A review by rosseroo
The Hard Bounce by Todd Robinson

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.