Customer Reviews

The Jury

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Looking for a legal thriller with an appealing protagonist, clever plot line, and never-would-have-gueesed-it ending? Pick up the latest Steve Martini, "The Jury." Add the voice of John Slattery to carry you along on this exciting tale, and you have five hours of pure enjoyment.

The character of Paul Madriani is reprised to defend Dr. David Crone, an honored genetic researcher who's accused of murdering a young African-American research physician who had filed sexual harassment charges against the older man. Kalista Jordan's mutilated body was washed ashore on a nearby bay.

Crone's research, which was shrouded in secrecy, involved genetic racial profiling. [...] So once again attorney Madriani takes to sleuthing.

When a [...] turns up dead the case takes a dramatic turn. But then, Martini knows how to spin, twist, and tie up in one heckuva surprising finish. It's another Martini with a twist.

Steve Martini delivered genuine thrills in two of his early novels, "Prime Witness" and "Compelling Evidence". What those books supplied were engrossing characters, interesting legal maneuvers and mysteries that kept the reader guessing until the end.

Unfortunately, Martini's latest novel, "The Jury," supplies none of these elements, and as a legal thriller, it is a dud.

The victim in this book is a gorgeous African-American woman named Kalista Jordan, who is also a brilliant research scientist. She is brutally murdered after exiting her hot tub. Paul Madriani is hired to defend the accused killer--Jordan's boss, David Crone. Jordan and Crone have worked together on some cutting-edge research involving genetics, and their working relationship was marred by serious disagreements that may have led to murder.

"The Jury" has numerous flaws. Martini brings none of his characters to life. Crone and Jordan are little more than cardboard cutouts, and Madriani has very little to do in this novel, other than stand up in court and parry with witnesses. The mystery itself is not compelling in the least. Even the title is problematical, since it implies that the book has something to do with jury deliberations. It doesn't. "The Jury" has very little action and the conclusion is out of left field and unsatisfying. This novel is a real disappointment to those of us who have enjoyed Steve Martini's legal thrillers in the past.

Normally a huge fan of Steve Martini's legal thrillers, I found "The Jury" a huge disappointment. Like the other reviewers, I am bewildered by the title because the jury plays little to no role in the story. Martini doesn't even describe the voir dire, he just launches right into the trial. It takes the reader a couple of chapters to catch up with what happened, which is very annoying. Even then, it's still not clear why Paul Madriani would take on such a sullen, uncooperative client like Dr. Crone, who is on trial for the murder of one of his colleagues. Even after it's revealed that Dr. Crone used his genius to try and save a dying child, his character is still unlikeable and weird. The reader doesn't care whether he's the killer or not, and at times it seems like Martini doesn't either. I have never read a book in this series where Madriani was as listless and uninvolved as he appeared in this book. Even Harry Hinds, Madriani's law partner, who is usually wise-cracking and brilliant, is mouthy and blustery here. Although red herrings are strewn throughout the novel, the killer's identity only comes as a mild surprise. After reaching suspense pinnacles in "Undue Influence" and "The Judge", this book is a real let down. Let's hope that the next Madriani book is a better effort.

This book was a very good brain teaser. It had many twists and turns. The book story begins with the murder of Kalista Jordan, a twenty-six year old research physsician and collegue. Dr. David Crone is Kalista Jordans coworker and is suspected to be the one that killed Kalista. Kalista had filed a sexual harassment charge against Crone after she stole some of research papers out of his office. The two were then seen arguing publicly with each other before she was found washed up on a beach dead. There was heavy evidence against Dr. Crone, such as items in his garbage that were linked to the murder. On top of all this Dr. Crone refuses to cooperat with his own defense. He refuses to give Madriani, his lawyer, valuable information that could help him to win the case. Dr. Crone will not discuss the research that he was working on. He also will not say what role Kalista had in his research. The only reason Mr. Madriani was defending Dr. Crone was because he was the only doctor that would help his daughters friend, Penny Boyd. She was suffering from a disease called Huntington Chorea. This was a rare hereditary disease attacks the brain and central nervous system. This is a very fatal disease. Dr. Crone was attempting to get Penny into a special drug trial program when he was arrested for the murder.

I enjoyed this book very much. This book captured me in a way no other book has done before. I looked forward to reading it everyday. I highly recommend this book to someone who enjoys problem solving and law. This book made me realize that just because someone has a lot of evidence against them doesn't mean they did it.

Okay, I'll admit I'm not sure what the title has to do with anything, but it is a legal thriller and these things tend to have juries every so often.

Paul Mandriani and Harry Hines take on Dr. Crone, a brilliant geneticist. He's described as a man with a Cray computer between his ears. This is a book where the answer is sitting before you the entire read, but you have to follow the clues.

Crone is accused of killing a beautiful, black female colleague. So does this have something to do with his research stretching back 25 years earlier about racial graying? Maybe.

Aaron Tash is his number 2 man, who has the personality of gum on the bottom of shoe. He meets with Crone in the county lock up and they discuss DNA codes, or maybe it is something more sinister.

Through out, this is Mandriani's patient manner as he discovers one lie after another - most of the coming from his client.

Harry Hinds, Mandriani's partner, continues to quip and wisecrack his way through the story. There is a tight symmetry that really works for the book.

