For you fans of the Madriani protagonist, you won't be dissappointed. This book should've been Martini's best, however the metaphors are more numerous than usual and Martini's insistence on surprising endings gets in the way. If an editor was more involved on this manuscript, you, the reader, would get reddened eyes from non-stop reading.

This book promised many twists and turns, and it delivered. I was stunned at the ending. The courtroom drama (and legal procedures) were quite entertaining. In addition, the action and adventure of the pre-trial investigation, complete with bombs and bullets, had me turning the pages in rapid succession. My only complaint was how the ending left the problem that some of the events were extremely coincidental - would have been much nicer if they had all been truly related in some "cause and effect" manner. In other words, it left me feeling that the hero of our story was very lucky.

I'm turning into a 'lawyer-novel-junkie'. This is the first novel I've read by Martini, and I will be reading more in the future. If his other books are anything close to this one, I look forward to spending a lot more enjoyable and suspence filled hours. I felt that Martini does a good job in providing the reader with 'clues' along the way. Pay attention and you'll feel a level of satisfaction that you were able to guess 'who dunnit' about the time that Martini wraps up all the loose ends. Great book!

I just finished reading The Judge by Steve Martini. I checked the book out of the local library on the advice of a friend. I had a hard time getting into the first four of five chapters and thought perhaps it wasn't going to be any good. But my friend assured me that if I stayed with it, I'd become fixated with it. He was right. I couldn't put it down. I could kick myself for not being aware it was a television movie and I missed it. That's what I get for being a reader instead of a tv watcher. I can only attest that if the movie was anywhere as good as the book, I would have thoroughly enjoyed it. Martini's style of writing is a little different and it took me a while to get used to it. But once I finally was "fixated" on the story, then I didn't seem to notice it any longer. Attorney Paul Madriani is truly the kind of attorney a client hopes to find for representation. Martini proves his character to be full of intelligence and wit in a world where attorney's have to stay on their toes. Only a master of story-telling could have written such a story, unless of course, Martini might be drawing on real life experiences. I have already checked out another novel by Martini, The Attorney. I can't wait to get started on it.

Great characters and a great plot. wow what an ending! I had to read all of it until I ended it. I simply could not put it down! Great plotting through out this great legal thriller. Grisham better look over his shoulder. Martini is simply a great Rival in legal thriller writing! The beginning is what I am looking for and the middle is perfect. The best part is when they put the judge on trial. The greatest work by Martini. warning: Don't start this on any weekend if you plan to read this book all week long. start it on a week day and plan to end it on a weekend!!

If you are a fan of 'Legal Thriller' books, and have NOT readSteve Martini, NOW is the time to get to know attorney Paul Madriani.Like most people I enjoy Grisham -- however NOBODY writes a better clear-cut legal thriller than Martini. I first caught the bug with 'Compelling Evidence' and I've been hooked. I'm not a big fan of novels written in 'first person' but I don't mind it in this case because of how GOOD Martini's writing style is. And 'The Judge' is Martini at his best. I LOVED THIS BOOK. I can't say it any better than that. And the ending, what a GREAT way to wrap up a story. I DO recommend reading the earlier Paul Madriani novels before getting into this one, however it DOES stand on its own, but one of the characters is developed in the earlier books to the point where you appreciate the situation Paul is in better if you 'know' his relationship with the murder suspect from the other novels. Even though, don't put off reading this story. Legal thrillers don't get any better than this. And Grisham's talent notwithstanding, Martini's least entertaining legal thriller is superior to anything Grisham has written -- and that isn't to say I DISLIKE Grisham, it just shows how MUCH I enjoy Martini. Give it a shot, and thank me later (I KNOW you will). Let me know what you think, e-mail me and tell me what YOU thought of the book. I welcome positive AND negative responses, although I can't IMAGINE someone NOT completely enjoying this book. Enjoy.

