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The Second Burning: A Football Weekend Thriller
On the eve of Notre Dame’s biggest football weekend of the year, the past refuses to stay buried.
As Irish fans flood campus for the showdown against Georgia, psychologist and Notre Dame alum Trace Curran is pulled into a nightmare when bodies begin appearing, each murder staged with chilling precision, as if someone is turning the university into a ritual.
Trace uncovers a forgotten link between Notre Dame and General William Tecumseh Sherman who is the man who burned Atlanta and whose children attended ND, and who gave the university’s commencement speech just weeks after the South surrendered. Now, with Georgia fans in town and old resentments boiling, the killings feel less like madness…and more like a message.
Trace has one weekend to stop a serial killer before history ignites again—and The Second Burning begins.
As Irish fans flood campus for the showdown against Georgia, psychologist and Notre Dame alum Trace Curran is pulled into a nightmare when bodies begin appearing, each murder staged with chilling precision, as if someone is turning the university into a ritual.
Trace uncovers a forgotten link between Notre Dame and General William Tecumseh Sherman who is the man who burned Atlanta and whose children attended ND, and who gave the university’s commencement speech just weeks after the South surrendered. Now, with Georgia fans in town and old resentments boiling, the killings feel less like madness…and more like a message.
Trace has one weekend to stop a serial killer before history ignites again—and The Second Burning begins.
120 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 8, 2026
About the author
Tom Schreck
51 books94 followersTom is the author of "On the Ropes," "TKO,""Out Cold" and "The Vegas Knockout,"all "Duffy Dombrowski Mysteries". His stand alone thriller, "Getting Dunn" was released in 2012.
The Duffy mysteries chronicle the life of a not-so-social social worker, always on the brink of getting fired, who is a bad professional boxer at night and whose best friends are a collection of lovable drunks.
Duffy is part philosopher, part Robin Hood and all heart as he throws himself into helping those who can't help themselves.
Then there's Al--his obstinate basset hound who prefers cheeseburgers, barking at Duffy and naps. But Al seems to show up exactly when it matters.
Often described as a modern day, hipper and less perfect Spenser, Duffy Dombrowski knows the ghetto street and just how unforgiving they can be.
The Duffy mysteries chronicle the life of a not-so-social social worker, always on the brink of getting fired, who is a bad professional boxer at night and whose best friends are a collection of lovable drunks.
Duffy is part philosopher, part Robin Hood and all heart as he throws himself into helping those who can't help themselves.
Then there's Al--his obstinate basset hound who prefers cheeseburgers, barking at Duffy and naps. But Al seems to show up exactly when it matters.
Often described as a modern day, hipper and less perfect Spenser, Duffy Dombrowski knows the ghetto street and just how unforgiving they can be.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 28, 2026
A brief synopsis of this book would suggest to you that it would only interest those with a connection to the University of Notre Dame. But it deserves a wider audience.
In a nutshell, the primary character, Trace Cullen, is a Notre Dame alumnus, a semi-retired psychologist who owns a bar, and part-time provides counseling to CIA agents dealing with the emotional aftermath of a traumatic experience.
Trace is invited to Notre Dame to participate in a symposium on theology, antisocial behavior, and the overlap of religion and psychology. The symposium happens to be just before the weekend of a big home football game against the University of Georgia.
Once on campus, Trace connects with his college roommate, Link, now the chief of campus police. Soon, there are a series of connected murders and Trace becomes Link’s unofficial partner in a desperate attempt to catch the serial killer and stop his rampage.
The pair discover a surprising connection between the killings and General William Tecumseh Sherman and his burning of Atlanta during his famous Civil War March to the Sea. Even more surprising is the historical connection of Sherman and his family to Notre Dame, a connection that is factual.
A lot is packed into this short novel (136 pages). There are a number of references to places and events at Notre Dame, that will be familiar only to those with some connection to or at least interest in the school, but these do not detract from the novel for other readers. There are interesting discussions of modern-day extremism, the persistence of the Lost Cause to this day, and the intersection of extremism and religious radicalism. But fundamentally, this is an absorbing, well-written mystery/thriller.
The book has everything a good novel should have: characters developed sufficiently that the reader cares about them; an absorbing plot, and a fascinating, vividly described setting.
In a nutshell, the primary character, Trace Cullen, is a Notre Dame alumnus, a semi-retired psychologist who owns a bar, and part-time provides counseling to CIA agents dealing with the emotional aftermath of a traumatic experience.
Trace is invited to Notre Dame to participate in a symposium on theology, antisocial behavior, and the overlap of religion and psychology. The symposium happens to be just before the weekend of a big home football game against the University of Georgia.
Once on campus, Trace connects with his college roommate, Link, now the chief of campus police. Soon, there are a series of connected murders and Trace becomes Link’s unofficial partner in a desperate attempt to catch the serial killer and stop his rampage.
The pair discover a surprising connection between the killings and General William Tecumseh Sherman and his burning of Atlanta during his famous Civil War March to the Sea. Even more surprising is the historical connection of Sherman and his family to Notre Dame, a connection that is factual.
A lot is packed into this short novel (136 pages). There are a number of references to places and events at Notre Dame, that will be familiar only to those with some connection to or at least interest in the school, but these do not detract from the novel for other readers. There are interesting discussions of modern-day extremism, the persistence of the Lost Cause to this day, and the intersection of extremism and religious radicalism. But fundamentally, this is an absorbing, well-written mystery/thriller.
The book has everything a good novel should have: characters developed sufficiently that the reader cares about them; an absorbing plot, and a fascinating, vividly described setting.
April 13, 2026
Once again, Tom amazes me with his talent. His narrative makes me feel like I’m visiting Notre Dame’s campus for the first time. By far, this is my favorite non-Duffy book of his
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews