Product Description

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 crooning 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 "Allah King" 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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #633539 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

Review
"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, A New York Times Editor's Pick

"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, A New York Times Editor's Pick

"Fresh, intense and funny, Schreck's second mystery to feature unrepentant Elvis fan and dog lover Duffy Dombrowski packs a knockout punch." --Publishers Weekly

"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

"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

"This is one hell of a debut novel. ON THE ROPES is easily one of the best five books I've read this year." --Jon Jordan, Crimespree Magazine

Review
"This is one hell of a debut novel. ON THE ROPES is easily one of the best five books I've read this year."

"If you like underdogs, colorful characters, a fighter who never quits and a canine with more bite and heart than Jake LaMotta-- a unanimous winner."

"Refreshingly iconoclastic."

"If you like underdogs, colorful characters, a fighter who never quits and a canine with more bite and heart than Jake LaMotta--a unanimous winner."

Review
"Not for the feint of heart, TKO doesn't let up. No holds barred, insightful characterization makes this series a stand-out."

Customer Reviews

A Perfect Debut
I read a lot of crime novels. This is one of the best debuts I've ever read.

It's laugh out loud funny, plus it's crammed full of action, suspense, and a wonderfully complex mystery.

Duffy is a terrific character. Those who enjoy Robert B. Parker, Robert Crais, or newcomers like Jeff Shelby and Harry Hunsicker will feel right at home here. But beneath the wiescracks and fist fights is some real heart, written in a wonderfully readable style.

It's really that good.

Gotta love Duffy and his sidekick Al (basset hound )
The Amazon shorts whetted my appetite for "On the Ropes" by Tom Shreck. While reading the short stories I found myself with lots of questions and wanting to know more about the characters. I wanted to know more about the kind of person Duffy was, how he got Al, what made the Fearsome Foursome tick and if they had more in them than crazy conversations. "On the Ropes" answered all my questions and more. This book is action packed with mystery, terrorism, porn, child abuse, sex, drugs and Elvis tunes!

Duffy is a likeable character. He doesn't try to hide, make excuses for, or sugarcoat his faults. His belief in the human race endears him to you. He sees the good in people and he doesn't judge those who are down on their luck for what they've done or who they've become. Duffy sees both sides of the coin. But on the other hand, when it comes to bad guys he doesn't hesitate to act on his beliefs. Right or wrong Duffy acts on those beliefs and he doesn't let little things like the law or protocol get in his way, even if that means putting his boxing skills to the ultimate test.

My emotions ran the gamut with this book. I laughed, I was frustrated/cried, I was angry and I was elated. I couldn't stop turning the pages as I had to find out what happened next. Can't wait to find out what happens with Duffy and Al next!

Completely entertaining
Normally I stick to sci fi and fantasy books but, this book kept me entertained and was an easy read from start to finish. I will buy the sequels when they come out. Heres to hoping that another up and coming author can make it big.