Odell’s Fall - barlowbooks

Amazon customer review by Grady Harp

‘To the General! The paragon of thoughtful leadership’

Canadian author Norman Bacal stands tall as both an attorney and an entertainment world advisor. A graduate of McGill University’s Faculty of Law he joined the prestigious law firm of Heenan Blaikie, founding the Toronto office and propelling that firm as the national co-managing partner to become Canada’s most visible and respected law firms. His expertise as a tax attorney aided the financial foundations of Canadian films and television as well as his becoming an advisor for Warner Bros, MGM and Lions Gate Entertainment. Fortunately for the reading public, Norman has retired from these endeavors and devotes his time to writing first his superb BREAKDOWN, his account of the rise and fall of a major Canadian law firm. Now he uses his experience and expertise in coping with the innards of a major law firm in transposing his gut level story from Canada to New York. TGO law firm could easily be Heenan Blaikie. Bacal’s debut novel ODELL’S FALL is a stunning epic novel that embraces many important subjects as well as offering a vivid tale of love, deceit, murder and other crimes – with a fine trajectory that recalls Shakespeare’s OTHELLO!

Bacal invests the readers attention from the opening paragraphs, setting a tone that will flow through the pages of this fine novel: ‘Odell Moore stood alone, back against the wall. His broad shoulders sagged, his eyelids drooped, and the champagne glass slipped out of his grip, triggering an electric shock. His long fingers grasped for the stem just before disaster struck, spilling a few drops on the beige boardroom carpet. He was not in much of a party mood. He studied the busy movements all around him. No one seemed to notice. Men and women of all sizes, ages, and colours, his army, reached for hors d’oeuvres from the floating silver trays offered by the wait staff. Some of the lawyers smiled on the way by, careful not to make too much direct eye contact. Odell nodded and tipped his flute. That was the Odell they’d come to expect. Alert to all contingencies. In control. This was home base—central command—the offices of TGO, on Sixth Avenue, the focal point of the business universe. A hundred-hour-plus workweek, minimum. No complaints. TGO fed you and, if necessary, se¬duced and bedded you in order to service the clients and their enormous deals. No question this was home, though this was not family. This was better than family. And Odell was their leader.’

Title character established, we gradually learn that Odell is African American, married to Dee Brabant, a Southern white woman whose father is a racist Alabama senator, in an atmosphere where ‘the men delivered the social status. The wives were supposed to shut up and keep the smile pasted on between affairs. Divorce led to excommunication. Showed a lack of backbone. You also didn’t marry out of class. And you certainly didn’t marry out of race. Not if you expected to keep those friends.’
The provided synopsis hints at the intrigue to come: ‘Where do you go once you’ve clawed your way from obscurity to the pinnacle of success? When you’ve finally found the woman of your dreams. When the ethical rules guiding your life need to be broken in order to have her. When you’ve eloped to avoid the stigma of an inter-racial marriage among Alabama’s elite. If you’re Odell Moore, one of New York’s most successful lawyers, the entire world is watching your inevitable descent. And two New York detectives will be waiting to greet you in hell. Love, jealousy, and deceit lead to murder in a penthouse apartment. But did Odell do it? Even he can’t be sure.’
A gripping legal novel with superbly crafted twists and turns that rivet attention up to the final page, this is one extraordinary debut novel by an author who gains leverage on the platform of the finest writers of the day. Highly Recommended.

Advance Praise for Odell’s Fall

Odell’s Fall is a page-turning, potboiler of a read. For fans of legal thriller icons like Grisham and Turow, the author imbues the genre with a breath of fresh air, creating a fascinatingly complex cast of characters with a myriad of unexpected twists and turns that rivet the reader until the last page. Bacal firmly establishes himself as a force to be reckoned with in the same league as the masters of this genre.

Robert CooperFormer PresidentHBO

With the insider experience of a corporate lawyer, Bacal has written a powerful debut novel. He’s created a world of lethal and legal intrigue.

Robert RotenbergInternational bestselling author of Old City Hall

This is a lightning-fast-paced look into the hearts of darkness of its characters; an edge-of-your-seat murder mystery packed with countless heroes and victims. Truly memorable.

John J. KellyDetroit Free Press

A gripping legal novel with superbly crafted twists and turns that rivet attention up to the final page, this is one extraordinary debut novel by an author who gains leverage on the platform of the finest writers of the day. Highly recommended.

