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A Gibbons and Tozzi Thriller #1
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BAD GUYS, the first book in the Gibbons and Tozzi thriller series, introduces FBI agents Mike Tozzi and Cuthbert Gibbons, odd-couple partners and dedicated mob-busters. Hot-headed Tozzi goes renegade, and Gibbons is pulled out of retirement to stop him. Together they uncover a secret crime family headed by Richie Varga, a convicted mobster pulling the strings from the safety of the witness protection program. When Tozzi gets involved with Varga's sexy ex, the fur really starts to fly.
256 pages, Paperback
First published May 16, 1988
30 people are currently reading
225 people want to read
About the author
Anthony Bruno
22 books91 followersAnthony Bruno is the author of the non-fiction books, THE ICEMAN: THE TRUE STORY OF A COLD-BLOODED KILLER and co-author of THE SEEKERS: A BOUNTY HUNTER'S STORY with Joshua Armstrong, which was nominated for an Edgar Award.
He is also the author of the crime novels SEVEN (based on the Brad Pitt-Morgan Freeman movie), BAD GUYS, BAD BLOOD, BAD LUCK, BAD BUSINESS, BAD MOON, BAD APPLE, DEVIL'S FOOD, DOUBLE ESPRESSO, and HOT FUDGE.
His coming-of-age novel, THE TEMPTATIONS OF ST. FRANK, and latest thriller, BLEEDERS, are ebook originals.
He is also the author of the crime novels SEVEN (based on the Brad Pitt-Morgan Freeman movie), BAD GUYS, BAD BLOOD, BAD LUCK, BAD BUSINESS, BAD MOON, BAD APPLE, DEVIL'S FOOD, DOUBLE ESPRESSO, and HOT FUDGE.
His coming-of-age novel, THE TEMPTATIONS OF ST. FRANK, and latest thriller, BLEEDERS, are ebook originals.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
November 24, 2020
Gibbons and Tozzi are former FBI partners. Tozzi has gone renegade searching for a convicted mobster, and Gibbons is pulled out of retirement to find him. Together they track down a secret crime family being led by the mobster from his witness protection program. Lots of action in this one and some interesting characters!
September 2, 2014
The plot itself moves forward at a brisk pace as it checks off the cop vs. mafia checklist. Plot twists layeredd on top of each other. Check. Tons of New Jersey jokes and references. Check. Low-life crooks. Check. Once again however, while the book works down its checklist the plot is fairly enjoyable. The use of a crime lord operating out of witness protection isn’t new but it still really works for this book. The criminals are menacing enough to feel like a real threat to the characters. The violence is intense but not over the top. A mole inside the FBI that the heroes have to ferret out is an old trope, but the way they go about it really works for the novel.
I will say that this is the first book in a series feature the main Gibbons and Tozzi and, while I didn’t hate this book, there is little chance I will seek out the further adventures of the two FBI agents.
Had this book come out in the mid-1980s it would have felt cutting edge and intense. While it is still a decent read, 30 years later it feels like fiction-as-nostalgia. That isn’t a bad thing however. If you read a lot of crime fiction and mysteries in the past then this is a book might manage to stretch past mediocre into something pleasant, if only for the feelings of past books it dredges up.
http://homeofreading.com/bad-guys/
I will say that this is the first book in a series feature the main Gibbons and Tozzi and, while I didn’t hate this book, there is little chance I will seek out the further adventures of the two FBI agents.
Had this book come out in the mid-1980s it would have felt cutting edge and intense. While it is still a decent read, 30 years later it feels like fiction-as-nostalgia. That isn’t a bad thing however. If you read a lot of crime fiction and mysteries in the past then this is a book might manage to stretch past mediocre into something pleasant, if only for the feelings of past books it dredges up.
http://homeofreading.com/bad-guys/
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February 4, 2014Awesome
this book was awesome I loved the plot and how it twisted and the best book I have ever read
this book was awesome I loved the plot and how it twisted and the best book I have ever read
August 29, 2020
PROTAGONISTS: FBI agents Bert Gibbons and Mike Tozzi
SERIES: #1
RATING: 3.75
WHY: Bert Gibbons is a retired FBI agent who has been asked to find his former partner, Mike Tozzi, who is engaged in a renegade operation of venegeance against several Mafia guys who have managed to work around the system. Gibbons soon finds himself in his old role of partner. He's the one that is the voice of reason. They face long odds, as there is evidence of a bad apple in the FBI who is aiding the bad guys, in particular, a higher up named Richie Varga. First book in the series. It has a solid plot, action and the match-up of Tozzi and Gibbons is a good one.
SERIES: #1
RATING: 3.75
WHY: Bert Gibbons is a retired FBI agent who has been asked to find his former partner, Mike Tozzi, who is engaged in a renegade operation of venegeance against several Mafia guys who have managed to work around the system. Gibbons soon finds himself in his old role of partner. He's the one that is the voice of reason. They face long odds, as there is evidence of a bad apple in the FBI who is aiding the bad guys, in particular, a higher up named Richie Varga. First book in the series. It has a solid plot, action and the match-up of Tozzi and Gibbons is a good one.
