Rating: 
Summary: my last martini purchase
Review: ive read all of mr. martinis novels. every one a jewel of genius. sadly, i will no longer purchase his work. its seems he has finally succombed to the political correctness of the day. his characters of the yet to be published "the jury" is obviously a ploy to cater to the race concious crowd and i will have none of it.
Rating:
Summary: This Martini Is Anything But Dry!
Review: I've read quite a number of legal murder/thrillers over the years and this one stands with any of them. Great plot, good pacing, fully-realized characters. Small criticism: I wish the author had described the feelings of the main character more since this is a book written in the first person. As the suspense mounts in this story (and it does!) and the situation becomes more and more hopeless for the hero-lawyer and his hapless client, you wonder how on earth the author will resolve the piece. But he does! - and you'll never guess how!
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Summary: SUSPENSE AND LEGAL THRILLS
Review: Paul Madriani returns to tackle his toughest case.Recent millionaire, Jonas Hale, approaches Paul to help him get his grandaughter back. It seems Jonas was granted custody of the child, while her mother, his drug addicted daughter, was serving time in prison. Upon her release, his daughter comes to him asking for money, and after refusing her, she promises he will regret it. Not taking this threat seriously, he is shocked to find out his daughter has enlisted the help of Zolanda Suade, a man hating advocate running a business of helping mothers kidnap their children from their custody granted fathers. Within days of meeting Suade, Amanda has disappeared, sending Jonas in a frenzy to get his grandaughter back, and put a stop to the twisted game his daughter is playing. Madriani decides to look into the disappearance, only to find secrets surrounding the Hale family, and the death of Suade. Madriani must not only find Amanda, now he must solve a murder. "The Attorney" marks the return of Paul Madriani, and a welcome one I might add. The plot takes off like a rocket and plows the reader through turn after turn. The only problem, with this otherwise enjoyable thriller, is it's ending-the surprise at the climax comes out of left field, leaving the reader to question how certain things tie together. On the upside, the novel is very readable, and does achieve high marks for entertainment value. Steve Martini does a great job with developing his characters, as well as putting together a suspenseful plot. Some readers may be disappointed if they compare this with the other books in the series, but if they know NOT to expect much from the climax they will enjoy it. Nick Gonnella
Rating: 
Summary: Weak Ending
Review: Martini lays the groundwork for a good story, but too many loose ends and conflicting plot lines make for an extremely weak an unsatisfying ending. A good editor should have caught this before it went to press.
Rating:
Summary: The ending blew it.
Review: I have read all the series. Like the writing and characters. The Attorny had me for a while. Then it got too predictable. You know what is going to happen before you read. I was ok with that, it still made for a good read. Then he blew it. He gave us an ending that was too much to believe. I like surprises but there has to be some hint in the book before the ending. With this one, there is no inkling of who the actual killer is. (Don't worry I won' t reveal it). It just drops out of the air. It really makes no sense. So I can't recommend buying this one. Do what I did. Get it from the library. Enjoy an easy read. Then get ready to say "What the hell????" at the end.
Rating:
Summary: Welcome return of Paul Madriani
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Paul Madriani Returns!
Review: Steve Martini returns with a vengeance in his latest legal thriller featuring Paul Madriani. Set in San Diego, Madriani takes on the case of a former client, Jonah Hale. Because Jonah's daughter, Jessica, has a long history of drug addiction, Jonah and his wife, Mary, have custody of their 8 year old granddaughter, Mandy. After Jonah wins the $87 million state lottery, Jessica returns to their life demanding her daughter back with a megabucks payoff. When Jonah will not comply, Jessica gets down and dirty. Associating with Zolanda Suade, a zealous feminist activist whose agency "Vanishing Victims" makes children and their mothers disappear, the case turns deadly. As you can guess, Jonah is the one put on trial and thru all of the twists and turns of this book, you will easily be sucked into the story as it reaches its conclusion all too soon.
Rating: 
Summary: Motion to Dismiss
Review: I usually love a good mystery... unfortunately, this is not a good mystery. Steve Martini's "The Attorney" starts out promising enough, with a murder victim so widely hated that the suspect list is long and the mystery deep. Fans of Mr. Martini's other novels will thrill at the return of his much-loved lawyer. The plot concerns the murder of a much-maligned child protection advocate who "makes kids disappear" in hotly-debated child custody battles. The densely-plotted novel vears between America and Mexico as the fascinating story unfolds. However, mystery fans will most likely figure out the murderer's identity half-way through the book, and some very untidy plot resolutions will leave the reader scratching his or her head and wondering what Mr. Martini was thinking. The key to a good mystery is a dense plot, characters that the reader cares about, a villain to hate, and a tidy, well-resolved ending. Unfortunately, the ending of this book leaves too many questions unanswered, and almost appears to be an after-thought.
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Summary: A True Mystery
Review: I have read all of Steve Martini's books with Paul Mandriani as his defense attorney and dective. I think this one was the best as it held me to the story as I kept wanting to see who the real killer was. I must say it was a supprise ending.
Rating:
Summary: Paul Madriani is back
Review: Another good mystery/courtroom drama from Steve Martini. Paul Madriani has moved to San Diego, has a new girlfriend and a tough case that involves child custody, drugs and murder. The plot has many twists and turns and travels from San Diego to Mexico for a suspenseful climax. Unforunately, the ending is a bit weak and mystery readers will have figured out who the killer is half-way through the book. But even with all that said, The Attorney is a good read and fans of Madriani won't be disappointed.
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