I was never a fan of Steve Martini, and, unfortunately or not, I will not be one after having listened to this audio adaptation. Now, sometimes bad audio versions of book can be due to the ineptness of the reader. But Joe Mantegna's reading was full of energy and nuance, what there was available. I believe the problem lies within the source material. Martini has committed the cardinal sin of courtroom thrillers--he's made them boring.

This was my first Steve Martini book. The book is about Paul Madriani, a divorced criminal trial lawyer, who had an affair with Talia, his boss' wife, and was eventually let go from the firm. He is on his own when Ben, his former boss, is brutally murdered and Talia is accused of the crime. He defends her in court.

The storyline behind this courtroom thriller is absolutely fantastic. It took about 100 pages for the book to get really interesting, but once the story took off, I couldn't let go of the book. I can't wait to read one of his other books and I hope you enjoy 'Compelling Evidence' as much as I did.

Paul Madriani, the protagonist, abruptly left the law firm of Potter, Skarpellos three years ago when Ben Potter discovered that Paul was doing motel briefs with Ben's vivacious wife, Talia. As the story opens, Ben, on his initiative, meets with Madriani for the first time since Paul left the firm. First, they discuss the disposition of Paul's terminated affair with Talia, and agree never to mention it again. Then, Ben reveals that his being selected to fill a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court will be announced soon, and invites Paul to take over administration of an important trust fund since Ben will not have time for this responsibility in his new position. Paul accepts and they agree to meet again for dinner the following night to discuss the details.

Shortly before the appointed hour for their next meeting, however, Ben supposedly blows away the top of his head with a shotgun. No one really believes that Ben Potter killed himself though, and sure enough, we learn that not a shotgun, but a small caliper pistol like the one Talia owns was the true murder weapon. Guess what! Talia is charged with murder and Paul Madriani, assisted by "tell it like it is" Harry are her lawyers.

The drama unfolds with manageable twists, turns and surprises. The cops and the DA seemed convinced that Talia did it, but the reader is soon convinced that she's innocent, so the story has a "whodunit" element along with the courtroom drama. Martini sets his story in "Capital City" in an unnamed State, which I suspect allows him to mix and match actual legal rules and proceedings from different jurisdictions to suit his plot and courtroom activity. This is not obtrusive, at least for a non-lawyer.

It's a satisfying read; something to do while your waiting for the next Grisham novel.

With the publication of "Critical Mass," Steve Martini joins the ranks of other authors, who have built up a solid following and then has dissapointed all or most of them by publishing a type of novel that he does not have nearly enough expertize in to have it turn out to be a good read. Kurt Vonnegut was the first to do this, followed by Stephen King, Grisham and most recently (and sadly) Dean Koontz. Just because they can have anything (even their grocery list) published on the strength of their name on the front cover, these authors have abandonned the type of writing that brought them fame, and decided to publish "the kind of story they always wanted to do (but cannot do well)." Critical Mass lacks the keen insight Martini has into the legal process, and though one of the protagonists *is* a lawyer, we only get to see her doing battle with the legal system for a few pages. Then she becomes another Clancy-esqe character. Please don't try to be Tom Clancy, Steve; just be Steve Martini. You do that wonderfully.

The story is gripping. Many twists and a surprise ending. Unlike Grisham, who writes complex stories with too many characters for me to keep track of, Martini keeps down on the number of characters and still makes the story compelling to read. Although the main character is a woman, it's the kind of book men would like as well. In fact, I mailed it to my brother -- and I've never given him a book to read before. I know he'll absolutely enjoy it. I'm also recommending Critical Mass to female friends. Get a copy.

Joss Cole is happy to have left the rat race as a Los Angeles public defender for the serene Puget Sound area. Her cases are no brainers until a group of local fishermen come down with a strange illness that Joss feels is industrial related.

