“Open Bar”: The Novel So Close to the Truth, It Hurts

On release day for his new novel Open Bar, I sat down with my friend

Dan Schorr

—former sex crimes prosecutor and domestic violence prosecutor turned novelist—to talk about the real cases, cover-ups, and power plays that inspired his story.

Reading Open Bar hit me hard. So many scenes felt uncomfortably familiar—parallels to things I’ve witnessed firsthand in politics, government, and the intelligence community. The intimidation. The silencing. The quiet deals to protect the powerful. I’ve seen those play out in real time on a number of issues.

In our conversation, we talked about how institutions—from universities to corporations to governments—silence victims, reward abusers, and weaponize the law for retaliation. From Uber’s sexual assault cover-ups to political retaliation (think Donald Trump, Epstein files…) to sports at schools and universities…(like the amazing Alex Cooper, host of the Call Her Daddy podcast, who bravely shared in her documentary how her soccer dreams were crushed by abuse from her coach at Boston University), Dan’s seen a lot of these types of situations, and woven them into a thriller that feels all too real..because it is!

This isn’t just a conversation about a book. It’s a look inside the machinery that decides who gets protected, who gets destroyed, and why “legal” doesn’t always mean right.

Open Bar is out now. Trust me, you’ll read it and think, I know these people.

📚 Buy the book: Open Bar.

👉 Follow

Dan Schorr

Guys Don't Read Novels on Substack.

Thank you to everyone who tuned in live. Shout out to:

Wendy E

,

Farmers AGAINST Thumper

,

Judith Evans

,

Mama K

, and

Steve Sensenig

!

As you know, I’m intentional about the guests I bring on and the topics we cover. Your support means more than you’ll ever know. Stay tuned—more interviews are coming.