A couple of things to keep in mind: Figure out the motive and you'll discover the murderer, and follow Mandriani's advice, "Lawyer's like to keep you looking at one thing while they do another."

Novelists like to do the same thing. We are a sneaky bunch.

I GUESSED THE ENDING NOT TOO FAR INTO THE BOOK, BUT ENJOYED IT ANYWAY. THE MOST ENJOYABLE PARTS OF THE MARTINI BOOKS ARE ALWAYS THE COURTROOM SCENES, AND THIS BOOK HAS GOOD ONES. THERE IS ALSO THE USUAL AMUSING INTERPLAY BETWEEN PAUL MADRIANI AND HARRY HINES, AND HARRY HINES AND THE REST OF THE UNIVERSE. MADRIANI IS, IN SOME WAYS, STRAIGHTMAN FOR HARRY'S SLIGHTLY BOURBON SOAKED VIEW OF LIFE IN GENERAL, AND THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM IN PARTICULAR.
ADMITTEDLY, THERE IS NO RATIONAL REASON FOR THE TITLE, OTHER THAN IT BEING SOME MARKETING POOF'S IDEA OF AN " EYE CATCHING" TITLE. BUT, REALLY, WHO CARES ABOUT THE TITLE? THE CRITIICISM OF THE BOOK ON THE BASIS OF A PUZZLING TITLE MISSES THE POINT OF WHAT MAKES A GOOD READ: GOOD PLOT, INTERESTING CHARACTERS ETC.
ALL IN ALL, THIS IS ANOTHER GOOD BOOK BY MARTINI, AND ONE THAT I HOPE IS PART OF A LONG SERIES OF MADRIANI BOOKS.

What a wonderful read this audiocassett version of this book was. I strongly believe that the quality of the reader impacts on how well received the audiocassett will be. In this case, the reader, William Dufris, understandably was outstanding. I loved the storyline as it revealed some of the undersides of being an attorney for both the plaintiff as well as the prosecuting attorney (state).

This story addresses what is supposed to be a typical day in court but it turns out to be an atypical day in court. The attorneys bang it out in court while dabblying into much mischief simultaneously. How this story plays out to the jury is for you to find out after you read the book or get the audio tape--Beverly C.Sanders 11/02

This is the fifth in the Paul Madriani series by Martini, and it takes a new venue in San Diego. Paul, and Henry, are defending a professor from the local college who is accused of murdering one of his colleagues. Paul has worked with the doctor in trying to help the daughter of a friend of his that has Huntington's Disease (same as Woody Guthrie).

One of the problems that they have with Dr. Crone is that he is a true academic, and looks at both sides of every argument. When asked what he is working on, he is evasive and states that it's protected under trade secrets. It has something to do with genetics, molecular engineering and nanorobots. Just your run-of-the mill kind of stuff.

To complicate matters just a little more, the dead woman was an african-american, who had accused Dr. Crone of sexual harrassment. It also turns out that twenty-five years ago, her mother was part of a group that accused Dr. Crone of racially motivated genetics testing. Then a second researcher (also Black) turns up dead, a supposed suicide.

Of course there is a lot of evidence that points to Madriani's client and it doesn't look good for him. The climax is totally unexpected, but the epilogue is a little to pollyanna for my taste.

All in all a good outing.

If you've kept up with Martini and his courtroom hero, Paul Madriani, this story will surprise you, based on pace. However, the twist of the tale, described in the last two chapters, makes the book worth a read.

Madriani's sidekick, Harry, is well-drawn in the story, and is impatient with the goings-on, much like the reader. Many have commented on Martini's play on words with the title - it is evident that his point here was how little a jury might influence the outcome of a trial, and how much vests on just what the legal representation does outside the courtroom.

Very few of the characters catch your eye or your sympathies in the book, least of all Madriani's client, the unsympathetic Crone.

Be patient with this book, the ending is worth the read!

This is a great book. Martini, writing in the first person through his attorney narrator, Paul Madriani, is engaging and colloquial. Paul is a likable person, even though he is an attorney, and so is his sidekick, Harry Hinds. In fact, there really are not any despicable people here in this novel, and that is what is so great, for a novel. Most novels have to ride on the back of some villain. Martini has not done that. There are no real villains in this story.

The perpetrator is a sick man, but he is not evil. In fact, he is an artist, of a sort, a carpentry artist. That is somewhat unusual, too, because usually artists are intropunitive, like Van Gogh (cutting off his own ear, and all that), not extropunitive and murderous, blaming others for their problems. It makes you think.

Anyway, Frank Boyd, the killer in question, is not evil. He is deeply troubled, by the life-threatening illness of his own daughter. Who can't relate to this paternal love?

There are no villainous people here. Tannery, the prosecutor, and his boss, Tate, the head D.A., are somewhat misguided in their goals and objectives, and that's where the real conflict comes into Martini's story. Tannery is prosecuting the wrong man, and is doing so for what appear to be partially self-serving reasons, to further his own career.

Martini has done a lot with a little here, and he therein shows himself to be above the rest of the crowd of novelists, but about at the same level as some of his attorney-novelist cohorts. Attorneys do seem to make good novelists, now that they have seen fit to pass through that gate, following Grisham, Turow, et al.

I highly recommend this book. You'll enjoy it and learn some things at the same time (for instance, what is molecular computing?).

Diximus.