Legal thriller author and former lawyer, Richard A Danzig, on the release of his latest Chance Cormac novel, The Collectors . . .
My grandfather came to this country by himself from Russia at the age of fourteen. He pushed a coffee cart on the streets of New York City and later worked for the Saverin Coffee Company. He had two sons, Aaron and my father Daniel, who both contracted polio as children during the epidemic. The brothers overcame their disabilities, studied hard and both became lawyers. The American Dream came true. So I guess lawyering is in my DNA.
My father was a solo practitioner with a storefront office on the second floor of a walk up on Sutphin Blvd. in Jamaica, Queens. His clients often walked in off the street. They were not wealthy. He would sometimes accept gifts instead of fees. The piano in our home where I learned to play was given to him instead of a fee. But regardless of their backgrounds, my father always treated his clients with kindness and respect. He taught me the importance of a good sense of humor to put people with difficult problems at ease.
I think his clients were lucky.
My father used to say, “the law is a jealous mistress”, but I like to think of the law as a good companion. A companion that helped me enjoy a successful career, pursue business opportunities and provide for my family. It also is the fabric of the Chance Cormac novels.
Chance Cormac
Chance embodies the best of what I believe a lawyer can be. He believes the law is a profession, not a business. A former boxer, he fights for his clients with a passion. He has respect for the law and a strong sense of his ethical responsibilities. Many of Chance’s courtroom encounters and his interaction with clients are an amalgam of my own experiences.
When I write the Chance Cormac novels there are no outlines, plots or storyboards. I start with one sentence or idea and the books write themselves. The characters begin to speak and act on their own. My challenge is to write quickly enough to get it all down before they move to the next chapter.
This is identical to the experience I have when painting. The picture emerges from my brush strokes and scrapings. There is an expression that musicians use that “God walks through the room “when they play. When I finish a book or painting, I am often fascinated by the creation, not as an artist, but more as an observer who feels he has discovered something special. I am an admirer of Gerhard Richter, an artist who influenced my artwork. A Richter painting plays a prominent role in the recently released third book in the Chance Cormac series, The Collectors. The book’s cover is one of my paintings inspired by Richter.
Of course, many of the things in Chance’s world come from my experience. I went to law school in Brooklyn. I love classic rock music, Hunter Thompson and have a fascination with all religions. I am also a lapsed Catholic who graduated from a Jesuit University. Religion still plays a large part in Chance’s life as he struggles to deal with adversity and doubt.
I play tennis but have never boxed. I could never work in a large law firm because they would never hire me and I don’t play well with others. Particularly lawyers. I like to play poker and occasionally am lucky enough to win a small tournament. Poker and tennis are like meditation for me. The world stops while you are playing. As Chance experiences an existential crisis in his career and loss of faith in the justice system, he reflects my own serious concerns about the law. My hope is that his struggles will resonate with my readers and encourage them to take the steps necessary to protect those things we value most.
The first two books in the Chance Cormac legal thriller series, Facts Are Stubborn Things and Punchline, are now available on Amazon.
I know Chance Cormack would be pleased if this article ended with a few lines by Jackson Browne:
‘I wanna see you holding out your light, I wanna see you light the way . . . I wanna think it’s gonna be all right, It’s just a little too soon to say.’
(A Little Soon to Say, Jackson Browne, 2021)
(c) Richard A Danzig
About The Collectors:
The Collectors is the third book in the award winning Chance Cormac legal thriller series. The first two books Facts Are Stubborn Things and Punch Line are both best sellers on Amazon.
Chance is retained by a client who believes that he has been the victim of fraud when he purchased a valuable abstract painting that may be a forgery. Chance soon learns that both the painting and his client, might not be what they seem.
Chance is then summoned to Costa Rica to help Damian and JR who are caught up in the black market of selling human organs. Facing police corruption and danger, it may be too late to help to save his friends.
The Collectors is published 30th October, 2025. You can pre-order your copy online here.
And read more Writing & Me articles on Writing.ie here.
