Paul Madriani Series by Steve Martini, Dan Woren, George Guidall, Inc. ?2008 by Paul Madriani

Sharp defense attorney Paul Madriani was on the rise with the firm of Potter, Skarpellos -- until a short-lived affair with Potter's wife cost him his job. Now, Potter's wife is accused of his murder -- and Paul is thrust back into the big time, as he uncovers secrets that may end his career -- and his life.

Over just five days, the rural college town of Davenport, California, is rocked by two sets of brutal murders. When two more bodies are discovered, Paul Madriani, the brilliant defense attorney from Compelling Evidence, is tagged as the special prosecutor who must find the murderer, dubbed "the Putah Creek Killer" - and quickly. Following a trail of mounting physical evidence, Madriani and the police are led to a college security guard, who is arraigned on multiple charges of murder... moreOver just five days, the rural college town of Davenport, California, is rocked by two sets of brutal murders. When two more bodies are discovered, Paul Madriani, the brilliant defense attorney from Compelling Evidence, is tagged as the special prosecutor who must find the murderer, dubbed "the Putah Creek Killer" - and quickly. Following a trail of mounting physical evidence, Madriani and the police are led to a college security guard, who is arraigned on multiple charges of murder. But things begin to spin out of control when Madriani confronts Adrian Chambers, the suspect's defense attorney, who harbors a checkered past and a deep-seated vendetta against Paul. Even worse, while the evidence linking the suspect to the first four slayings is irrefutable, something is clearly different with the last two murders.As the trial slowly proceeds, Madriani begins to realize there is another killer at large. Only during the trial - when he is fighting for the conviction of one killer and the identification of another - does Madriani discover terrifying answers that go far deeper than anyone imagined.Answers that will shock, mesmerize, and hold the reader captive until the last page. less

Defense attorney Paul Madriani is mired in a complex web of intrigue and murder when the sister of his late wife, embroiled in a bitter custody battle with her former husband, becomes the prime suspect in the murder of her ex-husband and his new young wife.

Judge Armanda "the Coconut" Acosta is arrested on charges of soliciting a prostitute in a sting operation for "johns," and few -- including attorney Paul Madriani, who has a long history of enmity with the judge -- are sympathetic. When the young female decoy who snared the judge is found brutally murdered, Acosta is the prime suspect.Abandoned by his friends, Acosta asks Paul to save his career from impending doom... moreJudge Armanda "the Coconut" Acosta is arrested on charges of soliciting a prostitute in a sting operation for "johns," and few -- including attorney Paul Madriani, who has a long history of enmity with the judge -- are sympathetic. When the young female decoy who snared the judge is found brutally murdered, Acosta is the prime suspect.Abandoned by his friends, Acosta asks Paul to save his career from impending doom. Paul is reluctant, but when Acosta's original defense lawyer is forced off the case by a zealous district attorney looking for revenge, Paul steps forward to defend the judge. With his client now charged with murder, Paul faces the most daunting, disturbing, and complex case of his career.Packed with nonstop drama and a cast of richly drawn characters that have come to be Steve Martini's trademark, The Judge delivers a decisive thumbs-up verdict. less

Now Martini delivers Paul Madriani's most challenging case yet: one pitting a drug-addicted mother against her daughter's newly rich grandfather in a contentious custody case that leads to criminal accusations and ultimately murder.Having moved to San Diego to be closer to the woman in his life, Madriani takes on the case of Jonah Hale, an elderly man in terrible straits... moreNow Martini delivers Paul Madriani's most challenging case yet: one pitting a drug-addicted mother against her daughter's newly rich grandfather in a contentious custody case that leads to criminal accusations and ultimately murder.Having moved to San Diego to be closer to the woman in his life, Madriani takes on the case of Jonah Hale, an elderly man in terrible straits. As a result of their only child Jessica's longtime drug addiction, Jonah and his wife have been raising their eight-year-old granddaughter, Amanda. On the heels of Jonah's multimillion-dollar state lottery win, Jessica revives her interest in mothering. When Jonah won't deal--maternal rights for a mega-bucks payoff--Jessica plays dirty: she accuses the old man of having sexually abused her as a child and similarly abusing Amanda now.Enter Zo Suade--a flamboyant, feminist activist with a penchant for making the objects of custody battles and their mother/plaintiffs "disappear." True to form, a week after Zo takes on Jessica's case, mother and daughter vanish. When Zo's body turns up, Jonah becomes the prime suspect. And Madriani is the man who can prove his innocence.Filled with action in and out of court, rich in characters with motives obvious and subtle, The Attorney marks the much-anticipated return of Paul Madriani. less

Paul Madriani takes on the case of Dr. David Crone, a respected geneticist accused of murdering his young colleague. An incriminating note left behind by a dead key witness seems to confirm Crone's innocence. But when Madriani hits upon a scandal from Crone's past, an ethical nightmare dangles in front of his face: the possibility of defending a guilty client ...

In a quest that takes Madriani from California to Mexico and the Guatemalan border, he discovers that while the motive to kill may be driven by distant, exotic, and ancient artifacts, the killer, like a serpent, lies much closer at hand."Lean, speedy and packing a wallop of a plot twist" was Publishers Weekly's verdict of Steve Martini's "The Jury." Now Martini crafts yet another legal nail-biter featuring perennial favorite attorney Paul Madriani... moreIn a quest that takes Madriani from California to Mexico and the Guatemalan border, he discovers that while the motive to kill may be driven by distant, exotic, and ancient artifacts, the killer, like a serpent, lies much closer at hand."Lean, speedy and packing a wallop of a plot twist" was Publishers Weekly's verdict of Steve Martini's "The Jury." Now Martini crafts yet another legal nail-biter featuring perennial favorite attorney Paul Madriani.After a lawyer friend is killed along with his client in a hail of gunfire outside the federal courthouse in San Diego, Madriani takes on another client who he believes is involved at the edges of the double murder. He takes the case not to defend the man, but to find out who killed his friend and why. Madriani is tortured by questions of conflict, his duty to a client who may have killed his friend, and the need to know the truth, wondering whether he himself had been marked for death only to have a friend die in his place. Soon he is drawn into a vortex of crime that spans the Americas.As he searches for the killer, Madriani rides the crest of a dangerous wave of international drug deals and people who murder for money. Suddenly he realizes it is not heroin or cocaine that resulted in the murder of his friend, but a priceless piece of pre-Columbian art-something so dazzling in the information it holds as to be one of the treasures of the ages.In a quest that takes Madriani from California to Mexico and the Guatemalan border, he discovers that while the motive to kill may be driven by distant, exotic, and ancient artifacts, the killer, like a serpent, lies much closer at hand. less

Now Madriani is faced with daunting ballistics evidence: a so-called "double tap"-two bullet wounds tightly grouped in the victim's head, shots that could have been made only by a crack marksman. Paul's client, Emiliano Ruiz, is an enigma—a career soldier who refuses to discuss his past though it is clear that he is a battle-tested pro. Ruiz is accused of killing a beautiful businesswoman and guru of a high-tech software empire catering to the military... moreNow Madriani is faced with daunting ballistics evidence: a so-called "double tap"-two bullet wounds tightly grouped in the victim's head, shots that could have been made only by a crack marksman. Paul's client, Emiliano Ruiz, is an enigma—a career soldier who refuses to discuss his past though it is clear that he is a battle-tested pro. Ruiz is accused of killing a beautiful businesswoman and guru of a high-tech software empire catering to the military. A key to the case: the murder weapon is one used solely in special operations, where the "double tap" has become the signature of the most skilled assassins. Ruiz is sitting on secrets-there's a seven-year gap on his military résumé, for which Madriani can find no details. And, more troubling, he discovers that the victim and her company were involved in a controversial government computer program designed to combat terrorists. Madriani finds himself in a deadly legal quagmire—with a client who is unwilling to cooperate and prosecutors who stonewall his every question about the victim's shadowy business and his client's past. Finding justice, and the unvarnished truth, has never been so elusive—or so dangerous. less

The echoes of a murder reach deep into the halls of the U.S. Supreme Court in this electrifying new thriller featuring defense attorney Paul Madriani from New York Times bestselling author Steve Martini.Terry Scarborough is a legal scholar and provocateur who craves headline-making celebrity, but with his latest book he may have gone too far. In it he resurrects forgotten language in the U.S. Constitution—and hints at a missing letter of Thomas Jefferson's—that threatens to divide the nation... moreThe echoes of a murder reach deep into the halls of the U.S. Supreme Court in this electrifying new thriller featuring defense attorney Paul Madriani from New York Times bestselling author Steve Martini.Terry Scarborough is a legal scholar and provocateur who craves headline-making celebrity, but with his latest book he may have gone too far. In it he resurrects forgotten language in the U.S. Constitution—and hints at a missing letter of Thomas Jefferson's—that threatens to divide the nation. Then Scarborough is brutally murdered and a young man with dark connections is charged. What looks like an open-and-shut case to most people, doesn't to defense attorney Paul Madriani. He believes there is much more to the case, and that the defendant is a pawn caught in the middle, being scapegoated by circumstance.As the trial spirals toward its conclusion, Madriani and his partner Harry Hinds race to find the missing Jefferson letter—and the secrets it holds about slavery and scandal at the time of our nation's founding and the very reason Scarborough was killed. Madriani's chase takes him from the tension-filled courtroom in California to the trail of a Supreme Court justice now suddenly in hiding and lays bare the soaring political stakes for a seat on the High Court, in a country divided, and under the shadow of power. less

