SUMMARY

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.

AVAILABLE EXCERPTS

• Chapter One

REVIEWS

"If you like underdogs, colorful characters, a fighter who never quits and a canine with more bite and heart than Jake LaMotta-then you'll find On the Ropes a unanimous winner." --Teddy Atlas, ESPN Boxing Analyst

"...warmhearted, tough, funny Duffy makes it a promising debut." --Kirkus Reviews

"?one hell of a debut novel?" --Jon Jordan, Crimespree Magazine

PUBLICITY REVIEWS

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

"If you've ever despised your boss, spit in the face of bureaucratic bullshit, or secretly wanted to save the world, On The Ropes is a novel you'll devour." --Steve Farhood, Showtime Boxing

"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

"...Laugh out loud funny, not since Carl Hiassen's Tourist Season debut has there been a novel with such superb comic timing." --Ken Bruen, Shamus Awarding Winning Author of The Guards

"On The Ropes is one of the best debuts of this, or any, year. The ending had me standing up and cheering. No BS. You will love this book." --JA Konrath, author of Dirty Martini and The Jack Daniels series

"The funniest book I have read in a long time..." --Harold Lederman, HBO Boxing

"Duffy Dumbrowski-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

"What a fun read from one of my favorite writers. Can't wait for Duffy's next adventure." --Nancy Claus, Westchester Magazine

"Tom Shreck's ON THE ROPES is 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?It's well worth the trip!" -Michael "Let's Get Ready To Rumble" Buffer, the Voice of Champions

"Thank goodness Duffy survives because he's the kind of Robin Hood, supported by a band of drunken friends, whom you want to follow in further adventures." --Bookbitch.com

"Schreck possesses immense skills as an author, and his debut mystery novel, On The Ropes is a knockout winner." --Fightnews.com