Prime Witness

Paul Madriani #2

by Steve Martini

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. 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.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Legal Thriller, Crime, Thriller, Legal, Mystery Thriller

406 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 21, 1993

About the author

Steven Paul "Steve" Martini is an American writer of legal novels.

Reviews

[Cathy DuPont · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second in the Paul Madriani series, Martini is the thinking man's writer in regard to courtroom procedures and drama.

I'm a fish on a line for the specific genre and Martini is among the best I've found.

Storyline, A+; characters, A+, being so real; pacing, A+; and setting, A. With those grades in my mind, hard to give anything other than five stars.

I love the character Paul Madriani and have decided to drop a couple of guys on my ongoing series list, in favor of Paul. Not, of course, that I have to, I can keep the 15 on the list but some on my series list are getting old, repetitive and simply boring to me. Paul is anything but that being fresh and logical. Paul, as a lawyer is clearly drawn by Martini (also a lawyer) and made me a fan of Paul and those around him. For all of these reasons I have been drawn to this series.

A "heads up" though; if you don't like courtroom drama, skip this because it's there; Courtroom with a capital C and Drama with a capital D. I read the last couple of chapters twice they were so "slap me in the face" surprising. The writing was simply great, clear with little in the way of superfluous words which I favor.

While I noticed Martini gave John Grisham a nod of thanks, and I've read Grisham, in my opinion Martini rises above Grisham. Please don't bring the dogs out because as we know, it's simply my opinion, folks.

[Una Tiers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slow plot, legal terms misused. Shame on the author.

[Marianne Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A real page-turner ... and unsuspecting ending ... Martini's going on my must read list of authors!!

[Augie Murray-Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

Long drawn out and boring. I was not impressed with this book as I was the first Steve Martini book I read. I will read a few more of his books to give this author another chance. If they aren’t good then Steve Martini goes on my do not read list.

[Carol Jones-Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Madriani switches roles in this one. He is the prosecutor, you'll see why when you read it. The killer is not who you think it is, and the story is fun to read and follow. Martini is as compelling a writer to read as Grisham and King. His world is a bit dark and cynical, but life often is too. This was a very entertaining and fun to read. If you're looking for heavy philosophy, try Plato or Machiavelli. If your looking for some fun, read this!

This was a terrific novel and I highly recommend it. I am critical of the ending, not because the identity of the killer is a cheat (it isn't: the author dropped more than enough clues to the killer's identity) but because the killer's actions once he/she has been revealed make little sense.

One of the pitfalls of mystery novels is that you have a killer who went to great lengths to get away with his/her crime only to, in the end, commit brand new crimes he/she couldn't possibly hope to get away with. The last acts of this killer make his/her guilt obvious to anyone and everyone. The killer's last acts are, therefore, pointless. A full-blown confession while standing in front of the President of the United States during the State of the Union address would have done less to telegraph the killer's guilt than his/her last series of acts in this novel.

But the ride to get to those last few pages is well worth it! Martini lays out an intriguing mystery and filled his town with interesting characters. The plot develops believably (for a fiction novel) and all loose ends are tied up before the story's done.

Aside from the ending, I have one quibble: Martini does not seem to know what "begging the question" means. He has more than one character use the term incorrectly, which would make sense if his characters were laypeople. But they are not. They are lawyers, and lawyers know what begging the question means. So should Martini.

I've already downloaded the third Paul Madriani novel because Steve Martini, in Compelling Evidence and Prime Witness, has earned himself a new reader. Looking forward to catching up with this series.

[Samyuktha jayaprakash · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book should have got a 3 but for its plotting and the gripping issues aand obstacles. What I found interesting in this book is that , while normal books involve lawyers making tough cases look simple , this makes a simple , open and shut case become complicated in a natural way.I did feel guilty when I got bored with the book in the starting , and had strong urges to close it.
I am happy that I didn't . This showed me the other/real side of law and the politics involved in any job

[Lori Robinett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started with a bang. The prologue was awesome. The plot was decent. The characters were decent. The book just didn't grab me. I was particularly irritated that the killer seemed to come out the blue with no clues to point me in that direction. We knew the killer's name, but had nothing to tie him to the murder. I'm all for red herrings and hidden clues, but this one felt like a reach.

