The Judge

Attorney Paul Madriani's attraction to Assistant District Attorney Lenore Goya catapults him into a sordid mix of corrupt police and a universally despised judge who is framed for prostitution solicitation and murder. This whodunit is skillfully conveyed by master audio performer George Guidall, who never fails to draw the listener into the thick of the plot. Every character is believably voiced and unerringly maintained. Courtroom scenes are dramatically enhanced by Guidall's sense of ebb and flow in attorney confrontations. Since no characterization is portrayed more sinisterly than any of the others, the listener can use only the clues provided by the author to identify the guilty party. J.L.R. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Starred review from January 1, 1996
Here comes the Judge--in handcuffs, and it's the job of California defense attorney Paul Madriani to save him from prison in this riveting new thriller from Martini (Undue Influence). Judge Armando Acosta is busted for soliciting an undercover vice operative; perhaps not coincidentally, the autocratic judge currently is in charge of a grand jury probing possible police cover-up of murder. Complications immediately pile up. Assistant DA Lenore Goya, whom Paul hankers after, is fired by DA Coleman Kline and crosses lines to head up Acosta's defense; Coleman pursues the judge with unexpected ferocity. Then Lenore's fingerprint is found at the murder scene and she's forced off the case, in effect forcing Paul, who has suffered courtroom run-ins with Acosta, to step in. Nearly all the subsequent action takes place in court or offices as we follow the intricacies of the trial, including rollercoaster swoops through jury selection, evidence and testimony. Paul, who narrates in the present tense, as he has other Martini novels, once again proves a sophisticated, good-humored hero who tells a suspenseful tale, right up to the perfectly satisfying climax. Even the loose ends he trails behind feel right. Legal thrillers don't get much better than this. Major ad/promo; Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club main selection; Mystery Guild selection.