Rating: 
Summary: Decent plot- entertaining reading
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.
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: 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: A suspenseful legal thriller.
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Engrossing at times, but the ending is weak.
Review: Steve Martini made a mistake when he stopped writing legal thrillers. "Critical Mass" was poorly written and uninvolving. Here, Paul Madriani is back as the attorney in the title. He has been hired to find the granddaughter of an elderly lottery winner named Jonah Hale. It seems that Jonah's daughter, Jessica, is a drug addict who ran with a fast crowd and disappeared with her daughter, Amanda. At the time of her disappearance, Amanda was legally in her grandfather's custody. Also involved in the intrigue is Madriani's lover, Susan, who works on behalf of abused children, and a Mexican drug lord, among others. Before long, an unpleasant woman named Zolanda Suade is murdered and Madriani's client is on trial for Suade's murder. Hale had threatened Zolanda, because he thought that she had helped Jessica and Amanda to disappear without a trace. The courtroom scenes in which Madriani defends Hale are well done (Martini has always been a master at depicting courtroom theatrics), but the ending is unbelievable and full of holes. A number of key questions are left unanswered, which is a weakness in a mystery/thriller. Martini loves surprise endings, and I do, as well. However, I also expect that endings should make sense. In this case, "The Attorney" fails the test. This is unfortunate, since Madriani is an engaging character and the story held my interest until the shaky ending.
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: Page-turner and Peeker-friendly
Review: Steve Martini's novel usually not at the top at the bestseller's list but he has his own charm that knock John Grisham's witty bestsellers down. Martini is somehow lacking good sense of humor thus his novels are only suitable to those really into courtroom thriller. And to others, stick with Grisham's highly commerciallized and a little not realistic novels.
This wuddunnit is amazingly written and stunning ending.The novelist succeeded to confuse readers from the beginning and pushing more and more to blame the likeliest suspect until the very end he turn it completely different (not opposite). While the conclusion is really suprisingly great, it's also simple and peeker-friendly. To enjoy this book please do not peek the last few pages!
Rating: 
Summary: Another excellent trial drama
Review: Steve Martini hits one out of the park with this excellent and gripping story of an attorney's quest to find and return his client's granddaughter from her drug addicted mother to the legal custody of the maternal grandparents. In doing so he suddenly finds himself having to defend the grandfather of murder charges involving the homicide of a woman who assisted the mother in removing the child from the home of her grandparents. The ending has a twist that is totally unexpected and unforeseen.
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.
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