Books by John Schembra

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

As Vincent Torelli stepped off the plane at Bien Hoa Air Base, South Vietnam, he was almost overwhelmed by the stench in the hot, humid air. He still had a hard time realizing he was in Vietnam. Drafted into the armed forces five months earlier, he ended up becoming a Military Policeman, assigned to the 557^thMP Company at Long Binh Post just outside Bien Hoa City. His year tour of duty in Vietnam changes him from a somewhat naïve young man to a battle-hardened veteran. Through unlucky chance, Vince becomes involved in the ferocious ’68 Tet Offensive, barely surviving the night. He sees and experiences things he could never have imagined before Vietnam.

This is Vince’s story, of how he survived that year in Vietnam, how he coped with the hell he faced, of the friendships he formed, and of the sorrow of lives lost.

l M.P. was awarded the 2004 EPIC FInalist Certificate for Best Action Novel

 There is a vigilante killer loose in San Francisco, and when the court system fails, he doles out his own brand of justice.

Inspector Vince Torelli has handled some of San Francisco’s worst homicides, but this case has him baffled. It seemed that no matter what he did, the suspect stayed one step ahead of him. The killer seemed to know what Inspector Torelli’s next move would be. Hell, the false clues and trail the killer planted kept him chasing shadows, leading him away from the real killer.

 Who is the Retribution Killer, and would Vince survive long enough to solve his most difficullt case?

Retribution was awarded the MWSA Silver Medal for Excellence in Writing

     
 

There are 66 Consulates and Embassies in San Francisco, and a very talented, deadly sniper is targeting the Consul Generals, seemingly at random. 

Homicide inspector Vince Torelli has a reputation for solving the toughest cases in the City, but this one is unlike anything else he has faced.  The killings make no sense, lack motive, and appear to be unrelated but Vince knows there has to be a link between them. He struggles to find the connection and identify the suspect, but as he gets closer to the answer, he becomes a target himself.  This can end only one of two ways -  by him solving the case, or by becoming a victim himself.

Winner of the Honorable Mention Award at the Public Safety Writer's Association Conference

writing competition,  July 2014

Winner of the 2017 Silver medal Award from the Military Writers Society of America

 

San Francisco Homicide Investigator and Vietnam veteran Vince Torelli strives to clean up the violence in San Francisco but, after a suspect in a double murder is killed during an attempted arrest, he finds himself protecting the good police officers of the city he considers family. His efforts put him in the line of fire when he's targeted. The brother of the suspect victim wants revenge on the officers responsible and he'll stop at nothing. He kidnaps Vince, a man obsessively loyal to his job as well as those he works with and defends, a man as smart and committed to his principles as the criminals he catches almost without fail. Vince knows best, though, a blood debt always demands payment…

Prize winning novel in the 2017 Public Safety Writers Association Writing Competition