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37 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
My three stars are generous, because the predication of this book is ludicrous, June 2, 2008
I've been a Martini/Madriani fan for years. Martini has perfected the craft and art of the legal thriller far beyond the purported master, Grisham. In that particular arena, he fully realizes his capabilities in this novel.
The problem with this particular book is that the whole plot is predicated on the absolutely ridiculous idea that the murder victim has somehow turned one clause in the US Constitution dealing with the census apportionment of slaves -- which has been sitting there and been taught and explained in depth in every public school in the country since the Constitution was ratified in 1787 -- into a brand new and riot-inducing racial controversy that threatens the very fiber and existence of this country.
I mean....c'mon! It's so laughable I had to wonder what the guy'd been smoking!
I'd get all involved in the murder case and the investigation and the forensics and the personalities and the legalities of evidentiary matters and strategy.... and all of a sudden he'd write something that would once again remind me of the "motives" of the suspects, and I'd have to put it down until I stopped laughing!
Ah, well......... put THAT aside (yeah...ignore the elephant in the room) and it's a pretty good book.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Decent Read, but Implausable and Bogged down with Mundane Detail, June 27, 2008
Steve Martini is a legal thriller author who at once time was branded the next John Grisham. While Martini never quite reached that level of success, he has still produced a series of enjoyable courtroom thrillers involving a criminal defense attorney named Paul Madriani. SHADOW OF POWER is the most recent entry in the Madriani series, and it's just an okay read.
Nearly all of Martini's novels involve a high-profile criminal trial, and about two thirds of SHADOW OF POWER takes place in the courtroom. Martini is a criminal lawyer himself, and he usually does a solid job of describing the minutae of court procedure, especially when it comes to the complex process of admitting evidence to the jury.
Unfortunately, I think Martini goes overboard in this novel, spending countless pages on procedural manuevering that made my eyes glaze over in spots. I think a good writer knows what to leave out, and Martini gets a bit too long-winded with his detailed explanations of forensics and evidentiary law (which often trump character development). Some readers might find this material fascinating, but I just wanted Martini to get on with the story.
As other reviewers have mentioned, SHADOW OF POWER contains an over-the-top plotline involving the US Constitution that is hard to swallow. I think Martini decided to borrow a page from Dan Brown's playbook by promising to uncover a centuries-old historical conspiracy, but the whole concept really falls flat by the end, leading me to feel kind of cheated. I hope that Martini's next novel offers a more realistic plot than what I found here.
Overall, SHADOW OF POWER is an okay read, especially for those who enjoy a good courtroom story. You can do much worse than this book, but I think this isn't one of Martini's best efforts.
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25 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
National Treasure, June 3, 2008
Shadow of Power would be thought of by Hollywood as National Treasure meets Perry Mason. A murder is committed and, lurking in the background, is the possibility that a hitherto-unknown document, written by one of the founding fathers, is the cause of that murder. Paul Madriani defends the accused killer and needs to find the document in order to clear him.
The real national treasure is Steve Martini. This is, by far, his best book, and I have been with him since The Simeon Chamber. His sentence-by-sentence writing is now smooth and effective and he is the absolute master of courtroom drama, courtroom technique, courtroom chess matches and courtroom procedure. Shadow of Power has a jackhammer plot, interesting characters, and a fascinating set of related mysteries, all of which are nicely resolved. I disagree with those who find the novel implausible. The novel's subtext is the hyper-partisan nature of contemporary politics and the manner in which it is fed by demagogues and opportunistic media. The world of the novel is immediately recognizable.
Despite its length this is a very fast read. In fact, it's exhibit A for unputdownableness. It is the perfect model of a bestseller--a fabulous summer read that is filled with legal facts, tantalizing mysteries, and a touch of the old ultra-violence. Highly recommended.
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