Bookpleasures is excited to have as our guest Dan Buzzetta. Dan is a seasoned attorney with over 30 years of experience handling complex commercial litigation as a partner at Baker Hostetler in New York. 

Inspired by his fascination with organized crime and real-life legal cases he worked on with the Department of Justice and FBI, Dan fulfilled a decades-old dream by writing his debut legal thriller, The Manipulator.

The novel follows Thomas Berte, a brilliant lawyer caught in a deadly battle against a global crime syndicate. 

Beyond law and writing, Dan serves his New Jersey community as a volunteer firefighter and elected official, balancing a rich professional and personal life while preparing for the next installment in his thriller series.

Good day Dan and thanks for taking part in our interview. 

Norm: What first sparked the concept for The Manipulator, and why did you decide to tell the story through the lens of a newly minted Deputy Attorney General rather than, say, an FBI agent or a defense lawyer?

Once that core idea took shape, what was the biggest change the novel underwent from first outline to final draft?

 Dan: I’ve always had a fascination with the Mafia—its mystique, its lore, its power, and how it shapes people and communities it penetrates. 

I've also always viewed the justice system as the great equalizer, a force more powerful than any crime figure. I was drawn to the law and becoming a lawyer because of the power law has to create order and right wrongs committed by those who choose to deviate from that order. 

And so, I set out to write a story about a powerful lawyer who confronts a powerful mafia figure but in a way that’s more than just another mob story. 

I wanted to explore themes of family, loyalty, and discovering hidden secrets, including about the protagonist himself. And I wanted to do so from the point of view of someone who’s righteous and courageous and has the law on his side. 

I thought having Tom Berte go from a big firm lawyer to becoming a DOJ official pursuing the mastermind of a criminal syndicate would make for an interesting story. 

And that’s the biggest transformation that occurred in the novel from outline to final draft. Initially, Tom Berte was going to be retained by the criminal mastermind as his defense attorney. 

But I wanted Tom to face a moral dilemma and make a choice between good and evil and so I made him a government official.

 Norm: The novel opens with a suspenseful, ominous phone call between Nino Benedetto and Ignatius Balatoni. How important was it for you to set the tone with this scene?

What narrative techniques did you use to maintain suspense throughout the book?

Dan: I really focused on that opening chapter and rewrote it numerous times. I wanted to make it dark, intense, and create intrigue. I hope the reader comes away from that first chapter with a multitude of questions and wanting to know more. 

I purposely made it a short chapter because I wanted to immediately heighten the suspense and put the reader in the middle of that initial encounter right away without building to it. 

I also wanted the reader to be invested in the story and to be curious about what happens next. I tried doing that throughout the book in two ways. 

First, I set out to write short chapters, so readers feel the suspense in short bursts, instead of through long, drawn out narratives. I think shorter chapters heighten suspense. 

Second, I tried to have most chapters end with a mini cliff-hanger to keep the reader wanting more. I hope I succeeded on both fronts.

Norm: Cosimo “Nino” Benedetto is chillingly calm and calculating. What techniques did you use to make a criminal mastermind feel authentic without glamorizing him?

Were there scenes or angles you deliberately chose not to show in order to preserve his mystique?

Dan: I tried to write Cosimo Benedetto as a person in conflict with himself. While he appears calm and calculating on the outside, he's also insecure, afraid, full of self-doubt, and distrustful of others. 

While he exudes confidence in public, he questions whether he can maintain the empire he's built and the life he’s created. 

Part of it is because he's missing the one thing he desperately wants, and that humanizes him and makes him ordinary rather than an all-powerful, glamorous figure. 

But at the same time, I didn’t want the reader to pity him or sympathize with him, and therefore I didn’t dwell on his internal ruminations about the choices he made in his life.

Norm: The relationship between law and organized crime is central in The Manipulator. How did your professional background inform your depiction of this complex dynamic?

Were there any real cases or events that specifically influenced aspects of the story?

 Dan:  My career as a lawyer has put me in the center of many interesting investigations where I’ve chased fraudsters, pieced together evidence to prove schemes that were intended to remain hidden, and uncover secreted funds and obtain court judgments so that victims of financial frauds could be compensated. These themes are all at play in The Manipulator. There have been so many cases I've worked on that I thought would make great subjects for books or movies. 

In one particular case, a team of lawyers I worked with were tasked with recovering proceeds from a securities fraud that left investors holding worthless paper and the bad guys secreting hundreds of millions of dollars in offshore bank accounts. 

Working closely with the FBI and federal law enforcement authorities we recovered the money and were able to partially compensate the victims for their losses. Aspects of that case make it into The Manipulator.

Norm: Ignatius is simultaneously mentor, puppet master, and maybe pawn. How did you keep his motives ambiguous without frustrating the reader? If the series continues, can we expect Ignatius’s backstory to expand, or do you prefer him as an enigma?

Dan: Ignatius is one of my favorite characters. I wanted him to be avuncular and respected, but also deeply flawed because of choices he made which he believed in his heart were the right choices made for the right reasons. 

But his pact with the proverbial devil turned out to be his downfall. I intended to write his character as someone who the reader would hope turns out to be a good guy and perhaps even sympathize with. 

Until, of course, the truth is revealed toward the end of the book and that’s when any sympathy he engendered is perhaps lost for good. I think Ignatius will remain an enigma for now so that readers who like his character can imagine whatever backstory about him they prefer.  

