Rating: 
Summary: A little too long, with big plot holes at the end.
Review: Martini was wise to go back to his "bread and butter" protagonist, Paul Madriani. I always enjoyed this character and I was dismayed at such books as Martini's "Critical Mass," in which Martini discarded both Madriani and the legal thriller genre. Much of "The Attorney" is exciting and compelling. Paul Madriani, the hero of the title, tries to help Jonah Hale, an older man who has made a great deal of money in a lottery. Hale's granddaughter is missing, along with her drug-addicted mother. Along the way, Madriani encounters complications relating to his lover, Susan, who works with abused children, and Paul is nearly killed by a Mexican drug lord. Eventually, a key characters is murdered and Paul is the defendant's attorney at trial. As always, Martini is very good at writing courtroom sequences. As compelling as some of these courtroom scenes are, the book drags on for over 400 pages. The most problematic element of the book, however, is the tacked-on ending. Martini loves surprise endings. He delivers the surprise at the very end of the book and it simply does not hold water. There are plot holes at the end that are enormous and the author never plugs up the holes. I still enjoyed much of the book, but Martini should be more careful in making the plot more coherent. Surprise endings work only when they make sense.
Rating:
Summary: It's Too Easy
Review: I had the twist figured out fairly early, but twists and turns in a novel are too easy. At least Martini gives you a hint that there is going to be a twist, and doesn't give you a big "ha ha ha" at the end when he tells you that the, wait, I can't give it away, you have to read half the book and figure it out yourself. I do enjoy Martini's work and will probably buy another cheesy legal thriller after I'm done with my "to read" list.
Rating: 
Summary: wonderful legal thriller
Review: I hadn't read many of his books and was really pleased when I read this one. Mandriani is an attorney and one of his clients, who he had defended before with good results, comes to him again. Jonah Hale, who has since won one of the biggest lotteries, wants Mandriani to find his grand-daughter who has been kidnapped by his daughter, a drug user and released felon. The woman who he feels helped his daughter with the kidnapping ends up murdered and he is accused of the murder. Mandriani has his hands full trying to keep up with all the different angles and suspects. The ending may surprise you. I enjoyed the book and I think you will too. I am looking forward to reading another of his books.
Rating:
Summary: slow to get going, long wait til surprise ending; fair drama
Review: 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!
Rating:
Summary: Nice Entry
Review: The author is a careful storyteller, and this one will hold the interest of most readers. This story involves the hero-attorney
getting involved in what looks like a child-custody case, but
which quickly escalates into a kidnapping by a zealot who is more interested in self-aggrandisement than helping either women
or children. But the mother of the kidnapped child is a drug
addict, with connections--in more than one way--to a Mexican drug lord, who also runs with thieves and burglars, so the attorney, and the child's grandparents, mount a full-blown
search.
Unhappily, the zealot gets killed, and the missing child's grandfather is charged and put on trial, so the attorney has
to go to work in the field he knows best, a criminal trial.
The concept is very interesting, and one played out rather
occasionally in real life, so it's conclusion is wanted by every
reader.
There are a couple of nice twists to its conclusion, as the attorney, his pragmatic partner, and his love interest encounter
multiple obstacles, both in court and on the street. A shoot-out, in the midst of an ether fire, in a Mexican bar bring a
lot of danger, along with a few answers.
Unhappily, the book bogs down significantly in the middle
with chapters that read like a trial transcript. The concept
may sound interesting to someone who has never struggled with
an actual trial transcript, but, in fact, such transcripts,
of even the most interesting trial, are filled with numbing detail and repetition, and the author sticks too closely to the
genuine article. It doesn't make for very interesting reading,
and the progress of the story really slows down in those parts.
But it is an interesting story with a nice, thought-provoking
conclusion.
Rating: 
Summary: A Gripping Novel
Review: This novel is so interesting. It's an intense legal thriller packed with twists and turns whick keep you on edge. The Attorney holds your interest all the way up to the surprise ending. We're off to by other Martini books now.
Rating: 
Summary: The gratuitous cigar butt
Review: My husband and I were enjoying this audio book while driving, but we ended up being disappointed because there is an element that makes no sense: the emptied out car ashtray that accuses JOnah Hale. Mr. Martini - we are paying attention. don't throw in stuff that doesn't work. Otherwise, well written and involving.
Rating:
Summary: welcome back
Review: Steve Martini has written several entertaining courtroom dramas- and he serves himself best when he stays within this genre. The three Paul Madriani novels that I've read have been page-turning entertainment, better than his two forays outside the genre- "The List" and "Critical Mass". I'd give this book three and a half stars if I could. This is not great literature, but Martini writes a good courtroom drama with a crisp pace, fairly sharp dialogue, and a healthy dose of discussion of somewhat arcane legal issues that may educate the non-lawyers amongst his readers. Case-in-point: does the character Jonah's status as a California lottery winner make him a "public figure", and hence fair game for certain types of public comment that might constitute slander if made regarding private, or "non-public" figures. This is not great literature, and it is not Martini's best (my favorite was "Undue Influence"). It is entertaining, fairly well-written, and of better quality (in my opinion) of most of the paperback novels than one will find in the bookstore of your nearest airport. If you like Martini's other work, and legal thrillers in general, you will probably enjoy this.
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