Bøker av Tom Schreck

When Mushie, the popular street hustler of counterfeit watches, sneakers, and kitchen gadgets, comes into Duffy's bar bleeding from a gunshot wound to the stomach, Duffy and the gang are baffled. Everyone loved Mush who didn't have a mean bone in his body, Sure, he operated on the edges of what's considered proper society but, hey, so did a lot of Duffy's friends. For Duffy, it's different. Mush was Hymie's, Duff's father-like mentor, grandson, and Duff had promised to keep an eye out for him. Now, it meant righting Mushie's wrong after his death. Duffy's journey takes him inside the slimy world of counterfeit sales and into the dark place that funds terrorism. Could it be that Mush drifted into something bigger than he could handle and was trying to attack it himself or was his execution meant to send a message? International terror, anti-semitism, Christian extremism, and its workings, are all there for Duffy who just can't mind his own business. You see, he promised Hymie. Critical Acclaim for The Duffy Mysteries: "In The Comeback, Tom Schreck's good-guy Duffy Dombrowski continues his journey of helping those who can't help themselves. He even helps them after they're dead. Readers who are addicted to Lee Child's Jack Reacher protag will appreciate Duffy, who is tougher than the violent bad guys he faces down. A fun, muscular read." -G. Miki Hayden, author of Writing the Mystery and Dry Bones, out in spring 2024 "Duffy Dumbrowski, the hero of Tom Schreck's The Comeback, is the kind of guy you can count on if your car breaks down at 3am, you need a last-minute sparring partner at the gym, or you're a few dollars short for your next whiskey. I'm glad I got to hang out with him." -Tim O'Mara, author of the Raymond Donne series and creator of "Murder in Halifax" "The Vegas Knockout is a funny book, full of engaging characters that cover the spectrum of human likeability. What makes it more than a piece of fluff is how Schreck uses Duffy's love of boxing to stand in for any devotion truly held. Duffy's success is in his journey, just as the greatest fun in The Vegas Knockout is in the reading." -Dana King, author of the Penns River Crime Novels "Out Cold floored me with a quick one-two of the serious and seriously funny. Schreck's unique blending of the absurd and the sublime, along with his rather oddball cast of characters, makes Out Cold a great read." -Reed Farrel Coleman, two-time Shamus Award winning author of Empty Ever After "Fresh, intense and funny, Schreck's second mystery to feature unrepentant Elvis fan and dog lover Duffy Dombrowski packs a knockout punch." -Publishers Weekly, for TKO "Refreshingly iconoclastic." -Kirkus Reviews, for TKO "An Everyman with a big heart and a wicked jab, Duffy Dombrowski may well be the new Spenser. I can't wait for Round Two." -Marcus Sakey, author of The Blade Itself, for On the Ropes "On the Ropes is sly, funny, irreverent, and one hell of a good time. Read it or be sorry you didn't. It's just that simple."

Duffy is back! After almost a decade our social working, pro boxing, Schlitz drinking, basset hound loving, bleeding heart tough guy has no idea what he's in for. His world literally blows up with a new gig, a career shift, another hound and, though he's still spending most of the time in AJ's, now it is from the other side of the bar. Duffy's buddy and owner of his drinking haunt dies suddenly and before he knows it, Duffy is in the tavern business. AJ's cryptic note left to Duffy asks him to look into his demise and when a thick necked goon comes around to scare Duff off, well, we know our man decides to go all in. Now, Duffy is up against the Chicago mob, a dirty drug business preying on the addicted, and his hometown's worst street gang. It's a good thing Al, the basset hound is on his side. Critical acclaim for THE COMEBACK: "In The Comeback, Tom Schreck's good-guy Duffy Dombrowski continues his journey of helping those who can't help themselves. He even helps them after they're dead. Readers who are addicted to Lee Child's Jack Reacher protag will appreciate Duffy, who is tougher than the violent bad guys he faces down. A fun, muscular read." -G. Miki Hayden, author of Writing the Mystery and Dry Bones, out in spring 2024 "Duffy Dombrowski, the hero of Tom Schreck's The Comeback, is the kind of guy you can count on if your car breaks down at 3am, you need a last-minute sparring partner at the gym, or you're a few dollars short for your next whiskey. I'm glad I got to hang out with him." -Tim O'Mara, author of the Raymond Donne series and creator of "Murder in Halifax"

Fresh out of graduate school, CIA psychologist, Trace Curran works his dream job providing trauma-based psychotherapy and researching the threat level of Antifa-based organizations. While domestic terror escalates, Trace's world is rocked, when an agent on his caseload commits a murder-suicide. Then, the death of his father and the split with his fiancé, leave him dealing with a breakdown. On leave from CIA duties, Trace returns home to bartend at the family's tavern. The daily duties serve as a reminder of just how much life has unraveled, and he barely keeps the will to go on. The start of a new relationship sheds some light into his existence but the continued escalation of Antifa-related domestic terror keeps Trace connected to the CIA. When he's called back to debrief, his supervisor's questions leave him suspicious. It becomes clear that the terrorism is not what it appears and that someone could be manipulating events, to not only blame Antifa, but to profit from a reeling market. When Trace realizes his fears are justified, the terror turns towards him. Now, he must face his fears and save everything that is important to him-including himself.

