Search results for ""author steve martini""

Defending an innocent young man, defense attorney Paul Madriani uncovers a morass of corruption and greed that leads to the highest levels of political power in this electrifying tale of suspense from New York Times bestselling author Steve Martini. One of the most successful lawyers in the country, Olinda Serna is a master at managing money as well as her influential clients. After years of fierce combat in the political trenches, Serna knows all the dirty secrets, where the bodies are buried, and how deeply they are stacked. When she's killed in a roadside crash in the high desert of Southern California, powerful heads in Washington begin to panic, worried that their secrets may not be safe anymore. Alex Ives, a friend of Paul Madriani's daughter, is accused of vehicular manslaughter in Serna's death. Ives claims he had only one drink on the night of the accident, yet he can't remember anything between the time he left for a party north of San Diego and the moment he woke up in a hospital the next morning. He's still dazed and a little bruised, but also obviously very afraid. After all, a woman is dead, and he's sure he didn't kill her. To save an innocent young man's life, the brilliant defense attorney must uncover everything he can about Serna and her clients-no matter how unsavory-a search that will lead him into a vortex of corruption, and at its center, a devious killer poised to strike again.

Read more less

Defending an innocent young man, defense attorney Paul Madriani uncovers a morass of corruption and greed that leads to the highest levels of political power in this electrifying tale of suspense from New York Times bestselling author Steve Martini. One of the most successful lawyers in the country, Olinda Serna is a master at managing money as well as her influential clients. After years of fierce combat in the political trenches, Serna knows all the dirty secrets, where the bodies are buried, and how deeply they are stacked. When she's killed in a roadside crash in the high desert of Southern California, powerful heads in Washington begin to panic, worried that their secrets may not be safe anymore. Alex Ives, a friend of Paul Madriani's daughter, is accused of vehicular manslaughter in Serna's death. Ives claims he had only one drink on the night of the accident, yet he can't remember anything between the time he left for a party north of San Diego and the moment he woke up in a hospital the next morning. He's still dazed and a little bruised, but also obviously very afraid. After all, a woman is dead, and he's sure he didn't kill her. To save an innocent young man's life, the brilliant defense attorney must uncover everything he can about Serna and her clients-no matter how unsavory-a search that will lead him into a vortex of corruption, and at its center, a devious killer poised to strike again.

Read more less

Gable Cooper has penned a novel worth six million dollars. But he doesn't exist. Abby Chandlis is lawyer-turned-novelist and the creator of Gable Cooper. She is looking for a charismatic man to pose as the author of her knock-dead thriller. When Jack Jermaine enters her life, Abby is convinced that his charm and good looks will clinch success for her novel, so they make a deal. But as her book rockets to the top of the bestsellers list and Jack is propelled into stardom, Abby senses peril. A series of deadly accidents persuades her that her life is in danger and, with Jack in pursuit, she races to the one person who can put an end to the nightmare that was once her dream of making The List.

Read more less

Tired of the corrosive politics of Capital City, hot-shot lawyer Paul Madriani has reached a watershed in his life. A new practice in San Diego, the mellow swells of the Pacific, and if things work out, a future with Susan McKay - that's the plan.But when Paul meets an old client, whose eight-year-old granddaughter has been abducted, he is drawn into a case which destroys everything he believes in.

Read more less

In the space of five days the college town of Davenport is rocked by four brutal murders: two couples - students - their bodies found tied and staked out on the banks of Putah Creek. Then two more bodies are discovered. This time the victims are Abbott Scofield, a distinguished member of the university faculty, and his former wife Karen. The police suspect Andre Iganovich, a Russian immigrant, but Paul Madriani thinks there is more to the case than meets the eye. Forensic reports on the physical evidence suggest lingering questions about the Russian's involvement in the Scofield killings, and Paul becomes increasingly convinced that the second murders are the product of a copy-cat killer - a cold and calculating murderer who has taken the lives of the Scofields for reasons that Paul is determined to uncover...

Read more less

"Martini keeps getting better and better." -Tennessean (Nashville) When Emma Brauer is blamed in the mercy killing of her aged father, Robert Brauer, Paul Madriani steps in to defend her. Insisting she's innocent, Emma tells Madriani about a package sent to her father by a fellow World War II veteran, containing only a key and a slip of paper. Emma fears that it is connected to her father's death and that his real killer is still out there...Driven by the belief that she's innocent and might be right, Madriani digs into Robert Brauer's military history. He discovers that other members of Robert's army unit have also recently died-under suspicious circumstances. Madriani uncovers a trail leading to a mysterious talisman-a feared Nazi relic known as the Blood Flag. Soaked in the blood of a fallen Nazi follower, the flag was displayed by Hitler in ceremonies until it went missing at the end of the war, turning it into an historic prize. Racing to locate the artifact before it falls into the wrong hands, Madriani is in for the fight of his life.

