Slip & Fall

by Nick Santora

Faced with a struggling practice, a pregnant wife, and a sister in trouble, Robert Principe realizes the white-collar world isn't as easy as he thought. He needs money. Fast.

Desperate, he approaches his wiseguy cousin Jackie with an insurance scheme--a way for the Mob to collect from guys who owe but can't pay, and a chance for Robert to use his law degree to make a few quick bucks when he needs it most.

Robert thinks it will be a one-time thing. It isn't. The scheme works well--too well. The money flows, the violence escalates, and Robert soon learns that getting out of a deal with the Mafia isn't exactly easy...especially when the FBI is onto you.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Crime, Law, Novels

329 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2007

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fans of the tv show Better Call Saul might like this story of a good lawyer gone bad. Well-written characters and great dialogue. A fast-paced, interesting read.

[Jim Crocker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I ripped right through this one. As you can probably guess, it's another story about those Goodfellas back East. It's educational, funny (as only they can be) and suspenseful. I couldn't put it down and you better not even consider it. Yunno?

And Nick has a zillion other stories to choose from after this one! And that's exactly where I am going next!

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engrossing tale of lawyer Robert Principe's fall from grace when he starts an insurance scam with his mobster cousin Jackie to make a quick buck to get him out of financial trouble. Robert is a thoroughly empathetic character and his moral struggles as he finds himself entangled in the underworld are very believable. The love-hate relationship between Robert and Jackie is a major strength of the book, and one of themes is clearly that family ties/love are very resilient and can overcome anything.

The only complaint I have is that occasionally I found the book overwritten; the author sometimes goes into too much explanation of a character's thoughts and motivations, which could be deduced by the average reader without the explanation. But as the author is a former screenwriter, it's understandable. I can see this book making an excellent movie.

[Bro · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know when you go into a used bookstore, not really knowing what you're looking for, and your eyes linger on something intriguing that you've never heard of, and you think, "What the heck?" and even though you've been burned so many times before by books that promise much and deliver little, you slap down the couple of bucks and the book turns out to be one of the best things you've read all year? I love it when that happens! And such was my experience with this novel. I couldn't turn pages fast enough. And because the author is a writer for the show Prison Break, I may just have to check that out, too.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grittier than Grisham – Robert Principe is a struggling lawyer failing to make ends meet either at home or at his private firm of which he’s the sole lawyer. Jackie, his mobbed up cousin is able to provide a way out, question is – does ethics trump family? Answer – no. Principe is thrown into a world he tried so hard to stay out of involving unethical practice, beat downs and mob deals and the severing of family ties. I enjoyed ‘Slip & Fall’, the writing was precise and I couldn’t help but feel for Principe and found myself rooting for him throughout the story, 4 stars.

[Jim · Rating 1 out of 5]

Predictable and filled with every mafia cliche.

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

An attorney barely squeaking makes deal to get involved insurance scams. Kind of like The Firm meets Goodfellas. Entertaining.

[Matt Lohr · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strong, suspenseful crime novel with pungent dialogue and a compelling, unique protagonist. Would make a fantastic movie.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so glad I stumbled upon this book! A real page turner. I love the characters, plot and suspense. Fifteen Digits is also a great read by this author. highly recommend

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book with a lot of action. Pretty easy and interesting read. If you're into mob/mafia type stuff this is pretty good. Even if you're not, it's not overwhelming in the mob/mafia feel. The things we do to try to get ahead...

[S.D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert Principe is an attorney in New Jersey. All of his life he has had an uphill battle fighting the belief that anyone with a vowel at the end of his name must be in the mafia. His cousin, Jackie, enjoys living up to the rumor as the enforcer for Big Louie, affectionately known as BLT. Robert is the first in his family to make it “big” and tries hard to fight for the little guy. But cases are few and hard between and with a pregnant wife, bills piling up, and a pregnant sister who has been deserted by her boyfriend, he’s desperate. He comes up with a one time plan. Rather than have Jackie break the hand of another guy in hock to BLT for big bucks, Robert suggests the man get a job at a construction site, fall down, then Robert could sue the company. Robert would take one-third and Big Louie would have far more money than he was cheated out of. The poor patsy would be happy to fake a fall just to save himself from losing a limb. Unfortunately, BLT is loving the money and Jackie is happy as a lark. They won’t let Robert out of the scheme. Things fall apart fast. Robert is guilt-ridden, Jackie threatens to kill Robert, and Big Louie is not a man who takes no for an answer. The reader is easily sympathetic to Robert’s plight. He’s good hearted but in over his head. A good son, a loving husband, but he’s ready to stand up to Big Louie. Then the FBI pays Robert a visit. SLIP & FALL is Gun Monkeys meets Goodfellows with humor thrown in to lessen the blows. A pure joy to read.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have never heard of this author before but bought it immediately when I read that he was not only the executive producer of "Prison Break" but had also written for "The Sopranos" and "Law & Order." It is his first book and it was an extremely quick read. I hope he writes another fiction piece soon. The book revolves around Robert Principe, the pride of his Italian family, who started his own law practice and is working to promote his family name from the blue collar working class. His conviction, morals and honor for his profession form his respected reputation in law but does not translate into wealth, as his fellow law school classmates took the higher paying jobs and occasionally bent the rules of the law for their benefit. With a failing business, a mortgage and a baby on the way, Robert attempts to find a quick fix for his financial problems in the form of his cousin Jackie, a thug in the local Mafia. Robert quickly learns that playing ball with the Mafia does not always end when you want it to and has the tendency to draw the attention of the authorities. One columnist wrote that this is John Grisham's "The Firm" meets "The Sopranos." I truly enjoyed this exhilarating read that fuses a story of the family heritage, pride, honor, deception and the Mafia.

