Facts Are Stubborn Things
by Richard A. Danzig
Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense / Legal
ISBN: 9798852991898
Print Length: 268 pages
Reviewed by Peggy Kurkowski
An impressive first installment about a devilish divorce case that is a front for something far more sinister
Chance Cormac is a private litigator, boxer, and lapsed Catholic. He is heading up his brownstone practice in Brooklyn, ably assisted by paralegal (and former paramour) Sally McConnell and private investigator (not to mention ex-Navy Seal) Damian Pressler.
When his old mentor asks him to take the case as a favor, Chance is torn between wanting to help him or wanting keeping his promise to Sally to never try a matrimonial case again. The last one was too psychologically draining and painful for all involved.
Danzig deftly weaves in Chance’s backstory as a lover of the law, an amateur boxer, and an avid reader of both law books and literature. They are characteristics worthy of a lawyer: “English, philosophy, and boxing were the perfect preparation for a legal career. Litigators are wordsmiths who have to know how throw and take punches.” Most interesting is Chance’s acknowledgment of his own lapsed Catholicism, which still infuses his thoughts, actions, and overall views on life and justice. Spiritual themes in a legal thriller are a rare occurrence; Danzig muses on them in effective and subtle ways.
After an initial consult with the woman he would be representing, Courtney Malone, Chance and his team take a liking to the soft-spoken woman and decide to represent her. His mentor is thrilled, perhaps overly so. But that’s because his own firm is representing the husband in the case, Jackson Malone, a wealthy CPA and tax consultant who promises to agree to a generous settlement for Courtney and the children.
However, Chance senses something off about the favor, even his mentor’s association with Jackson. And at the same time, he’s fending off Courtney’s pushy father who is not impressed with Chance’s small office or his litigation skills. He only wants to stick it to his son-in-law…and will do whatever it takes to damage him, even if it puts everyone else in peril.
Danzig ratchets up the tension when Jackson’s offshore clients are leaked, spurring the arrival of an urbane yet mysterious Russian Embassy operative by the name of Dmitry Kafelnikov. He will exact a painful price for all the parties unless the leak is neutralized…and everyone close to it.
The plot is intricate and compelling, powered by Danzig’s authoritative prose and authentic courtroom dramatization. The only quibble is a mixing of the first person and third person omniscient narrator.
A romantic subplot lightens the otherwise dirty dealings of crooked lawyers, corrupt judges, and criminals who skim off the top. Chase still wrestles with his feelings for Sally, and Danzig explores their unorthodox past with realism and sensitivity. Ruminating on the memories of their past love affair, brief yet brilliantly hot, Chance hopes to rekindle their flame and create a real family with Sally and her seven-year-old daughter—who is also his goddaughter. But can their love survive this case? Will Chance’s love for the law get in the way of a second chance with Sally? In this, Chance is clear-eyed: “the law is a jealous mistress. It demands your attention and devotion. Once you fall in love with the law, it will possess you and at times break your heart.”
Danzig saves the best for last in a twisty climax the reader will not see coming. He leaves the reader wanting more, just what needs to be done for the first book of this series. Facts Are Stubborn Things is wonderfully written, perfectly paced, and introduces a principled protagonist who readers will want to see again.
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