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Against All Odds
How do you fight for justice when you no longer believe the system can deliver it?
In Against All Odds, Richard A. Danzig returns to the world of Chance Cormac with a legal thriller that is urgent, emotional, and deeply human. Chance Cormac has spent his life fighting for others—in courtrooms, in back alleys, and in the quiet battles no one else sees.
But now, shaken by disillusionment and personal doubt, he has lost faith in the law that once gave his life meaning. Leaving behind his Brooklyn practice, Chance turns his attention to those with nowhere else to immigrants trapped in a system that seems designed to forget them.
When one client’s case leads from the federal courts to the notorious CECOT prison in El Salvador, Chance is forced into a fight where the odds are almost impossible. His client is imprisoned without hope of escape, the system is stacked against him, and every step forward brings Chance closer to the limits of what the law can actually do.
At the same time, Sally McConnell—Chance’s former paralegal and first love—is facing heartbreak inside her own family. As her husband battles cancer and her daughter Melody endures vicious cyberbullying, Sally is forced to protect the people she loves while confronting how quickly life can turn cruel.
As Chance and Sally each face battles they never asked for, Against All Odds becomes more than a courtroom thriller. It is a story of broken faith, hard-won courage, and the people who keep fighting even when justice feels out of reach.
Blending courtroom suspense, international stakes, and deeply personal drama, Against All Odds is a timely legal thriller about justice, faith, and the courage to keep fighting when every path forward seems impossible.
Powerful, timely, and emotionally charged, Against All Odds is the fourth book in the award-winning Chance Cormac legal thriller series, following Facts Are Stubborn Things, Punch Line, and The Collectors.
In Against All Odds, Richard A. Danzig returns to the world of Chance Cormac with a legal thriller that is urgent, emotional, and deeply human. Chance Cormac has spent his life fighting for others—in courtrooms, in back alleys, and in the quiet battles no one else sees.
But now, shaken by disillusionment and personal doubt, he has lost faith in the law that once gave his life meaning. Leaving behind his Brooklyn practice, Chance turns his attention to those with nowhere else to immigrants trapped in a system that seems designed to forget them.
When one client’s case leads from the federal courts to the notorious CECOT prison in El Salvador, Chance is forced into a fight where the odds are almost impossible. His client is imprisoned without hope of escape, the system is stacked against him, and every step forward brings Chance closer to the limits of what the law can actually do.
At the same time, Sally McConnell—Chance’s former paralegal and first love—is facing heartbreak inside her own family. As her husband battles cancer and her daughter Melody endures vicious cyberbullying, Sally is forced to protect the people she loves while confronting how quickly life can turn cruel.
As Chance and Sally each face battles they never asked for, Against All Odds becomes more than a courtroom thriller. It is a story of broken faith, hard-won courage, and the people who keep fighting even when justice feels out of reach.
Blending courtroom suspense, international stakes, and deeply personal drama, Against All Odds is a timely legal thriller about justice, faith, and the courage to keep fighting when every path forward seems impossible.
Powerful, timely, and emotionally charged, Against All Odds is the fourth book in the award-winning Chance Cormac legal thriller series, following Facts Are Stubborn Things, Punch Line, and The Collectors.
297 pages, Paperback
Published May 1, 2026
About the author
Richard A. Danzig
4 books15 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 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 22, 2026
I think this book had great potential, unfortunately, there were some issues with structure and pacing that held it back. The plot felt disjointed and overwhelming, with multiple storylines to follow that did not feel fully developed. A lot of time was spent on certain plot points that didn't seem hugely important to the overall story, and other plot points felt rushed and a bit forced. While I appreciated the author's attention to important issues such as mental health, cyberbullying, and immigration enforcement, I couldn't connect to the characters, and the writing lacked emotional depth. Ultimately, this was not for me.
July 7, 2026
I have a lot of thoughts about this book. Buckle up.
This book had so much potential, but it largely lacked in editing and execution. The plot line of helping the doctor who had been illegally detained by ICE was super interesting and honestly the reason I picked up the book. The summary of the book makes it sound like this is the majority of the story, but it’s not. Though it should be.