However, Joss' new found tranquillity is abruptly disrupted when Dean Belden provides her a ton of cash to help him incorporate an electronics business. The next time Joss sees Dean he arrives at her office holding a federal subpoena. Before Joss can learn what happened to her client, he dies in an explosion. Within a few hours of Dean's death, unknown assailants try to kill Joss. Later on, a nuclear expert comes to the island searching for two missing nuclear devices, which Joss concludes is what led to the ailment of the fishermen. Now all she has to do is find the devices before they are used against America.

CRITICAL MASS is Steve Martini at his most exciting best. The novel is a taut chiller that should please anyone who enjoys a non-stop, action-packed thriller. Readers of this novel will have the impetus of perusing Mr. Martini's previous tales (see THE LIST and UNDUE INFLUENCE, etc.) because all of this writer's novels will be judged as compelling evidence on how great of an author Mr. Martini truly is.

Harriet Klausner

This is our third Martini -- er, the author's books that is. We enjoyed "Simeon Chamber" (his first outing), but felt the "List" was too dry and set too sluggish a pace for our taste. We tried the "Attorney" to see if the defense attorney Paul Madriani series, which now has some half dozen entries, might be more entertaining. Alas, a rather mundane plot gets us off to a lackluster start -- Jonah Hale's granddaughter Amanda, of whom he has legal custody, is kidnapped by her recent ex-con natural mother, with the help of a feminist activist, Zolanda Suade, who specializes in skirting the law and resisting the Establishment. Hale hires Madriani (instead of an private eye?), but little more happens until some 100 pages later, when Suade is discovered murdered. Hale is arrested on a fairly extensive list of evidence that points to him, coupled with his incentive, motive, and opportunity. At that point, Paul switches into the true mode of defending his client, with some helpers (and some inside scoop from his lady friend, director of Child Protective Services). Some reasonably interesting courtroom scenes follow as first the accused is arraigned without bail and then actually tried for the murder.

Near the end, in what we thought was a somewhat unfair plot development, Hale suffers a heart attack, suspending the trial. While he's hospitalized, a new Mexican drug-runner-type villain surfaces, who has been hunted half-heartedly through the book, and sheds enough doubt on the case that for all practical purposes the prosecution is motivated to declare a mistrial and not bother with a second go-round. A twist at the end tells us readers who the perp actually was.

This novel is sort of like a car running a 300-mile car race in first gear for 100 miles, second gear for 280 miles, and then a mad dash to the finish line without realizing one is 50 laps behind -- hardly a compelling run. Such is the nature of this book; while Madriani is a nice enough guy, the plot lacked zest and suspense, nor could the court scenes seize the moment "Perry Mason"-style. In fact, we're thinking maybe a third martini cocktail might be more fun!

Attorney Paul Madriani has recently moved to San Diego and set up his law practice with his partner Harry. He moved to San Diego to be closer to the woman in his life, Susan, but little does he know the trouble Susan will cause. One of his first clients in San Diego is Jonah Hale, an elderly man who won millions in the state lottery. He is the grandfather of Amanda, the 8-year-old who Jonah and his wife have been raising. Jonah's absent daughter Jessica suddenly becomes interested in parenting Amanda after Jonah wins the lottery. Jonah refuses to discuss shared custody, so Jessica resorts to Zo Suade, a militant anti-men activist who helps women abduct their children from the custodian. With Suade's help, Jessica abducts Amanda from Jonah. Jonah hires Madriani to help find his granddaughter. Suddenly there is a dead body to contend with, and Jonah is the prime suspect. Madriani must race against time to save Amanda from the drug lords who are hunting down her mother, and keep Jonah out of jail before he succumbs to an illness. This book is full of suspense, and a fun read. However, the climax comes very late in the book, and the last four or five chapters are a fast-paced attempt at tying up the loose ends and solving the mystery. I would have preferred if Martini had spread the last few chapters out more, but the "who done it" finale is superb - you may guess who did it, but not why and how.

Steve Martini has finally returned to his Paul Madriani series and not a moment too soon. Paul, and his law partner, Harry Hinds, are two of the most endearing characters in any legal thriller. While "The Attorney" does not measure up to previous Martini books like "Undue Influence", it is still a worthwhile read.