The brutal throat-slashing murder of Crawford Academy's football coach has the city on edge. The fact that his body was found in the gay section of Jefferson Park has created more than a few whispers about the macho coach. That creeps social worker Duffy Dombrowski out enough, but not nearly as much as the fact that the kid he's counseling said he wanted to slit the coach's throat the day before. Now Duffy is assigned to the high school as a grief counselor, and before he can confront his client, the kid gets beaten into a coma by the captain of the football team. As the rumors of a high school sex club run rampant, murder becomes routine in Crawford-until a victim is someone close to Duffy. Everything points to the coach, his sex life, his players, and maybe to the coach leading the team into a different arena. Duffy is not so sure. Add in a new love affair with TJ Dunn, a concussion that might drive Duff out of the boxing game, and the daily challenges of Al the basset hound and you have the fastest paced, most complex and culturally challenging Duffy mystery yet. Praise for the Duffy Dombrowski Mysteries: "The Vegas Knockout is a funny book, full of engaging characters that cover the spectrum of human likeability. What makes it more than a piece of fluff is how Schreck uses Duffy's love of boxing to stand in for any devotion truly held. Duffy's success is in his journey, just as the greatest fun in The Vegas Knockout is in the reading." -Dana King, author of the Penns River Crime Novels "Out Cold floored me with a quick one two of the serious and seriously funny. Schreck's unique blending of the absurd and the sublime along with his rather oddball cast of characters makes Out Cold a great read." -Reed Farrel Coleman, two-time Shamus Award winning author of Empty Ever After "Out Cold is a fast, funny, rip-roaring read, and Shreck's wit and humor shines through on every page. But what I love most about Schreck's creation, Duffy Dombrowski, is the decency and dignity with which he treats the unforgettable cast of loonies, addicts, and criminals who parade through his office. I haven't cared this much about a protagonist in a good long while. Duffy is real hero and a true original." -Blake Crouch, author of Abandon "Fresh, intense and funny, Schreck's second mystery to feature unrepentant Elvis fan and dog lover Duffy Dombrowski packs a knockout punch." -Publishers Weekly, for TKO "Refreshingly iconoclastic." -Kirkus Reviews, for TKO "TKO is fast-paced, authentic, and funny as hell. Social worker and journeyman boxer Duffy Dombrowski is a workingman's hero, and I want him in my corner!" -Sean Chercover, author of Trinity Game "Not since Carl Hiassen's Tourist Season debut has there been a novel with such superb comic timing and laugh-out-loud lines." -Ken Bruen, Shamus Award-winning author of The Guards, for On the Ropes "An Everyman with a big heart and a wicked jab, Duffy Dombrowski may well be the new Spenser. I can't wait for Round Two." -Marcus Sakey, author of The Blade Itself, for On the Ropes

When Karl, the schizophrenic, ex-GI with post traumatic issues shows up on Duffy's caseload talking about governmental conspiracy predictions Duff takes it in stride. When Karl's terrorist predictions start coming true and he prattles on about the motives of defense contractors, security firms and the profits of war, Duff begins to pay attention. But when Duff suffers his own traumatic brain injury getting knocked out in the ring, Karl doesn't look so crazy any more. With his own sanity on the line Duffy, Al and Karl travel across the country to foil the terrorists at the Notre Dame football opener and the Columbine-type massacre. Oh yeah, and in the meantime there s that evil basset hound puppymill to deal with. Step into the ring for round three and join Duffy, Al the basset hound, that collection of lovable drunks, the Fearsome Foursome for their greatest adventure yet. Pull up a bar stool, crack a cold Schlitz, let Elvis light up the jukebox and get ready for the most therapeutic social worker moonlighting as a pro boxer. When Duffy hears the bell everyone should keep their guard up. Praise for OUT COLD: "Out Cold floored me with a quick one two of the serious and seriously funny. Schreck's unique blending of the absurd and the sublime along with his rather oddball cast of characters makes Out Cold a great read." -Reed Farrel Coleman, two-time Shamus Award winning author of Empty Ever After "Out Cold is a fast, funny, rip-roaring read, and Shreck's wit and humor shines through on every page. But what I love most about Schreck's creation, Duffy Dombrowski, is the decency and dignity with which he treats the unforgettable cast of loonies, addicts, and criminals who parade through his office. I haven't cared this much about a protagonist in a good long while. Duffy is real hero and a true original." -Blake Crouch, author of Abandon "Tom Schreck will knock you to the mat with a sucker punch of laughs. Out Cold is an expert one-two combination of humor and humanity." -Mario Acevedo, author of Jailbait Zombie

