m trying to become a published author. I don’t have any illusions about potential greatness but it’s painful to read someone so lauded when I know I could write circles around them. No less than Sarah Weinman of the Gray Lady praised Gordon’s Bouncer series. I feel like Kanye West in “Testify” recalling his pre-fame songwriting days: I was having nervous breakdowns like damn, this dude much better than me?

Anyway, much of this was predictable, the characters are thin as paper, the less said about the main villain the better. Gordon does do pace and his atmosphere isn’t bad. This barely clears the 3-star threshold but now I need to read more to see what Weinman is talking about and maybe…maybe I can learn something?

[Ed Bernard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe 4.5 stars.
This humorous crime novel combines the tense atmosphere, propulsive plotting and engaging characters of the best genre fiction. I think it might even be better than that. There are a few threads but the basic idea is that a gritty crime boss, now moved to the suburbs, decides to bring various underworld factions together to help capture a would-be terrorist. The Bouncer of the title is a former special ops soldier who has turned to a life of crime, though one in which he manages to live a principled life. He elects not to kill an FBI agent, for example, and kinda has the hots for her (and she him). On the other hand, he’s a criminal superstar who … well, it doesn’t matter for the purposes of this write-up. I found the book utterly charming, funny, borderline brilliant, if limited in ambition. I read a comparison to Donald Westlake, which is reasonable if a bit of a stretch – this is more crime than humor. I would say more like Robert Parker’s Spenser novels, with the literary references but without the excellent cuisine.

Grade: A-

[Tami Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh. My. Word. That was some heart pounded fun!!! This is an action packed novel involving organized crime, the FBI, the CIA, and still matters to crack you up. My heart was racing right until the last page. Cannot WAIT to dive into book 2!!!! Very quick read. Talk about not wanting to put the book down.

Why not 5 stars? The book moved so fast, I'm sure there are holes along the way, but I didn't want to stop to dissect too much. I was having too much of a good time!!!

[Kaycee Bowick (Off_The_Press)]

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a DRC of this title in exchange for an honest review!

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