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Billy Strobe
A lawyer and ex-con who often matches wits with authority, Billy Strobe finds himself in prison for a stock market scam and then, upon his release, helping clear the name of Darryl Orton, a man framed for murder he did not commit, a quest for justice that brings him face to face with a dangerous high-level conspiracy. By the author of The Alternate. Reprint.
- GenresLegal ThrillerThriller
544 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
June 26, 2012
This is one of the best mystery/thrillers I've read in a long time. The characters are unique creations, NOT the more common "flawed" hero with a drinking issue and a divorced wife or the psychotic serial killer who was abused as a child. Although I correctly anticipated some of the plot moves, the plot itself is so strong it made little difference. Cheering for the success of the "good guys" kept me reading even when I had other things to do.
September 15, 2012
This is a fast read even though it's a long book. Really enjoyed it. It had a couple of holes, but they had to be there to keep the story going, so no real big deal. Also enjoyed the down-home philosophy. Will definitely read more by this author.
July 15, 2012
Probably the best 'lawyer' novel I've ever read.
July 5, 2013
As some else posted here, a long book but a quick read. he paperback was here at our beach rental on Bald Head Island.
The requisite tough problem getting tougher all the time with not only the bad guys, but also the police after Our Hero, the New and Untested Lawyer trying to save a Soledad Prison buddy. You know it will turn out fine of course, but getting there is interesting. Well written with enough red herrings to hold you interest. Moves right along.
I had one problem with the DNA evidence from hair clippings without follicles. I though the fact that the necessary follicles were not there would be the key point in the trial, but it was skipped over. Bad evidence, Mr. Martel! I'm sure I'm far from the only reader who knows that fact.
But still, an entertaining read.
The requisite tough problem getting tougher all the time with not only the bad guys, but also the police after Our Hero, the New and Untested Lawyer trying to save a Soledad Prison buddy. You know it will turn out fine of course, but getting there is interesting. Well written with enough red herrings to hold you interest. Moves right along.
I had one problem with the DNA evidence from hair clippings without follicles. I though the fact that the necessary follicles were not there would be the key point in the trial, but it was skipped over. Bad evidence, Mr. Martel! I'm sure I'm far from the only reader who knows that fact.
But still, an entertaining read.
March 4, 2018
Fast Paced!
Written by John Martel, and published by Dutton/Penguin Group in 2001, this book was written before 9/11, when airline travel was a lot easier for people like Billy. That fact made it a bit dated. As a third-year Law student at UCLA, Billy was facing the loss of his scholarship due to cost cutting by the University. Several classmates, the sons of very wealthy men, persuaded Billy to raise money by engaging in an illegal, but lucrative, insider stock trading scheme. They called themselves the Billionaire Boys Club II. When they got caught, it was Billy who could not afford top-notch legal help, and it was Billy who was sent to the Soledad Maximum Security Prison in California to serve a three- to five-year sentence for grand larceny. The others served only three months in a county jail for a misdemeanor crime, but Billy now had a felony conviction on his record.
The descriptions of life within the walls of Soledad are graphic and gruesome. Billy is almost killed, but is rescued by a new inmate named Darryl Orton. The pair strike up a friendship, helped in no small part by the love of country music shared by the two of them. Eventually, Billy hears Darryl’s story and realizes that he has been framed for a murder he did not commit. Billy vows to get Darryl a new trial, and to see him acquitted of this murder he did not commit. To do this, he finishes his Law classes by correspondence from the Golden State School of Law, and graduates with high honors, including membership in the prestigious Order of the Coif. The benefit for Billy, is an early release and a job offer from one of San Francisco’s most high-profile law firms on Montgomery Street—what is known as a “white shoe” law firm. According to Wikipedia, “white-shoe firm” is a phrase used to describe the top professional services law firms in the United States, and particularly firms that have been in existence for more than a hundred years and primarily represent Fortune 500 companies.
Billy chooses the San Francisco firm Stanton and Snow because of its representation of the client where the murder that framed Darryl took place, and Billy is convinced that he can, and will, learn who committed the murder, and why they did it. The firm allows him to study for the bar exam, and Billy takes, and passes it, becoming a licensed attorney in the state of California. He buckles down to the duties of his new job while simultaneously continuing his investigation on behalf of his friend Darryl, and also while opening a search for evidence to prove that his late father was framed for a crime in Enid, Oklahoma that led to his eventual suicide. The workload is tremendous, but Billy handles it—right up until the time his investigation into the murder that framed Darryl gets a little too close to the truth. Then, things begin to happen. Bad things. The pace of the plot and the action picks up considerably, and it becomes difficult to put the book down.