[Tony Laplume · Rating 4 out of 5]

If your reaction to Goodfellas is anything like mine, it's that it would be a really great film if everyone featured in it weren't uniformly scuzzballs, including the lead character portrayed by Ray Liotta. The good news for people like that is that Slip & Fall exists. Right away I started hearing Liotta's voice in my head while reading it. And there's a full Joe Pesci character in there as well. The difference between Goodfellas and Slip & Fall is that in the latter, the lead character didn't always want to be a gangster. The whole book is about his descent into the life, knowingly but also reluctantly. Santora brings a lot of the experience he's gained from TV work like Prison Break to the story, and that certainly helps. It's an easy read in every sense but it's not without a little worthwhile weight to it.

[Stacy Alesi]

Robert Principe is the first lawyer in his working class Italian family. He is an idealist, a man of ethics and principles, and is slowly starving to death. He's three months behind on his mortgage, pays his secretary sporadically, and his wife is pregnant. Desperate, he turns to his cousin Jackie, a Brooklyn mobster. Robert proposes an insurance scam, and Jackie is in - and so's his boss; there's nothing the mob likes more than easy money. Robert gets in way over his head and the pages fly by as the Robert's life starts spinning out of control. But who better to write a terrific Mafia tale than Santora; this former lawyer got his writing chops writing for Prison Break, Law & Order, & The Sopranos.

[Cateline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slip & Fall by Nick Santora

An honest hardworking man, an honest lawyer. Robert Principe is both, but his honesty isn't paying the mounting bills. Upkeep for his storefront office, his home mortgage and his newly pregnant wife swamp him. In a moment of desperation he concocts a flim-flam plan and floats it with his cousin who just happens to be in with the local mobster. Panic ensues and masks are dropped in this tense tale of desperation.

While the story is somewhat predictable, the tension that Santora keeps up makes this a worthwhile read.

[Jean Scholle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an easy read. A young attorney faced with a struggling practice, behind on his mortgage, a pregnant wife and a pregnant sister abandoned by her boyfriend. He was desperate and came up with a plan to fraud insurance companies with his mobbed up cousin Jackie. He got in too deep and couldn't get out. This book shows how a desperate yet honest man can get caught up in something he can't handle & get himself or his family killed.

[Sean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Santora is supposedly a talented television writer however in his first attempt as a novelist I feel he fell somewhat short of his mission. Slip & Fall is too incredibly predictable and amateurish to be liked. The ridiculous stereotypes bring the book down another notch. There's a way to do Maffia-related content without a Saturday Night Live level of cultural respectability but isn't here at all. Not what I had hoped for after all the Borders hype. Overall, a very subpar offering.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this book several years ago after buying it at Borders. I liked it then and put it on my "read again someday" shelf. Well, that someday came this week when I pulled it off the shelf and began to reread it. Now I remember why I put it on that shelf. I loved this story! It is suspenseful, scary and a love story all at the same time. Now this book goes back on my "read again someday" shelf!

[Evelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young attorney from a working-class background, Robert Principe is having trouble making ends meet. When he offers up a worker's compensation scheme to his wise guy cousin, things get out of control quickly.

A fast-paced, humorous read. Has a few violent episodes, but overall entertains the reader. Santora is the award-winning screenplay writer of the TV shows Prison Break and The Sopranos.

[Marcella · Rating 2 out of 5]

This isn't a bad story. I gave it 2 stars because it read more like a movie plot than an actual novel. I can see this book being a better movie than novel. I definitely liked the authors punchy style of writing but the story was told to the reader rather than written as a story being unfolded slowly. (The author is a writer for the TV show Prison Break.)

[Corey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story. I read it because the author wrote for the the TV series "Prison Break", which I liked. I also got to meet Nick Santora at a book reading at Borders downtown Ann Arbor. He was a very cool and laid-back guy, who was very receptive to people's thoughts on his book as well as the tv series writing.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Faced with a struggling law practice, a pregnant wife and a sister in trouble, Robert Principe realizes that the white collar world isn't as easy as he thought. He needs money fast."

This book has a wiseguy cousin, the mob, the FBI, insurance schemes and action aplenty. A thrill ride of a book and a good summer read. I won this book from LibraryThing.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second book of Nick's that I have read. Love, love, loved IT!!!!! Hey Nick, if you are reading THIS review...what else have-a you got??? Oh, and to respond to your little dig at Red Sox Nation on page 318...we WILL have our day again...always remember October 2004...can you say...CHOKE!!!! Look forward to your next novel!!!!!

[Jacob Dzik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know it seems I give a lot of books perfect ratings but I have read some incredible crime books this year. I'm also really into the mob and this is a GREAT mob book. The author wrote an episode of the sopranos and after this book I wish he had written more. This definitely needs to be a movie. Check it out.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting first book from this author (of Sopranos and Prison Break fame) I felt it read like a Patterson due to the nice, short chapters...but the character and his dilemna really sucked me into the story

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a pretty good book. I enjoy "legal thrillers," and this was one of the more interesting ones that I've read lately. I liked the author's style of writing and was able to read it quickly and without any difficulty.

[Charles Levenstein · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is poorly written and boring. I tried to finish -- at least twice -- but finally gave up. The "hero" is whiny and afflicted by self-doubt. Boring. The author "tells" too much -- maybe good for tv but not for a novel.

[Nile · Rating 3 out of 5]

First book I read by this author, the author writes with a lot a detail a little to much at times. The story was very interesting and different from other lawyer books I have read. I love the ending as well

[Stacy · Rating 1 out of 5]

don't get me started.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very exciting, its the type of book that you can't put down! There's a lot of action and thrill! Its a GREAT book to read!!!!!!!