Paul and his daughter move to southern California to be closer to Paul's new girlfriend, and Harry follows to set up a new practice there. Paul is soon retained by Jonah Hale to help find Jonah's granddaughter who was snatched from his custody by Jonah's daughter. What seems to be a clear-cut, if not easily resolved case soon escalates to murder and Paul decides to represent Jonah in court.

There are excellent descriptions of Paul's southern California locale, right down to certain street names. This tediousness detracts from the action somewhat. But like some of the other reviews noted, the killer is quite obvious less than halfway through the book. It is a mystery (excuse the pun) why a writer as skilled as Martini would give a clue as to the killer's identity that all but reaches out and slaps the reader across the face. This aside, "The Attorney" is tightly paced thriller that is suspenseful despite knowing who the killer is early on in the book. Martini is a writer that is among the ranks of Scott Turow and Richard North Patterson, and it is good to finally see him returning to the legal thriller genre where he writes best.

We have yet to try Martini's acclaimed defense attorney Paul Madriani series; like his first book, The Simeon Chamber, this one is a thriller with the lead character a lawyer, but little or no lawyering goes on. Instead, a prologue sets the stage for the danger-laced tale of Abby Chandlis, a published but obscure part-time author/lawyer, who somehow writes what she knows might be a best seller. Most of the book is about her earning millions for her "first" novel and related movie rights and sequel intentions, all confused because she hires a "beefcake"-type guy to pose as the winning author under the {awful} pseudonym of Grable Cooper. Her stand-in, Jack Jermaine, wows and charms all, including Abby; yet Abby's long-time friend and personal attorney, Morgan Spencer, who is handling the copyrights and stand-in contracts, is concerned enough to spend most of the book digging up dirt on Jermaine. Added to this complex tale are the murders of Abby's girl-friend ostensibly by her half-crazy abusive husband; then his murder by persons unknown; then Abby's ex-husband, probably by Jermaine. By the end of the book, the pace is hectic, our brains are swimming with clues, and Abby dodges death several times over, leading to a very neat ending that we suspect will catch most readers quite by surprise.

Our only gripe is that this story is a bit like an Indy 500 run mostly under a yellow flag. It's slow to accelerate and toddles along in low gear for 2/3 the tale. The book publishing information was somewhat interesting but didn't really add to the pace of the mystery. Judging by the fact that it took us two weeks to finish what would normally take a couple of afternoons, just be ready for a watched pot that takes an awfully long time to come to a boil. We suspect Martini's fan club is right in "Listing" this one lower than most.

The List, by Steve Martini is a very exciting and thrilling book. It has murders and mysteries, and also goes into a detail on other subjects. For instance, the main idea is that an unkown author writes a book that has the potential to become a best seller. The author, being older, thought it would be better to write the book under a pen name. She tells only her closest friends, but when one of them is murdered she begins to worry. She now has to trust the man that she thinks killed her friend. This book is very good, with an ending to die for; I never would have guessed what had happened. I would suggest this book to many people, because it was a great read.

This is the first Steve Martini book I've ever read. Are all his books this good? I found myself intrigued by the storyline. Abby Chandlis is sick of her job, has been writing a book in her spare time, and decides to try her luck in getting it published. In a twisted and sorted way, she decides to hire a man to pose as the "writer" while she plays his lawyer. In walks Jack Jermaine. In the many twists and turns throughout the story, I found alot of mystery, humor, and yes! even romance, but not too much. This story was exhilorating, to say the least. If you're ready to try your hand at "whodunnit" and to go deep inside the literary world, hold on tight to your copy of "The List" and enjoy the ride! Three cheers for Martini on this well-written and highly entertaining book.

Unlike lawyers Grisham, Turow, and Scottoline, turned writers, Steve Martini is a journalism graduate and writer who went on to become a lawyer! (Seems there ought to be a good joke in there somehow!) He must be doing fine, as his booklist now numbers eight (five of which comprise the defense attorney Paul Madriani series), with a ninth hardback due out late this year. Let's get real here folks -- this is his first book, and we thought, not bad at all.

