The Bouncer by David Gordon is a fast-paced, humorous thriller. The interactions between Joe and pretty much every other character are laden with an insouciance that just drips through the pages. Joe doesn’t care…and Gordon is sure to let you know. He doesn’t care when his boss calls, he doesn’t care when he’s arrested, and he doesn’t seem to care when the heist he’s on goes belly-up. However, Joe’s hidden feelings do peek through from time to time, and he becomes my favorite kind of hero–the tragic, tortured kind.
Agent Zamora is…vague. I don’t get a very good idea of who she is through the book, but her character is fairly steady and plays a good counterpoint to Joe’s ambivalence. She is dogged and strong, constantly aware of how she has to appear to her coworkers. However, beyond that–I don’t have much on this character and that’s disappointing. I was hoping for more interaction between Joe and Zamora, from the blurb.
The bumbling screw-up scenes all play out like well-choreographed dances in which the players do or don’t hit marks as needed. It’s amazing to read, because there is very little that is left-out. Gordon uses point-of-view switches like a pro, giving the reader a full accounting of everything that happens from various angles. His action scenes are probably some of the most enjoyable I’ve read in a while. There is little-to-no glossing over of details as he tries to make the reader a full spectator in a very entertaining play.
I’m hoping that this is the beginning of a series. The interplay between Joe and Zamora is just beginning to get good. We still don’t know what the hell her ex is going to do about him (if anything). There’s the hanging rage/vengeance from supporting bad guy characters as well as what is going on with Gio and his wife…This feels like a prologue more than a standalone. There is no indication on the amazon page or goodreads page that this will be a series, but I can’t see it being anything less. The ONLY thing that is resolved at the end of this book is the crime.
You can reserve your copy (Kindle releasing May 1, 2018) by clicking the image below.
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