August 11, 2017
It's a good one
I had never read this author before. I really enjoyed Gibbons a lot. Tozzi is a big hearted renegade. Together they make a great team.
I had never read this author before. I really enjoyed Gibbons a lot. Tozzi is a big hearted renegade. Together they make a great team.
February 27, 2022
Pretty good, page-turner
October 3, 2024
Best book I’ve read for a while
January 19, 2014
Agent Mike Tozzi is tired of the bad guys getting away with murder. It seems that justice is not blind, unless you have connections, then it can’t see a thing. So he decides to even out the scales. Tozzi is tracking down the ones that got away. At the top of his list is the unknown man who murdered three undercover FBI agents and sent their severed heads back to the office. He has two problems. First, no one knows, or will say who the killer is or who he works for. Second, his old partner, Cuthbert Gibbons, has been brought out of retirement to bring him in.
Gibbons is a throwback to an earlier age. He still remembers the days when FBI agents hit the streets and did leg work. He spends his spare time catching up on his reading. His favorite subject is the history of Rome. It doesn’t take long for him to track down his old partner. Tozzi is able to persuade Gibbons to join him in his hunt for the killer. Against these two detectives is a shadowy underworld figure. No one seems to know the identity of the person who is pulling the strings since the leaders of some of the biggest crime families have
This book is full of twists and turns and a lot of action. The story takes place in the mid-80s. The time of movies like Lethal Weapon and Die Hard. It has all of the classic elements. It’s a buddy story, it’s a cop story, it’s an action story. At the heart is the search for justice in a changing world. The old FBI of Hoover is giving way to a new agency full of career men who look to computers. The world of organized crime is changing as well. Old loyalties and alliances give way to upstarts who don’t like getting their hands dirty and don’t want to come up in the organization the old way.
This book is fast paced, well written, and a lot of fun. If you enjoy classic action stories then this book is for you. One of the great things about the digital age is that great books like these can be brought back in to print. I enjoyed this and look forward to reading the others in the series.
Check out this and many other reviews on David Williams Reviews
Gibbons is a throwback to an earlier age. He still remembers the days when FBI agents hit the streets and did leg work. He spends his spare time catching up on his reading. His favorite subject is the history of Rome. It doesn’t take long for him to track down his old partner. Tozzi is able to persuade Gibbons to join him in his hunt for the killer. Against these two detectives is a shadowy underworld figure. No one seems to know the identity of the person who is pulling the strings since the leaders of some of the biggest crime families have
This book is full of twists and turns and a lot of action. The story takes place in the mid-80s. The time of movies like Lethal Weapon and Die Hard. It has all of the classic elements. It’s a buddy story, it’s a cop story, it’s an action story. At the heart is the search for justice in a changing world. The old FBI of Hoover is giving way to a new agency full of career men who look to computers. The world of organized crime is changing as well. Old loyalties and alliances give way to upstarts who don’t like getting their hands dirty and don’t want to come up in the organization the old way.
This book is fast paced, well written, and a lot of fun. If you enjoy classic action stories then this book is for you. One of the great things about the digital age is that great books like these can be brought back in to print. I enjoyed this and look forward to reading the others in the series.
Check out this and many other reviews on David Williams Reviews
Want to read
September 5, 2024Interesante y atrapante historia entorno al FBI y la Mafia
February 8, 2014
I received an electronic copy of this from Diversion Books via NetGalley.
Reading this I couldn't help thinking of the titles from Hard Case Crime that I've read and how perfectly it fits into the mold, Diversion offers a great ebook deal with this for people that like gritty pulp crime stories. This one has all of the hallmarks: hardened cops skirting and surpassing the law, a femme fatale, low life crooks, demented mafia kingpins, and a keen sense of period style - in this case the '80s, which we can now look back in nostalgia not unlike the classic noir set in decades prior.
There isn't anything particularly new here then, rather tried and trusted tropes of noir and mafia crime stories, put together into a fast-paced intensity that keeps the reader engaged amid the twists of plot. Though vigilantes with questionable morals, the protagonists perfectly serve as vicarious fulfillments of that need for justice and revenge.
The only downside to the novel was that moment when my brain engaged fully enough to look past the entertainment to really question the logic of the plot and the ability of Gibbons and Tozzi to avoid being offed by the baddies. Really, how long could they meddle in this stuff without being more effectively targeted for elimination?
Despite this, "Bad Guys" is a simply fun book for those that like this genre, and I'd be happy to read others in the series.
Reading this I couldn't help thinking of the titles from Hard Case Crime that I've read and how perfectly it fits into the mold, Diversion offers a great ebook deal with this for people that like gritty pulp crime stories. This one has all of the hallmarks: hardened cops skirting and surpassing the law, a femme fatale, low life crooks, demented mafia kingpins, and a keen sense of period style - in this case the '80s, which we can now look back in nostalgia not unlike the classic noir set in decades prior.