Norm: You plant many subtle clues—Tom’s mother’s reaction to his appointment, not wanting for money, the yacht phone call. What’s your process for mapping breadcrumbs so the payoff feels inevitable yet surprising?

Do you rely on beta readers or specialized software to track those threads, or is it all on a giant spreadsheet in your head?

Dan:  I enjoy leaving clues, some subtle others more overt, so the reader can unravel them in real time. I enjoy reading books with that element in them, and I purposely strove to incorporate that technique in The Manipulator. 

Just like Tom’s wife, Brooke, I want the reader to be an active participant in the story, trying to figure out what the truth is and not be just a passive bystander.  

As far as I how keep track of it all, it’s in a huge, beautiful spreadsheet in my head so I never have to worry that I’ll lose it if the power goes out. 

Norm: The theme of power and corruption permeates the story. How did you aim to explore this through Tom’s struggle against Benedetto’s syndicate?

Do you see this as a commentary on modern justice systems?

Dan: I sought to pit the enormous power and immense wealth of Cosimo Benedetto and the criminal empire he ran against the power and immense strength of the United States justice system while incorporating themes of family, loyalty with the goal of always doing the right thing no matter the cost. Power and corruption are not reserved just for rogue organizations like the Syndicate. Even our justice system can be influenced by power for the sake of power and for corrupt ends. 

This happens every day in courts across America, especially in smaller jurisdictions involving persons who don’t have means to hire the best lawyers. 

But to the extent The Manipulator contains a commentary on our justice system it’s that however imperfect it may be, and it often is, justice usually prevails. 

Norm: What structural tricks did you employ to keep pages turning while still deepening character? Were there slower, character-driven chapters you loved but ultimately cut for pacing reasons?

Dan: I like developing characters over several chapters to keep readers engaged. I also like throwing in twists and turns so that just when you think you fully understand a character's motives and what makes him or her 'tick', the reader learns something new and unexpected. 

I enjoy reading books containing that element, and I tried incorporating that in my book.

I actually cut several pages that delved into the backstory of Ignatius Balatoni, a character I really enjoyed writing about. 

But while perhaps cinematic (in my imagination) and inspirational for me to write about a beloved and respected mentor-type figure, in the end those pages didn’t add much to the story of Tom Berte’s pursuit of Cosimo Benedetto and the vindication of truth and justice over corruption and greed so I sent them to the shredder.

 Norm: For aspiring legal-thriller writers, what’s one craft lesson you learned the hard way while writing The Manipulator?

Conversely, what element of the book flowed so naturally that it reminded you why you love writing in the first place?

Dan: The biggest lesson is to save the backstory for later parts of the book instead of including it early in the story. I’m a linear thinker and my mind begins with A and proceeds sequentially to Z. 

But when writing thrillers, the beginning needs to start with intrigue and suspense. This isn't where most story telling usually starts. Stories usually begin with some background facts. Learning this lesson led me to restructure my book when I was about halfway through it.

One element that flowed naturally for me was writing mini cliff hangers at the end of most chapters. I enjoy reading books containing this technique and I knew I wanted to incorporate it in my book. 

Norm: You’ve been described as a “mafia aficionado.” What drew you to organized crime as a subject, and what unique perspectives did you seek to bring?

How do you avoid clichés when writing about crime syndicates?  

Dan:   I’m the son of Italian parents, and my dad was born in Sicily. When he immigrated to the United States he started his own construction company. 

When I was 9 years old my family moved from Brooklyn, NY to the Todt Hill section of Staten Island where several mobsters and “mob-connected” folks lived, including Paul Castellano, then head of the Gambino crime family. 

In fact, I was in Paul Castellano’s house when I was 11 or 12 because I was friends with his grandkids who lived a few houses away from me. 

So, I, literally, grew up surrounded by the aura of the mob. My private elementary school (located on Todt Hill) was very small, and word got around that I had moved from Brooklyn, my parents were Italian (hard to miss it since my given name is Danilo), and my dad owned a construction company. You could imagine the taunts I received and the rumors that swirled around me. 

It was hard being raised in an Italian family in New York in the 80’s and 90’s, when the mafia was often front-page news, and not be exposed to the cultural influence of the mafia.  

I developed a fascination with the mystique of the mafia, and I became a student of its origins and history in Sicily where my dad was born, and its history in New York. 

But I didn’t set out to write a mob story. Great ones already exist, like the Godfather,  Goodfellas, and The Sopranos. My experience is from an historical, education, and cultural perspective, and I tried to include a bit of that in my book.

Norm: Where can our readers find out more about you and The Manipulator?  

Dan: DanBuzzetta.com has links to my social media accounts, podcasts, and news about the next books in the Tom Berte Legal Thriller Series.

Norm: As we wind up our interview, what would you like readers to take away from The Manipulator about justice, integrity, and the legal profession? Has your perspective on these issues changed since writing the novel?

 Dan: Early in The Manipulator, Ignatius Balatoni says the law is a noble profession, and lawyers are the foot soldiers in the battle to preserve individual freedoms and our constitutional rights. 

I truly believe that. The legal profession is often derided and it seems that everyday our justice system and the officials who oversee it are criticized and their motivations questioned. That’s fair. 

Our system of justice isn’t perfect and there’s room for improvement. 

But I believe it remains universally true that the great majority of people working in the legal professional in the United States are good, decent, hardworking people who try to do the best job they can everyday and do it for the right reasons. 

Those are the same goals that motivate Tom Berte.   

Norm: Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavors

Follow Here To Read Norm's Review of The Manipulator