Read more less

Paul Madriani and Harry Hinds have a new client: Emma Brauer, a woman accused in the “mercy killing” of her aged father, Robert Brauer. Insisting she’s innocent, Emma tells Paul about a package sent to her father shortly before he entered the hospital. Bequeathed to him by a member of his unit from World War II, the box contains a key and a slip of paper. Emma fears that this package is connected to her father’s death. When Paul’s young assistant Sofia is murdered Madriani is blindsided by the realization that Emma’s fears are well-grounded. Digging into Robert’s military history, Madriani discovers that other members of the Army unit Robert served with have recently died—under similarly suspicious circumstances. When he finds that the box sent to Brauer relates to a mysterious talisman that went missing at the end of the war—a feared Nazi relic known as the “Blood Flag”—Madriani and Hinds realize they are in for the fight of their lives. With Emma’s life on the line and their own safety in jeopardy, Madriani must uncover the truth before the evil of the Blood Flag is allowed to spin a new web.

Read more less

Joss Cole, a burned out public defender from LA, has opted for a quieter life in Washington State. Then into her office walks Dean Belden in search of a lawyer to help him set up a business. Within days Belden appears before a federal grand jury and, just minutes before testifying, he is killed. Meanwhile, Gideon van Ry, a nuclear fission expert in California, is troubled by the failure to account for two nuclear devices missing from the former Soviet Union. Under a false bill of lading, they were shipped to a company called Belden Electronics, and Gideon's only lead is the lawyer who incorporated Belden Electronics - Joss Cole...

Read more less

Recently widowed attorney Paul Madriani is struggling to hold on to what is left of his family when he and his young daughter are caught up in yet another family tragedy. Paul's sister-in-law, Laurel Vega, is involved in a bitter custody battle with her ex-husband, Jack, who wants to take their children to Washington DC. When her case disintegrates, Jack's new wife is found dead in the family home. Laurel is arrested and charged with murder. Madriani takes on her defence but the evidence against Laurel is daunting and her own failure to cooperate - in particular, to tell Paul where she was on the night of the murder - leaves the reader wondering if perhaps he is defending a guilty woman. But what actually happened that night is more tragic than anything revealed so far. And it is up to Paul to uncover the shattering piece of evidence that will lead to the terrible truth.

Read more less

Paul Madriani, a brilliant criminal defense lawyer, had a once-promising career with a prestigious law-firm, until an ill-judged affair with the senior partner Ben Potter's wife led to his resignation. Now he scrambles for work amid the ghosts of his doomed affair and the remains of a failing marriage.Then Potter is found dead, an apparent suicide. But as details come to light, the case turns from suicide to murder and the needle of suspicion points towards the victim's seductive wife, Talia Potter. Indicted and arrested, Talia turns to Paul, her former lover, to defend her against the mounting evidence in a case that for her could result in the gas chamber

Read more less

When lawyer Sam Bogdarus agrees to see Jennifer Davies little does he realise that his attractive new client is to put his life at risk. Jennifer is tracing her father - her only clue being four sheets of parchment belonging to the journals of Sir Francis Drake. These papers hold the key to her father's identity and a multitude of unsolved mysteries... Full of scepticism, Sam agrees to show the papers to university professor Nick Jorgensen. Astoundingly, Nick verifies the papers' authenticity. But already too many people know of the journal's existence. And when his lawyer partner is found murdered, Sam encounters a ruthless killer who seems determined to stop his pursuit of the truth. Eventually Sam is lured into the Simeon Chamber, to discover one of the best-kept secrets time has ever known...

Read more less

When Judge Armando 'The Coconut' Acosta is caught with a prostitute, few are sympathetic. Lawyer Paul Madriani has a long history of enmity with the judge and considers Acosta's arrest to be the consequence of a lifetime of corruption. Even when the call girl is found to be a beautiful police academy recruit and the entire case appears to be a set-up, Paul is still reluctant to step in and save the judge's career from impending doom. Then the police recruit is brutally killed and Acosta is charged with murder. Lenore Goya, an ambitious defence lawyer, takes on Acosta's case and reluctantly Madriani is persuaded to come on board - they both know he owes her one. Together they uncover the shocking evidence, the ugly lies, the deceit and the corruption that are at the bottom of the most complex and terrifying murder trial of Madriani's career.

Read more less