After twenty-five years in prison for murdering a couple of cheerleaders, a quarterback, and the class president, "Hackin'" Howard Rheinhart gets discharged. His case is assigned to Schlitz-drinking, Elvis-loving social worker and pro boxer Duffy Dombrowski. Soon, local high-school VIPs start showing up dead and Howard is nowhere to be found. Duffy throws himself into Howard's defense while juggling a few problems of his own―like a huge upcoming boxing match, a new hormonal girlfriend, the unsolicited devotion of a goofy karate kid, and the ongoing misadventures of Al, Duffy's basset hound. Praise for TKO: "Fresh, intense and funny, Schreck's second mystery to feature unrepentant Elvis fan and dog lover Duffy Dombrowski packs a knockout punch." -Publishers Weekly "Refreshingly iconoclastic." -Kirkus Reviews "TKO is fast-paced, authentic, and funny as hell. Social worker and journeyman boxer Duffy Dombrowski is a workingman's hero, and I want him in my corner!" -Sean Chercover, author of Trinity Game "Not for the faint of heart, I doesn't let up. No holds barred, insightful characterization makes this series a stand-out." -Mystery Reader "No sophomore slump here. I am now really excited about the planned continuation of this series. Hand me another Schlitz, would you." -Book Bitch

Duffy Dombrowski is not your average social worker. When he's not counseling sex addicts and drug users in a town outside of New York City, you can find him digging Elvis tunes, getting "Schlitzed" with his quirky friends, or fighting ex-Olympians in the boxing ring. Our less-than-perfect hero occasionally uses his mean left hook on pimps and other lowlifes, too. But at least he cares about his clients. When Walanda, a schizophrenic, crack-addicted prostitute, is murdered, Duffy pledges to take care of her basset hound and find her missing stepdaughter, Shony. He's horrified to discover the teenager is ensnared in a web porn ring-a vile enterprise that enslaves crack-addicted women and their children. On the verge of losing his job-and his life-Duffy also gets mixed up with a creepy doctor with ties to Pakistani extremists. Still, nothing will stop this conflicted Robin Hood from trying to save Shony and foil a terrorist plot. Praise for On the Ropes "The funniest book I have read in a long time. This is a genuine good read." -Harold Lederman, HBO Sports "Not since Carl Hiassen's Tourist Season debut has there been a novel with such superb comic timing and laugh-out-loud lines." -Ken Bruen, Shamus Award-winning author of The Guards "An Everyman with a big heart and a wicked jab, Duffy Dombrowski may well be the new Spenser. I can't wait for Round Two." -Marcus Sakey, author of The Blade Itself "On the Ropes is sly, funny, irreverent, and one hell of a good time. Read it or be sorry you didn't. It's just that simple." -Laurien Berenson, author of Hounded to Death "It'll put you down for the count with laughter. Tom Schreck is a contender for funniest author working in the crime genre today." -William Kent Krueger, author of Thunder Bay "If you've ever despised your boss or secretly wanted to save the world, On the Ropes is a novel you'll devour." -Steve Farhood, Showtime Boxing "Duffy Dombrowski-a loose-cannon social worker and a boxer-has a lot more heart than is healthy for a guy. Give him an orphaned sidekick who hasn't been housebroken (literally), jam them into the middle of a sinister murder plot that packs a surprising wallop, and you've got a winning combination." -Lee Charles Kelley, author of Like a Dog With a Bone "One of my favorite writers...Can't wait for Duffy's next adventure." -Nancy Claus, Westchester Magazine "It won't take long to realize Duffy doesn't run to type...occasionally over the top, but warmhearted, tough, funny Duffy makes a promising debut." -Kirkus Reviews "Pure delight. The sharp-edged humor peppers you like a boxing master's jab, and the poignant undercurrent of theme delivers with the power of a left hook. Duffy Dombrowski is a major new contender in the world of private eye fiction." -Michael A. Black, author of A Killing Frost and A Final Judgment "Get ready to rumble with lovable losers, misguided misfits, and a disgustingly adorable dog." -Michael "Let's Get Ready To Rumble" Buffer, the Voice of Champions