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Title: The Arraignment by Steve Martini ISBN: 0399148787 Publisher: Putnam Pub Group Pub. Date: 06 January, 2003 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $25.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.04
Rating: 3
Summary: Shabby Martini: good first 3rd of book goes nowhere after
Comment: This is our fifth and last Steve Martini. Propelled by his first novel, "Simeon Chamber", which we enjoyed, we've tried four others with only lackluster results, including this, one of his several defense attorney Paul Madriani series. Our author just can't seem to get it all right at one time in one book. Either his premise is weak and generates little interest; his plot suffers from inactivity; or we just don't care about the characters anymore by the time we drag to the end from a weakly crafted story line.
In this one, a "key man" lawyer is killed and Madriani had a tangential role in his friend being where he was when he got shot. With little more than that as incentive, Paul fights for both the man's ex-wife and new "trophy" wife to get their insurance millions, then proceeds to track down the killers. Much of the story is set in Mexico and involves henchmen and so forth clearly out of Madriani's league -- so the latter two-thirds of the novel stretch beyond believability. The only thing getting us to three stars is the somewhat amusing beginning when the insurnce fight takes place, and the somewhat surprising ending in which a key character we never suspected turns out bad. But one must endure an awful lot in the middle that makes the pages turn sluggishly and the eyelids droop.
We've said before Martini just can't seem to get it right -- Turow, Grisham, and Scottoline are much better bets !
Rating: 3
Summary: More sleuth than lawyer
Comment: Paul Madriani and Harry Hinds come together in quasi-legal thriller. This book doesn't have the charm and tightness found in THE JURY. Much of the first third to half of the book is setup and a number of false clues.
The story starts out with Mandriani's friend Nick Rush getting gunned down in a drive by shooting. For the longest time you think it has something to do with drugs, but that's really just a side issue.
Then there is the problem of Nick's two wives and the life insurance. Margaret is an embittered shrew and Dana a blue eyed bimbo. Either one of them could have reason to kill Nick.
There is Adam Tolt, who was Nick's boss and seems to have an endless supply of money and influence. While all these things are factors in the book, you don't start getting into the meat of the stoy until about page 300 and the trip to Mexico.
It seemed like Mr. Martini changed his mind half way through the book as to what he wanted to accomplish. While the plot is looser than his better work, the keen eye for detail and great writing is still there. His way of describing things and Harry's character have always charmed me.
An enjoyable, if rocky read.
Rating: 2
Summary: Uneven
Comment: With Steve Martini's The Arraignment, I found a very uneven mystery. The characters seem flat and shallow, although maybe you have to read from the beginning of the Paul Madriani series to get more background on recurring characters. The writing seems rather bland and dry. Some parts were very predictable and I figured out the villan halfway through the book (something I don't usually do). The first half of the book showed great promise, and then proceeded to sink with each successive page. The plot was very convoluted, and even at the end when things were somewhat explained, it still seemed totally unbelievable. Too many questions were left unanswered and the entire plot didn't make sense. As someone who reads dozens and dozens of mysteries every year, I wasn't impressed with Mr. Martini.
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Title: The King of Torts by John Grisham ISBN: 0385508042 Publisher: Doubleday Pub. Date: 04 February, 2003 List Price(USD): $27.95 |
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Title: Lost Light by Michael Connelly ISBN: 0316154601 Publisher: Little Brown & Company Pub. Date: 01 April, 2003 List Price(USD): $25.95 |
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Title: The First Law by John T. Lescroart ISBN: 0525947051 Publisher: E P Dutton Pub. Date: 27 January, 2003 List Price(USD): $25.95 |
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Title: Naked Prey by John Sandford ISBN: 0399150439 Publisher: Putnam Pub Group Pub. Date: 12 May, 2003 List Price(USD): $26.95 |
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Title: The Jester by James Patterson, Andrew Gross ISBN: 0316602051 Publisher: Little Brown & Company Pub. Date: 04 March, 2003 List Price(USD): $27.95 |
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