In a very complex plot, almost shades of Clancy, we're quickly engrossed into the hunt for possible survivors of a 1942 blimp crash; a search for 16th century documents, possibly the journal of the explorer/pirate Francis Drake; the murder of the partner (and former {?} love interest) of the leading man, lawyer Sam Bogardus; and some other crimes and problems too numerous to recount. There's really not much lawyering happening, and sure, some of this winds up a little silly and improbable, but hey, it's mystery fiction. We thought the goings-on, climaxed by a very neat wrapping up of all the puzzles and murders, plus one totally unexpected revelation in the epilogue, were indeed quite entertaining. And the huge surprise ending left us aghast -- we cannot imagine many at all will be the slightest bit prepared for this icing on the cake!

In sum, a fine plot with quite a neat ending, with good story telling hurt somewhat by a few weak characters and/or some improbable action, gives Martini's first effort a passing grade, leaving us anxious to try his second outing and first of the Madriani set. Why not!

Some of the other reviews considered this to be a pretty poorly written book, but I found it to be very entertaining and the ending was a real surprise. The Simeon Chamber is not on the level of a Grisham or Turow novel, but I'd put it right there with a writer like William Bernhardt. It's a quick read and it is a page-turner. You may also learn a little about Sir Francis Drake that you didn't learn in high school or college. Give it a try.

Uh - what was that? One of the weirdest stories I've ever read, that's what. If you want a farcical story stringing together Sir Francis Drake, German Nazis, Chinatown, William Randolph Hearst, and a bunch of adventurous lawyers, then this book is for you. The ending was unexpected, and caused me to exclaim, "oh come on" out loud as I discovered who killed our hero's partner. For Martini fans, this one has none of the courtroom drama, but does weave in a lot of adventure. The story was well paced, but too incredible.

Steve Martini serves up more of his intriguing courtroom drama in _Prime Witness_. Martini specializes in taking his plot in and out of the courtroom, with all of the events intimately linking up to a surprise conclusion. Prime Witness is no exception, opening with a mysterious event, and building through turns and twists until all of the seemingly random events connect. In addition, Martini's protagonist, Paul Madriani, receives extensive characterization due to this novel's backdrop of marital difficulties, which adds depth the the problems Paul faces. Martini does an excellent job of keeping the book active and avoiding the legal dryness rampant in others in this genre, but does keep the legal issues believable. His practice of describing facial expressions also adds a believeable aspect to the conversations, since it communicates the unspoken aspects of discourse. For me, another interesting facet is the book's apparent setting around Sacramento, California (Martini's stomping grounds), but the author's strange practice of renaming some cities and places, yet leaving other names intact keeps one guessing from the descriptions about where things really are. For example, Sacramento seems to be renamed Capitol City.

I am a bit puzzled at the negative reviews of this book. This is the one that started me on the path to becoming a Steve Martini fan. Granted this isn't his best courtroom thriller, but it is STILL above just about anything written by the incredibly over-rated John Grisham. But let's not judge this book based on other authors. The storyline is well-plotted, and very engrossing. The forensics used to trace the evidence to the so-called perp's is not only interesting, but very entertaining and informative as well. It has been many years since I picked up this novel, and I STILL have very fond memories of how much I enjoyed it. I think one of the best things about this book is how it kept you in the dark as to whether or not the 3rd murder was a copycat or not. Give it a shot, it's not literature, but it IS a fun read.

Martini's Prime Witness is an excellent book. The character's are well developed--with the exception of Nikki who I wanted to know more about. It seemed that her character was lost somehow in the story. In many ways the book reminded me of a Tom Clancy novel in that there were times when I had to go back and re-read a section to understand what was going on in a later section of the book--to me this type of writing makes the book more intriguing and more of a challenge to read. I thoroughly enjoyed the book from cover to cover!