Loved it, didn't miss Paul Madriani at all

Good ending.

now i am hooked. This was such a great, easy and creative book. i was hooked after the first page.

The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.

i would highly recommend this author and this book.

Simply brilliant! Read for yourself if you don't believe me:)

I'm not really sure which category this story fits into. Maybe a thriller?

Anyway, I was expecting something a bit more b-grade for some reason....possibly the cover, ha. Although I guess this is more of a 3 and a half star, than a 4.

It moves along at a good pace, and it kept me guessing to the end. It gives hints to who the baddy might be. There were only a couple of dumb things that happens, which I consider to be sloppy writing. Possible spoiler - If you are being absolutely anal about locking something important up, but then just leave it lying on your desk one time. Come up with a half-way decent reason - I forgot because..., I was in such a hurry because of...., I was so out of my mind with fear, worry, lust, alcohol.... Pick one. They might be lame, but no less lame than, I left it out so the baddy could get it.

The premise of this book was just plain stupid. A published author who has average ability suddenly writes the best book ever written on this earth...Ever! How does that happen? Then she becomes convinced that no one will give it a chance since she isn't a publishing virgin, so she decides to find a good looking male to pretend he wrote the book...because that is the only way anyone will read it. There has to be a hunk on the cover. What? I don't know much about the world of publishing but this all just sounds like rubbish. Eventually the plot turns murderous and becomes even more ridiculous. After reading this I can see why there are book burnings.

Thriller - The title refers to the New York Times bestseller list, which Seattle lawyer and literary novelist Abby Chandlis hopes to climb with her novel. Abby's experience, however, has made her distrust publishers. She believes that her new book will get the recognition it deserves only if it's associated with a handsome male face. So she's marketing it under the pseudonym of "Gable Cooper" and winds up striking a deal with Jack Jermaine, elder son of a military family, to pose as the hunky writer. Abby finds that this kind of deceit has nasty side effects. Her home is trashed and her best friend, Theresa, is electrocuted by a rigged fuse box. Theresa's ex, a violent drunk, turns up underwater, while Abby's own ex, a weasely lawyer, comes sniffing, lured by the scent of Abby's money. Jermaine's handsome, "dangerous" looks and demeanor, meanwhile, drive up the price of the book and its sequel into the mid-six figures. In the heat of success, Abby and Jack's business arrangement turns to romance, but there are facts Abby doesn't know about her new partnership that could get her killed.

This one missed the mark for me for a number of reasons.
The premise should have been one that grabbed hold of me and didn't let go. Abby, an attorney, writes what she knows is going to be a blockbuster novel but chooses to publish under a nom de plume because she has learned that in the world of big time publishing, there are no second chances for an unknown writer. She decides to hire an actor to play the role of the author and off we go.
So where did it lose me? For starters, the sequence of events in which she settles on the man who is to portray the author seemed forced and highly improbable. Next came the gratuitous inclusion of a vicious abusive ex-husband who is stalking Abby's best friend Theresa. This was quite early in the narrative and believe me when I tell you that this aspect of the plot could have been omitted without a single impact on the rest of the story. So why did Martini subject the reader to graphic scenes of pain and violence against a helpless victim? Beats the heck out of me.
Not to mention the opening scene in which a freighter ship is sabotaged and sinks. This event appears to have no connection whatever to the rest of the story and in fact is just barely connected in the last twenty pages.
The fatal blow came when I realized that I knew who the bad guy was about 2/3 of the way through the book. I wasn't sure how it was all going to link together, but it was obvious to me.
This one gets a great big thumbs down from me.

First time I've read this author. May have gotten a little carried away with the rating of 5 stars because I just finished the book but the ending was really action packed.

To be honest, there were parts of the book which dragged a bit. Still, I plan to read others by the author.

The book is almost 20 years old and I found it in the back of my bookcase, all dusty and forlorn. I've been trying to read at least one book from my "unread" bookcase for every newer digital read I finish. I'm finding some real gems among the dust! Also found a copy of The Attorney. Will probably read the first one in this series soon.

Abby Chandlis had written and published three novels and they all died on the shelf. No publisher would touch her. Her latest novel was well worth touching... so she created a pen name and hired a male hunk to play the part of the lawyer. This story is a good tale but is a great look at the world of publishing.

Trama particolare con colpo di scena finale !

Steve Martini is one of my 2nd tier authors that probably deserves to be 1st tier. Grisham, Baldacci - even Clancy (despite years of waiting for another Hunt for Red October) - all occupy top shelf status, yet in reality, Martini has been every bit as consistent in producing solid thrillers as any of the aforementioned hit makers.

"The List" is one of those good solid hits. After writing what she is sure is a best seller, attorney and author, Abby Chandlis, decides to do the unthinkable by "creating" an author for the book just as flashy and fantastic as the novel. But, Ms. Chandlis would have done well to remember her gothic literature. Like Dr. Frankenstein, Abby could not control her monster.

She hires mysterious and gorgeous Jack Jermaine to play her romantic author, Cable Cooper. When the book hits "The List," all goes awry and things get dangerous quick.Abby must run for her life and to the one person she can trust to prove she actually wrote the book at all.