The legal aspects of the book were well-done.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took me much longer to read this one as I would have liked, I just kept falling asleep reading it even though it was interesting! (And I figured out "who done it" before it was revealed!!)

[Gabriel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very slow and boring plot, definitely not nearly as good as the first Madriani novel.
The first half of the book is terribly boring, it picks up a little afterwards but not nearly enough to save it.

This book heavily lacks courtroom drama, it relies mostly on bureaucratic and minor legal proceedings which makes it a tedious read.

Madriani is just an incompetent attorney, a lifeless character and the parts involving his wife are completely dull.

The ending is outright terrible, not realistic and just doesn't make sense.

[Barbara Oveson]

Exciting. Did not want to put it down.

[Ezra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Legal mysteries aren’t really my thing but his writing is one thing I can appreciate about the book.

[Fran · Rating 3 out of 5]

No conocía este autor, ni al protagonista de esta serie, pero me he encontrado con un buen libro de abogados. Fácil de leer y con muchos diálogos hacen de esta historia un buen entretenimiento.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can go wrong will go wrong in Madrianni's law adventures.
It just gets worse and worse until the surprise end.

[Evelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally was able to enjoy this book. First book I have read by Steve Martini I believe. I will think about reading more Paul Madriani but I don't think I need to read #1. Paul does not seem that that great of an attorney or maybe he is just a typical attorney.

[Eric_W · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first got interested in Steve Martini after watching The Judge, an interesting movie that had some nice courtroom scenes for which I am always a sucker. I had already purchased Prime Witness in audio so decided to make it my chores listening. I enjoyed it. Several characters pop up who were in The Judge. This one is unusual int hat Paul Modriani, Martini's protagonist plays the role of district attorney, rather against his will and he is thrown into the middle of a case that pits him against an old antagonist. No point repeating the plot, that's available everywhere.

Some reviewers have downgraded this book because of the level of detail supplied in the investigation. That's the kind of stuff I like. I especially enjoyed the courtroom and lawyerly battles using obscure features of the law in an attempt to gain the upper hand in the battle to gain the advantage.

One negative, I thought, was the side plot that involved threats against Modriani's wife. I thought that was unnecessary and not well explicated. The ending is perhaps a bit preposterous; nevertheless, solid entertainment.

[Kellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

(2nd in the Madriani series)- "When Paul Madriani agrees to fill in temporarily as Special County Prosecutor, he has no idea that he will become involved in a serial murder case. The search for the "Putah Creek Killer" leads to the arrest of a college security guard, Andre Iganovich. Adrian Chambers, the defense counsel, has a shady professional past and a deep-seated dislike for Madriani, who was instrumental in the attorney's previous suspension from the bar association. As the evidence unfolds, discrepancies between the first two double murders and the third one become apparent, leading the prosecution to believe that a copy-cat murderer is on the loose. Threats against Madriani's family, legal posturing, the identification of a witness to the third set of murders, and a killer's desperation combine to produce a thrilling story."
To me, Martini is a master at writing courtroom drama. He is excellent about explaining everything so the reader doesn’t feel lost. I liked this a lot better than the 1st one.

[Janice Forman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Second book in the legal series with defence lawyer Paul Madriani was an okay read. I, personally, found some of the attempted ploys of various judges a little difficult to believe. Perhaps I am naive but I like to think our judicial system is above this type of behaviour.

Madriani, acting as a special prosecutor, is tasked with solving the gruesome murders of six individuals. Mounting evidence leads the police to charge a college security guard with the crimes. Things spin out of control with the suspect’s defence attorney, judges pushing the limits of their power, evidence suggesting the possibility of a copy-cat killer, marital discord, and unreasonable time lines.

