Altogether we have a bit of confusion here: What is this supposed to be? Comedy? Hard Noir? A mystery? Suspense?The problem could have been avoided with a bit more editing, but first novels can stand just so much tinkering, especially when the author is used to working in the short form. From that perspective the first, say, third of the book had loads of slapstick and taking the two central characters as seriously hard cases just does not work. Then the prose straightens out somewhat, the broke...

Todd Robinson has been known for years to those on the inside as Big Daddy Thug, the founder and driving force of Thuglit, one of the most respected noir fiction web sites. (Also the only man alive cool enough to close a rejection letter with, “I’ll go fuck myself now.”) Few have spent the time, effort, and dedication to create not only their own vision, but to help other writers create theirs. There had to be a book of his own in this guy somewhere.You bet your ass there was. He called it The H...

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 Cel...

An update to the updated PI novel, The Hard Bounce reads like Andrew Vachss after he's had a few drinks and isn't afraid to crack a joke. Robinson mixes hardboiled plotting with sparkling wit, like chasing whiskey with champagne. He better be hard at work on the next Boo and Junior adventure.

So my holiday reads weren't exactly lightweight... ...but they were awesome especially as they were both picked for me by Rob Hart, my podcast partner, from the shelves of Mysterious Bookshop in Tribeca where he works. Since Rob lives in New York and I live in Norway, it was a special treat to not only get to meet him, but to take away two fantastic books to devour in between travelling and sightseeing. If I had to pick a favourite it would be Todd Robinson's The Hard Bounce which while deeply h...

Remember, one man's breezy summary is another man's hated spoiler.Boo is a club bouncer raised in a school of very hard knocks: an institutional home for abused/neglected/abandoned kids.He and a longtime friend from the home run a rough company called 4DC: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap. Mostly they protect clubs, but they do get a job to find a missing person, who's the relative of a Boston-area public figure.Porn, drugs, violence are all in the mix. Robinson writes in a tone that is raw and compe...

Boo and Junior don't solve crimes gathering forensics and using a lot of deductive reasoning. They're more like china shop bulls plowing ahead and smacking folks around until they get what they want. Except... they've got a softer side. It's what makes both so compelling as characters. It'd probably be easier to craft 2-D knockabouts traversing the seedy underworld of Boston; instead Robinson fleshes his heroes out, gives them stones to shoulder, which make them easy to root for. They are wounde...

It's a standard P.I. novel plot: rich powerful man asks the wisecracking gumshoe to find and bring back his troubled young daughter. P.I. goes looking, poking around and asking questions, until someone beats him up or takes a shot at him and he discovers that things aren't as they seem, and things get more complicated from there. In Todd Robinson's original take on the well-worn plot, however, the protagonist and his sidekick aren't P.I.'s, they're bouncers for downscale bars. They're profession...

I really enjoyed this one. Todd Robinson is editor of a publication of Noir short stories called Thuglit. His writing style reflects his exposure to this publication. The dialogue is crisp, funny, believable, and often very touching. The Hard Bounce was nominated for several best first novel awards when it was originally published. Robinson introduces the reader to the most memorable cast of anti-heroes I have encountered in a while. The common denominator is that they all grew up in the same Bo...

Todd Robinson tells a highly enjoyable, hilarious, totally unpredictable story. I have read a lot of his short stories and loved them. I loved the reference to Needle magazine in the book. Needle has been my favorite magazine featuring the best of crime/noir short stories. Fast paced, violent, and great one liners throughout. Highly recommended. If you have never read anything by Todd Robinson before, this is an excellent starting point. Read it.

This was a much needed antidote to Angus Wilson’s Hemlock and After. Crime busting at its grittiest in the persons of Boo and Junior and some of their associates from St Gab's (see below).Boo and Junior were incarcerated within the care system (St Gabs), scarred for life. They bonded and survived.Together they provide tough edged security and more. They are commissioned to find a missing girl whose Daddy is rich, powerful and keen to keep his nose clean. Boo in particular is tenacious in the sea...

Look, I wanted to like Todd Robinson's The Hard Bounce. I really did. I wanted to enjoy the camaraderie, the carnage, and the moments that made me laugh out loud. But I couldn't, not as I hoped, as my love for Boo and Junior got in the way. Good stuff all round. Characters that to some may not be the most desirable, but for me it worked out just fine. Dark, gritty, with some shoulda, woulda, couldas thrown in for good measure. As ever: Go forth. Seek out. Purchase and enjoy. Fun was had!

If you have seen the multiple quotes that I have posted over the past several days, (over on Google+) then you can pretty much guess that I thoroughly enjoyed this book! If you enjoy Pulpy-Noir style Crime Fiction, then I highly recommend this book. (Though I will warn you that some of the subject matter can be intense and there is a ton of foul language!)My wife is the one who actually came across this book, at a Library Sale, and she read it before me. The amazing thing is that she enjoyed it

I was juggling about whether or not I should give this novel a 3 or a 4 stars ranking, but I figured out I could not penalize such a well-writen story for not abiding by my peculiar standards of morality. THE HARD BOUNCE is a very good, if a little worn hardboiled novel about Boo and Junior two legal system kids who have taken justice in their own hands as far as their own lives are involved.I wasn't crazy about Boo and his self-righetous crap, but Todd Robinson is a good enough writer to keep h...

Executive Summary: A pretty good mystery that got a lot better around the halfway point. 3.5 stars.Audiobook: Dylan Lynch does a good job. He speaks clearly and adds a little something with his Boston/Irish accent to give it a little more flavor. Audio is a good option here. Full Review One of my goals this year was to read a little less SFF and get a bit more variety. This book was recommended to me as a good mystery book. At first I was kind of underwhelmed by it, but I liked it a lot more a...

The plot in this book was just completely all over the place. Started out pretty solid with a weird/interesting twist, but then I got the sense that the author wrapped things up faster than he meant to and didn't know where to go from there. Our protagonists are a couple of bouncers who run a security firm that kind of pulls all the bouncers together and assigns them to different bars and clubs. Our lead guy isn't stupid, but he grew up in the system and hit the streets at eighteen; so street sm...

There is a lot of good stuff here but the writing is just over the top with endless "noir" metaphors and comic book actions. It seems that on every page someone is slamming someone else into a wall and screaming at the top of their lungs. There are countless concussions and bullets flying. It's as if the author doesn't trust the story to carry itself.

A young girl is missing. Her father, fearful the scandal will rock his mayoral bid, hires two bouncers to find her and bring her home. What ensues is a brass-knuckle tour of Boston through the eyes of men who know what rocks to look under.Protagonist Boo Malone and partner Junior are chivalrous tough guys, hardcore knights defending their lands but never falling into the realm of unlikable brutes – even when they are slamming a fist into a drunk’s face in front of his kids. Their appeal, in that...

This is what crime books should be. Kicking ass and breaking legs. I laughed as much as I cringed. Robinson hits all the notes, making Boo and Junior as human as they are badass. I can't see why it took this book so long to find a home and if there is any justice in the world, Robinson's next book will drop soon. Or now.

This book is highly entertaining with Boo and Junior, and Miss Kitty---Junior's car. Plot: basically a politician's teenage daughter goes missing and Boo and Junior are hired to find her. I like how in the big city setting of Boston, the author is able to warmly invite us into a self-contained brash bar scene with brash characters who live in brash apartments and spit brash words back and forth to each other. The dialogue is quick, witty, and unfiltered. Though you want things to go well for Boo...