This book has three major plot lines: the ICE detainment, something with money laundering and China, and Melody and her father. The first and the last are interesting, the middle, I’m not even sure why it’s in the book. It was confusing and unnecessary. These plot lines were also disjointed. The pacing didn’t make sense. There wasn’t a clear organization between each of them. Problems would be presented and 4 pages later be resolved.
My biggest issue with this book was the writing and lack of editing. There were so many editing marks left in this final copy it truly distracts from the reading experience. There were also spelling mistakes, and for the love of all punctuation goes inside the quotation marks! Every! Single! Time! This was truly distracting as a pet peeve of mine.
My final note is on the description of Garden City, Kansas…there are not mountains in Garden City. No where near Garden City are there mountains. This was in the setting description and I’m sorry, I’ve been there. This detail shows the lack of editing and research.
I wish I could have liked this one, but I just couldn’t. Thank you @bookpublicityservices for this finished copy in exchange for my honest review.
This book had so much potential, but it largely lacked in editing and execution. The plot line of helping the doctor who had been illegally detained by ICE was super interesting and honestly the reason I picked up the book. The summary of the book makes it sound like this is the majority of the story, but it’s not. Though it should be.
This book has three major plot lines: the ICE detainment, something with money laundering and China, and Melody and her father. The first and the last are interesting, the middle, I’m not even sure why it’s in the book. It was confusing and unnecessary. These plot lines were also disjointed. The pacing didn’t make sense. There wasn’t a clear organization between each of them. Problems would be presented and 4 pages later be resolved.
My biggest issue with this book was the writing and lack of editing. There were so many editing marks left in this final copy it truly distracts from the reading experience. There were also spelling mistakes, and for the love of all punctuation goes inside the quotation marks! Every! Single! Time! This was truly distracting as a pet peeve of mine.
My final note is on the description of Garden City, Kansas…there are not mountains in Garden City. No where near Garden City are there mountains. This was in the setting description and I’m sorry, I’ve been there. This detail shows the lack of editing and research.
I wish I could have liked this one, but I just couldn’t. Thank you @bookpublicityservices for this finished copy in exchange for my honest review.
October 2, 2026
⭐️⭐️ 2/5 AGAINST ALL ODDS BY RICHARD DANZIG
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, this one wasn’t quite the right fit for me. I really wanted to connect with the story, but I found myself struggling to get through it and stay engaged.
There are several different storylines happening throughout the book. I haven’t read the first three books in the series, and I was told that this book could be enjoyed as a standalone. While I was able to follow the general story, I personally found the number of different storylines made it harder for me to stay connected. I think I would have enjoyed it more if the story had focused a little more on one central storyline.
There were also a few details about the settings that stood out to me. In particular, some of the descriptions of Kansas didn’t quite feel accurate based on my familiarity with the area. I think a little additional research into some of the locations could have helped make those parts feel more authentic.
I also noticed several editing errors throughout the book. They didn’t completely prevent me from understanding the story, but there were enough that they became noticeable and occasionally pulled me out of the reading experience.
I can definitely see this book appealing to readers who enjoy legal thrillers with multiple storylines, international elements, and personal drama. Unfortunately, I just didn’t connect with it as much as I had hoped.
This was a 2-star read for me, but I’m still grateful for the opportunity to read it and share my honest thoughts. Thank you to book publicity services for my copy. Will be playing in my local little free library in hopes that someone else will love it more than I did.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, this one wasn’t quite the right fit for me. I really wanted to connect with the story, but I found myself struggling to get through it and stay engaged.
There are several different storylines happening throughout the book. I haven’t read the first three books in the series, and I was told that this book could be enjoyed as a standalone. While I was able to follow the general story, I personally found the number of different storylines made it harder for me to stay connected. I think I would have enjoyed it more if the story had focused a little more on one central storyline.
There were also a few details about the settings that stood out to me. In particular, some of the descriptions of Kansas didn’t quite feel accurate based on my familiarity with the area. I think a little additional research into some of the locations could have helped make those parts feel more authentic.
