Tom Schreck

If there is not already a subgenre of noir fiction called noir comedy, there should be – and Tom Schreck’s The Vegas Knockout is a good example of how it should be done. Noir fiction always seems to be set in the shadows of the real world, places where the best and worst human characteristics are on display in settings that are a little starker and more intimidating than they might be in the real world. Las Vegas, a city with a long history of mob connections and fast money, is one of show more those places one can easily picture in noir terms, and Vegas is the setting of Schreck’s sixth (by my count, at least) Duffy Dombrowski mystery.

Duffy Dombrowski is a social worker for a New York Jewish nonprofit organization. At least that is how Duffy pays the bills, but if asked about his occupation, he would identify himself as a professional boxer – and a pretty good one, at that. The problem is that his natural ability only makes him good enough to serve as a professional sparring partner for the guys making all the money. Duffy’s own professional matches usually pay a few hundred bucks at most.

Surprised by an out-of-the-blue offer of a job in Vegas to help prepare a Russian heavyweight for his title match, Duffy jumps at the chance, arranges to scuttle his social work responsibilities for two weeks, and makes his way to Vegas – with Al, his rescued basset hound, in tow. There he learns that nothing is quite what he expected it would be. His first surprise -that the Las Vegas house he was promised, and which he has invited his four favorite drinking buddies to share with him, is a trailer on the grounds of a brothel - will prove to be the least of his problems.

If Duffy is to leave Vegas in one piece, he will need some help from his friends – all five of them, including his dog. Al has a way with the ladies that even Duffy has to admire, and the protective hound is sometimes a better judge of character than his supposed master (I say supposed because Al really has no master). Al and the four New York barflies are the source of most of the book’s comic moments but they also play key roles in moving this wild tale along. Bottom line: The Vegas Knockout, despite its violent backdrop, will make you laugh more often than it will horrify you. This is noir comedy with the emphasis on the comedy part of the equation – and I loved it.

Rated at: 4.0 show less

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 show more 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+! show less

Duffy Dombrowski is an Irish-Polish-American part-time boxer, full-time social worker. At least for the time being he's a full-time social worker. His boss, the "Michelin Woman," has her heart set on firing Duffy, and she's just waiting for him to give her the excuse to do so.

When Kelley, Duffy's cop buddy, calls him to help with an arrest of one of Duffy's clients, the fun begins. Walanda is a schizophrenic, drug abuser and as she is being hauled off by Kelley, she's pleading with Duffy to show more do two things. First, save her stepdaughter who's been kidnapped by the "Webster" and second, take care of her Muslim basset hound, Allah-King. Duffy agrees to both requests and they both lead him into a mess of trouble, especially after Walanda is murdered in jail.

In the most basic terms I can use, ON THE ROPES is plain and simply FUN...FUN, FUN, FUN! What else would you expect with a cast of characters that includes a Muslim basset hound, an old Jewish man who has "enough money to air condition hell," and the Fearsome Foursome who reminded me of a cross between a male version of the Golden Girls and the crew who hung out at the bar on Cheers? The characters that inhabit this book are colorful and unique, emphasizing what I believe was a major theme in Schreck's book - everyone is special and has a purpose, regardless of society's prejudices.

For some reason, in this book I became acutely aware of the power of a stereotypical character. Schreck has stereotypes in this book, especially his ex-girlfriends, but he balances those stereotypes with more dimensional characters. The reader can't help but remember that stereotypes exist for a reason. I don't think a stereotype would work as a protagonist, and Duffy is anything but a stereotype. Schreck does an outstanding job of making stereotypes work effectively in this novel.

Schreck's protagonist, Duffy Dombroski, is constantly managing to step into trouble, despite his good intentions. There were a few times that I, as a female, was taken aback by his testosterone-laden comments, but I also realized that those comments were probably spot on for boxing, locker-room talk. And Schreck should know, since he is a professional boxing judge. What was striking about Duffy, besides his wonderful wit, was his sincerity and devotion. I have to admit that I also appreciated his love of Elvis.

And of course there's Al, the Muslim basset hound. Al provides comic relief at all the right times, as any dog owner will appreciate. Al chews up Duffy's remote control and unless he manually changes the channel, the TV is stuck eternally on the Lifetime channel. Oh the irony! It's wonderful.

The characters really drive the plot in this book. It's a great plot, but if the reader is unable to engage with the characters, I don't think the plot is quite as strong. The plot is also very heavy, so the characters and their humor help the reader manage that weight and see hope. All in all, Schreck did an outstanding job of balancing the seriousness of his content with the lightness of the humor as well as the dynamics of the characters. The entire book works like a well-oiled machine.

As I was moving closer to the end of the novel I became very frustrated with interruptions in my reading. I simply wanted to keep reading. This is a book that you'll find hard to put down until you've reached the final page. And when you do put it down, I would be willing to bet you'll put it down with, at minimum, a sly grin on your face.

Just an outstanding debut! show less

This is my first Tom Schreck/Duffy book, and I loved it. J.A. Konrath who writes the Jack Daniels series is one of my favorite authors. Konrath's stories are irreverent, funny (sometimes on a juvenile level) and the good guys win. Tom Schreck is a likely winner for me since he has collaborated with Konrath to write: "Planter's Punch," encompassing both the boxing and the mixed drink themes.

Consider Al, a "rescue" basset hound given anthropomorphic qualitites. like dogs and stories including show more dogs as characters. Al is a hoot and gave me many laugh out loud moments. Duffy, the lead character, is a boxer, sort of. He's really hired as a sparring partner for really good boxers. Basically, he's paid to be a piece of meat to pummel. More important, Duffy is a really good guy prone to help the needy.

Adventures ensue in Los Vegas, in a brothel, in the gym, in the ring, and in the casinos. There are subplots, tearful and touching moments, lots of jabs, hooks and low blows. In the end, of course, the good guys win and happiness prevails. It works for me. show less