The Rule of Nine

May 17, 2010
In Martini's nail-biting 11th Paul Madriani thriller, the California lawyer once again crosses paths with hired assassin Liquida Muerte (aka the Mexicutioner), whose enmity he earned in the previous book, Guardian of Lies (2009). Bent on revenge, Liquida makes a clumsy attempt to implicate Madriani in the death of Jimmie Snyder, a 23-year-old congressional gofer. Meanwhile, a terrorist mastermind known only as Thorn, backed by unlimited funds, is plotting a horrific attack on the U.S. Thorn's use of Liquida as a tool draws Madriani's attention. Against a fast-moving backdrop of technical wizardry, geopolitical maneuverings, and narrow escapes, Madriani and his firm's investigator, Herman Diggs, pursue Thorn in order to locate Liquida. And Liquida, when not dispatching others for Thorn, is determined to eliminate Madriani; his daughter, Sarah; and his colleagues. Martini does a fine job of misdirecting the reader as to the intended terrorist target. 7-city author tour.

May 15, 2010
Martini introduced Paul Madriani nearly 20 years ago, but if this latest novel is any indication, the likable criminal defense attorney is showing no signs of slowing down. The book follows closely on the heels of 2009s Guardian of Lies, in which Madriani was instrumental in averting a nuclear attack on U.S. soil. Here, an assassin, fast approaching obsolescence, takes on a risky assignment (sort of a murderous last hurrah); a corrupt politician is being blackmailed by a shadowy person who knows way too much; the American governments plan to locate and tax offshore bank accounts has a lot of people very upset; and caught in the middle of it all is Madriani, who will once again have to risk his life if he wants to save it. A solid, if perhaps slightly too intricate, legal thriller. Highly recommendable to the authors fans, but newbies might want to check out some of the earlier installments in the series to get oriented.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)