The ending comes as a surprise — maybe a little difficult to believe.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love legal thrillers, this one is a good one for you. There's a lot of drama, action and suspense in this one. We're really involved with Paul Madriani's world in and out of the court room. We can really set him keep his emotions and check and keep it all together. There's non-stop shocking surprises to keep you guessing, right to the twist you didn't see coming in the end. When six murders rocks a college town, it's up to Paul in the DA's office to find the killer and stop his case from falling apart at all angles. Even death threats to his wife and daughter and other obstacles are tossed along the way. Great legal drama to hook you from hook to the end.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was very "legal". I didn't realize it was going to be very much from the courtroom until I got far enough into it that I of course had to finish it. The author explains everything well though so if you are curious about a murder trial in California, this is a good example of legal strategy. The author could have made more of an attempt at showing the main character's true self. At the end I didn't really care much about him.

[Joshua Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

My introduction to Martini. Nothing special here but also nothing that made me groan and put the book down. Some authorial quirks that an editor should have helped out with (I didn't actually count the number of times Martini wrote some variation of "x pulled a face like maybe he believed me", but the fact that I thought about doing so should tell you all you need to know). John Grisham this ain't, but a pleasant enough distraction, certainly.

[Judy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I see that a lot of people loved this book, but I just didn't. I listened to the audiobook, so maybe that contributed toward my not liking it. I found it (both the story and the presentation) boring. There was no suspense and seemed dull. Only the ending got a bit more interesting and exciting.

Since I don't know if it was the reader who influenced my opinion of this book, I'll try another Martini/'Paul Madriani' book, but I'll read it next time.

[Emily Higgins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Attorney Paul Madriani has agreed to serve as a temporary District Attorney while a colleague recovers from heart surgery. Then the colleague dies and Paul has the job indefinitely. Four college students have been murdered and the case is coming to trial. All of this takes up so much of Paul's time that it is putting a strain on his relationship with his wife Nikki, with whom he recently reconciled.

[Paul Bolton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good book, just found that the first half really dragged for me. Lots of sub-plots and diversions that really, I feel, did not add anything to the overall story. Did not, to me, feel like the trial was the centrepiece of the book, the fluff got to much in the way. When it did come (the trail) I enjoyed it, but again because the book has the fluff all around the story, the ending and wrap up felt very rushed. Good but a ultimately disappointed.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Paul Madriani series. I really enjoyed the first book I read a few years back, but this one was the page-turner that I remember its predecessor to be. The twist at the end seemed perhaps a bit random, and the evolution of the court case throughout the story was compelling to me. I will continue to read the series but not sure it will be one of my favorites based on this entry.

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as the first Paul Madriani. The details overtook the story about the crimes to where I stopped caring about any of the characters, and while the details are what makes a courtroom "thriller", we all still want to know about whodunit. He just sort of got bogged down in the drama between the lawyers and the judges. Will try another book or two of his to see if they get better.

[Laurie D'ghent · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! I've read a lot of lawyer-thriller-type-thingies, but this one was unique. It wasn't overly graphic, no sex was involved, relatively little swearing, and the main character was actually approachable, not some all-powerful jerk-face lawyer guy. I would definitely read more by Martini.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a little different from the first book. For one thing, our lead is now prosecution rather than defense. It was odd that this story went the way it did. There was a lack of cohesion in this one. Too many people playing on the wrong side for thier own reasons and no one could figure out who. It all was just a little too much, but an interesting enough story anyway.

[Kellie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. It was better than the first in the series, but still too much legalese. I want him to wrote more like Grisham. It seems the potential is there, but just. not. quite.
I will read one more book about Mr Madriani - and if things don't pick up, we will have to break up.

[Kathleen Messmer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I generally like Steve Martini books, but this book was so NOT action packed and boring that it was a huge chore to get through it. The only saving grace was that I totally did not see the ending coming. And that was the only reason for two stars. It would have been one otherwise.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got about 20% in on this one, & I'm done.
Nothing to hold my interest - way too formulaic.
And life is too short to read bad books or drink bad wine.