Lawyer Combines Sexual Misconduct With Political Thriller in First Novel
It had been a longtime dream of Dan Schorr to author his first novel. So when he sat down in early 2019 to make his literary debut, he turned to what he knows best.
Schorr, a former prosecutor in the Queens and Westchester district attorney’s offices who specialized in investigating sexual assault cases, now operates his own law firm conducting sexual misconduct matters.
The book, “Final Table: A Novel,” is scheduled for release this week, an international political thriller that contains elements from a multitude of cases he’s worked on professionally.
“I brought in all the experiences in my life,” said Schorr, 48, a White Plains resident. “For instance, I lived in China teaching law for a year and that was a very surreal, interesting experience where I got to travel around to different countries, including North Korea, and experiences like that weigh into this book also, where there’s this international crisis and high stakes poker tournament and sexual misconduct allegations and they’re all woven together in this fictional account.”
He worked on writing “Final Table” for a year and was finishing just as the pandemic hit in March 2020. Schorr spoke with local authors about how best to retain a publisher, and was able to get Sparks Press to agree to take him on. The publisher was able to help him with editing and marketing, which has been a tremendous advantage for him.
A book launch party is scheduled for this Thursday at the Scarsdale Library from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Schorr, who ran unsuccessfully for Westchester County district attorney in 2009, said the book is a fast-moving story about many of the topics that people have either experienced or read about regularly.
“Although I’ve been investigating sexual assault cases for over 20 years, this is very much focused on what’s going on today in the #MeToo Movement,” Schorr said. “A big part of the novel is how media is reacting to accusations, how social media is reacting to allegations and how the media and social media drive people’s ability to make accusations and how people will respond to that. That’s a central part of the book that is very timely.”
Don’t expect Schorr to rest on his laurels and be satisfied with the publication of his novel. He plans to write a second book based on sexual misconduct cases at colleges, which his firm has much experience. It will be centered on college athletics and how universities and other organizations review accusations.
Schorr will also be doing a Zoom event later this month with Gretchen Carlson, the former Fox News anchor whose explosive sexual harassment allegations against the network’s chairman Roger Ailes was one of the key catalysts of the #MeToo Movement.
Still, one of the common misconceptions is that people become victims of predators lurking in dark alleyways, as many people have a fear of stranger danger, Schorr said. However, victims of sexual assaults are most often violated by people they know who is a trusted person in their life and that person violates that trust, he said.
“I wanted to show people, based on my having investigated hundreds of cases of sexual assault how these cases generally play out, which I think is different from the stereotypes shown in fiction,” Schorr said.
To learn more about “Final Table: A Novel,” visit www.danschorrbooks.com. It can be ordered through Barnes & Noble, Amazon and bookshop.org among other outlets.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
