The Judge

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 bru

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!!!!!

For Martini fans, this one doesn't let down. If you've never read Martini, you should start. "The Judge" creates suspense, plot twists and is very enjoyable. I have not read a bad Martini book yet.

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.

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!!!!