“I was desperate and scared. I felt like I was all alone, in the middle of the ocean drowning.” — Rob Principe in “Slip & Fall”
Over the course of the last 33 years, I have collected a wide variety of novels. Hundreds. Some of those books rest on bookshelves. Most of them are stored in large, sturdy plastic totes in our basement.
A few years ago, I came to the realization that I might not ever get to them all — a sobering thought as you reach your late 40s. I have books from the 1990s that are still on my “to be read” list. Some will eventually be sold or donated, but this year I want to try and tackle some of that back catalog — at least a few.
The other night I noticed Nick Santora’s 2007 novel “Slip & Fall” sitting on a shelf in our bedroom. Santora is the screenwriter/producer involved with TV hits like “Prison Break,” “Law & Order,” “The Guardian,” “The Sopranos,” and “Scorpion.” The novel was a Borders exclusive when it was published 15 years ago (one of many marketing moves by the bookstore chain that ultimately failed to bear fruit).
Santora is currently the executive producer and showrunner for the new Amazon Prime series “Reacher” — based on Lee Child’s popular novels. That tie-in (I like to be able to link to past blog posts in upcoming reviews) spurred me to dive into “Slip and Fall” so I could review it for my loyal readers!
“Slip & Fall” tells the story of personal injury lawyer Robert Principe. Principe is an honest legal operator who owns a struggling, one-man law firm in Brooklyn, NY.
Ethics are at the core of his practice. But after a lunch conversation with childhood friend Roland Cozzolino, a successful attorney who skirts the ethical line, Principe starts to doubt his philosophical underpinnings.
Cozzolino tells Principe: “You can bend the law like a pretzel, man. You just can’t break it.”
Facing mounting debt, a looming eviction from his brick row house, and a pregnant wife, Principe does something he once thought unthinkable. He concocts an insurance scheme (to make some quick cash) involving his cousin Jackie Masella, a wiseguy under the employ of mob boss Big Louie Turro.
Principe never intends the scheme to be a long-term play, but soon learns that once you’re caught in the hip pocket of the mafia, it’s hard to extricate yourself.
“Slip & Fall” is told from the first person point of view, and the entire narrative is presented through Principe’s eyes (his wry voice is pretty engaging).
I’m a fan of that storytelling style, and Santora’s writing is fast and breezy (in the “Acknowledgements” section, Santora says the novel clocks in at around 77,000 words).
Overall, “Slip & Fall” moves at a brisk pace. As a result, there isn’t a lot of time to do a “deep dive” into some of the finer plot points. In particular, I would have liked to see Principe’s relationship with his wife Janine fleshed out a bit more.
I’m also not sure how authentic some of the “legal wrangling” is in Santora’s novel, but as a fun “beach read,” it works well.
Back in the 1990s, I read quite a few legal thrillers. John Grisham was in his prime, and stories about characters grappling with daunting legal issues proved a potent mixture for thrillers in that era.
I’ll admit, it has been a while since I’ve picked up a legal thriller to read. In many respects, the mid-2000s “Slip & Fall” is a throwback to that 1990s golden era.
In this 2007 promotional video from Borders (don’t you love how nothing ever dies on the Internet?), Santora discusses his book and talks about how the characters in the novel are based on people in his life:
(The way Rob Principe describes himself physically in the novel makes him seem like a dead ringer for Santora.)
Overall, I was entertained by “Slip & Fall.” While the novel doesn’t rank among the best legal thrillers I’ve read, it does remind me of what I enjoy about the genre.
Original hardcover copies of “Slip & Fall” are hard to come by, but a softcover version was published in 2012 and is available on Amazon.
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