Guardian of Lies: A Paul Madriani Novel (Paul Madriani Novels, 10)

Steve Martini has always been one of my favorite legal thriller writers and this newest of his novels does not disappoint. This is filled with all of the "must have's" of the genre; blood, murder, a beautiful woman and a great plot line. All of the best writing that I have come to expect from Steve Martini! Bravo!

This is my first Paul Madriani novel. Didn't know he existed until now and have never been a big one for lawyer stories but this one had me hooked from the first page. I will most definitely look for the others in the series and am very much looking forward to the next. Paul Madriani is a lawyer who is quite clever, intelligent, but far from perfect. He tends to be a bit absent-minded (forgetting a meeting with a murder suspect, leaving evidence lying around even though he knows the DA wants to hang him, etc). I rather like the fact that he isn't perfect. And though he gets in on the action, he's not Rambo. He's not former military. He's just an average guy who finds himself in extreme situations. The villains in the piece are not stereotypes. They have motivations and, from their perspective, these motivations are quite reasonable. Martini does not dumb them down; rather he develops them as fully as his protagonists and the rest of the "good guys". And speaking of good guys, the reader will have to determine for himself whether the various government agents in the story are part of the solution or part of the problem. Martini writes well. The characters, as I said, are developed over the course of the story. They are believable as are their motivations. The dialog is not stilted. There are no long annoying info-dumps. The story does not lag but speeds along like one of the Bourne movies. Martini skillfully switches from first person to third and back again without a hitch, creating a seamless narrative. Warning: Spoiler! My only real complaint is that the government agents, suspecting Madriani of evil designs, apparently never think to check his record but behave as though he fell out of the sky without a past or a reputation. A small complaint, but I kept waiting for the lapse to be corrected and it never was.

I had not read any books by Steve Martini heretofore, but I will definitely start at the beginning of his stash of novels. This latest edition to his work really punches you in the face with the facts of how rotten and corrupt our government and legal system truly is. Cover ups by the FBI, CIA, the president, the politicians just sicken a person. One is left to wonder what there is left to believe in here in America. This story is a fabulous essay on how a psychopathic killer called the Mexicutioner or Muerte Liquida can slip through the cracks of any and all kind of surveillance and get away with multiple murders. The Arabic murderer Alim Afundi who plots with Cuba's Fidel Castro and the Russian expatriate Yakov Nitikin, hidden in the Colombian jungles, to destroy the "Great Satan" (U.S.A.) with a nuclear bomb is fairly terrifying because it illustrates how porous our borders really are. Further, how extremely vulnerable America is with lies and cover ups by the bumbling FBI, on top of all the playing of politics by everyone involved in the "prevention" measures implemented to keep America safe from nuclear disaster in this story. He also points out how rotten to the core that the legal system is that includes manipulating judges, and how a single local D.A. in San Diego by name of Templeton can corrupt and hinder any investigation he wants to for his own gain. Further how he can falsely accuse an innocent man, Paul Madriani, because his "ego" was offended by the FBI when information was withheld from him, (but not Madriani, the lawyer for the defendant and one of the keys to the mystery) in the name of "national security" or "need to know". I found myself wanting to drop kick Templeton all the way from San Diego to Mexico City. Martini doesn't pull any punches. The ending was a real dish of justice served cold. Bravo.

Paul Madriani was the defense counsel in some earlier, excellent legal-thrillers. This book is more of an action-thriller involving a really, really ugly scheme by some really, really bad people. But it's still excellent. The story begins with Emerson Pike pulling some strings to sneak Katia Solaz into San Diego from Costa Rica. Why did he do that? Well, Katia is drop-dead gorgeous, and even though Emerson is old enough to be her grandfather, he's still a man. Maybe that's it. On the other hand, Katia has a somewhat mysterious family background, and Emerson used to work for the CIA. Maybe that's it. In any case, when Emerson brings Katia to San Diego, he also brings some photos that Katia's mom had taken during a recent trip to Columbia, and he spends a lot of time studying them. Hmm. Katia soon gets tired of the old geezer and begins planning her escape back to Costa Rica. She finally sneaks away one night, while Emerson is in the shower; but a couple of days later, on her way to the airport, the local authorities arrest her and charge her with not one but two murders. That brings defense attorney Paul Madriani into the picture. There is some legal work at this point, which is very interesting, especially after federal authorities start butting in. It seems the feds are also interested -- for national security reasons, of course -- in the case; and their interest may hinder both the state prosecutor and Madriani in presenting their respective sides of the case. The legal skirmishing and gamesmanship between the feds, the state prosecutor, and Madriani are pretty amusing -- sometimes it's hard to tell who the prosecutor's main enemy is, the feds or Madriani -- but the plot quickly spins off into an all-out action-thriller, and most of the action takes place outside the courtroom. Besides the characters described above, there's also: a legendary Mexican hit-man, the "Mexicutioner;" jihadist escapees from the U.S. detention facility at Gitmo; Fidel Castro -- yes, THE Fidel Castro; and some Columbian revolutionaries. And don't forget Katia's mysterious family background. It's possible that that has some relevance too! Martini does a great job creating a very plausible story that gives each one of the rich cast of characters a turn in the spotlight. One particularly interesting aspect of the story is the way that a really, really ugly scheme by some really, really bad people can be jeopardized by such a seemingly trivial event: Katia's mom taking some pictures during vacation. Terrific plot, terrific characters, terrific writing. Can't wait for the next one.

Reviewed by Narayan Radhakrishnan for RebeccasReads (5/09) Paul Madriani is back, and he is in scintillating form. After investigating deep into the nuances of the American Constitution and the issue of slavery with "Shadow of Power," Madriani is now called on to defend another case, which, again, might have international ramifications, with "Guardian of Lies." The novel starts in typical Hollywood movie style with an assassin whom we know as `The Mexicutioner' plotting the perfect murder. In another part of the building 26-year-old Costa Rican beauty Katia is planning to escape from the clutches of her lover, the 72-year-old coin collector, Emerson Pike. She plans, just not to flee.... but also to steal some rare coins which Pike possess. Katia escapes, but within hours of Katia's escape, Emerson Pike is found murdered. And Katia is now charged not with theft, but with murder. And it is this case that Madriani has to defend. And the problem Madriani has is that he doesn't fully believe in his client's total innocence. Madriani has to rake up his mind to come up with a perfect defense that would secure justice for the girl. Madriani's investigation takes him to the shady world of eccentric and maniacal coin collectors with action ranging from California to Costa Rica. He also finds that there is something more to Emerson Pike than what meets the eye. What follows is traditional Madriani suspense fare, and as usual this Madriani (to put it in a cliché) left me both shaken and stirred. Recommended, highly recommended.