There isn't anything particularly new here then, rather tried and trusted tropes of noir and mafia crime stories, put together into a fast-paced intensity that keeps the reader engaged amid the twists of plot. Though vigilantes with questionable morals, the protagonists perfectly serve as vicarious fulfillments of that need for justice and revenge.
The only downside to the novel was that moment when my brain engaged fully enough to look past the entertainment to really question the logic of the plot and the ability of Gibbons and Tozzi to avoid being offed by the baddies. Really, how long could they meddle in this stuff without being more effectively targeted for elimination?
Despite this, "Bad Guys" is a simply fun book for those that like this genre, and I'd be happy to read others in the series.
March 27, 2014
This story starts out like a normal mob book but then after a few chapters into it you realize that something is not right. Then the author introduces a retired FBI agent Gibbons who is now supposed to find his former partner who was the only man that could work with Gibbons throughout his 40 plus years in the FBI. What I enjoyed was the running dialog going in his head as the last boss he had was the one calling him back and he really had stopped listen minutes ago. After about 14 days he finds his former partner and after they talk he realizes that he might be on to something. This story was fascinating because it still had the man who everyone thought to be the stool pigeon and in witness protection still running everything and them also found a mole in the FBI and how they got to that point was very exciting and he thought it though. Not just coming up with an ending which I liked. A very good book. I got this book from net galley.
August 15, 2014
Great book love the ending of this only one I think you could get a hold rating to an extent
did you get to the smallest of a new one is the smallest of a new one is the best way to get to see you soon then I can get a chance to win the smallest of a new one is the best way to get to see you soon then I can get a chance to see you soon then I have no choice to see the movie and then we went for it in my car to see the movie and a chance for your time I get back in town of your friends to play in this
did you get to the smallest of a new one is the smallest of a new one is the best way to get to see you soon then I can get a chance to win the smallest of a new one is the best way to get to see you soon then I can get a chance to see you soon then I have no choice to see the movie and then we went for it in my car to see the movie and a chance for your time I get back in town of your friends to play in this
April 22, 2007
More graphic than his later books, but still very good. Surprising to the last page. Plus, lots of great New Jersey jokes.... for those who like New Jersey jokes.
"Tozzi always thought it was significant that even though Lady Liberty was just off shore, the bitch kept her back to Jersey. When they first put her up, they could've turned her a little bit so it wouldn't have been such a blatant snub."
"Tozzi always thought it was significant that even though Lady Liberty was just off shore, the bitch kept her back to Jersey. When they first put her up, they could've turned her a little bit so it wouldn't have been such a blatant snub."
May 13, 2014
This book by Bruno was a little different from the plot perspective than many mysteries. One of the characters has gone wild, off the reservation, from a high governmental level. It is one of a series of Gobbons and Tozzi novels and this is the first one I have read, but I really liked it. I will read others. Good mystery.
J. Robert EWbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the Isms" "Wesley's Wars" and "To Whom It May Concern"
J. Robert EWbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the Isms" "Wesley's Wars" and "To Whom It May Concern"
November 6, 2016
Very good FBI story
I liked this book. The plot was very good with interesting twists and the characters were well developed, with the two main agents having different work standards. There is a lot of action here too. Readers please remember that this story may not be written as politically correct as some would want. Recommended.
I liked this book. The plot was very good with interesting twists and the characters were well developed, with the two main agents having different work standards. There is a lot of action here too. Readers please remember that this story may not be written as politically correct as some would want. Recommended.
May 6, 2014
Good FBI twists
Good FBI twists
Enjoyed the action, a little light sex,a lot of loyalty and good intrigue. While technically a mystery, it was more of a police procedure type mystery. Good read !
Good FBI twists
Enjoyed the action, a little light sex,a lot of loyalty and good intrigue. While technically a mystery, it was more of a police procedure type mystery. Good read !
June 5, 2016
In some ways this is a fairly conventional cops v gangsters story. There are the expected characters and plot lines but it stood out for me because the characters were different to the norm and the plot pace fizzed along. I'll be buying the rest of the series
January 21, 2012
The only book I read by Bruno. I quite loved it and how intense it it is. A well told story. Can't wait to read more by him.
April 4, 2012
This was a free book from amazon I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading Anthony bruno's next book
August 27, 2014
Still brilliant retro fun!!
January 29, 2014
Welcome to the 80s. A very fun introduction to Gibbons and Tozzi.
March 10, 2014
A different story
I enjoy the different story and the development of factors that could bring about a number of different story ends
I enjoy the different story and the development of factors that could bring about a number of different story ends
July 19, 2014
good story, like the characters, nobody perfect and a perfect ending .........;-) looking forward to book 2
May 17, 2023
Un libro atrapante aunque pudo a ver sido un final con mas plus no estuvo mal , una historiq muy buena y las canciones incluidas 10/10
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September 14, 2014January 1993
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews