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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.
When Chance is hired to investigate a valuable painting which is suspected of being a forgery, he discovers that the painting and his clients may not be what they seem.
Meanwhile in Costa Rica, former Navy SEALs Damian and JR
are arrested for the murder of a surfer that washed up on the beach near their surf shack. As they fight to survive inside a violent prison, Chance uncovers a black market of human exploitation, greed and blood money, all protected by a corrupt police force.
Bringing back fan favorite characters, The Collectors is a legal thriller that blends courtroom drama, suspense, and international intrigue and is perfect for fans of John Grisham and Michael Connelly.
When Chance is hired to investigate a valuable painting which is suspected of being a forgery, he discovers that the painting and his clients may not be what they seem.
Meanwhile in Costa Rica, former Navy SEALs Damian and JR
are arrested for the murder of a surfer that washed up on the beach near their surf shack. As they fight to survive inside a violent prison, Chance uncovers a black market of human exploitation, greed and blood money, all protected by a corrupt police force.
Bringing back fan favorite characters, The Collectors is a legal thriller that blends courtroom drama, suspense, and international intrigue and is perfect for fans of John Grisham and Michael Connelly.
350 pages, Paperback
Published September 15, 2025
60 people are currently reading
2369 people want to read
About the author
Richard A. Danzig
5 books14 followersRichard A. Danzig is an attorney, artist, entrepreneur and author. He practiced law in New York for over forty years and has represented many prominent clients. He is the founder in New York of the American Paralegal Institute, We The People, a legal document preparation company, and The Law Stores. Richard is a juried member of the Spanish Village Artist collective in San Diego, California and his artwork has been shown in galleries in the Northeast and California. Richard published his first novel “Facts Are Stubborn Things” in 2023 and his second novel “Punch Line” in 2024. His new book “The Collectors” will be published on October 1, 2025. You can find out more at Richard’s website: richardadanzigauthor.com and see his artwork at richardanzig.com
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
November 23, 2025
[i]Note: I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author’s publicist.[/i]
In a different life, I would love to have been a lawyer. Part of it is the fun of research, even down to the minutia (because somewhere in the minutia could be the key to unlocking justice!), as well as synthesizing that research, but of course, the other part is rendering justice for the overlooked, the downtrodden, the voiceless. As such, I’m all in when it comes to legal thrillers, even down to that, yes, minutia of art theft and insurance civil lawsuits. Richard A. Danzig’s 2025 book, The Collectors, is the third in his Chance Cormac legal thriller series. And it involves art theft and insurance civil lawsuits, and so much more. Chance is someone, much to the chagrin of one of his Russian antagonists, who sees the law — right and wrong — as black and white. In the age of Trump (which Danzig doesn’t necessarily shy away from Cormac’s philosophical pontificating therein), Chance finds himself more confounded by his chosen profession. Danzig worked hard to make the reader care about Chase, his love interest and legal assistant, Sally (and her daughter, Melody), Chase’s new investigator known as Justice, and Chase’s former legal aides and investigators, two Navy SEALs, Damian and J.R. And I mean, Chase has a dog named Tort, which is just the greatest. Whether it’s the art shenanigans that Chase and Justice are investigating or the murder mess Damien and J.R. are ensnared in in Costa Rica, Danzig’s book flew by with enough flare and heart to make it compelling.
As mentioned, Chase’s latest case concerns the seemingly stolen and/or forged art of German painter, Gerhard Richter, whose abstract brushstroke style of art seems to have inspired Danzig’s own book cover, Red Sky, which he did himself. Billionaire Warren and his assistant, Christine, who handles the art investments, want Chase to determine how the theft and forgery happened and recoup their loses via legal wrangling with their insurance company. Christine was suspect from the start, with how evasive and aggressive she seemed with Chase — her attorney! Turns out, Warren orchestrated a whole scheme to forge the paintings after legitimately purchasing them to make two-times the amount he paid for the paintings via the insurance payout (thanks to Chase) and taxes. Chase wises to this, and while he can’t legally entrap his own client, he can entrap Warren if an NYPD fraud detective happens to be listening nearby. That’s where Chase’s so-called “black-and-white” thinking comes into play. All of that was quite cleverly set-up by Danzig.
Meanwhile, in Costa Rica, where Damian and JR have set up shop, literally at a surf shop, as expats, they become pawns in a game they didn’t know they were involved in with Dr. Renata, a renowned transplant surgeon, who worked his way up from a simple bodega his parents owned to his current lot in life. Danzig presents a compelling villain origin story for Dr. Renata. His father needed a heart transplant and when the donor heart was in transit, it was diverted to save the President of Argentina’s father-in-law [one point of order here on the father-in-law’s case as described: while I do not have a legal background, I am in the organ and transplant field, and there is no dialysis involved for those awaiting a life-saving heart transplant]. After Dr. Renata’s father died on the operating table, he dedicated his life to essentially creating a robust black market for the procurement and sale of organs. Again, as someone in the field, oof. That obviously strikes at the heart of my black-and-white thinking. Nonetheless, that’s where our Navy SEALs come into play. Damian was out jogging when he came across a dead surfer. That surfer’s kidneys had been removed when he tried to abscond with Dr. Renata’s money without donating his kidney. A corrupt local cop, working with Dr. Renata’s henchman, frames Damian for the slaying as a convenient way to cover up their black market in organs. Damian and JR are arrested for murder and sent to a notorious prison in Costa Rica, where again, Dr. Renata’s henchman ensures the two Navy SEALs are roughed up, and in JR’s case, killed. That was shocking, especially how quickly it all went to hell! This was long before Chance ever got involved.
Fortunately, there is some modicum of justice in Costa Rica in the forms of a relentless lawyer, a dogged columnist, and an unflappable judge. Through those three people, and eventually bringing Chance and Justice to Costa Rica, they are able to rescue Damian and bring JR’s body home for a proper burial. Not before, I should note, Justice enacts, well, his own form of justice. In trying to track down the machinations of Dr. Renata’s operation, he saves a surfer who was helping him by shooting one of the gang members dead, and then, when he didn’t have to, executing a second one. Later, when Dr. Renata, his henchman, and the notorious prison’s warden are celebrating seemingly getting away with their coverup, a drone kills them all. Then, after considering it, the drone operators kill Dr. Renata’s innocent wife because she was a witness. What?! I thought those two decisions were a bit dicey and cut across the black-and-white Chance philosophy he tried to adhere to. Dr. Renata should have faced true justice inasmuch as it existed in Costa Rica versus being summarily executed.
All of that said, again, I would have been perfectly satisfied if the entire book was about the Richter paintings. That was fascinating to this nerd! But the second plot with Dr. Renata and the black market for organs proved as arresting, if in a far more horrifying way. And as to that point about Chance having this steadfast black-and-white thinking, he actually ends the book more confused than ever about his future, particularly owing to Sally’s insistence upon marrying James, who was Melody’s sperm donor that came into her life later (and now has cancer and is going to die, it was a major subplot!), much to Chance’s sad chagrin. It’ll be interesting to see where Danzig takes Chance next! I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Chance and his team of supporting characters.
In a different life, I would love to have been a lawyer. Part of it is the fun of research, even down to the minutia (because somewhere in the minutia could be the key to unlocking justice!), as well as synthesizing that research, but of course, the other part is rendering justice for the overlooked, the downtrodden, the voiceless. As such, I’m all in when it comes to legal thrillers, even down to that, yes, minutia of art theft and insurance civil lawsuits. Richard A. Danzig’s 2025 book, The Collectors, is the third in his Chance Cormac legal thriller series. And it involves art theft and insurance civil lawsuits, and so much more. Chance is someone, much to the chagrin of one of his Russian antagonists, who sees the law — right and wrong — as black and white. In the age of Trump (which Danzig doesn’t necessarily shy away from Cormac’s philosophical pontificating therein), Chance finds himself more confounded by his chosen profession. Danzig worked hard to make the reader care about Chase, his love interest and legal assistant, Sally (and her daughter, Melody), Chase’s new investigator known as Justice, and Chase’s former legal aides and investigators, two Navy SEALs, Damian and J.R. And I mean, Chase has a dog named Tort, which is just the greatest. Whether it’s the art shenanigans that Chase and Justice are investigating or the murder mess Damien and J.R. are ensnared in in Costa Rica, Danzig’s book flew by with enough flare and heart to make it compelling.
As mentioned, Chase’s latest case concerns the seemingly stolen and/or forged art of German painter, Gerhard Richter, whose abstract brushstroke style of art seems to have inspired Danzig’s own book cover, Red Sky, which he did himself. Billionaire Warren and his assistant, Christine, who handles the art investments, want Chase to determine how the theft and forgery happened and recoup their loses via legal wrangling with their insurance company. Christine was suspect from the start, with how evasive and aggressive she seemed with Chase — her attorney! Turns out, Warren orchestrated a whole scheme to forge the paintings after legitimately purchasing them to make two-times the amount he paid for the paintings via the insurance payout (thanks to Chase) and taxes. Chase wises to this, and while he can’t legally entrap his own client, he can entrap Warren if an NYPD fraud detective happens to be listening nearby. That’s where Chase’s so-called “black-and-white” thinking comes into play. All of that was quite cleverly set-up by Danzig.
Meanwhile, in Costa Rica, where Damian and JR have set up shop, literally at a surf shop, as expats, they become pawns in a game they didn’t know they were involved in with Dr. Renata, a renowned transplant surgeon, who worked his way up from a simple bodega his parents owned to his current lot in life. Danzig presents a compelling villain origin story for Dr. Renata. His father needed a heart transplant and when the donor heart was in transit, it was diverted to save the President of Argentina’s father-in-law [one point of order here on the father-in-law’s case as described: while I do not have a legal background, I am in the organ and transplant field, and there is no dialysis involved for those awaiting a life-saving heart transplant]. After Dr. Renata’s father died on the operating table, he dedicated his life to essentially creating a robust black market for the procurement and sale of organs. Again, as someone in the field, oof. That obviously strikes at the heart of my black-and-white thinking. Nonetheless, that’s where our Navy SEALs come into play. Damian was out jogging when he came across a dead surfer. That surfer’s kidneys had been removed when he tried to abscond with Dr. Renata’s money without donating his kidney. A corrupt local cop, working with Dr. Renata’s henchman, frames Damian for the slaying as a convenient way to cover up their black market in organs. Damian and JR are arrested for murder and sent to a notorious prison in Costa Rica, where again, Dr. Renata’s henchman ensures the two Navy SEALs are roughed up, and in JR’s case, killed. That was shocking, especially how quickly it all went to hell! This was long before Chance ever got involved.
