Jimmy Bench-Press: A Novel of Crime

By Charlie Stella

Book Overview

Jimmy Mangino figures he's overdue. Already he's done two stretches in the joint. But he's back, and he's still a good earner for the family. You got a loser you need to lean on, Jimmy lends his strong arm, and he doesn't flinch at murder, not for the Vignieris. He also bench-presses four hundred pounds. Jimmy wants to be a made man. Alex Pavlik wants to take Jimmy down. Pavlik, the edgy Polish cop who tailed Eddie Senta in Charlie Stella's enthusiastically reviewed debut, Eddie's World, has been transferred to Organized Crime from Homicide, where his short temper, keen sense of justice, and too-ready prizefighter's fists have proved to be a volatile combination. Tough-talking, taut, and craftily plotted, Stella's second novel takes Pavlik and his new partner, another New York police detective, John DeNafria, into the shifty world of Jimmy Bench-Press when wannabe-mobster Larry Berra hires Mangino to collect on a bad loan to a sixty-three-year-old Italian barber with a Cuban girlfriend. Jimmy's got his fingers in any number of illegal pies, from extortion to murder, among purveyors of drugs and porn. Enough to get a man made, maybe. "Fresh, fast, and darkly funny."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Readers may be reminded ... of George V. Higgins's underworld thrillers.... Stella stacks up well against the master. "--San Diego Union Tribune

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786710578
• ISBN13: 9780786710577
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf Publishers
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Could not put this book down!

The second book by Charlie Stella, following the fast-paced Eddie’s World. Because I enjoyed the first book so much, I jumped immediately into the second. I started this on a Saturday morning and finished it at 2:30 AM. I seriously could not put it down. Stella is a clever author who knows how to keep readers turning those pages to find out what’s next in his world of mobsters and the guys out to get them. Now, to get my hands on his 3rd book...I’m going through withdrawal here!

Lean and Mean

Jimmy Mangino, aka "Jimmy Bench-Press", is one of those characters that just gets under your skin. Author Charlie Stella does a great job of laying out the day-to-day ugliness that defines the real world of organized crime while at the same time showing that the characters that operate in this world aren't really so removed from the average guy on the street. Jimmy Bench-Press is everyman's worse nightmare -- a guy you wouldn't want to be your enemy or your friend for that matter. Great prose style, interesting story, plot twists and super dialogue made this a quick and entertaining read.

Rock em Sock em Great Read

This take-no-prisoners follow up to Eddie's World takes you deep inside the life of street-level wise guys and the cops who chase them. Luckily, both sides of the justice equation get equal treatment in Stella's gritty prose.When a loan goes south, a bit player with a big ego hires a couple of goons to shake down a hapless barber. This sets in motion the man's undoing, as Jimmy Bench-Press soon has the man's voluptuous girlfriend enthralled and double-crossing him. Meanwhile, the cops on the case, new to each other, recovering from bruises in their personal lives, set the wheels in motion that bring the roof down around the scam.But this doesn't do justice to Stella's wickedly funny and blunt prose. This book is not for the faint of heart, but it will reward readers with a thirst to see an honest portrait of cops and robbers.

Stella just gets better

I read Eddie's World by Charlie Stella and was looking forward to more of his work -- I wasn't disappointed. Jimmy Bench Press, if it's possible, is even better than the first book. Charlie Stella just gets better and better. I recommend this new author's work to anyone who enjoys witty and fast dialogue and intriguing hooks. Jimmy Bench Press is one of the best crime fiction novels to grace the shelves in a long while. Excellent read!

Couldn't put it down!

I'm usually too busy to finish a book quickly, but I finished this one in two days -- I just couldn't put it down! Who cares if I didn't get much sleep?! It was well worth it. What impressed me most was Stella's ability to keep the reader reading, despite the late hour. He really gets you involved with his characters, anxious to find out what will happen to them next. I also gave this book to a few of my friends to read, and they all agree with me. I was so impressed with Stella's work that I purchased his first novel, Eddie's World. I feel the same way about Eddie's World as I do about Jimmy Bench Press; they're both great novels. This would be an excellent read for someone who truly enjoys Sopranos-like entertainment, or for someone who merely appreciates really good writing.

Tony Soprano is a pussycat compared to this guy . . .

Yikes! What a character! Jimmy Mangino (aka "Jimmy Bench-Press") is a two-time loser just out of the joint. He's an earner for the Vignieri crime family and this time round he wants his "button" and he's not going to let anything or anybody get in his way. Jimmy is a completely amoral character and watching him maneuver his way through the world of organized crime (extortion, pornography and murder) is like watching a train wreck happen -- it's ugly but you just can't take your eyes off it. Stella's dialogue is what distinguishes him from other writers in the genre . . . it's gritty, brutal, funny and real and it brings all his characters to life. Great read, you just can't put it down.