Tom Schreck

Duffy Dombrowski - a tough-talking, no-nonsense social worker from a small town in upstate New York - may not suffer fools kindly, but he also isn't your typical sort of caseworker. When he isn't counseling chronic sex addicts and frequent drug users, people can usually find him crooning Elvis tunes, getting 'bombed' with his friends, or challenging ex-Olympians in the boxing ring. Actually, for a man who absolutely dreads doing any type of paperwork, Duffy lives for his extracurricular activities - particularly his time spent in the ring as a part-time professional boxer. As a matter of fact, those extracurricular activities tend to get in the way of his career more often than not.

When a schizophrenic, crack-addicted prostitute named Walanda comes to Duffy and asks him for help, he can hardly deny her. He solemnly pledges to take care of her basset hound, Allah-King, and to find her missing stepdaughter, Shondeneisha. While Duffy isn't quite sure how much of Walanda's fantastic story to actually believe: that she believes her stepdaughter Shony has been kidnapped, and that someone actually wants Walanda herself dead; he can certainly recognize a troubled mind when he sees one, so is determined to help ease her worries if he possibly can.

However, when Walanda's prediction tragically comes true and she is murdered, Duffy begins to believe that she may have been telling the truth about other things as well. In order to assuage his own guilt about doubting Walanda's story, Duffy promises himself that he will find Shondeneisha as soon as possible. But how can a not-so-social social worker who moonlights as an underdog boxer possibly hope to save the girl and solve a murder with only the help of a semi-housebroken, fully disobedient basset hound and four drunk friends at his disposal?

I have to say right from the beginning that I probably wouldn't have chosen to read this book for myself, considering that I've never been all that interested in learning the particulars of the sport of boxing. Yet, I will also say that this book was still surprisingly good, in my opinion. There was a thread of sarcastic humor running throughout the story which I enjoyed, and the mystery was very intricate and intriguing to me. While this is perhaps not the typical kind of mystery that I usually read, it was still a very interesting mystery to read for its genre; I would give this book a definite B+!… (más)

Duffy and Al are at it again, getting involved in a murder - make that multiple murders. This is a fun series even if there are only two books in the series! By all rights I shouldn't like this series, after all the main characters boxes and I'm not a boxing fan, he has a basset hound and I like dogs but I'm not a big basset fan, so this series always surprises me. Duffy spends his non-work time either at a bar, boxing or in his trailer with his basset hound, Al. So, how can he get into so much trouble? Read the book to find out - but if you want the background go read On The Ropes first, it's the first in the series.

Highly recommended.… (más)

I really like Duffy and his cast of friends and enemies. The basset "Al" plays a starring role as always. In this book Duffy is knocked "out cold" in the opening pages. It is obvious to the reader that he is concussed but Duffy being a tough guy has to fight it. He even goes so far as to fight at another gym, getting a second concussion. It is these two concussions that lead to the problems that Duffy gets involved in this time. One of his clients is suffering from PTSD and willing admits to being crazy. But as he talk to Duffy he starts making a lot of sense. Leading to the question "is Duffy crazy too or is this guy making lots of sense?"

There were some things I didn't like about the book but they are personal issues not anything wrong with the writing or the storytelling. I'm not a big fan of conspiracy theory's or the people who blindly believe a lot of the wild-eyed zealots who push those theory's. Having said that, this story presents them and then goes on to prove that not all of them are crazy and sometimes there is someone out to get you.

There is a scene near the end of the book that involves Al, Duffy's client and a puppy mill that is both heartbreaking and wonderful. Takes a talented author to bring that off, and the scene is well worth the cost of the books.

Now, how long do I have to wait for the next Duffy mystery?… (más)