Dana Matthews is an associate at the law firm, and Billy soon falls madly in love with her. She seems disinterested for a long time, and he completely misjudges her at first, but they soon connect, and love blossoms. At this same time, Billy visits a bar frequented by attorneys, and where a beautiful young woman begins to flirt with him. Her name is Betty Perkins, and the two of them soon begin a torrid affair. She wants to marry Billy and move to New York, but he is not really that interested because he is in love with Dana.
The plot proceeds quickly after this, and the thugs who work for the bad guys soon show themselves. Once again, Billy is almost killed, and he tries to take measures to protect himself. Unfortunately, Billy sometimes makes the same mistakes over and over again, making him a protagonist that I had trouble identifying with. There are some logical inconsistencies in the story, including the fact that Billy acquires a Smith & Wesson .38 revolver on which he keeps activating and deactivating the safety—never mind that revolvers don’t have safeties. I also noted more editing errors than I would have liked to have seen, especially spelling errors that were missed during the copy editing process.
All-in-all, this is a good, entertaining read. It is fast-paced and intense. It drags a bit near the beginning, but the action picks up quickly. There is very little courtroom drama, considering that the story is a legal thriller, so most readers are unlikely to get bored. The author is an attorney who did his homework on Soledad Prison, but not on guns. I liked the book anyway, and I recommend it to those who like the genre. I award five stars for this great effort by author John Martel.
The descriptions of life within the walls of Soledad are graphic and gruesome. Billy is almost killed, but is rescued by a new inmate named Darryl Orton. The pair strike up a friendship, helped in no small part by the love of country music shared by the two of them. Eventually, Billy hears Darryl’s story and realizes that he has been framed for a murder he did not commit. Billy vows to get Darryl a new trial, and to see him acquitted of this murder he did not commit. To do this, he finishes his Law classes by correspondence from the Golden State School of Law, and graduates with high honors, including membership in the prestigious Order of the Coif. The benefit for Billy, is an early release and a job offer from one of San Francisco’s most high-profile law firms on Montgomery Street—what is known as a “white shoe” law firm. According to Wikipedia, “white-shoe firm” is a phrase used to describe the top professional services law firms in the United States, and particularly firms that have been in existence for more than a hundred years and primarily represent Fortune 500 companies.
Billy chooses the San Francisco firm Stanton and Snow because of its representation of the client where the murder that framed Darryl took place, and Billy is convinced that he can, and will, learn who committed the murder, and why they did it. The firm allows him to study for the bar exam, and Billy takes, and passes it, becoming a licensed attorney in the state of California. He buckles down to the duties of his new job while simultaneously continuing his investigation on behalf of his friend Darryl, and also while opening a search for evidence to prove that his late father was framed for a crime in Enid, Oklahoma that led to his eventual suicide. The workload is tremendous, but Billy handles it—right up until the time his investigation into the murder that framed Darryl gets a little too close to the truth. Then, things begin to happen. Bad things. The pace of the plot and the action picks up considerably, and it becomes difficult to put the book down.
Dana Matthews is an associate at the law firm, and Billy soon falls madly in love with her. She seems disinterested for a long time, and he completely misjudges her at first, but they soon connect, and love blossoms. At this same time, Billy visits a bar frequented by attorneys, and where a beautiful young woman begins to flirt with him. Her name is Betty Perkins, and the two of them soon begin a torrid affair. She wants to marry Billy and move to New York, but he is not really that interested because he is in love with Dana.
The plot proceeds quickly after this, and the thugs who work for the bad guys soon show themselves. Once again, Billy is almost killed, and he tries to take measures to protect himself. Unfortunately, Billy sometimes makes the same mistakes over and over again, making him a protagonist that I had trouble identifying with. There are some logical inconsistencies in the story, including the fact that Billy acquires a Smith & Wesson .38 revolver on which he keeps activating and deactivating the safety—never mind that revolvers don’t have safeties. I also noted more editing errors than I would have liked to have seen, especially spelling errors that were missed during the copy editing process.
All-in-all, this is a good, entertaining read. It is fast-paced and intense. It drags a bit near the beginning, but the action picks up quickly. There is very little courtroom drama, considering that the story is a legal thriller, so most readers are unlikely to get bored. The author is an attorney who did his homework on Soledad Prison, but not on guns. I liked the book anyway, and I recommend it to those who like the genre. I award five stars for this great effort by author John Martel.
December 21, 2021
This is, as best I can tell, Martel's 4th book and latest book. I've read two of the others. One wasn't worth finishing. One was ok. And this book is a great example of how an author can pull it together. Billy Strobe has all of the elements that I love in a book - great characters, great plot, interesting ideas and credibility. It starts with Billy in his 3rd year of law school which he is finishing up from behind bars at Soledad prison. He graduates. He gets out of prison and divides his time between clearing his late father's name and springing his 'innocent' friend from prison. It's just a great story.
