If you're looking for great literature...look elsewhere, but for what this is, and is obviously designed to be...a pulp legal thriller, it is quite nicely done, with a nice little, but not totally unexpected, twist at the end. Gee, does anyone else think Paul Madriani could be a pseudonym for Steve Martini?

Don’t know who was “first”, Grisham or Martini, but grateful to have another author to turn to when I just have that “need” to settle in with a lawyer novel! Tight courtroom story, with a believable twist. Very much in the pattern of Grisham’s earlier books but with more focus on the case than the lawyer. Likely to read more of this author.

A good Paul Madriani court room drama. This is well written and has a small surprise ending (I was able to guess the ending). Keeps your interest throughout and gets better as it moves along. Recommended to fans of adult courtroom dramas.

Paul Madriani is a competent criminal defense attorney with Potter & Skarpellos, a prestigious law firm. He has an affair with Talia Potter, his boss's attractive wife. He resigns from the company after being confronted by his employer, Ben Potter. Paul now works on his own at the office of Harry Hinds, his senior partner. Harry Hinds is a former criminal defense attorney who has retired from practice about 20 years ago. Ben Potter is a candidate for Washington's High Court nomination. However, he is murdered before his nomination is officially announced. After being initially ruled out as a suicide, his wife is indicted and arrested as new facts emerge. Talia's Preliminary Hearing before the actual Trial goes horribly wrong. Paul agrees to represent her in Superior Court. Despite the expected outcome of the trial, the revelation of the killer's identity in the climax is a great surprise. 'Compelling Evidence' is a cleverly plotted, suspenseful and gripping courtroom thriller. TREMENDOUS NOVEL.

A great storyline keeping the reader guessing until the very end who the guilty party was in a murder mystery with compelling evidence pointing at more than one suspect.

An old one, but still good.

(1st in Madriani series) Great court room drama. Bad ending.
"In the gripping tradition of Presumed Innocent, Compelling Evidence is a courtroom drama of epic proportions. Mesmerizing in its pace, captivating in its action, this story will hold the listener right up to its final verdict and shocking conclusion. Defense attorney Paul Madriani was on the rise with the firm of Potter and Skarpellos until a short-lived affair with Potter's wife cost him his job. Now, Potter's wife is accused of murdering her husband, and Paul is forced to uncover secrets that may end his career - and his life."

I was dragging myself through the first three chapters until the plot really started to flow, and then I could not put it down! The courtroom exchange between lawyers was something akin to Perry Mason from Gardner. I finished the book in two setting and I am off in search of another Martini novel. He has definitely grabbed my attention.

A really good legal-murder-mystery. A young wife is accused of murdering her husband. Attorney Paul Mandriani is hired to defend her. Complication: The murdered husband is his former boss AND the accused young wife is Paul's former lover. Some great characters, that I'll enjoy reading about in future books of this series. The ending was a complete suprise.

From Follett: Paul Madriani, a brilliant criminal defense lawyer, had a once promising career with a prestigious law-firm, until an ill judged affair with the senior partner Ben Potter's wife led to his resignation. Now he scrambles for work amid the ghosts of his doomed affair and the remains of a failing marriage. Then Potter is found dead, an apparent suicide. But as details come to light, the case turns from suicide to murder and the needle of suspicion points towards the victim's seductive wife, Talia Potter. Indicted and arrested, Talia turns to Paul, her former lover, to defend her against the mounting evidence in a case that for her could result in the gas chamber

I had read this book out of curiosity. I didn't like the story because it was boring to slog through at times. I thought the novel was boring and a little dull. It was not a favorite.

Is this a 5 star book?

I was torn between 4 and 5 stars. Early in the book I was thinking this was a 3 but it soon grew on me. As said in another review - stick with the pacing - there are times it seemed like the story was stuck. But it ended with an interesting conclusion. I will read the next book to see how this series continues.