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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.
"Stella moves confidently into territory staked out by Elmore Leonard...for fans of unrelenting underworld fiction...This solid follow-up to Eddie's World should spread Stella's name wider..."
– Publishers Weekly
"It's even harder to be soft-hearted about the gangsters in Charlie Stella's blood curdling, convincing "Jimmy Bench Press"...Stella is a kind of obscene Ring Lardner, finding a lean, rancid poetry in his characters' vernacular, and rendering it with flawless precision and humor."
– Washington Post Book World
"Dear Charlie, I am finishing the book as we 'speak'. George V. Higgins is smiling down from heaven on you." – Joe Black (Black Orchid Bookshop)
"Jimmy Bench-Press' is violent, fast-paced, and politically incorrect. And it's also a lot of fun. A number of comparisons have been made between Charlie Stella and Elmore Leonard which is understandable due to the naturalness of both writers' dialogue, but with all due respect to Elmore Leonard (who's a terrific writer) nobody writes about knockabout guys with the authenticity of Charlie Stella."
– David Zeltserman, author of Small Crimes
"Stella's debut (Eddie's World, 2001) was dark and violent, but this ups the ante to rampant brutality. Still, the story of the two troubled cops--essentially honorable men in a society where principle has become excess baggage--is compelling." – Kirkus Reviews
"Stella follows his impressive debut (Eddie's World) with this second novel featuring hard-edged but likable cop, Alex Pavlik. This is a grittier effort than Stella's first and one with a much more subtle payoff than most crime novels. Recommended for public libraries where crime fiction is popular." – Library Journal
"...an entertaining and enjoyable read with plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. And just when Jimmy gets made and is about to step into his new world, boy, does he get a surprise! Charlie Stella's earlier novel, EDDIE'S WORLD, earned him comparisons to George V. Higgins. A nice comparison. His reputation will only be enhanced by JIMMY BENCH-PRESS." – Michael F. Hennessey (Iloveamystery.com)
"Credit Stella with writing a creditable plot that will more than surprise you in the end. If the Sopranos ran up against the likes of the characters in this book, they would retire to Florida and be thankful they were still alive. Stella's story, like Jimmy "Bench Press" Mangino, has muscle to spare and isn't for the squeamish." – Peter Mergendahl (RockyMountainNews.com)
"Fast-paced, carefully plotted, and alive with crackling dialogue." – MYSTERY SCENE magazine
"...an engaging read, and the ending has the ring of truth. Stella's long experience with the streets of Brooklyn pays off not only in the authentic-sounding dialogue, but also in the respect he shows his characters."
– Charles Smyth (January Magazine)
* Also available in the UK