Tom and Locke
Tom und Locke is the title of a youth crime series by Stefan Wolf (pseudonym of Rolf Kalmuczak ), the author of the popular TKKG series. It was published as a book series in the 1980s by Pelikan Verlag and as a radio play series by Europa (now part of Sony BMG ). From 1995 some of the stories appeared as a revised new edition by Lentz Verlag. The corresponding radio play series by Karussell was discontinued after three episodes due to lack of success.
Content
The main actors in the series, Engelbert “Tom” Conradi and Nina Rehm alias “Locke”, regularly solve criminal cases. Both are around 16 years old, a little older than the heroes of the sister series TKKG . Apparently, the series was intended to target older readers, which is reflected both in the choice of topics and in the more differentiated character drawing. In addition, the family relationships are designed to be much less “bourgeois”: Locke's father, a journalist, is divorced - his ex-wife lives in Paris. Tom's mother is widowed (just like Tim / Tarzan's mother at TKKG) and works as a veterinarian. Other regular characters from the book series is also one Locke's big brother who learns more or less regularly for his A-levels at the local football team as a libero kicks and beside maintains a large number of female acquaintances.
The series has a number of parallels to its sister series TKKG. Both series are set in an unspecified megacity. Tom Conradi is, like Tim at TKKG, a martial arts expert who regularly defeats considerably older opponents. Only the sport differs: While Tom is described as a karate fighter, Tim is a judoka . Nina Rehm alias Locke, like Gaby, is responsible for everything that requires charm or persuasion. In contrast to TKKG, the main characters are less one-dimensional and therefore a little more realistic: Tom is not averse to larger meals, although without being a glutton like dumplings. In Locke - in addition to the feminine charm - there are also traits of Computer Karl.
Tom and Locke's opponents are often much heavier than TKKG's in the first 20 volumes.
So they have it u. a. to do with
- the owner of a chemical plant who has a chemical weapon found by chance on his plant premises from the last war in the nature reserve disappear,
- criminal hooligans and attempted murder,
- People smugglers and xenophobic violence (long before that was an issue at TKKG) or
- a sex criminal who the father of the heroine put in jail 20 years ago and who is now planning deadly revenge.
Overall, the tone of Tom and Locke is much rougher than that of TKKG's first works. Since a similar success as with his model did not come about , the series Tom and Locke was discontinued after 19 volumes.
In addition, a story was published, broken down into five so-called trampoline books, in which the couple were allowed to spend the night in five luxury hotels in Austria, on the Cote Azur, in England, the USA and a castle hotel in Germany as a reward for saving a hotel heiress and at the respective vacation spots solve further cases .
Interestingly enough, prolific writer Kalmuczak (Stefan Wolf) reused some Tom and Locke stories, including the “Weltreise”, in his TKKG books published in the 1990s.
TKKG Mit hot Nadel Jagd auf Kids (1999) (Tom & Locke Tramp - Gold und Dynamit, Das Testament des Millionärs) - TKKG The Diamond in the Belly of the Cobra (1999) (Tom and Locke Tramp - Grandpa is the hero of the day) - TKKG class trip to Hexenburg (1999) (Tom and Locke Tramp - The Cook and the Poison Fish, Heroin and 200PS)
Radio play series
The radio play series, which was also titled Hello, Tom, Locke here or just Locke , had twelve episodes. The series was not as successful as TKKG - two more episodes were produced but never released.
Tom was spoken to by Sascha Draeger , who had already lent his voice to Tim / Tarzan in the TKKG radio plays. Dr. Helga Conradi, Tom's mother, was spoken by Ingeborg Kallweit . Locke's father was spoken by Horst Naumann , Locke himself was spoken by Kerstin Draeger and Mike Rehm, Locke's brother, was spoken by Stefan Brönneke . The changing role of the narrator was unusual: the main characters became narrators - the series did not have an independent narrator.
Since 2015, unofficial new episodes have been published within the Dreamland scary series. Locke, who now operates under her maiden name Nina for copyright reasons, and Tom are now young students and deal with the resolution of apparently paranormal criminal cases. Sascha Draeger and Kerstin Draeger have resumed their old speaking roles for these productions.
List of Tom and Locke books
Old series "Tom & Locke" by Stefan Wolf:
- 1. Dog hunters kill quietly
- 2. Terror through the hot wire
- 3. Poison alarm on Rosenweg
- 4. The soccer grandma mustn't die
- 5. Flames at midnight
- 6. Robbery after closing time
- 7. The man with the 1000 faces
- 8. Riots in the underworld
- 9. The night at the black grave
- 10. The enemy from the dark
- 11. The bonds of horror
- 12. mugger under palm trees
- 13. The weird ones
- 14. In the ghost castle of the human traffickers
- 15. 100 hours of fear of death
- 16. The secret society Totenkopf strikes
- 17. Count Dragos torture chamber
- 18. Riddle about the diamond treasure
- 19. Witches' dungeon in the old mill
New series "Tom & Locke - The 2 from the megacity" by Stefan Wolf:
- 1. A barrel full of poison in the sea of houses (1996)
- 2. Trapped on the skyscraper roof (1996)
- 3. Horror behind high walls (1996)
(Volumes 1 to 3 are only available in the special volume "A super team enters the scene")
- 4.Ransom for a TV Star (1997)
- 5. Offside Trap for the Gangsters (1997)
- 6. Riddles about the Diamond Treasure (1997)
- 7. The Man with a Thousand Faces (1997)
- 8. In the human traffickers' castle (1998)
- 9. Desperately Wanted Sabine (1998)
- 10. 18 hours of agony (1998)
List of Tom and Locke Tramp books
- 1 gold and dynamite
- 2 The millionaire's will
- 3 Grandpa is the hero of the day
- 4 The cook and the poison fish
- 5 heroin and 200 hp
List of Tom and Locke short stories (published in Stefan Wolf's crime magazine)
- Ganoventreff in the Intercity
- Hot trail to Fridolin
List of Tom and Locke radio plays
Old series from Europe:
- 1. Dog hunters kill quietly
- 2. Terror through the hot wire
- 3. Poison alarm on Rosenweg
- 4. The soccer grandma mustn't die
- 5. Flames at midnight
- 6. Robbery after closing time
- 7. The man with a thousand faces
- 8. Riots in the underworld
- 9. The night at the black grave
- 10. The enemy from the dark
- 11. The bonds of horror
- 12. mugger under palm trees
New series from Universal:
- 1. A barrel full of poison in the sea of houses (1998)
- 2. Trapped on the skyscraper roof (1998)
- 3. Horror behind high walls (1998)
Dreamland scary series
- 22. The Devil's Crows (2015)
- 36. Galgendorf (2018)