Introduction

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.

Praise:

"The best yet of Danzig’s trio of tales, The Collectors is a fast-paced legal thrill ride with winsome characters, a complex love story, and a breathtaking crossroad for our pugilistic protagonist… Danzig’s ability to create authentic characters—and constantly introduce new ones—is the glue that makes this series stick.” Independent Book Review [5 stars]

Editorial Review

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Excerpt

CHAPTER ONE

The scream of the howler monkey sounds more like the growl
of a wild beast fighting for its life than the grunt of a spider
monkey or a chimp. They sit high in the trees of Costa Rica.
Howler monkeys are jet black and are difficult to see through the
dense foliage even when the tropical sun shines bright. No matter
how often you hear the howlers screaming, the sound is always
somehow unexpected and frightening. Their loud unearthly cries
caused the ancient Mayans to worship the howler monkeys as
gods.
Damian was up early. Tyler, the dog who adopted his friend
JR on the beach when he first came to Costa Rica, was waiting at
the door. JR and Tyler were lost souls both looking for a home.
Tyler was part greyhound and part collie. He was white and brown
and greyhound fast. He loved the surf and sometimes JR would
put Tyler on his paddle board and they could be seen floating,
silhouetted at sunset. Tyler was named after JR’s hometown in
Texas. JR was still sleeping. Damian opened the door and said,
“Tyler! You lazy bum. Let’s go, boy!” Tyler was out the door
before Damian could say anything else.
Every morning Damian and Tyler would take a morning run
on the white sands of Tamarindo as the tropical sun was rising on
the horizon in a blaze of red and orange. Nobody was on the beach
and they could both run free. Damian saw the surf was up and
knew after his run he would be surfing with the Tamarindo dawn
patrol. Then he would walk up the beach to the Tico Tide Surf
Shop, owned by Troy Travner where he and JR would spend the
day repairing boards. He shook his head. He never imagined living
in a tropical paradise with JR and being part of a surfing
community.
Damian enjoyed running in the early morning. He ran
barefoot in just his board shorts and faded Tico Tide tee shirt. He
enjoyed the feel of the cool sand on his feet and sea air on his face.
He breathed in the smell of the fragrant ocean breeze and the
orchids that grew wild. After a mile, he didn’t feel his legs
anymore, only the rhythm of his breath. When he looked up he
realized that they were already halfway to the remote cove where
only the best surfers could “mack”.
When he jogged each morning his thoughts ran free. It was
hard to believe that more than a year had already passed since he
left New York and moved to Costa Rica to create a new life with
his friend JR who had served with him in the SEALS.
He thought about Troy and the many Costa Rican friends he
had made. The beautiful Tico women, who were so genuine and
friendly and had none of the New York City edge. The surfers
who came into the shop, who were the furthest thing from a SEAL
but were disciplined and dedicated to their sport. It wasn’t home
yet, but almost.
This morning, he was remembering his tours as JR’s platoon
leader and the successful missions they had fought. Smiling, he
thought of the years he’d worked for the attorney Chance
Cormac, his good friend and mentor, as an investigator and then
as a law clerk in Brooklyn. How Chance had convinced him to
enroll in law school. The many trials they worked together, side
by side.
How it all ended with their last case, involving a corrupt and
psychopathic policeman. The feeling of the bullet hitting him in
the chest like a sledgehammer when he was shot by a rookie cop.
He thought of Susan Chu, a fellow law student and clerk for
Chance. Her beauty, intelligence and accomplishments. Her life
that had ended much to soon. He had recovered from being shot
but couldn’t heal the scars on his chest or in his mind when he
thought of Susan’s violent death and his guilt for not protecting
her.
Damian said, “Okay, enough of that! Tyler, let’s see what you
got!”
Damian put his head down and sprinted fifty yards until he
cleared his head and his heart. Tyler shot past him, barking with
joy. Damian heard the screeches of the howler monkeys as they
looked down from their perches high above the beach. For some
reason, he felt they were warning him to stay away. He and JR had
seen and heard many monkeys when they were deployed on
special ops missions as SEALs in the Middle East and Asia. But
those monkeys were small and, if they talked at all, made soft
grunts or funny chirping sounds. When the howlers screamed
they opened their jaws, bared their teeth and let out a demonic
yell.
As Damian ran, he looked up to see if he could catch sight of
one of the angry howlers he knew were looking down at him from
their hiding places. He was looking up when he heard a distant,
more terrifying howl. He suddenly realized it was not a demon
monkey but a human voice, screaming somewhere down on the
beach! Tyler stopped short, growled, and took off down the beach.
Damian sprinted behind Tyler to see where the screams were
coming from. As he charged down the wet sand, his mind was
suddenly back in the Middle East with JR on a SEAL mission,
hearing the screams of a wounded enemy or a member of his own
platoon. He had run a hundred yards when the screaming
suddenly stopped.
In the distance he saw Tyler running in circles, barking at a
young man with long black hair, wearing only a bright red
Hawaiian bathing suit, lying motionless, face down in the sand.
The surfer’s body lay prone next to a gleaming surf board that was
bobbing up and down in the wake nearby.
Damian yelled, “Tyler, sit! Stay! Good boy!” He approached
the young surfer, knelt down, and quickly turned him over onto
his back. He recognized the lifeless gaze in the young man’s eyes.
The same look he had seen too many times in combat. Blood was
gushing from two identical wounds, one on each side below the
surfer’s stomach.
... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

1. Damian and JR move to Costa Rica to escape their pasts but are immediately pulled into another life or death situation. What does the novel suggest about the difficulty of escaping one’s history especially military trauma?

2. Chance Cormac’s story weaves together corporate law, art fraud and high stakes crime. In what ways does his legal battle mirror Damian and JR’s struggle in prison? How do these two threads comment on different forms of corruption?

3. The novel explores friendship and loyalty especially between Damian and JR. How does their bond shape the choices they make? Did their loyalty help them, harm them or both?

4. Organ trafficking is one of the darkest elements of the book. How did you respond to Dr. Renata’s justification for his black market work? Do you see him as purely a villain or as a morally gray character?

5. Several characters wrestle with guilt such as Damian over Susan’s death, Chance over his personal relationships and Renata over his father’s death. How does guilt drive their decisions?

6. Costa Rica and Brooklyn provide contrasting backdrops for the story. How do the two settings influence the tone, stakes and pacing of the novel?

7. Corruption in law enforcement and government plays a major role. How does the book depict the tension between justice and survival in systems where the law cannot be trusted?

8. The book includes commentary on sensitivity readers and representation in publishing. Did you feel this meta conversation enriched the story or distracted from it?

9. Justice (Wendell Holmes) is both investigator and enforcer crossing legal and ethical lines. What do you think the novel is saying about the ends justify the means approach to justice?
10. The ending leaves Damian grieving JR and Chance losing Sally. Did you find the conclusion satisfying? What do you think it says about sacrifice, loyalty and what it costs to seek the truth?

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