The Hard Stuff

by David Gordon

Overview

Ex-black-ops-specialist-turned-strip-club-bouncer Joe Brody has a new qualifica-tion to add to his resume: an alliance of New York City's mob bosses has deemed him its "sheriff." In the straight world, when you “see something” you “say something” to the law. In the bent world, they call Joe.

Still reeling from a particularly difficult operation, and having plummeted back into the drug and alcohol addiction that got him kicked out of the military as a re-sult, Joe has just managed to detox at the clinic of a Chinese herbalist when the mob bosses phone: they need Joe to help them swindle a group of opioid dealers (of all things). But these are no typical drug-ferrying gangsters. Little Maria, the head of the Dominican mob, has discovered that her new heroin suppliers belong to an al Qaeda splinter group, and that they're planning to use their drug funds to back their terrorist agenda. With Joe in command, the mob coalition must pull off an intricate heist that will begin in Manhattan's diamond district. At stake is not only their business, but the state of the world.

For readers who like a liberal dose of humor mixed with gritty crime, The Hard Stuff is a brilliant, action-packed thriller from a fresh virtuoso of the crime caper genre.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802149053
Publisher:	Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
Publication date:	06/23/2020
Sales rank:	1,216,288
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

David Gordon 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. He is the author of The Serialist, which won the VCU/Cabell First Novel Award and was a finalist for an Edgar Award, and Mystery Girl, as well as a short story collection, White Tiger on Snow Mountain. His work has appeared in the Paris Review, the New York Times, and the Los Angeles Review of Books, among other publications. He was born and lives in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for The Hard Stuff:

“With The Bouncer (2018), Gordon established himself as a major player in comic thrillerdom, right up there with Thomas Perry…Much of Gordon's genius comes from his ability to build character in a few subtle brush strokes, so his entire cast, including the morally and sexually ambiguous New York mobster Gio Caprisi, get under our skins in an instant and stay put. There are some grisly doings this time, but the lightness of touch that distinguishes Gordon's prose, whether his characters are bantering or dismembering, is still what makes this series soar.”
—Booklist (starred review)

“Highly entertaining . . . Gordon has a knack for twisty story lines, nonstop action, and over-the-top sequences.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Gordon is fashioning himself an impressive crime world niche somewhere between Donald Westlake and Elmore Leonard, with his raucous, rollicking stories of New York City crime…Come for the intricate, surprising crime scenarios; stay for the banter.”
—CrimeReads






Praise for David Gordon and The Bouncer:

"A brilliantly goofy caper novel in the grand tradition of Donald E. Westlake."—Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review

"If you like a liberal dose of humor in your suspense fiction, then look no further than David Gordon’s clever new caper...The Bouncer has 'film adaptation' written all over it."—BookPage

"The Bouncer feels like the introduction to a series...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...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."—Bookreporter

"[An] impressive crime novel...Gordon’s sharply drawn supporting cast adds a nice balance to all the action. Cinematic writing makes this an obvious candidate for graphic novel or film adaptation."—Publishers Weekly, (starred review)

"A madcap thriller...Gordon is an Elmore Leonard acolyte, but his latest novel is also working in the tradition of New York City crime: the gritty, cynical, and riotous novels that defined the city in the late 60s and 70s, especially the many wild stories of Donald E. Westlake."—CrimeReads,"Summer's Most Anticipated Crime, Mystery, and Thrillers

“The Bouncer is a tour-de-force, ranging from underworld crime to a unique caper and a terrorist plot. David Gordon brings an outstanding new voice to the contemporary crime novel.”—Robert Crais, bestselling author of The Wanted and other Elvis Cole novels

“Fast, funny and tough, David Gordon's The Bouncer will toss you over his shoulder like King Kong and carry you away.”—Max Allan Collins, author of Road to Perdition

“David Gordon’s The Bouncer is a treat—a hard-edged thriller that makes you feel good while you’re reading it. Give it to someone. They’ll thank you.”—Thomas Perry, New York Times bestselling author of The Bomb Maker

“Funny, with a satirical edge, and unlike some literary authors who play with genre, Gordon knows how to write a potboiler . . . An impressive debut.”—Los Angeles Times, on The Serialist

“An irreverent and funny twist on the classic whodunit—the kind of pulp-fiction mystery that made the careers of such writers as Jim Thompson, Raymond Chandler, and Dashiell Hammett.”—GQ.com, on The Serialist

“Gordon’s sentences are crisp and often jarring. His plots unspool in strange, sometimes disturbing ways . . . enjoy the disorientation and to trust that you’re in the hands of an earnest storyteller.”—Paris Review Daily, on White Tiger on Snow Mountain

“I have rarely come across a writer in such command of the English language. His sentences, characterizations and set pieces are things of beauty.”—Washington Independent Review of Books, on Mystery Girl

“David Gordon has gathered up our cultural trash and made of it something magnificent. In the tradition of Bolano, Chandler, and lots of dime novels that most of us pretend to know nothing about, The Serialist makes high art out of serial murders, pornography, soup dumplings and pulp fiction. I adore this book!”—Rivka Galchen, on The Serialist

“David Gordon has written a passionate love story disguised as a mystery, a brainy tragicomedy, a bildungsroman wherein ‘the gumshoe learns the shocking secret of himself.’ His prose is by turns salacious, uproarious, and happily unhinged. A total delight.”—Karen Russell, on Mystery Girl

“Part mystery, part love story, wholly delightful.”—Bustle, on Mystery Girl

From the Publisher

Gordon's quirky characters and offbeat humor take the sting out of some action scenes of horrific violence.

The New York Times Book Review - Marilyn Stasio

05/13/2019

In Gordon’s uneven sequel to 2018’s The Bouncer, Joe Brody—strip club bouncer, recovering drug addict, and former elite black ops specialist whose specialty was killing people—is faced with a seemingly impossible task for a coalition of New York City mob bosses: steal $4 million worth of diamonds to pay for a shipment of heroin and then steal the diamonds back again. Assisting him in the risky endeavor is Yelena Noylaskya, a Russian-born master safecracker, burglar, and all around badass. Joe’s shenanigans are highly entertaining, and Gordon has a knack for twisty story lines, nonstop action, and over-the-top sequences, like the memorable diamond heist that occurs on the streets of midtown Manhattan. But some readers may be disappointed that his characters, who tend toward caricature, lack emotional connection. FBI agent Donna Zamora, who played a significant role in The Bouncer, doesn’t get much exposure this time. Still, fans of lighter crime capers will be satisfied. Agent: Douglas Stewart, Sterling Lord Literistic. (July)

Publishers Weekly

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