Sergeant Santa: A Joe the Bouncer Tale

Joe the Bouncer

by David Gordon

21 pages, Staple

Published January 1, 2021

About the author

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. His work has also appeared in The Paris Review, Purple, and Fence among other publications.

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun free story from The Mysterious Bookshop. Thanks, Otto! Happy 2022!

[Tara · Rating 2 out of 5]

The 2021 free short story that the Mysterious Bookshop in NYC commissions every year, with the only caveats being that it includes elements of crime and mystery, is set during the Christmas season, and is at least partially set in the Mysterious Bookshop. This year's outing is written by David Gordon, whom I have never read before. I'm not particularly a fan of contemporary mysteries (with a few exceptions such as Longmire), so this didn't really gel with me, but at only 20 pages, it wasn't a huge investment on my part either.

[Thebookiemonster · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was cute and the setting would be neat for anyone who lived in NYC. I didn't buy the dark criminal background of the main character or his compatriots, but maybe the author intentionally made the background outlandish to fit with some of the detective noir themes. For 21 pages, I enjoyed it and would recommend it! I think it's very cool they independently publish these stories every year.

[Lowrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun little free story!

[Helen Geng · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing, with authentic New York City details.
Ending is a little bit of a let-down, though.

Read Dec 2021