Rating: 
Summary: NOT VERY THRILLING
Review: "The Alternate" begins with a bang and then falls flat. The storyline about a lawyer accused of killing his wife is good BUT as the story unfolds too many characters come into play and the plot too complex to enjoy. I could not finish the book...As far as legal thrillers go, this does not thrill. A good thriller should be entertaining and this book was too hard to keep up with to be entertaining. Anyone looking for a good legal thriller should look elsewhere... (Good authors to look for:John Lescroart,Steve Martini,Richard North Patterson,Nancy Taylor Rosenberg to name a few)
Rating: 
Summary: Top Notch Thriller by a Top Notch Trial Lawyer
Review: A former beauty queen is murdered, her body is discovered by her husband, millionaire Congressman Elliot Ashford, who the maid had overheard arguing with the deceased earlier, plus some of his blood had been found at the scene.After studying the evidence, Grace Harris, head of the D.A.s homicide trials team, finds gaps in the case, but she's ignored by her boss, DA Earl Field, because he has eyes on the governor's chair and sees this case as a stepping stone. Then Grace finds evidence missing. It looks as if someone is trying to rig the outcome of the case and she wonders if Mafia type connections of Ashford's have been paying off officials Attorney Barrett Dickson, once a superstar defense lawyer who is now ready for a comeback, becomes advisor to the defense and raises the stakes at the trial. Before the case is over there'll be a couple more murders, alternates will replace original jurists and the lead defense counsel will quit. THE ALTERNATE is a top notch legal thriller written by a top notch trial lawyer that will leave you sweating bullets. I swear, this book will make you believe you've been to court and it will keep your heart pumping right up until the end. Sara "Babe" Hackett, Girlfriend from the Darkside
Rating: 
Summary: Juries ARE unpredictable
Review: As "courtroom thrillers" go, this one is well written, skillfully constructed, and interesting enough to read through to the end even though you have a fairly good idea early on what happened and whodunit. The lawyers involved, defense attorney Barrett Dickson and ADA Grace Harris, are well fleshed out on a personal level and realistically depicted insofar as their knowledge of the law and trial tactics. Thus, it's pretty out there that neither of them picks up any warning signals from crazed alternate juror Amanda Keller. Ms. Keller is a psychotic former soap opera actress who would have jumped through fiery hoops to get seated on the jury in the murder trial of Elliot Ashford and ensure his conviction and execution. As jurors resign, fall ill, disappear, and get murdered, Amanda Keller ultimately achieves her goal of regular juror, and her subsequent appearance as a star witness kindles her triumphant return to Hollywood. Although the reader is given some insights into her motives regarding the DA and other objects of her mad fascination, the question of why she was from the very first newspaper reports obsessed with this particular case is not answered. While the American jury system is arguably flawed, this scenario was too far over the top to ring remotely plausible.
Rating:
Summary: Juries ARE unpredictable
Review: As "courtroom thrillers" go, this one is well written, skillfully constructed, and interesting enough to read through to the end even though you have a fairly good idea early on what happened and whodunit. The lawyers involved, defense attorney Barrett Dickson and ADA Grace Harris, are well fleshed out on a personal level and realistically depicted insofar as their knowledge of the law and trial tactics. Thus, it's pretty out there that neither of them picks up any warning signals from crazed alternate juror Amanda Keller. Ms. Keller is a psychotic former soap opera actress who would have jumped through fiery hoops to get seated on the jury in the murder trial of Elliot Ashford and ensure his conviction and execution. As jurors resign, fall ill, disappear, and get murdered, Amanda Keller ultimately achieves her goal of regular juror, and her subsequent appearance as a star witness kindles her triumphant return to Hollywood. Although the reader is given some insights into her motives regarding the DA and other objects of her mad fascination, the question of why she was from the very first newspaper reports obsessed with this particular case is not answered. While the American jury system is arguably flawed, this scenario was too far over the top to ring remotely plausible.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Legal Thriller
Review: For anyone interested in courtroom thrillers, this is a "must read". John Martel captures the pressures and excitement of trying high visibility cases and masterfully passes it along to the reader. As a retired trial lawyer, who has tried high visibility cases, I can attest to the great job Martel does. I think it the best of his three novels to date.
Rating:
Summary: Page Turner
Review: Great read! A real page-turner with good, complex characters and great courtroom scenes. Mr. Martel's courtroom experience really shows, as it does in all his novels.
Rating:
Summary: Finally, a character-driven thriller that packs a punch
Review: I agree with the San Francisco Examiner. This is the best legal thriller I've read in some time. It's a great summer read and be fore-warned, it'll keep you up all night. I have one friend who missed a day of work and another who read it over a 24 hour period. Martel has characters you care about and dialogue which is witty and sharp. Barret Dickson is my favorite, a defense lawyer who you fall in love with. How rare is that!! The mother and daughter ( the Alternate) relationship is haunting and disturbing, to say the least, creating chaos in the courtroom, and turning the murder case upside down and the lives of the main characters, as well.
Rating:
Summary: This one is "Out There" and Great!
Review: I am so glad I had a full day of uninterrupted time to read this terrific novel. I couldn't put it down. It was one of those stories that makes you want to get right in the middle of the situation and "fix it" yourself. Barrett Dickson is such a believable and vulnerable hero--down on his luck, but seemingly smarter than everyone else...until the very end when his "faith" in his client is shattered, albeit when it's too late. This was just a gripping book. I am scouring Amazon right now to order everything else Martel has written!
Rating:
Summary: Martel's Best to date; exciting and believable!
Review: I found this most recent book full of suspense and the characters had credibility. His style of writing holds the reader's interest. His depiction of situations are valid and full of real life suspense. Courtroom drama is exciting and Martel has given the layman an expert's view of legal drama. A must reading! You can not put it down!
Rating:
Summary: Great read but some silly mistakes
Review: I had a hard time putting this book down. I ended up staying up till 3am to finish it. The characters, especially Bear, are people we can relate to. Although, as another reviewer stated, things go along a predictable route, I enjoyed it anyway. Two points detracted from the book, however. There were way too many typos for a major publishing house. And there were several timing errors which did not make sense. In one paragraph it is 4:30 pm when Bear decides to go to a restaurant. In the next paragraph he gets to the restaurant at 4:00. Good trick. Somewhere else in the book it is Friday. The next day is also Friday. Things like this should not go unnoticed in the editorial process. They certainly diminish the reading experience.
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