April 3, 2021
I genuinely enjoyed the development of the protagonist over the course of the story. He's not this wunderkind of the legal world, but rather a novice with an almost pigheaded determination to do right by his friend, no matter the obstacle.
This is one of those slow-burn books that takes it's time setting up the story, leading to a climax that makes you binge-read the last hundred pages. In that way, Martel reminds me more of Peter Straub than John Grisham.
A good legal thriller.
This is one of those slow-burn books that takes it's time setting up the story, leading to a climax that makes you binge-read the last hundred pages. In that way, Martel reminds me more of Peter Straub than John Grisham.
A good legal thriller.
February 18, 2018
I really like Billy Strobe, not just the book, but the character--the hero, if you will. This book is so socially complicated while swirling around an intriguing murder mystery. It took me longer to read than it should have but only because I had a lot of personal distractions. it is a page-turner with a surprise ending.
July 29, 2018
Mercy, mercy, mercy. What a story. Twists and turns, coming and going. Terrific story line. I'm a retired paralegal and only one time did I catch a great clue ahead of the author. Great book.
May 18, 2022
I thought this would have courtroom drama in it but was very disappointed to realize there wasn't any.
August 23, 2022
1.5 stars actually, my planned "meh" comment by the end of the book went down to "ppfffftttt"
April 29, 2024
Stumbled across this at the small campground library. Kept me well entertained. Great cast of characters.
August 16, 2025
“I guess I hadn’t reckoned on the possibility of getting myself killed over a simple motion for new trial.”
Ambition, intelligence, drive, and hard work took Billy Strobe to the top of his class in law school. Then greed and a short term loss of judgment and integrity took him to prison for a less than peaceful sojourn cooling his heels and cost him his chance at admission to the bar after his participation in an insider-trader stock market scam went south. But his time behind bars actually strengthened a determination to study law, effectively by correspondence, to clear the name of his father who had committed suicide as a result of allegations of fraud, and to earn a new trial for a fellow inmate whom he had come to believe was railroaded by incompetent representation and wrongfully convicted of murder.
BILLY STROBE, a relatively lengthy novel at 530 pages, was actually two stories.
The first was the jaw-dropping, gut-wrenching, and shockingly brutal story of Billy Strobe’s life behind bars after his imprisonment for a multi-million dollar securities fraud – contraband, drugs, prison weapons, prison lawyers, black market, “protection”, rape, punitive isolation, effectively internecine prisoner warfare as inmates beat or kill one another for the flimsiest of reasons under the less than watchful eye of the prison staff. Wow! Just wow!
The second half of the novel involved Strobe’s release from prison, his admission to the bar, and his recruitment to a high-flyin’ law firm as the token showpiece in a marketing campaign to demonstrate the firm’s commitment to “equal opportunity” and their willingness to offer a “second chance” to convicted felons. The story of Strobe’s period of grotesque working slavery as a non-partner associate in a legal firm, his investigation into his father’s life and the search for an alibi for his prison friend (not to mention the real murderer, in this case) is a top rate thriller that culminates in a gripping courtroom scene. Martel even offers laugh-out-loud comedic moments as Strobe struggles to fill the role of criminal defense lawyer with absolutely zero experience.
Definitely recommended for those that enjoy the legal thriller genre.
Paul Weiss
Ambition, intelligence, drive, and hard work took Billy Strobe to the top of his class in law school. Then greed and a short term loss of judgment and integrity took him to prison for a less than peaceful sojourn cooling his heels and cost him his chance at admission to the bar after his participation in an insider-trader stock market scam went south. But his time behind bars actually strengthened a determination to study law, effectively by correspondence, to clear the name of his father who had committed suicide as a result of allegations of fraud, and to earn a new trial for a fellow inmate whom he had come to believe was railroaded by incompetent representation and wrongfully convicted of murder.
BILLY STROBE, a relatively lengthy novel at 530 pages, was actually two stories.
The first was the jaw-dropping, gut-wrenching, and shockingly brutal story of Billy Strobe’s life behind bars after his imprisonment for a multi-million dollar securities fraud – contraband, drugs, prison weapons, prison lawyers, black market, “protection”, rape, punitive isolation, effectively internecine prisoner warfare as inmates beat or kill one another for the flimsiest of reasons under the less than watchful eye of the prison staff. Wow! Just wow!
