If you like a riveting courtroom thriller, than Steve Martini is an author for you. The characters, especially Paul Madriani, are well-developed and the plot is complex but simple enough to understand. The story is written in 1st person from Madriani's perspective and seems to be well-researched by the author.Paul Madriani is a lawyer with flaws. The story begins with a detailed description of a prison execution. Madriani vows to never let a client of his be sentenced to death. A year previously, he was fired from the law firm of Potter and Skarpellos for having an affair with Potter's wife. He is now practicing law on his own with two cases pending: 1) Defending a high-priced call girl named Susan Hawley and 2) Trying to work on a probate case of the daughter of George Cooper, the county medical examiner. She was abandoned after a car crash by the driver and died shortly thereafter. Cooper is desperately trying to find out who the driver was. These two cases will figure prominently in his present case.On the Eve of Ben Potter's nomination to a Supreme Court seat, he is found murdered. His wife, Talia, is accused of his murder. Gilbert Cheetam is her lawyer for the preliminary hearing. Madriani is the Keenan Counsel. Cheetam botches the preliminary hearing and Talia is bound over for trial. Cheetam bows out as her counsel so Madriani becomes lead lawyer. He is pitted against prosecutor Duane Nelson. Evidence is beginning to stack up against Talia. Madriani's home life is also in shambles. His wife, Nikki, has left him and taken his three year-old daughter, Sarah. The trial seems to be going in favor of Talia when a drunk newspaper reporter writes an article about the previous affair between Talia and Madriani, and it becomes public. Can Madriani keep defending Talia or will there be a mistrial?Comic relief in the story is supplied by Madriani's sidekick Harry Hinds. Harry is another lawyer with an office down the hall from Madriani's. Harry becomes Keenan counsel on the case and helps defend Talia. The judge is Armando Acosta who becomes belligerent toward Madriani after the story of the past affair makes the newspaper.This is one of the best debut novels I have read in awhile. This story takes you through the whole trial - from the arraignment, to jury selection, to the trial, and what happens in between. I enjoyed reading about the games that lawyers have to play in a sensational trial - very intriguing, but where is justice is all this game playing? It is a splendidly crafted courtroom mystery. Well worth reading.
I started out thinking this book was boring, but quickly forgot about that as I got swept up in the plot. I forgot, too, that I feel the same way about every other Steve Martini book I've ever read. The first few chapters are a little slow, then it sucks you in.In this, the first in the Paul Madriani series, he provides very good background on Paul without beating the reader over the head with it. Paul is a believable character. He is not perfect. He is not always likeable. He is shrewd and calculating, but in a way that doesn't come across as gross or crass. The use of 1st person allows readers a nice glimpse into his thoughts and shows a well developed character who is conflicted and unsure, both of his client and his own abilities, and of his faith in the law and the ability of those charged to uphold it. I enjoy the complexity of Martini's plots. Maybe they aren't all that complex to those who are lawyers, but I'm not a lawyer, so it's complex enough to make me happy for a book to read just for fun. I enjoy Martini's stories a good deal more than, say, Grisham's. I think his characters are developed better and the stories are more interesting. They don't always boil down to "take the money and run." Yes, Martini is a little formulaic--what mystery writer isn't?--but I am more willing to overlook that because I enjoy his snarky writing style so much. I did have the twist at the end figured out, but it took me a while to get there and even then I wasn't positive I was right until I read it at the end. I like it when I can't figure it out at all, or it takes me a long time to get to it. Sort of going along with the complexity of the story, I appreciate when issues aren't black and white. It irritates me to no end when the good guys are always good, and the bad guys are always bad, and there is never any overlap. That's what the fantasy genre is for. Martini's good characters are capable of committing--and do commit--morally ambiguous actions. In some cases, outright wrong or illegal actions. Similarly, his bad guys often are the honest ones, or the ones who end up doing something to save the case or acquit the person you were sure was guilty, etc. I'd recommend his books to anyone who enjoys a good courtroom drama or mystery. I don't think he'll disappoint.
What do You think about Compelling Evidence (1993)?
The book that launched the seriesAlmost 20 years ago, the first book in the Paul Madriani series was released. Over time (and 12 books), it has morphed into less of a legal thriller series into more of an action series with a legal thriller bent to it. But, the first one is a good old-fashioned murder mystery and courtroom drama - and a surprisingly good one for a debut effort.In Compelling Evidence we are introduced to Paul Madriani, a struggling solo practice attorney who has recently left a big league law firm...Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2011/...
—Dale
This is my first book by this author and for the first part of the book not quite halfway through it I just couldn't get into it and lost interest a lot. I almost just put it away but I thought I would at least finish it and see how it came out. I am glad I stayed reading because then it picked up and I could hardly put it down at the last. I would have given it a 4 star rating but because it was so slow in the beginning and I almost put it away I gave it 3 stars even though it turned out to be a god book.
—Janie
Get ready for a wild courtroom case in the legal thriller debut from Steve Martini. In Compelling Evidence, the first installment in the Paul Madriani, it was told from his point of view in this explosive story. For Paul, he had a full plate on his hands. He tried to pick up the pieces of his failing marriage for his daughter, while he handed a probate issue and then later learned about one of his bosses at the law firm was dead. Staged to look like a suicide, all eyes were turned to his widow. With a lot of compelling damning evidence against her, it was up to Paul to prove her innocence to win the case. And in the end, there was a shocking ending that would blow you away on the true culprit.
—Kristen
