Customer Reviews

The Judge (A Paul Madriani Novel)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

This is my first courtroom thriller, so I have no basis for comparison (except for Grisham's The Firm, which sucks). What I liked about The Judge is it has many things going for it: 1. Characters - all the players have personality and presence. 2. Lean narrative, good dialogue, no extraneous details. 3. Excitement. The trial scenes were great. 4. Style. I like how Martini sizes things up.

The book is an easy read. In fact, Martini could have fleshed out the book with more information and twists and the story would still be taught. What he managed to do is only admit critical elements to the story to make it a story and keep it engaging. I hope to read more of his works.

It is always an interesting experience to read an early book in a series that I have recently discovered and see how both the characters and the author's style have evolved in his later works when compared to those early efforts. In some instances the central character's evolution has been so extensive that their early incarnation is hardly recognizable; in many cases the author has gotten increasingly formulaic in the storylines and the early books (often bestsellers that launched the series) are clearly superior and in fact are a reminder of the reasons for the series popularity. (Many readers feel that the Kay Scarpetta series by Patricia Cornwell falls into this latter category.) I have been a fan of the Steve Martini series featuring lawyer Paul Madriani, for several years; in the absence of any additions to the series since the disappointing THE ARRAIGNMENT in January 2003, I decided to fill in some of the backstory with which I was unfamiliar by reading THE JUDGE, originally published in January 1996. This is a well written novel with an excellent storyline; I highly recommend it to both fans of the author and first-time readers as a standalone novel.

As the story begins, Paul Madriani agrees to do a favor for a friend who once saved his life, Lenore Goya, chief deputy prosecutor for Capital County, CA. His client will be Lenore's childhood friend and distant relation, Tony Arguillo, a relatively new member of the city's Police Department who has been subpoenaed by a grand jury investigating the police union for corruption. The situation is compounded by a labor dispute between the city and the union and the upcoming re-election campaign of Judge Armando Acosta (known as "the Coconut"), who within the first ten pages threatens to jail Tony if he won't testify under a grant of limited immunity. Suddenly, everything seems to change dramatically for Tony when THE JUDGE is arrested during a sting operation by the Vice Squad for supposedly soliciting a prostitute. Paul visits Lenore while she is interviewing the undercover operative (Brittany Hall) involved in the sting; Lenore's boss D.A. Coleman Kline suddenly confronts Lenore regarding another case and then imperiously and with great irritation chastises her for interviewing Ms. Hall in his absence. It appears that the D.A. believes that this high profile case involving a sitting judge may further his ambitions to someday run for governor (in addition to providing ammunition in his personal vendetta against Lenore). To Madriani's great surprise and the consternation of his long time associate Harry Hinds, Judge Acosta asks Madriani to defend him and adamantly declares that he has been framed by the Police Department in retaliation for his treatment of Tony, the union's fair haired boy.

As Madriani is just starting to pursue his investigation and develop a strategy for defending Acosta, the case suddenly assumes epic proportions as the key witness against his client is found brutally murdered. The only witness is Ms. Hall's very young daughter; as the case proceeds the confusing nature of the evidence and the age of the witness present problems for both the defense and D.A. Kline (for whom the political stakes have risen dramatically as he chooses to prosecute the case himself). This book effectively combines all the elements found in this series - murder, sex, corruption, courtroom drama, politics, detective work, and clever legal maneuverings. Since it occurs shortly after the death of Madriani's wife Nikki, it also provides some information regarding his relationship with his daughter Sarah in the period after Nikki's death. In addition, suspense develops as to how the intensity of the case will affect Paul's relationship with Lenore, who is also a single parent and dealing with the problems of raising two young daughters. The potential cost of the case for Madriani and Lenore suddenly escalates dramatically when violence explodes that might touch the lives of their children as well as themselves and when a situation occurs which might lead to their disbarment.

This book was very enjoyable; a particularly satisfying element was the inclusion of a lot of actual courtroom scenes and legal maneuvering. Some of the more recent legal thrillers by several authors including Martini have seemed to be much more action oriented and focused primarily on lawyers acting as detectives to unravel the evidence in their clients' cases. I much prefer the emphasis on the courtroom drama itself as an integral element of the story. There were a few minor flaws which I won't bother detailing, but careful attention to the story allows the reader to unravel the case in concert with Madriani. My only disappointment was my surprising familiarity with elements of the story once I got involved in the book; some research revealed that this book actually formed the basis for the script for a made-for-television movie which I had obviously watched several years ago and then forgotten until reading the book dredged up the forgotten storyline from my memory. The fact that the book contains substantial additional material and some differences in the plot development allowed me to still enjoy the story as it unfolded, but at the same time undoubtedly made me more alert to certain clues in the narrative regarding the outcome than I otherwise would have been. But if you have not seen the film, you will definitely find THE JUDGE to be one of Martini's best novels and realize why it became a best seller when originally published.