Fortunately, there is some modicum of justice in Costa Rica in the forms of a relentless lawyer, a dogged columnist, and an unflappable judge. Through those three people, and eventually bringing Chance and Justice to Costa Rica, they are able to rescue Damian and bring JR’s body home for a proper burial. Not before, I should note, Justice enacts, well, his own form of justice. In trying to track down the machinations of Dr. Renata’s operation, he saves a surfer who was helping him by shooting one of the gang members dead, and then, when he didn’t have to, executing a second one. Later, when Dr. Renata, his henchman, and the notorious prison’s warden are celebrating seemingly getting away with their coverup, a drone kills them all. Then, after considering it, the drone operators kill Dr. Renata’s innocent wife because she was a witness. What?! I thought those two decisions were a bit dicey and cut across the black-and-white Chance philosophy he tried to adhere to. Dr. Renata should have faced true justice inasmuch as it existed in Costa Rica versus being summarily executed.
All of that said, again, I would have been perfectly satisfied if the entire book was about the Richter paintings. That was fascinating to this nerd! But the second plot with Dr. Renata and the black market for organs proved as arresting, if in a far more horrifying way. And as to that point about Chance having this steadfast black-and-white thinking, he actually ends the book more confused than ever about his future, particularly owing to Sally’s insistence upon marrying James, who was Melody’s sperm donor that came into her life later (and now has cancer and is going to die, it was a major subplot!), much to Chance’s sad chagrin. It’ll be interesting to see where Danzig takes Chance next! I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Chance and his team of supporting characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 5, 2025
(Un)making of an advocate: a forgery coast
In The Collectors, Richard A. Danzig constructs a thriller in which legal procedure, transnational criminal networks, and the volatile economies of art and justice clash. What initially appears to be a routine inquiry into a forged painting propels attorney Chance Cormac into a wider constellation of crises—one that links the art market’s opaque financial manoeuvres with moral entanglements unfolding far beyond Brooklyn’s courtrooms. Danzig juxtaposes the meticulous labour of legal investigation with an escalating geopolitical tension that stretches from New York to the Costa Rican littoral, where Chance’s closest confidants confront a justice system corroded by violence and institutional complicity. Rather than simply layering parallel plotlines, the novel aligns them thematically: both the art-fraud case and the Costa Rican murder charge expose how truth becomes a contested currency when power, wealth, and desperation collide.
THE COLLECTOR's character system further reinforces this thematic architecture. Chance’s increasing ambivalence toward the law—his transition from principled advocate to a figure forced to navigate ethical grey zones—mirrors the collapse of the clear moral binaries he once trusted. Figures such as the ex-SEALs Damian and JR, the empathetic investigator Justice, and the enigmatic Dr Renata embody divergent responses to structural injustice: resilience, procedural pragmatism, and ethically disintegrated idealism, respectively. Their narrative arcs reveal how personal loyalty and institutional betrayal intersect, resulting in situations where legal remedy and survival often diverge. Even secondary characters, including members of the expatriate community and actors within the Costa Rican judiciary, underscore the novel’s concern with the permeability of legal and moral boundaries.
Through shifting settings—intimate law offices, volatile prison environments, and sun-bleached shorelines—the book maps a world where violence, corruption, and friendship are coextensive forces.
Danzig’s prose blends procedural pointillism with thriller-driven momentum, allowing intricate schemes—ranging from high-value art fraud to the clandestine trade in human organs—to unfold with both narrative density and emotional precision. While the novel reserves its central revelations for the final chapters, its earlier pacing is carefully calibrated, alternating between investigative detail and scenes of tightening peril. The result is a work that challenges conventional legal-thriller formulas by situating questions of justice within a broader inquiry into loyalty, loss, and the limits of institutional ethics. A great read for conspiracy thriller enthusiasts!
In The Collectors, Richard A. Danzig constructs a thriller in which legal procedure, transnational criminal networks, and the volatile economies of art and justice clash. What initially appears to be a routine inquiry into a forged painting propels attorney Chance Cormac into a wider constellation of crises—one that links the art market’s opaque financial manoeuvres with moral entanglements unfolding far beyond Brooklyn’s courtrooms. Danzig juxtaposes the meticulous labour of legal investigation with an escalating geopolitical tension that stretches from New York to the Costa Rican littoral, where Chance’s closest confidants confront a justice system corroded by violence and institutional complicity. Rather than simply layering parallel plotlines, the novel aligns them thematically: both the art-fraud case and the Costa Rican murder charge expose how truth becomes a contested currency when power, wealth, and desperation collide.
THE COLLECTOR's character system further reinforces this thematic architecture. Chance’s increasing ambivalence toward the law—his transition from principled advocate to a figure forced to navigate ethical grey zones—mirrors the collapse of the clear moral binaries he once trusted. Figures such as the ex-SEALs Damian and JR, the empathetic investigator Justice, and the enigmatic Dr Renata embody divergent responses to structural injustice: resilience, procedural pragmatism, and ethically disintegrated idealism, respectively. Their narrative arcs reveal how personal loyalty and institutional betrayal intersect, resulting in situations where legal remedy and survival often diverge. Even secondary characters, including members of the expatriate community and actors within the Costa Rican judiciary, underscore the novel’s concern with the permeability of legal and moral boundaries.
Through shifting settings—intimate law offices, volatile prison environments, and sun-bleached shorelines—the book maps a world where violence, corruption, and friendship are coextensive forces.
Danzig’s prose blends procedural pointillism with thriller-driven momentum, allowing intricate schemes—ranging from high-value art fraud to the clandestine trade in human organs—to unfold with both narrative density and emotional precision. While the novel reserves its central revelations for the final chapters, its earlier pacing is carefully calibrated, alternating between investigative detail and scenes of tightening peril. The result is a work that challenges conventional legal-thriller formulas by situating questions of justice within a broader inquiry into loyalty, loss, and the limits of institutional ethics. A great read for conspiracy thriller enthusiasts!
September 25, 2025
Thank you NetGalley and Richard A. Danzig for this advance ARC in return for an honest review.
As an Attorney I am always interested in "Legal Thrillers" and believe it or not occasionally pick up a thing or two if well written and containing a plausible plot. Not so with the Collectors.
Here we follow Chance Cormac, who apparently is not only an Attorney but has also written the books apparently penned by Danzig ( not sure about the plot point on this one ). I have not read the 2 previous installments, and although I was considering doing so halfway through this book, I will no longer consider this.
Cormac has lost both his paralegal and law Clerk, Damian and JR, in the events that transpired in the last book, and they are now living in Costa Rica and enjoying Pura Vida working in a surf shop in Tamarindo. During his morning run, Damian finds the body of a dead surfer in the sand, and runs back to the surf shop to alert the police. Instead of being heroes/witnesses both Damian and JR are framed for the murder as the corrupt police Sargent is receiving payoffs from a black market organ transplant ring operating out of Peninsula Papagayo, high above the Four Seasons Resort
( which is as close to paradise as I have ever been ).
Meanwhile, back in Brooklyn, Cormac is hired by a wealthy investor inexplicably named Warren Zevon to help him recover his $45 million investment in 2 paintings he purchased that turned out to be forgeries. There is little intrigue here, as this smells like an inside job from the get go, and even though Cormac suspects his Client, and/or his assistant, Christina, are not being honest, rather than dropping the case, he tries to prove the Artwork was stolen to force a settlement with the Insurance Co. This reeked of ethical violations throughout and was by no means clever given Cormac's concerns from the moment they walked in his front door.
Not surprisingly our Hero resolves the art theft and then is called to Costa Rica to try to get his former Employees released from prison and back home to the US. Cormac is aided by man/child Wendell Holmes aka "Justice," a newly hired PI former NYPD detective, who apparently has many skills that even "Moms" didn't bestow upon him.
I have been to Costa Rica several times, staying on the very Peninsula that the shady transplant doctor lives and even though I am not familiar with their Legal System, I am sure it does not operate as this implausible story suggests.
As promising as this book was to start, the deeper it got into the Art Forgery and Black Market Organ Transplant scheme, the sillier it became. There seemed to be acceptance rather than outrage at the depravity of the corrupt cop and warden of the prison and even the "resolution" was too pat and unsatisfying.
As an Attorney I am always interested in "Legal Thrillers" and believe it or not occasionally pick up a thing or two if well written and containing a plausible plot. Not so with the Collectors.
Here we follow Chance Cormac, who apparently is not only an Attorney but has also written the books apparently penned by Danzig ( not sure about the plot point on this one ). I have not read the 2 previous installments, and although I was considering doing so halfway through this book, I will no longer consider this.
Cormac has lost both his paralegal and law Clerk, Damian and JR, in the events that transpired in the last book, and they are now living in Costa Rica and enjoying Pura Vida working in a surf shop in Tamarindo. During his morning run, Damian finds the body of a dead surfer in the sand, and runs back to the surf shop to alert the police. Instead of being heroes/witnesses both Damian and JR are framed for the murder as the corrupt police Sargent is receiving payoffs from a black market organ transplant ring operating out of Peninsula Papagayo, high above the Four Seasons Resort
( which is as close to paradise as I have ever been ).
Meanwhile, back in Brooklyn, Cormac is hired by a wealthy investor inexplicably named Warren Zevon to help him recover his $45 million investment in 2 paintings he purchased that turned out to be forgeries. There is little intrigue here, as this smells like an inside job from the get go, and even though Cormac suspects his Client, and/or his assistant, Christina, are not being honest, rather than dropping the case, he tries to prove the Artwork was stolen to force a settlement with the Insurance Co. This reeked of ethical violations throughout and was by no means clever given Cormac's concerns from the moment they walked in his front door.
Not surprisingly our Hero resolves the art theft and then is called to Costa Rica to try to get his former Employees released from prison and back home to the US. Cormac is aided by man/child Wendell Holmes aka "Justice," a newly hired PI former NYPD detective, who apparently has many skills that even "Moms" didn't bestow upon him.
I have been to Costa Rica several times, staying on the very Peninsula that the shady transplant doctor lives and even though I am not familiar with their Legal System, I am sure it does not operate as this implausible story suggests.
As promising as this book was to start, the deeper it got into the Art Forgery and Black Market Organ Transplant scheme, the sillier it became. There seemed to be acceptance rather than outrage at the depravity of the corrupt cop and warden of the prison and even the "resolution" was too pat and unsatisfying.
December 3, 2025
Art is the highest form of hope. This is the second-best sentence about hope I have read or seen. The first comes from The Shawshank Redemption: "Hope is a good thing, and good things never die." These lines seem peaceful at first. Yet, as you read the book, you see how sharply they clash with the world inside the story. The novel portrays a place where hope is fragile, truth is distorted, and even beauty can be a deception. That one line becomes a challenge: if art is hope, what happens when the art is fake, the system is corrupt, and those seeking justice are broken?
The Collectors is the third book in the Chance Cormac Legal Thriller Series, following Facts Are Stubborn Things and Punch Line. The book explores one main idea: what is real? The author uses two major storylines to show this. One is the Art Plot in New York, and the second is the Crime Plot in Costa Rica.
