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knotgoofy's review against another edition
4.0
I love this book, because its serious, hardcore, and dangerous. All of this while still being humorous and making me feel a whole wheel of emotions.
rboddie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
ctgt's review against another edition
5.0
When I finished this book I gave it four stars and as a few days passed, I came back and changed it to a 5 star book. No, it's not great literature but you know what, I loved this book and for me that's what the rating system is about. Reading for me, is entertainment, the author doesn't have to unlock some great mystery of life for me to enjoy the book. Sorry if you don't like my rating or my rationale, but there it is.
The main character, Boo and his best friend, Junior, are bouncers at The Cellar and they also run a small security business hiring out muscle to other clubs and venues. They met at St. Gabriel's Home for Boys and have been together ever since. I really enjoyed the dialogue between these two, I found it believable and humorous. The character of Junior isn't rounded out too well, but Boo was more complex and there is something in his past that sits in the background throughout the whole story.
The story begins with Boo and Junior being hired to find a missing/runaway girl, although they are given very little to go on, including the name of who hired them. At this point the reader as well as the characters themselves are trying to figure out why two bouncers with no detective experience would be hired for the job.
The story has many familiar angles with a powerful DA, the local Irish mafia and plenty of low life supporting characters. Frankly, the plot doesn't really offer much that we haven't seen in other crime stories, but for me, it was the characters and how they moved through the plot that made this so enjoyable.
I read this book in two days and am ready for more. Loved it!
The main character, Boo and his best friend, Junior, are bouncers at The Cellar and they also run a small security business hiring out muscle to other clubs and venues. They met at St. Gabriel's Home for Boys and have been together ever since. I really enjoyed the dialogue between these two, I found it believable and humorous. The character of Junior isn't rounded out too well, but Boo was more complex and there is something in his past that sits in the background throughout the whole story.
The story begins with Boo and Junior being hired to find a missing/runaway girl, although they are given very little to go on, including the name of who hired them. At this point the reader as well as the characters themselves are trying to figure out why two bouncers with no detective experience would be hired for the job.
The story has many familiar angles with a powerful DA, the local Irish mafia and plenty of low life supporting characters. Frankly, the plot doesn't really offer much that we haven't seen in other crime stories, but for me, it was the characters and how they moved through the plot that made this so enjoyable.
I read this book in two days and am ready for more. Loved it!
rosseroo's review
4.0
There are a bunch of non-fiction books about bouncers (The Bouncer's Bible, Bouncers and Bodyguards, Bouncer's Guide to Barroom Brawling, etc.), but this is the first novel I've come across to feature a a bouncer as protagonist. Tough guy "Boo" Malone and his tough guy partner "Junior" run a small security company in Boston, providing doormen and other low-end security personnel to a range of bars and nightclubs. One day, a cute petite in classy clothes woman walks in to the Kenmore Square dive they are based out of and offers them a job they can't refuse -- that is to say, a job that pays way more than they can earn in a month of working doors. The DA, who is considering a run for mayor, seems to have lost track of his teenage girl, and needs her found and returned home quietly before the media find out. Boo and Junior are straight muscle, not private detectives, but the money is way to good to pass up, so they muddle ahead. What follows is a fairly rough trip that leads them into the world of child pornography, the Irish mob, and more -- this is not a book for the faint of heart. There were a few times I had to pause and consider whether I really wanted to keep reading it at that particular moment. What makes the book rise above the average pulp thriller is Boo and Junior, who met and became fast friends while in an orphanage, and who emerge as engaging and amusing characters. They are rough guys, but have their own code of ethics. Moreover, they are men of action who don't necessarily plan things out so well, but end up improvising on the fly with both good, bad, and ugly results. They also have an engaging network of helpers, including a heroin-addict vice cop, a hungry street kid, a hacker helpmate from the orphanage, and loose canon psycho pal also from the orphanage. The story ends up taking one twist too many at the end for my taste, and I never quite understood why they got hired in the first place, but it's a reckless good ride for those who like action-packed crime fiction.
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