A nicely written story about the defense of a security person charged with murder. The courtroom scenes were exceptionally vibrant and engrossing.

In Double Tap, attorney Paul Madriani represents a former Delta Force operative, Emiliano Ruiz, being accused of murder of a CEO of a high tech company. The CEO is a beautiful woman who he had an affair with, and her company develops software for the government. This software is being used by the government in an anti-terrorist effort. It does so by cyber snooping on anyone who goes on government websites. She was killed by two bullets delivered in double tap fashion, something that only a highly capable marksman like Ruiz would be capable of delivering.

I liked how prescient this novel was, going into areas like the government illegally snooping on private citizens, which has been in the news in recent days with the NSA scandal. Even though I’m not a big conspiracy theorist, the ones in this novel were right on the money. As far as legal thrillers go, this was well done. The client was behind the eight ball throughout the case, as the evidence stacked against him was pretty hard to overcome. Madriani showed good legal acumen as he navigated through the case. Ruiz comes off as sympathetic because it is pretty clear to the reader that he didn’t commit the murder and has a strong ethical code. This is one of the better legal thrillers I have read and would recommend it.

Carl Alves – author of Blood Street

This is a great mystery with some interesting legal wrangling. A military marksman is accused of killing his former employer. All along, Paul Madriani and his partner Harry Hinds feel as if they've been lied to by their own client, and in some ways they have.

Martini does a great job of showing conflict between lawyer and client.. He also spends a lot of time behind the scenses of a crime. Characterization is sometimes weak, but this one was a good mystery and one of those that you take a minute when you finish and say "I should have solved that!" It is really cool when we see that the clues were there all along..

Gave up on this book about halfway through. For some reason, I never got hooked, didn't care much about the characters, and I thought there wasn't much pace or tension. I don't know why. I rarely give up on a book, especially once I've gotten halfway or farther. Maybe a product of getting old and realizing life is getting too short to waste on books you don't enjoy.

Nothing personal, Mr. Martini. I'll try your debut novel some day.

"Tak perlu tipuan untuk melakukan tembakan beruntun yang dikenal dengan tembakan ganda atau double tap. Kuncinya adalah menembak tepat sasaran dengan peluru pertama. Kau tak perlu mengatur bidikan lagi untuk tembakan kedua. Kau hanya perlu mengaturnya sekali dan menarik pelatuknya dua kali berturut-turut dengan cepat – dor, dor. Seperti itu." – halaman 171

Madelyn Chapman, pemilik perusahaan piranti lunak yang ternama, Isotenics, Inc., ditemukan tewas di kediamannya. Dua peluru bersarang di kepalanya menandakan penembaknya merupakan seorang yang ahli dan terlatih. Dua motif yang muncul adalah pencurian barang berharga dengan bukti hilangnya benda seni kaca dan kecemburuan mantan kekasih. Motif terakhir membaca Emilliano Ruiz, mantan pengawal pribadi Chapman, menjadi tersangka utama. Selain faktor kedekatan khusus dengan korban yang terekam oleh kamera pengawas, Ruiz cocok dengan bukti senjata yang ditemukan petugas olah TKP dan dia tidak punya alibi di hari pembunuhan.

Paul Madriani dan rekannya Harry Hinds menjadi pengacara Ruiz, menggantikan Dale Kendal yang mengundurkan diri secara misterius. Madriani dan Hinds mencoba mengorek keterangan dari Ruiz untuk bisa menangkis benang merah yang mengaitkannya dengan aksi tembakan ganda tersebut. Tapi Ruiz selalu menghindari pertanyaan-pertanyaan mengenai latar belakang kehidupannya di kemiliteran. Dia hanya bisa menyatakan bahwa dia tidak membunuh Chapman. Madriani bisa mengerti hal tersebut karena dia punya paman bernama Evo yang pernah masuk ke bidang tersebut dan kesulitan keluar dari bayang-bayang dan mimpi buruk yang menghantuinya.

Menjelang persidangan yang menarik perhatian banyak media, Madriani dan Hinds bekerja semakin keras mengumpulkan bukti-bukti, memeriksa berkas dari Isotenics dan meminta keterangan dari orang-orang terkait. Mereka mulai menyadari proyek rahasia yang ditanganin Chapman sebelum meninggal bisa menjadi motif utama pembunuhan terhadapnya. Selain itu mereka harus berhadapan dengan pengacara pengugat, Lawrence K. Templeton yang selalu sukses menangani kasus besar. Pengacara berbadan mungil itu menjadi batu sandungan besar untuk tim pembela Madriani.

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Aku masih kesal dengan hurufnya yang tercetak begitu kecil, tapi aku menikmati kasus pembunuhan dan persidangan di Double Tap - Tembakan Ganda yang menarik dan tentunya menegangkan. Dengan membaca bab perbab dengan jeda waktu 24 jam, aku bisa meresapi ceritanya lebih lama, menghafal nama karakter dan posisi mereka dan mengingat setiap bukti baru yang muncul. Di cerita seperti ini, pembaca pasti menebak-nebak siapa pembunuh sebenarnya. Aku juga begitu. Tebakanku selalu berubah seiring munculnya karakter atau bukti baru yang membuat penyelidikan semakin rumit. Tebakanku akhirnya salah besar. Itu tidak membuatku kecewa, malah membuatku terkagum-kagum dengan kemampuan penulis dalam mengecoh pembacanya.

Selain menikmati main ‘tebak-tebak pembunuh’, aku juga suka dengan bagian persidangannya. Proses pengumpulan bukti, prasidang, sidang dari pihak mengugat, sidang dari pihak pembela dan dakwaan diceritakan begitu rinci. Awalnya sih memang membosankan, apalagi kalau pertanyaan-pertanyaan yang dikeluarkan oleh pengacara ke para saksi sedikit berputar-putar sebelum menembak ke topik utama. Tapi ternyata begitu lah prosesnya.

Baca review selengkapnya di sini -- http://dhynhanarun.blogspot.com/2014/...

Good read but I struggled with it at times keeping the characters straight. Great ending.

An interesting read. A very good thriller.

Boo. Bad.

Hated every word. Amateurish. Boring. Total waste of time. Boo. Awful. Disgusting. Why would anyone read this disgusting crap. Makes “Humpty Dumpty” seem like great literature.

Mystery series - Martini gets off the blood soaked trail from his previous two books and gets back to courtroom drama (which I enjoy more). It does start off with the murder of a female billionaire who disappears quickly after the first chapter. A former Delta Force soldier is framed for the murder. Madriani is up against a reluctant defendant, a powerful government and a tech company with a lot to hide.
No Canadian or pharmacy references.

Was good, his best writing yet, nice pacing, story development. Keep on going.

Nmkt library.

A Great Page Turner

This story has all the makings of sex, lies, indiscretions, corporate espionage, military cover-ups, high-tech intrigue, political finagling and a mysterious art glass. An enigmatic combatant charged with killing a prominent businessperson, whose company has ties with the Defense Department, is the backdrop for this highly explosive story. The pre-trial scenario and courtroom drama expose the lengths people will go to maintain power. With its twists, turns, and conspiracy theories, the interactions among the central characters, will lead to a bombshell conclusion with an underlining forewarning: Personal information is no longer private.

Martini sets his mysteries in the context of contemporary issues. This one followed the protagonist through an emotional morass of conflicting loyalties set against a background of a Supreme Court Appointment. "The Jury" used genetic modification research, and "Double Tap" software to secretly spy on the entire American public. He's a good writer and the books generally move along -- he gets bogged down in the courtroom sometimes -- but the resolution always comes from a more traditional motive such as jealousy, revenge or greed.