In New York, lawyer Chance Cormac investigates two expensive paintings that may be forgeries. Through this case, the book delves into the art world and poses questions about value. Who decides what something is worth? Why does a signature matter more than the art itself? A character says, “The process is his art,” and this line shows how the book treats creativity and meaning.
In Costa Rica, two former Navy SEALs, Damian Pressler and JR Reynolds, discover a murder linked to a dangerous organ-harvesting ring. Their story shows how corruption can twist hospitals, police, and government offices. It also shows the deep loyalty between soldiers and how their past follows them.
The author uses these stories to talk about betrayal, power, and the ways people abuse it. People betray the law, and systems betray the innocent. Rich people can buy beauty, but they can also cause damage. Officials who should protect the public sometimes hurt the innocent. Richard says true integrity is fragile. It lives in people like Chance who fight back. Chance uses smart legal moves, not just pure law, to win.
The writing is clear and smooth. The author mixes action with emotional moments. Readers who like crime and deep moral questions will enjoy this.
The Collectors is the third book in the Chance Cormac Legal Thriller Series, following Facts Are Stubborn Things and Punch Line. The book explores one main idea: what is real? The author uses two major storylines to show this. One is the Art Plot in New York, and the second is the Crime Plot in Costa Rica.
In New York, lawyer Chance Cormac investigates two expensive paintings that may be forgeries. Through this case, the book delves into the art world and poses questions about value. Who decides what something is worth? Why does a signature matter more than the art itself? A character says, “The process is his art,” and this line shows how the book treats creativity and meaning.
In Costa Rica, two former Navy SEALs, Damian Pressler and JR Reynolds, discover a murder linked to a dangerous organ-harvesting ring. Their story shows how corruption can twist hospitals, police, and government offices. It also shows the deep loyalty between soldiers and how their past follows them.
The author uses these stories to talk about betrayal, power, and the ways people abuse it. People betray the law, and systems betray the innocent. Rich people can buy beauty, but they can also cause damage. Officials who should protect the public sometimes hurt the innocent. Richard says true integrity is fragile. It lives in people like Chance who fight back. Chance uses smart legal moves, not just pure law, to win.
The writing is clear and smooth. The author mixes action with emotional moments. Readers who like crime and deep moral questions will enjoy this.
December 8, 2025
The Collectors, written by Richard A. Danzig, is one of Richard's best novels to date. It centers Chance Cormac, a lawyer who surprisingly isn't about making money. He's also a person who's about seeking justice and fairness. In this novel, Chance is not only dealing with an art forgery case but also having to save his friends J.R. and Damien from being accused of a murder that they didn't commit.
Richard A. Danzig does a great job with the descriptions and detailing when it comes to painting a picture for his readers. Whether it's about the weather or each character in the story. His detailing and description are immaculate. Chance Cormac is a phenomenal character, mainly due to his personality and how he solves the problems that come to him. It's interesting to read his interactions with the characters that he comes in contact with. The side characters are also interesting. Each with a relatable personality.
The way the two plots blend with each other to make an amazing story was a blast to read. The pacing of the story was good. It wasn't fast or slow at all. Richard A. Danzig writes in a way that makes reading not feel overwhelming. It was also interesting how Richard A. Danzig made it seem like there was an understandable reason for the villain to be a villain.
Even though the two plots of the novel were good, the art forgery plot could have just vanished from the story. Mainly since what J.R. and Damien were going through was more important. The art forgery was a nice introduction to Wendell, but that's the only good thing about it. The ending of the story was bittersweet, though it would have been nice if it was just a good ending. Granted that it would have been unrealistic, it would still be nice to have a good ending after everything that happened.
Overall it was a great book to read. Those who love reading about crime, mystery, and suspense would truly enjoy the story. This book gets a rating of 4 out of 5 stars.
Richard A. Danzig does a great job with the descriptions and detailing when it comes to painting a picture for his readers. Whether it's about the weather or each character in the story. His detailing and description are immaculate. Chance Cormac is a phenomenal character, mainly due to his personality and how he solves the problems that come to him. It's interesting to read his interactions with the characters that he comes in contact with. The side characters are also interesting. Each with a relatable personality.
The way the two plots blend with each other to make an amazing story was a blast to read. The pacing of the story was good. It wasn't fast or slow at all. Richard A. Danzig writes in a way that makes reading not feel overwhelming. It was also interesting how Richard A. Danzig made it seem like there was an understandable reason for the villain to be a villain.
Even though the two plots of the novel were good, the art forgery plot could have just vanished from the story. Mainly since what J.R. and Damien were going through was more important. The art forgery was a nice introduction to Wendell, but that's the only good thing about it. The ending of the story was bittersweet, though it would have been nice if it was just a good ending. Granted that it would have been unrealistic, it would still be nice to have a good ending after everything that happened.
Overall it was a great book to read. Those who love reading about crime, mystery, and suspense would truly enjoy the story. This book gets a rating of 4 out of 5 stars.
October 27, 2025
I have never read a legal thriller such as this one so I was excited to try it, but overall I was left a little unsatisfied.
On a positive note, I did find some of the legal concepts interesting to read about as it's all new information to me, and I do think I learned some interesting nuggets of information. There was probably a bit too much of it in certain places however, a lot of it went straight over my head. I liked the way we started with several different points of view, I was looking forward to seeing how they would all interconnect.
Unfortunately, I think my enjoyment of the book was held back a bit by the writing style, there was a tendency to tell rather than show. I felt there was a lack of feeling and emotion, scenes that should be thrilling and exciting are made boring and bland by the plain matter of fact way they are written. I also thought some of the dialogue felt strange, a little too stiff to sound like a normal conversation. It felt like they were talking for the sake of information dumping to the readers rather than to each other as real people.
However, the biggest disappointment for me was that the two biggest plot points in the story didn't come together for a grand reveal in the end as one would expect from a thriller/mystery style book. The whole time I assumed the art theft plot line would somehow intersect with the Costa Rica plot line in some genius twist. Not the case. As much as I did enjoy the art theft case, actually it was quite interesting, I thought more could have been done with it.
Overall I think this is not a bad book, and I don't have any regrets about reading it as it was something different for me, but I will not be re-reading.
I received a free copy of this book via The Niche Reader.
On a positive note, I did find some of the legal concepts interesting to read about as it's all new information to me, and I do think I learned some interesting nuggets of information. There was probably a bit too much of it in certain places however, a lot of it went straight over my head. I liked the way we started with several different points of view, I was looking forward to seeing how they would all interconnect.
Unfortunately, I think my enjoyment of the book was held back a bit by the writing style, there was a tendency to tell rather than show. I felt there was a lack of feeling and emotion, scenes that should be thrilling and exciting are made boring and bland by the plain matter of fact way they are written. I also thought some of the dialogue felt strange, a little too stiff to sound like a normal conversation. It felt like they were talking for the sake of information dumping to the readers rather than to each other as real people.
However, the biggest disappointment for me was that the two biggest plot points in the story didn't come together for a grand reveal in the end as one would expect from a thriller/mystery style book. The whole time I assumed the art theft plot line would somehow intersect with the Costa Rica plot line in some genius twist. Not the case. As much as I did enjoy the art theft case, actually it was quite interesting, I thought more could have been done with it.
Overall I think this is not a bad book, and I don't have any regrets about reading it as it was something different for me, but I will not be re-reading.
I received a free copy of this book via The Niche Reader.
February 9, 2026
Richard A. Danzig’s The Collectors delivers a confident blend of courtroom intensity and international suspense, proving why the Chance Cormac series has built such a loyal following. From its opening pages, the novel moves with the steady assurance of classic legal thrillers while widening the lens beyond the courtroom into a dangerous global underworld.
What stands out most is the way Danzig weaves two seemingly distant storylines the investigation of a forged painting and the imprisonment of former Navy SEALs in Costa Rica into a single, tightening narrative. Chance Cormac is at his best here: sharp, skeptical, and morally grounded, yet never invulnerable. The art forgery case initially feels like a sophisticated puzzle, but it gradually exposes something far darker, touching on human exploitation and corruption protected by those meant to uphold the law.
The Costa Rica sequences are especially gripping. Damian and JR’s fight to survive inside a brutal prison adds visceral stakes that counterbalance the legal intrigue at home. Danzig writes action with clarity and credibility, but he never loses sight of character loyalty, fear, and moral compromise drive the plot more than spectacle.
Fans of Grisham and Connelly will recognize the satisfying rhythm: smart dialogue, well-researched procedure, and revelations that feel earned rather than convenient. The Collectors is both an absorbing standalone thriller and a strong continuation of the series, expanding Chance Cormac’s world into one shaped by greed, art, and blood money.
What stands out most is the way Danzig weaves two seemingly distant storylines the investigation of a forged painting and the imprisonment of former Navy SEALs in Costa Rica into a single, tightening narrative. Chance Cormac is at his best here: sharp, skeptical, and morally grounded, yet never invulnerable. The art forgery case initially feels like a sophisticated puzzle, but it gradually exposes something far darker, touching on human exploitation and corruption protected by those meant to uphold the law.
The Costa Rica sequences are especially gripping. Damian and JR’s fight to survive inside a brutal prison adds visceral stakes that counterbalance the legal intrigue at home. Danzig writes action with clarity and credibility, but he never loses sight of character loyalty, fear, and moral compromise drive the plot more than spectacle.
Fans of Grisham and Connelly will recognize the satisfying rhythm: smart dialogue, well-researched procedure, and revelations that feel earned rather than convenient. The Collectors is both an absorbing standalone thriller and a strong continuation of the series, expanding Chance Cormac’s world into one shaped by greed, art, and blood money.
August 8, 2025
The Collectors by Richard A. Danzig drops you into two dangerous worlds that seem completely separate until they collide in a web of deception, greed, and violence.
When private investigator Chance is called in to verify the authenticity of a valuable painting, he expects a straightforward case of art fraud. Instead, he peels back layer after layer of lies, finding that neither the painting nor his clients are what they appear to be.
Meanwhile, in the sweltering heat of Costa Rica, ex–Navy SEALs Damian and JR are living a laid-back surfer’s dream until they’re framed for a brutal murder and thrown into a ruthless prison where survival is anything but guaranteed. As they navigate gang politics and brutality behind bars, Chance’s own investigation begins to uncover a black market of human exploitation and blood money, shielded by a corrupt police force with deep international ties.
Danzig weaves these plotlines together with precision, building tension until they crash into each other in a way that’s both shocking and satisfying. The story blends the intrigue of an art-world mystery with the gritty intensity of a prison survival thriller, giving readers a taste of both high-stakes investigation and raw, adrenaline-fueled action.
It’s a fast-paced, morally complex ride perfect for readers who like their crime thrillers with both brains and brawn!
⚡️Thank you Books Forward PR and Richard A. Danzig for sharing this book with me!
When private investigator Chance is called in to verify the authenticity of a valuable painting, he expects a straightforward case of art fraud. Instead, he peels back layer after layer of lies, finding that neither the painting nor his clients are what they appear to be.
Meanwhile, in the sweltering heat of Costa Rica, ex–Navy SEALs Damian and JR are living a laid-back surfer’s dream until they’re framed for a brutal murder and thrown into a ruthless prison where survival is anything but guaranteed. As they navigate gang politics and brutality behind bars, Chance’s own investigation begins to uncover a black market of human exploitation and blood money, shielded by a corrupt police force with deep international ties.
Danzig weaves these plotlines together with precision, building tension until they crash into each other in a way that’s both shocking and satisfying. The story blends the intrigue of an art-world mystery with the gritty intensity of a prison survival thriller, giving readers a taste of both high-stakes investigation and raw, adrenaline-fueled action.
It’s a fast-paced, morally complex ride perfect for readers who like their crime thrillers with both brains and brawn!
⚡️Thank you Books Forward PR and Richard A. Danzig for sharing this book with me!
December 4, 2025
A Sharp, High-Stakes Thriller About Loyalty and Lies
THE COLLECTORS is a fast-moving thriller that brings together art fraud, legal drama, and international danger in a way that's engaging and easy to follow. The story begins with attorney Chance Cormac taking on a case involving a suspicious painting, but the stakes quickly rise once his close friends are accused of murder in Costa Rica. What seems like a straightforward legal problem becomes something far more tangled as Chance steps into a world shaped by corruption, hidden motives, and powerful people who have a lot to lose. The various locations add a sense of scale and keep the narrative interesting.
One of the strengths of THE COLLECTORS is how it builds tension through character relationships. Chance’s loyalty to his friends gives the story emotional weight, and the backgrounds of Damian and JR help readers understand why their situation matters. The scenes in Costa Rica are especially gripping because the danger feels real and constant. Meanwhile, the subplot involving art forgery adds a clever and unexpected layer to the mystery.
As the story progresses, THE COLLECTORS blends action with moral questions about truth, loyalty, and the cost of standing up for what is right. It's well-paced, with enough twists to keep readers guessing. This installment delivers suspense, strong character moments, and a worthy finale.
THE COLLECTORS is a fast-moving thriller that brings together art fraud, legal drama, and international danger in a way that's engaging and easy to follow. The story begins with attorney Chance Cormac taking on a case involving a suspicious painting, but the stakes quickly rise once his close friends are accused of murder in Costa Rica. What seems like a straightforward legal problem becomes something far more tangled as Chance steps into a world shaped by corruption, hidden motives, and powerful people who have a lot to lose. The various locations add a sense of scale and keep the narrative interesting.
One of the strengths of THE COLLECTORS is how it builds tension through character relationships. Chance’s loyalty to his friends gives the story emotional weight, and the backgrounds of Damian and JR help readers understand why their situation matters. The scenes in Costa Rica are especially gripping because the danger feels real and constant. Meanwhile, the subplot involving art forgery adds a clever and unexpected layer to the mystery.
As the story progresses, THE COLLECTORS blends action with moral questions about truth, loyalty, and the cost of standing up for what is right. It's well-paced, with enough twists to keep readers guessing. This installment delivers suspense, strong character moments, and a worthy finale.
September 19, 2025
The Collectors by Richard A. Danzing is book number 3 in the Chance Cormac legal thriller series. This book starts you with PI Chance, in New York, looking into paintings and whether it is real or not. He is finding contradictions in his case with the people who hired him and with the case. Also in Costa Rica, Damian and JR are living on the beach and just relaxing in life, however they are framed for a local tourist murder that they happened to stumble upon one morning. The realism of jails and prisons in other countries to people accused of a crime is amazingly written. The story is immersive and you want to read more to find out what happens to Chance and his friends. Also the ending was a bit of an emotional ride as you get invested in the author's characters and can not help but feel bad for everyone involved at the end of this book. I would definitely recommend this one to fans of legal thrillers and also human organ trafficking is mentioned in case that is a trigger for some.
October 23, 2025
Danzig brings this legal thriller to life. There is organ harvesting, murder, and law enforcement corruption, and this isn't even Chance Cormack's initial focus. His focus is primarily on resolving an issue associated with an Art Theft and, just to demonstrate that a lawyer has multiple crazy cases at the same time, he needs to resolve a family spat involving unpaid loans. To get through that matter, he needs to face off with another attorney from the law firm "Debt Busters". Don't forget that Chance also has to face his everyday stressors of trying to grow his relationship with Sally and her daughter, Melody, while overcoming his fear of losing his goddaughter, Melody, to her sperm donor father, James.
December 3, 2025
The Collectors is a blood-pounding blend of mystery and thriller. Starring a legal attorney Chance Cormac, who fights both in and out of the courtroom to free his friends who have been framed for murder, it's an action-packed dive into a world of gang violence and deceit.
This book's strong suit is its character building. Before the main character is introduced, author Richard A. Danzig introduces us to JR and Damian (the soon-to-be-accused SEALs) through a high-octane action sequence where they try to save the person they were eventually accused of killing. Through these sequences, we are given flashbacks of their brutal pasts and they become endeared to readers. This sort of character building punctuates the novel, and Danzig uses it to full effect.
This book's strong suit is its character building. Before the main character is introduced, author Richard A. Danzig introduces us to JR and Damian (the soon-to-be-accused SEALs) through a high-octane action sequence where they try to save the person they were eventually accused of killing. Through these sequences, we are given flashbacks of their brutal pasts and they become endeared to readers. This sort of character building punctuates the novel, and Danzig uses it to full effect.