The second half of the novel involved Strobe’s release from prison, his admission to the bar, and his recruitment to a high-flyin’ law firm as the token showpiece in a marketing campaign to demonstrate the firm’s commitment to “equal opportunity” and their willingness to offer a “second chance” to convicted felons. The story of Strobe’s period of grotesque working slavery as a non-partner associate in a legal firm, his investigation into his father’s life and the search for an alibi for his prison friend (not to mention the real murderer, in this case) is a top rate thriller that culminates in a gripping courtroom scene. Martel even offers laugh-out-loud comedic moments as Strobe struggles to fill the role of criminal defense lawyer with absolutely zero experience.
Definitely recommended for those that enjoy the legal thriller genre.
Paul Weiss
February 12, 2016
"Billy Strobe" is, without exception, the most engaging and compelling legal thriller I have read in years. Martel is an outstanding writer and master story-teller. This gripping and action-packed novel covers the gamut including a series of interrelated crimes, treachery/manipulation, prison life, law firm politics, courtroom drama, and a cast of memorable and credible characters too extensive to do justice in a brief review. The reader is taken on a whirlwind journey through Billy's budding legal career, its highs and lows, triumphs and disasters, and his professional growth/development as he grapples with the "system" to secure a new trial and release of a prison colleague (Darryl Orton) framed for a murder he did not commit. There are lots of moving parts in this saga, but the plot flows logically, scenes are richly described and, as appropriate to the circumstances, the dialogue is gritty, realistic, witty, and believable.
Most of the e-books I read are 'free' in that (a) I borrow them from my local library or Amazon's Prime Lender inventory or (b) they are offered as part of the "Kindle First" program. In this case, I actually bought this title from Amazon.com based upon a recommendation from Goodreads. This book was worth every penny I paid and merits my highest endorsement including a well-deserved "+" to a 5-Star rating!
Most of the e-books I read are 'free' in that (a) I borrow them from my local library or Amazon's Prime Lender inventory or (b) they are offered as part of the "Kindle First" program. In this case, I actually bought this title from Amazon.com based upon a recommendation from Goodreads. This book was worth every penny I paid and merits my highest endorsement including a well-deserved "+" to a 5-Star rating!
March 17, 2016
Pah! I would have given up on Darryl Orton long ago! I worked for lawyers for years. They love to argue, on either side of the case, simply as assigned.
This is the story of Billy Strobe fighting for the truth: For Darryl (who doesn't want him to, believing his is a lost cause); for his dad (who was wrongly? accused of taking bribes, among other things), and for a woman -- of course. The novel takes the reader from Billy's childhood thru murders and a realistic (if spectacular, trial) on page 530. Based on the true story of Darryl Orton.
Kudos to John Martel.
This is the story of Billy Strobe fighting for the truth: For Darryl (who doesn't want him to, believing his is a lost cause); for his dad (who was wrongly? accused of taking bribes, among other things), and for a woman -- of course. The novel takes the reader from Billy's childhood thru murders and a realistic (if spectacular, trial) on page 530. Based on the true story of Darryl Orton.
Kudos to John Martel.
April 21, 2016
Be careful what you wish for. Circumstances change. I wanted a book that would sustain me and hold my interest during a long trip. At 530 pages, Billy Strobe fit the bill. Part One, 108 pages, dealing with Billy's life in Soledad moved right along. Part 2, the next 400 plus, was slower but for the most part kept me involved. My problem was when I got back home, I still had a couple of hundred pages to go and with less time to devote to reading, I feared I would never get through it. Fortunately the pace picked up with the final 50 page courtroom scene.
December 21, 2009
This was a legal novel with a twist -- the attorney is an ex-con with a prison story that motivates his conduct throughout the book. The action was pretty fast moving, and the characters somewhat developed, The ending was predictable though, good triumphs over evil, with a neatly tied up ending to the love story plot line.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 4, 2010
I"m not a fan of courtroom drama, unless the case is about murder or anything CSI-ish, but I can sa y that this book is good. Survival inside the jail is so hard and because of this book, I've realized that hearsays about life inside prison is true. Brace yourself as you enter the life in prison
April 5, 2014
Billy Strobe is sent to prison for masterminding an investment scam with some college "friends". In prison he meets Darryl Orton who was framed for the murder of Deborah Hinton. Billy is currently a law student and upon his release from jail is determined to prove Darryl's innocence.
October 5, 2016
This is a fast pace book that keeps you very interested . It was not all the way Billy would have had it end up, but one out of two of his goals were won. He benefited by being framed and sent to prison. But in the end he came out ahead and helped his friends and family too.
May 25, 2009
Bought this at a used bookstore because it had a dustjacket on it for a book that I actually wanted. Trashy.
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December 8, 2012very good
September 16, 2013
I didn't care for the slang the character used, nor his attitude.
June 13, 2012
Better than all of Grisham's.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews