The Judge (A Paul Madriani Novel) - Softcover

Steve Martini worked as a newspaper reporter in Los Angeles and as a capital correspondent at the state house in Sacramento, California. An honors graduate at the University of California at Santa Cruz, Mr. Martini holds his law degree from the University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law. He has written widely on the law and politics, having covered both state and federal courts, the state legislature, and the administrations of governors Ronald Reagan and Jerry Brown. In 1984 Martini turned his talents to fiction, quickly earning positions on bestseller lists and garnering both critical and popular praise for his New York Times–bestselling novels, including The Simeon Chamber, Compelling Evidence, Prime Witness, Undue Influence, The Judge, The List, Critical Mass, The Attorney, The Jury, and The Arraignment. Mr. Martini lives on the West Coast.

Here comes the Judge?in handcuffs, and it's the job of California defense attorney Paul Madriani to save him from prison in this riveting new thriller from Martini (Undue Influence). Judge Armando Acosta is busted for soliciting an undercover vice operative; perhaps not coincidentally, the autocratic judge currently is in charge of a grand jury probing possible police cover-up of murder. Complications immediately pile up. Assistant DA Lenore Goya, whom Paul hankers after, is fired by DA Coleman Kline and crosses lines to head up Acosta's defense; Coleman pursues the judge with unexpected ferocity. Then Lenore's fingerprint is found at the murder scene and she's forced off the case, in effect forcing Paul, who has suffered courtroom run-ins with Acosta, to step in. Nearly all the subsequent action takes place in court or offices as we follow the intricacies of the trial, including rollercoaster swoops through jury selection, evidence and testimony. Paul, who narrates in the present tense, as he has other Martini novels, once again proves a sophisticated, good-humored hero who tells a suspenseful tale, right up to the perfectly satisfying climax. Even the loose ends he trails behind feel right. Legal thrillers don't get much better than this. Major ad/promo; Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club main selection; Mystery Guild selection.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.