December 5, 2025
The Collectors is a high-stakes, fast paced thriller involving art fraud, murder, and legal drama. It follows Chance Cormac, a legal attorney whose career takes a wild twist when two of his friends are framed for the murder of a surfer in Costa Rica.
Cormac brings seemingly disparate worlds, art fraud and murder, and blends them together in one high-energy read. Cormac's strong suit is his ability to build characters. He slows down the novel at times, building tension or relationships between characters, only to challenge those characters and relationships in the most exciting ways.
The Collectors was a thrill ride. One I'm sure that fans of legal drama and thriller alike would enjoy.
Cormac brings seemingly disparate worlds, art fraud and murder, and blends them together in one high-energy read. Cormac's strong suit is his ability to build characters. He slows down the novel at times, building tension or relationships between characters, only to challenge those characters and relationships in the most exciting ways.
The Collectors was a thrill ride. One I'm sure that fans of legal drama and thriller alike would enjoy.
December 3, 2025
The Collectors is a gripping, high-octane thriller that delivers nonstop tension, emotional depth, and unforgettable characters. Richard A. Danzig plunges readers into a world where art, power, and corruption collide, and every decision could cost a life. Chance Cormac is at his best here. He’s smart, relentless, and driven by fierce loyalty as he fights to free his framed Navy SEAL friends from a brutal Costa Rican prison. The shifting landscapes, from Brooklyn courtrooms to tropical danger zones, create a vivid backdrop for twists that never let up. This is Danzig’s most explosive novel yet. It’s sharp, immersive, and impossible to put down.
December 4, 2025
This Chance Cormac legal thriller will take you from the busy cities of Brooklyn to the beaches of Costa Rica as you uncover a deadly set-up and a ring of corruption. It's a slow-burn thriller, featuring Chance Cormac, a legal attorney whose two friends have been set up by dirty cops.
It's a fun novel, but it didn't really stand out in a special way. There was nothing wrong with it- it contained character depth, great worldbuilding, and enough action to keep me hooked. But it also had nothing to differentiate it from other similar novels. Perhaps I may not be the target audience, but I felt something missing.
It's a fun novel, but it didn't really stand out in a special way. There was nothing wrong with it- it contained character depth, great worldbuilding, and enough action to keep me hooked. But it also had nothing to differentiate it from other similar novels. Perhaps I may not be the target audience, but I felt something missing.
December 4, 2025
The Collectors is an action novel starring legal attorney Chance Cormac. Penned by Richard A Danzig, it’s a thrilling glimpse into a world of corruption, where two of his friends, both ex-SEALs, have been framed for a murder.
This book is intense and is definitely a fun read, but it takes a while to fully understand the plot. Danzig did well by opening the novel with an action sequence, but he follows that up with exposition for many more chapters. I feel like the novel would have been better with faster pacing, but it’s still not a bad book.
This book is intense and is definitely a fun read, but it takes a while to fully understand the plot. Danzig did well by opening the novel with an action sequence, but he follows that up with exposition for many more chapters. I feel like the novel would have been better with faster pacing, but it’s still not a bad book.
October 21, 2025
This was my first book by Richard A. Danzig (and my introduction to the Chance Cormac series ) and I was hooked from page one. The Collectors absolutely works as a standalone, but now I’m kicking myself for not having started this series sooner. Danzig delivers everything I crave in a legal thriller: sharp dialogue, layered characters, and a plot that unravels like a tightly coiled wire. It’s smart, fast, and just the right amount of morally gray.
August 1, 2025
This latest installment kept me on the edge of my seat with all of the twists and turns that Danzig effortlessly wrote. I enjoy a great courtroom drama set within a tropical destination. Without giving any spoilers, there wasn't a single instance of boredom as we brushed shoulders with surfers, corrupt cops, and more! I am already counting down to Chance Cormac's next adventure.
September 30, 2025
With its often stilted language and a little naive plot and story, this is not a masterpiece. The plot with illegal transplants in the Americas is so frequent that it's tiresome. And why write about guns when you have no knowledge of them?
Still, there is some entertainment here. The characters are good, and the philosophy is interesting.
Still, there is some entertainment here. The characters are good, and the philosophy is interesting.
December 4, 2025
The Collectors, by Richard Danzig, follows a legal attorney thrust into a web of corruption when his friends are accused of a crime they didn’t commit. Normally a brilliant lawyer used to fighting cases in court, he must now fight in real life as well to uncover a murder mystery and exonerate his friends. Richard Danzig’s novel is a thrilling ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat!
July 21, 2025
Smart, fast, and absorbing! "The Collectors" delivers sharp twists and highstakes suspense from the courtrooms of New York to the coast of Costa Rica. Chance Cormac is a hero worth following anywhere.
November 3, 2025
This is my first Chance Cormac book and I really enjoyed it. All the characters are well written and I really like the character Justice. I will admit though that I enjoyed the Costa Rica part of the book more than I did about the art. I will be looking at the other 2 to read.
October 24, 2025
Now I need to know if Chance gets the love he deserves. Good read.
November 1, 2025
I won from Good Reads. It was good.
October 24, 2025
A bit disappointed as it felt like 2 stories mashed together with out a real connection except for the main character (attorney) and his investigator. Also it would have helped to have read other books where the author used the same main character but that wasn't indicated in the Niche Reader synopsis so I was unprepared. The story of the art forgery and then the story in Central America had no real connection and left a lot unfinished but I guess that is for book 4. I received a free copy of this book via The Niche Reader.
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