Great story

I liked the characters and the plot twists. I also liked the humor Steve Martini injects in his ingenious prose.

An obviously seasoned writer. I love his packed sentences. Simply told, they paint a quick picture. His first chapter captures the reader from the pov of the protagonist. A couple things: he's lost his beloved wife; he plays it down; he has a daughter named Nikki, he's attracted to this woman he's meeting for lunch, the Chief Deputy Counsel for Capital County, Lenore Goya but he doesn't do anything about it. She saved his life once; he tries to be cool, to leave a good impression. You're rooting for him already. He sets her up for his reader, there is no slack in the storytelling. At the end of the chapter, they flirt; she asks him to help her - a friend - a police officer 'in some difficulty'. That tension carries on every time they meet.

I have to quote a description, I love it so much: Here's the Judge, himself. "Armando Acosta wold have excelled in another age: Scenes of some dimly lit stone cavern with iron shackles pinioned to the walls come to mind. Visions of flickering torches, the odor of lard thick in the air, as black-hooded men, hairy an darrel-chested, scurry about with implements of pain, employed at his command. The 'Coconut' is a man with bad timing. He missed his calling with the passing of the Spanish Inquisition."

I picked up an old paperback; water stained, debuted in 1996. I just knew it would be goo

Duh to me. I read this last year and forgot to enter it, I guess. That put me one book closer to reaching my goal. All I need to do is find a couple of more I forgot to enter and I get the big award for meeting my goal. Big Award. I want my big award.

Always a good read by Steve Martini. His style of writing keeps one entertained. The twists and turns always there. The end disappoints though, again the DA did it?

A fantastic and extremely well written legal mystery.

Slow burn with a lackluster end. Maybe if you like courtroom dramas more than I do, you'll like it but it's not for a casual reader. It does have good pacing and it doesn't drown you in unnecessary detail. So, that's a plus.

I really enjoyed this action packed book. I enjoy legal thrillers and this one did not disappoint. There's many twists and turns in this book which keep the reader wanting to learn more about what is happening. I hope to read more by this author.

Good storyline. (The characters were confusing- sometimes referring to them by their last name and then to their first name. Too many characters.)

California attorney Paul Madriani becomes the defense attorney for Judge Armando Acosta who has been busted for soliciting an undercover vice operative found murdered and left in a dumpster.
The judge claims it is a set up and linked to a grand jury he has overseen that has been looking at a possible police cover-up of a different murder.
Assistant DA Lenore Goya is fired by DA Coleman Kline as she starts into the case herself and she then moves questionably to head up Acosta's defense. The DA’s seems obsessive in his pursuit of the judge. Lenore's fingerprint is found at the murder scene and she's forced off the case which in effect forces Paul to step in. More on this at
https://connectedeventsmatter.com/blo...

Paul Madriani is hired by Judge Acosta who has been accused of soliciting a prostitute. Realizing that he and the judge have certainly not liked each other much, he still works to defend him. Then the woman is murdered and now he wonders if the judge is guilty of both crimes. The police in Capital City have elements in it that are out of control and that fact also enters into the case. The first part of the novel has characters coming out all over the place but when the judge's trial begins the story moves along swiftly. Madriani comes up with all kinds of case solving ideas which turn out to be interesting but do the job. A good series.

From my previous list- audiobook

Excellent read! thriller,plot twist of a storyline...good to the very last page (paperback!)