Paul Madriani #1

Compelling Evidence

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Sharp defense attorney Paul Madriani was on the rise with the firm of Potter, Skarpellos -- until a short-lived affair with Potter's wife cost him his job. Now, Potter's wife is accused of his murder -- and Paul is thrust back into the big time, as he uncovers secrets that may end his career -- and his life.

448 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1,1992

Series

This edition

Format
448 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published
January 1, 1993 by Jove
ISBN
9780515110395
ASIN
0515110396
Language
English
Characters More characters
  • Paul Madriani

    Paul Madriani

    A criminal attorney, first in Capital City, California (Sacramento), and then later in San Diego. The firm is Madriani and Hinds. He gets into investigative matters with a flair for the dangerous. He had been married but he and his wife Nikki are estrange...

About the author

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Steven Paul "Steve" Martini is an American writer of legal novels.

Community Reviews

Rating(4 / 5.0, 100 votes)
5 stars
33(33%)
4 stars
34(34%)
3 stars
33(33%)
2 stars
0(0%)
1 stars
0(0%)
100 reviews All reviews
April 16,2025
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I have read many of Grisham books and this was my first Steve Martini, and i must confess that i loved this book more than all the books i have read of this genre - legal fiction-so far. I loved the book more than even Presumed Innocent and Defending Jacob. I liked this book not less than Anatomy of a Murder by Robert Traver.

The book doesn't waste the pages in restaurant and bar which i often find in Grisham books insomuch abundance that it causes me severe indigestion next morning after late night partying with his books.

Full of court room action and court proceedings and sufficient humor kept me glued till the end.
Steve also some time explained the legal terms like 'hearsay', 'assumption of fact not in the evidence' pretty well so besides enjoyment it was also a sort of learning for me.

If one is more interested in court room action- i read legal fiction only for this reason alone- and not looking for much suspense and thrill, I will highly recommend this book.


April 16,2025
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"Compelling Evidence" is the first Paul Madriani courtroom drama, and you can see glimpses of the beginning evolution of Steve Martini as a superb writer. He very aptly describes, in a great deal of detail, the capital murder case of Talia Potter, from the arduous process of jury selection to the decisions that prosecutors and defense attorneys make in putting together and presenting their cases. Martini's subsequent novels do not have quite that level of detail, instead focusing more on character development. In "Compelling Evidence", Talia Potter is arrested and tried for the brutal murder of her wealthy, much older husband. Talia has carelessly left a trail of large breadcrumbs pointing to her multiple extramarital affairs and has a very weak alibi. Paul Madriani is lured into representing her, even though he himself has a bit of a sordid history with the widow. The facts of the case seem to point in a particular direction, yet Martini pulls a rabbit out of a hat for a surprising ending. It's a well-written book and a great introduction to the Paul Madriani series. I highly recommend it.
April 16,2025
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Great Old Fashioned Lawyer mystery

Really love the tone and the personal struggle of the lawyer. Not a whodunit, but good court room tension. Looking forward to the next in the series.
April 16,2025
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Compelling Evidence

Good story…a “page turner”. Just enough “intertwined” stories/plots that are all connected, to make it hard to put down. Attorney Paul Madriani is believable as an attorney, and is not some “super-hero” who walks on water in his spare time. He has “chinks in his armor”.
April 16,2025
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This book is not as good as the later books. I thought there was too much information about Paul's affair, too much detail that adds nothing to the book. The story is interesting, however the best parts are in the court room.
April 16,2025
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Listened to the book on tape read by Joe Mantegna. Listening to Joe Mantegna read was the only redeeming value to this book. Story was wooden with facts added in as after thought and contrived out of convenience to the writing.

April 16,2025
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I enjoyed it. I like a courtroom drama. I enjoyed him as a defense attorney. I thought the story was believeable. It was well read by the narrator.
April 16,2025
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I listened to this as an audio book loaned and downloaded as a mp3 from the library. I did not know I got the "abridged" version. It obviously was since it only took about four hours to listen to the thing. So my review is a little tainted in that way. With the shortness, it was really difficult to get a sense of the author's capabilities. However the story was good, with a nice trick ending, so I will be giving Steve Martini more opportunities to impress me later.
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