Defense attorney Paul Madriani gets caught in a web of deceit and murder involving Cold War secrets, a rare coin dealer who once worked for the CIA, and a furious assassin in one of the most entertaining novels yet in this New York Times bestselling series. A woman pauses in the hallway of a darkened San Diego beach house at night—listening for just the right moment when she can flee before her companion notices that she's gone... moreDefense attorney Paul Madriani gets caught in a web of deceit and murder involving Cold War secrets, a rare coin dealer who once worked for the CIA, and a furious assassin in one of the most entertaining novels yet in this New York Times bestselling series. A woman pauses in the hallway of a darkened San Diego beach house at night—listening for just the right moment when she can flee before her companion notices that she's gone.A man outside watches the same mansion, waiting for a sign that he can enter on his mission of blood and carnage.So begins this riveting new tale about Paul Madriani and his latest case—that of Katia, a woman accused of an unlikely crime—a trial that will unravel a careful but horrifying conspiracy. Madriani soon realizes that he's signed onto something much more sinister than a botched heist. As he searches for the truth that will clear Katia's name, he finds himself on a path that takes him from Southern California to Costa Rica, and, ultimately, to a secret buried since Castro's rise to power.Together with his partner, Harry Hinds, Madriani must piece together the threads of a decades-old conspiracy involving priceless gold coins, an aging American spy, a disaffected Russian soldier, and a forgotten weapon from the days of JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis. As the separate strands of the story come together, Madriani finds information that will ultimately lead him to the one person who holds the key to it all: a man some call "The Guardian of Lies."In this fascinating thriller from New York Times bestselling author Steve Martini, Paul Madriani faces his most challenging—and mosturgent—case yet, a breathless story that combines fact and fiction and will hold readers captive until its final, explosive conclusion. less

San Diego defense attorney Paul Madriani is still reeling from the trauma of a near nuclear explosion he helped avert at the naval base in Coronado. Threatened by federal authorities to keep quiet about the close call in California, Madriani is now faced with a new problem in the steely-eyed and alluring Joselyn Cole, a weapons control expert, who believes he has to go public with what he knows if they have any hope of stopping a similar event in the future... moreSan Diego defense attorney Paul Madriani is still reeling from the trauma of a near nuclear explosion he helped avert at the naval base in Coronado. Threatened by federal authorities to keep quiet about the close call in California, Madriani is now faced with a new problem in the steely-eyed and alluring Joselyn Cole, a weapons control expert, who believes he has to go public with what he knows if they have any hope of stopping a similar event in the future.But Madriani has been linked to a murder of a Washington, D.C. political staffer, and authorities believe a shadowy figure called Liquida—a hired assassin known as 'the Mexicutioner'—may be responsible. And this man, as the last survivor of the attack in San Diego, might be driven by a bizarre and horrifying, star-crossed vendetta and might now be looking for Madriani himself. What Madriani and Cole begin to fear is that this madman has joined forces with a demented former radical known as the Old Weatherman, who intends to pull the city—and the country—into a vortex of terror before Madriani and Cole can find answers to the enigma that is 'the rule of nine.' less

In California, two men argue in a parked car ... as the plot unfolds to profitably transfer secret technology into malevolent hands.In Ohio, a young woman slips away from her protectors for a morning run -- unaware that the killer she's being protected from waits in the darkness. The woman is Sarah, daughter of defense attorney Paul Madriani. Her assailant is the vengeful assassin named Liquida... moreIn California, two men argue in a parked car ... as the plot unfolds to profitably transfer secret technology into malevolent hands.In Ohio, a young woman slips away from her protectors for a morning run -- unaware that the killer she's being protected from waits in the darkness. The woman is Sarah, daughter of defense attorney Paul Madriani. Her assailant is the vengeful assassin named Liquida.Now Paul Madriani -- along with his companion, Joselyn Cole, and his law partner, Harry Hinds -- must venture into the vortex of international terror in search of an ice-cold killer and a trader of secrets before the ultimate weapon of mass destruction sets the world ablaze. 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... moreDefending 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. 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... more“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. less