Grady HarpAmazon Top 100 Hall of Fame reviewer

What I found fascinating about Bacal’s plot is that he creates a world where the reader is held hostage. It is a plot fueled by incertitude, where you never know where Bacal is going as he slowly weaves a devious scheme and a painfully frightening revelation. He spins a tale in a fluid narrative style with well-paced, well-blocked flurries of exciting action laced with disturbing undertones of mystery and doom where every detail has been put into play for a reason.

Norm GoldmanBookPleasures.com

I thought this was very good! The characters are relatable and the story memorable.

Sofie Hernvia Net Galley

Odell’s Fall will open a door into a story of legal intrigue that you won’t want to leave, and I believe will soon be a favorite among the fans of its genre, and beyond. Highly recommended.

Pamela GossiauxAward-winning journalist, bestselling author5 Stars

Norman Bacal’s book Odell’s Fall lives in the same vein as Othello in the sense that sometimes the pursuit of love and success can bring us down dark roads. If you love mystery and love the old tales of Shakespeare, then you are going to love this book as much as I did.

Kimberly LoveAuthor, ghostwriter5 Stars

Praise for Breakdown

An illuminating insider’s account of the collapse of one of Canada’s premier law firms. Puts you in the passenger seat of a train wreck.

Jacquie McNishSenior correspondentWall Street Journal

Good storytelling makes for a good book. Norman Bacal’s ability to render a business story accessible to all readers, not just lawyers, makes this an entertaining read.

Robert LantosFilm producer & chairSerendipity Point Films

A fascinating and important business story, whose lessons on the impact of culture and leadership apply to all organizations, regardless of size, sector or geography.

Calin RovinescuPresident and CEOAir Canada

Jaw dropping!

Drew HasselbackLegal post editorNational Post

Advance Praise for Odell’s Fall

Odell’s Fall is a page-turning, potboiler of a read. For fans of legal thriller icons like Grisham and Turow, the author imbues the genre with a breath of fresh air, creating a fascinatingly complex cast of characters with a myriad of unexpected twists and turns that rivet the reader until the last page. Bacal firmly establishes himself as a force to be reckoned with in the same league as the masters of this genre.

Robert CooperFormer PresidentHBO

With the insider experience of a corporate lawyer, Bacal has written a powerful debut novel. He’s created a world of lethal and legal intrigue.

Robert RotenbergInternational bestselling author of Old City Hall

This is a lightning-fast-paced look into the hearts of darkness of its characters; an edge-of-your-seat murder mystery packed with countless heroes and victims. Truly memorable.

John J. KellyDetroit Free Press

A gripping legal novel with superbly crafted twists and turns that rivet attention up to the final page, this is one extraordinary debut novel by an author who gains leverage on the platform of the finest writers of the day. Highly recommended.

Grady HarpAmazon Top 100 Hall of Fame reviewer

What I found fascinating about Bacal’s plot is that he creates a world where the reader is held hostage. It is a plot fueled by incertitude, where you never know where Bacal is going as he slowly weaves a devious scheme and a painfully frightening revelation. He spins a tale in a fluid narrative style with well-paced, well-blocked flurries of exciting action laced with disturbing undertones of mystery and doom where every detail has been put into play for a reason.

Norm GoldmanBookPleasures.com

I thought this was very good! The characters are relatable and the story memorable.

Sofie Hernvia Net Galley

Odell’s Fall will open a door into a story of legal intrigue that you won’t want to leave, and I believe will soon be a favorite among the fans of its genre, and beyond. Highly recommended.

Pamela GossiauxAward-winning journalist, bestselling author5 Stars

Norman Bacal’s book Odell’s Fall lives in the same vein as Othello in the sense that sometimes the pursuit of love and success can bring us down dark roads. If you love mystery and love the old tales of Shakespeare, then you are going to love this book as much as I did.

Kimberly LoveAuthor, ghostwriter5 Stars

Praise for Breakdown

An illuminating insider’s account of the collapse of one of Canada’s premier law firms. Puts you in the passenger seat of a train wreck.

Jacquie McNishSenior correspondentWall Street Journal

Good storytelling makes for a good book. Norman Bacal’s ability to render a business story accessible to all readers, not just lawyers, makes this an entertaining read.

Robert LantosFilm producer & chairSerendipity Point Films

A fascinating and important business story, whose lessons on the impact of culture and leadership apply to all organizations, regardless of size, sector or geography.

Calin RovinescuPresident and CEOAir Canada

Jaw dropping!

Drew HasselbackLegal post editorNational Post