Tucker Andersen

Another winner from Martini! This time, the Coconut (Judge Acosta) gets in trouble, and our hero, Paul Madriani must bail him out. Not only was I impressed with Madriani's legal skill, but the ending was a real zinger. I was stunned, and I'm sure you will be too. I was going along, thinking I knew who the real killer was. Martini led me astray, with subtle clues, but the real killer -- wow! I don't think many lawyers would have got out of that situation in real life.

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!!

This book is a winner!!! This is the third book from Martini that I have read and the second featuring Paul Mandriani - this novel is the best of the three. Martini has spun an impressive legal thriller, with an intriguing cast of characters and plenty of action, suspense and plot twists. The Judge is written from the perspective of Mandriani, a lawyer who somewhat reluctantly finds himself defending a judge he does not particularly care for. As the book progresses, the reader is consistently treated to Mandriani's quick wit, sharp mind, and keen sense of reality in the world. The Judge is a compelling novel that is hard to put down. Read and enjoy!!!!!

Great plot that has new twists and turns as the book progresses. Martini is a master of words and surprise endings...Bet ya won't guess the killer. Enjoy!!!!

I like Martini's style. He is concise and he wastes few words, which is fine by me. The characters are neatly developed and, despite a couple painful stereotypes, all fit nicely. Martini writes with a dry humor and the book goes by n a hurry.

I was surprised by the ending. Nothing I read would have prepared me for the late action.

When I saw that "The Judge" was going to be a TV movie, I decided to read the book first so I could compare the two. It took me a few chapters to get into this book and get used to Martini's writing style, but once I did I couldn't put it down!

Armando Acosta is a judge disliked by nearly everyone-- especially the corrupt police officers who are the subject of a grand jury investigation conducted by Acosta. Acosta is arrested on a phony charge of solicitation and is suspended from the bench. However, when the decoy in the arrest turns up dead, it looks as though Acosta will be vacating the bench permanently.

Acosta enlists the help of one of his least favorite attorneys, Paul Madriani, to help him beat the murder charge. In defending the judge, Madriani discovers that the corrupt officers will stop at nothing to protect themselves and their peers.

Madriani suspects that the prosecution's case is missing one vital piece of evidence. His search for that missing piece leads him to the murderer and the motive in a surprise twist ending.

This is my first Martini book, but it certainly won't be my last. The TV movie was good, but not as riveting as the book. Martini's material is good enough for the big screen and I wonder why some Hollywood producer hasn't discovered this author.

I have long considered Mr. Martini one of the best (if not THE best) legal/thriller author writing today, and this is MY personal favorite of all his great novels. If you have read any of Martini's previous Paul Madriani novels, you know that he and 'The Coconut' Judge Acosta have crossed paths a few times in the past--always an unpleasant experience, especially for Attorney Madriani. Judge Acosta just doesn't like him--pure and simple--actually 'doesn't like' isn't strong enough.

As the story begins Judge Acosta finds himself in a most awkward position of being accused of soliciting a prostitute. He is removed from the bench pending an investigation. But it doesn't take long before the leading witness for the prosecution against the Judge is found deceased...uh oh. The Judge is now in SERIOUS trouble...so much so that he actually contemplates something that he never EVER would have thought could happen in a million years: He hires the attorney that he despises, Paul Madriani. This murder/mystery/courtroom drama is impressive from beginning to its surprising and absolutely fantastic ending--in MY opinion this has Martini's best ending to date and certainly one of my favorites in fiction. The courtroom drama is clever, surprising and utterly compelling. Several laugh-out-loud moments, too (which came as a complete surprise to me) and an all-around tremendous plot. Easily one of the best in this particular genre I have ever read, and also ranks (again in MY opinion) as Mr. Martini's best novel to date (that includes 'The List' and 'Critical Mass'). Get to know Paul Madriani, the sooner the better, but I recommend starting with 'Compelling Evidence' the novel that debuted Madriani and continue from there. Highly Recommended.