Attorney Paul Madriani is in the thick of things again. Defending his sister-in-law while knocking heads with detectives and prosecutors with vengeance on their mind. We follow the investigation and the trial, intricately woven together, to tidy and unexpected turn of events in the last chapters.
I am really enjoying this series !

I really enjoyed this book about Paul's sister-in-law Laurel. I found it to have a lot of different scenarios that could have taken place and Mr. Martini kept me turning the pages to see who really killed Melanie.
I didn't care for Melanie all that much and thought she perhaps was a gold digger. There were some comical moments when Jack Vega took the stand and Laurel made her comments. I could definitely see this happening even though your attorney has coached you to show no emotion or to have outbursts in court.
I am going to read more by this author as I really enjoy the courtroom drama that takes place. It is not so much the investigation side, but the actual scenes in the courtroom that I really enjoy.
I am giving this 5 out of 5 stars and can't wait to read the next one.

Good, but complicated

This Paul Madriani book has been my favorite in terms of his personal character, but it's definitely been the most difficult to follow from a legal standpoint. At one point you have at least 5 court cases interwoven. (That you are aware of!)
Still a great book.

Fantastic!! To me this book beats John Grisham. A courtroom drama. This I found from my public library used books. What a hit!! He has put in several twists and turns. I have already put 4 of his books on hold. Let's just hope he keeps his good writing ..... 15 of 5 stars.

I am now firmly in Martini's camp. This was an exciting, can't-put-it-down, reading experience. It's on to the next book once I've calmed down.

Way to much filler. Was half way through the book and was wishing it was done. I did finish it, but unsure I will read another book by this author.

MADRIANI FOR THE DEFENSE

It's been quite awhile since I read a really good courtroom drama and, revisiting Steve Martini's recurring character, Paul Madriani, was the perfect way to get back into the melee. Since I refer to myself as a RIO, (someone who reads series "in the order in which they were written"), this was officially the third book I've read in this series. I think I have to say that it was the best of the three thus far which is always promising. I love it when an author gets better and better. There's nothing worse than a great debut book followed by a good sophomore book and then going downhill from there. I can already see that this will not be the case with Martini. I had about 160 pages left to go in this book very late last night and refused to go to bed until I had finished it -- clearly the sign of a great book in my estimation.

Every other review has pretty much given a synopsis of the storyline but, in one sentence, Madriani is defending his sister-in-law who has been accused of murdering her ex-husband's new, much younger, very pregnant, wife. Curiously enough, on the first page of this book, attorney Paul Madriani is thinking about his recently deceased wife Nikki and the promises he made to her before her death. Right away I'm thinking....did I miss something? She wasn't even ill in Prime Witness, the second book in the series. I guess Martini didn't like the way that marriage was unfolding so he gave her cancer. Bad for Nikki but actually better for the reader as Madriani is much better as a single father trying to take care of his young daughter Sarah in the evening while saving the lives of his defendants during the day. As a widower, this opens the door to some romantic dalliances, which adds another interesting layer to the main character's life.

As in his previous books, Madriani still seeks the help of another attorney Harry Hind. These two make quite a good pair and I enjoy the way Harry handles things. If there's such a thing as a good lawyer, bad lawyer routine, Harry and Paul have this market cornered. Paul Madriani seems to be such a nice guy and is very adept at his job but there's always someone who has it in for him with some vendetta or another. In this book it's police officer Jimmy Lama, who makes it his business to throw roadblocks in the way providing some stumbling blocks for Paul as he makes his way towards unraveling this case.

This series comes highly recommended by me. My only complaint with this book, and it's a minor one, is that Martini had the ending neatly tied up with quite a twist and I was very satisfied with it. In a matter of two or three pages, he fools the reader by throwing in yet another twist, one I wasn't particularly fond of and one I found unnecessary. Just my humble opinion, but come on Steve, how do you expect us to feel about this character in future books?

Love courtroom drama!

Definitely read.

The book moved st a good pace and keeps you engaged. The courtroom scene is one of the better ones I have read. The ending is a surprise.

This is the second time I've read this book and, after reading an earlier review I wrote a few years ago here, I find the same points.

First, in my opinion, Steve Martini is the best courtroom fiction writer out there. His trial writing is excellent. He includes thoughts of Paul Madriani so the reader can get into why certain questions are asked and the psychology of it all. It's really interesting. Also, and this may be a put-off for some, he writes in first-person, present-tense, which I think is great in these novels.

He's comparable to John Lescroart, who writes the best legal stuff out there. The plot is three-dimensional, his characters are fun (Harry Hinds is great), and the story moves along well.

One weird thing I noticed is Martini's habit of writing how people "make faces" when they think or respond. At first it was okay. But then it gets overly noticeable. Everyone makes a face when questions, perplexed, thinking or reacting. There are at least 30 or so reference to faces being made. I'm not sure if he does this in the other novels in this series.

Also, the ending is out there. After reading 457 pages of a murder and subsequent trial, it's wrapped up in a stunner ending in the last 5 pages. I guess it was a way to solve the case, but .. wow. I remember reading his first book way back when in the mid 1990s and being blown away by it. This is a good series, although later, it changes from good ol' murder defense stories to conspiracies that lead Madriani to saving his town, the country and the world. I've not read the later stuff, but may do so eventually just to see. I may make a face while reading it.

If you like courtroom dramas this book is for you. I had heard of Steve Martini for several years and finally got around to reading one of his when bookbub found this one for $1.99. It feels a little lengthy but it delivers - courtroom suspense with a surprise ending. Not bad.

I enjoyed this book. Martini’ s writing is reminiscent of earlier works by Scott Turow and Richard North Paterson. I look forward to reading more of Martini’s books