Kindle Price: $11.53

Save $3.46 (23%)

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Audiobook Price: $15.04

Save: $7.55 (50%)

You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.

Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Hard Stuff (Joe the Bouncer Book 2) Kindle Edition

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 395 ratings

In this humorous, action-packed crime thriller, a strip club bouncer working for a coalition of mob bosses must steal $4 million in diamonds—twice.

Ex-black-ops-specialist-turned-strip-club-bouncer Joe Brody has a new qualification 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 result—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.

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 . . . 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
Read more Read less

Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card
Next 4 for you in this series See full series
Total Price: $50.50
By clicking on the above button, you agree to Amazon's Kindle Store Terms of Use

More like The Hard Stuff (Joe the Bouncer Book 2)
Loading...

Editorial Reviews

Review

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

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.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07NKJ2SFL
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mysterious Press (July 2, 2019)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 2, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4595 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 286 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 395 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
David Gordon
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

David Gordon was born in New York City. He attended Sarah Lawrence College and 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. His first novel, "The Serialist," won the VCU/Cabell First Novel Award and was a finalist for an Edgar Award. It was also made into a major motion picture in Japan. His second novel, "Mystery Girl" was released in July 2013 and his short story collection, "White Tiger on Snow Mountain" is forthcoming in Fall 2014 . His work has also appeared in The Paris Review, The New York Times, Purple, and Fence, among other publications.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
395 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2023
Joe the Bouncer joins Joe Pike in the lexicon of damaged veterans doing good things. Funny. Poignant. Fast paced. Intriguing characters that you want to watch in their next adventure.
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2019
'Joe the Bouncer' is a bar room fantasy character! Ex-military SOE, he has fighting cred and 'moves' that are not to be expected from his unassuming stature. So, he is not 'just' a bouncer. Joe becomes an 'enforcer' of certain values and procedures. Characterization is very good; writing is crisp and to the point; plots keep moving at the proper pace. The entertainment comes in a package that has very good value. Well Recommended!
3 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2021
Joe The Bouncer is back. One of the most original characters I've read is l up to his neck again in a full speed ahead scheme to steal diamonds and heroin this time. Joe manages to escape the law and his enemies both while engineering a complicated plan involving most of the characters from the original novel. I loved every minute of the action. It's one of my favorite series. I hope David Gordon has many more plans for Joe.
Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2022
Looked forward to reading this story and it did not disappoint. I enjoy meeting and getting to know the characters. Good plot and storyline
Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2019
always a fun read....good character development...fast paced...
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2020
Every bit as good as the first entry in this series, The Bouncer. It's fun to root for the good bad guys. Engaging characters and tight plotting make this a fast and furious read.
Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2021
Not quite as good as the first novel, but it does proceed sequentially to it.
Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2020
It's Interesting that the brightest and least offensive characters are the members of organized crime. Very diverse group of people here.

Top reviews from other countries

Lagoon
5.0 out of 5 stars Hardcore action and a belting storyline make this a must read.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 18, 2020
Back for his second caper, Joe is reunited with his Russian lover slash stone cold killer slash partner in crime, Yelena. Joe’s boss, mob head Gio, wants Joe to steal some diamonds. Naturally, there are a few complications that need to be overcome.

Parts of the heist itself were reminiscent of The Italian job. The balance felt right between the planning and the robbery itself; it certainly wasn’t all theory and no action.

Joe continues to struggle with his PTSD but is now undertaking some therapy and has made friends with a Vietnam veteran who deals with his own nightmares by painting scenes depicting his time in the Cu-Chi tunnels of ‘Nam. I expect to see more of the painter, Frank Jones, as this series develops.

With Joe’s card sharp gran, FBI agent and love interest, Donna Zamora and Donna’s ex husband, CIA agent Mike Powell, Gordon has assembled a tightly knit cast and the prospect of more books to come is something to relish.
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?