TEN COUNT
Tom Schreck
2014
After the brutal murder of a high school coach, Duffy Dombrowski becomes the grief counselor for the kids. Normally, this would be a run of the mill sort of situation for him, but a few days earlier, one of his patients had described the exact way the coach died. Quickly, he finds himself neck deep in a secret sex culture buried just beneath the surface of the small town. If he ever wants to figure out the truth, he will have to navigate the high school scene, a vixen vice principal, and a world of BDSM that he never thought he would encounter.
Who is Duffy? Well, one of the characters in the book describes it best. “You’re a fighter, and you’re a counselor. You’re a dog guy. You’re an Elvis fan. You like Schlitz and Beam. That covers it, doesn’t it?” Yeah, that about covers it. Though it also misses what makes the guy so great. Duffy is a fighter and a man through and through, but with none of the overwhelming machismo that usually comes in such a package. He is emotional and smart. It makes him the perfect hero and the perfect read.
TEN COUNT hits the reader like a prize fighter. From the opening bell, the reader is pummeled with action, thrills, and sex. Occasionally Schreck rings the bell and lets us catch our breath in our corner with his brilliant wit and cunning humor. Then its right back into the ring with action-packed jabs and twists that hit like an upper cut to the jaw. It has all the adrenaline of a prize fight and the thrill of a ring side seat.
This is the fifth of the Duffy Dombrowski novel Schreck has written so far. It can certainly be read on its own, but I would bet that by the time you’re done with this one, you’ll be hunting up the rest of the books immediately. It is a brilliant book with a hero you will not be able to get enough of. I, for one, am totally ready for round six with Duffy.
-Bryan VanMeter
