Judge [Hardcover]

Steve Martini (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1997

From the author of COMPELLING EVIDENCE and UNDUE INFLUENCE, a new courtroom drama.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Here comes the Judge?in handcuffs, and it's the job of California defense attorney Paul Madriani to save him from prison in this riveting new thriller from Martini (Undue Influence). Judge Armando Acosta is busted for soliciting an undercover vice operative; perhaps not coincidentally, the autocratic judge currently is in charge of a grand jury probing possible police cover-up of murder. Complications immediately pile up. Assistant DA Lenore Goya, whom Paul hankers after, is fired by DA Coleman Kline and crosses lines to head up Acosta's defense; Coleman pursues the judge with unexpected ferocity. Then Lenore's fingerprint is found at the murder scene and she's forced off the case, in effect forcing Paul, who has suffered courtroom run-ins with Acosta, to step in. Nearly all the subsequent action takes place in court or offices as we follow the intricacies of the trial, including rollercoaster swoops through jury selection, evidence and testimony. Paul, who narrates in the present tense, as he has other Martini novels, once again proves a sophisticated, good-humored hero who tells a suspenseful tale, right up to the perfectly satisfying climax. Even the loose ends he trails behind feel right. Legal thrillers don't get much better than this. Major ad/promo; Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club main selection; Mystery Guild selection.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Judge Amando Acosta is out to break the police union. A labor dispute is looming and this strikes fear into the hearts of the city fathers. Striking fear into the heart of policeman and union bigwig Phil Mendel is Acosta's grand jury investigation. Caught between the two is Tony Arguillo, policeman and union bookkeeper determined to protect the blue, and his lawyer, Paul Madriani. Acosta wants Tony to testify about union financial improprieties and its bosses or Acosta will put Tony in jail. The judge has also leveled the same threat at Tony's lawyer. To break the impasse some of the more faithful union members set up a sting operation. The judge is arrested for soliciting an undercover reserve deputy for sex. But fate has something else in mind for the lawyer and the judge. The sting operation decoy, Brittany, is murdered. The judge is accused and arrested again. As Acosta's defense lawyer, Paul Madriani, prepares his case with the help of ex-assistant D.A. Lenore, the mystery deepens and the evidence piles up against His Honor. It is not until the final pages that the real killer and motive is revealed. Martini (Undue Influence, LJ 6/15/94) has again written a winner. Highly recommended.
-?Dawn Anderson, North Richland Hills P.L., Tex.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: San Val (March 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1417802782
• ISBN-13: 978-1417802784
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,528,183 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A TRUE Legal Thriller..., January 20, 2000

By 

Jeff Edwards ([e-mail]) (Twin Falls, Idaho) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Judge (A Paul Madriani Novel) (Mass Market Paperback)

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.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars exciting and readable, January 21, 2000

By 

S. McHale (Costa Mesa, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Judge (A Paul Madriani Novel) (Mass Market Paperback)

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars (4 1/2) One of the Best Paul Madriani Stories, October 12, 2004

By 

Tucker Andersen (Wall Street) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Judge (Hardcover)

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