GOODBYE GIRL
(SWYTECK NO. 18)
l“You don’t need to already be a fan of the principled, idealistic Swyteck to read Goodbye Girl, but don’t be surprised if he becomes your new favorite legal eagle.”
- Apple Books Review
Inspired by the real-life drama between Taylor Swift and Scooter Braun and the author’s personal involvement in the epic courtroom battle for ownership of EMI Records, “Goodbye Girl” is a dark journey into the world of digital piracy, the virtual Wild West, where rivals resort to the deadliest of measures in a multi-billion-dollar war without end.
A contentious intellectual piracy case leads to an unsolved murder, and Jack Swyteck’s client—a pop music icon—is the accused killer.
Piracy costs the movie and music industry billions. No one has been able to stop it. But that won’t stop Miami criminal defense lawyer Jack Swyteck. His latest client, Imani Nichols, is a Grammy-winning popstar whose career has skyrocketed. Despite her success, she’s the most underpaid superstar on the planet because of an onerous record contract she signed as a teenager with her now ex-husband Shaky Nichols, who has made himself rich off her royalties.
Preferring to see thieves profit from her music than let her ex-husband pocket one more dime, Imani takes to social media and tells her millions of fans to “go pirate” and download her music illegally. Her hardball tactic leads to scorched-earth litigation, and now she needs Jack’s help.
The case takes a deadly turn when salacious allegations of infidelity send Imani and Shaky down a path of mutual assured destruction, each implicating the other in the unsolved murder of Imani’s extra-marital lover twelve years ago. Tyler McCormick died of asphyxiation, and his body was found in Biscayne Bay, chained to a piling with the words "goodbye girl" impressed on his chest. Despite their fierce denials, Imani and Shakey are both indicted for murder, leading to a sensational trial that exposes shocking secrets about their failed marriage, their cut-throat business partnership, and Imani’s astonishing success.
Yet as Jack discovers, uncovering the truth about the killing and the cryptic “goodbye girl” won’t just exonerate or convict his client, her ex, and their music empire. It may shape the future of the entire recording industry.
“This is the eighteenth Swyteck novel since The Pardon (1994), and it’s just as good as the rest. Grippando, who practiced law for several years before becoming a novelist, keeps coming up with complex and timely cases, and this one is first-rate.” — Booklist
“[A] whirlpool of murder, betrayal, and modern-day piracy” with “enough eye-popping plot developments for a miniseries.” - Kirkus Reviews
Goodbye Girl: Ten Years in the Percolator
Have you ever downloaded music or movies without paying for them? Digital piracy costs the entertainment industry billions. No one can stop it, and in that sense, Goodbye Girl is a dark journey into the virtual Wild West. The tag line for the novel reads “A contentious intellectual piracy case leads to an unsolved murder, and Jack Swyteck’s client—a pop music icon—is the accused killer.” It sounds like something out of today’s headlines. But the idea percolated in my head for more than a decade.
In 2010 I was one of the lawyers involved in an epic courtroom battle for ownership of EMI Records. EMI and its iconic labels have been home to countless recording stars, from Frank Sinatra and the Beatles to Bob Dylan and Mariah Carey. In 2007 EMI was acquired in a deal worth €5.9 billion, and the buyer sued, feeling cheated. A big part of EMI’s financial trouble was music piracy. It was killing the entire recording industry. Our legal team lost the trial, but with an inside look at the ravages of piracy, I came away thinking, “there has to be a novel here.”
Piracy and pop stars seemed like fertile ground, but I write legal thrillers, and I needed a place for Jack Swyteck in my story. Then came the real-life battle between Taylor Swift and Scooter Braun. Braun and his companies controlled the rights to Taylor Swift’s master recordings, which meant that he was in a better position than anyone to profit from her original catalogue. Swift then re-recorded her first six albums and told her millions of fans to buy “Taylor’s Version.” Brilliant.
With that, a story came to me. Jack Swyteck represents “Imani,” a fictional pop icon whose professional nemesis is her ex-husband. Imani would rather thieves profit from her music than let her ex-husband pocket the royalties. She doesn’t re-record her albums. Instead, she tells her fans to “Go Pirate!” A contentious legal battle ensues, and someone ends up dead. Imani has more legal problems than she can handle, and her lawyer, Jack, is at the center of the storm.
Was it the percolator (piracy) or the bolt of lightning (Taylor Swift’s brilliant business move) that inspired Goodbye Girl? Maybe a little bit of both.