I also noticed several editing errors throughout the book. They didn’t completely prevent me from understanding the story, but there were enough that they became noticeable and occasionally pulled me out of the reading experience.
I can definitely see this book appealing to readers who enjoy legal thrillers with multiple storylines, international elements, and personal drama. Unfortunately, I just didn’t connect with it as much as I had hoped.
This was a 2-star read for me, but I’m still grateful for the opportunity to read it and share my honest thoughts. Thank you to book publicity services for my copy. Will be playing in my local little free library in hopes that someone else will love it more than I did.
July 4, 2026
Chance Cormac has a reputation, but he does his job well. He takes on a case of a high regarded doctor who has been taken into ICE custody for some article she wrote years ago. Putting everything on the line including his own reputation, we get pulled into the government world of who you know to get a deal and the control the government also has in doing what they want. Fighting for this woman's life, Chance is also trying to be a father figure to Melody as she loses her father to cancer. He has watched Melody grow up, as her mother was his first love and he will always have a special place for them both but this case and all he has to fight for is taking priority. Just how far will Chance go to save Dr. Abda's life and will Melody be able to figure out who she is without her father and what was her love of tennis? This novel very much resonates with what is happening today with people being detained all over the US. I enjoyed this legal thriller and Chance's character in fighting for what he believes in. I did not at all feel lost or like I was missing anything, reading this as a standalone novel. Thank you to the author and Book Publicity Service for the complementary novel. This review is of my own opinion and accord.
September 13, 2026
I really wanted to enjoy Against All Odds, as it had a lot of potential and there were plenty of interesting ideas throughout the story. I particularly enjoyed each of the individual plotlines, and I thought the book explored some interesting themes around mental health and morality. However, I did feel that there was perhaps too much crammed into the story, which sometimes affected the execution. Unlike most books that have one main plot, this one follows three different storylines, and while each was interesting in its own right, I found that having them separated and jumping between them became quite confusing at times. I sometimes found myself having to work out which plot and characters were being discussed, and although the characters themselves were distinct, there were quite a few of them, which added to that confusion. I also felt that some of the storylines became a little disconnected when brought together. That said, Against All Odds was a different type of book what I would normally read, and I appreciated the opportunity to step outside my usual reading style. Overall, I’d give it 3 stars - there was plenty of potential and some genuinely interesting elements, but I think a more focused plot and slightly simpler structure would have made the story stronger for me.
September 1, 2026
This is a legal thriller so I was happy to receive this book, I do love a courtroom scene and in this one the courtroom parts were my favourite .
There are other storylines running along side the legal aspects that make you feel a certain way towards different characters and give them more depth
I found out afterwards that this is book 4 in the series, but i could follow along just fine having not read the others beforehand , overall I did enjoy this one and if like me you like a legal thriller then I would give it a go :)
There are other storylines running along side the legal aspects that make you feel a certain way towards different characters and give them more depth
I found out afterwards that this is book 4 in the series, but i could follow along just fine having not read the others beforehand , overall I did enjoy this one and if like me you like a legal thriller then I would give it a go :)
November 2, 2026
I was sent this book by the publisher. This book had potential but to many story lines. It was all over the place. I tried to pick this up a few different times to make sure my mood wasn’t throwing me off and it wasn’t.
To many F words in there also. I had to DNF it felt like a waste of time. It was really hard for me to do that because once I start a book I finish it.
On Good reads this has low star reviews but Amazon it has higher star reviews. I find that interesting.
So I really don’t recommend it and I hate saying that…
To many F words in there also. I had to DNF it felt like a waste of time. It was really hard for me to do that because once I start a book I finish it.
On Good reads this has low star reviews but Amazon it has higher star reviews. I find that interesting.
So I really don’t recommend it and I hate saying that…
September 29, 2026
This was a great book. I loved the legal detail and the story had some great characters. If you like books that are fast paced and a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat then this is the book for you. I also loved the ending. I enjoy a book with a great finish. Buy this book.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews