From Publishers WeeklyIn 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. Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.From BooklistMartini 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 2009's 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 government's 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 author's fans, but newbies might want to check out some of the earlier installments in the series to get oriented. --David PittFrom the Back CoverStill reeling from the trauma of a near nuclear explosion at the naval base in Coronado, San Diego defense attorney Paul Madriani now finds he's been linked to the murder of a Washington, D.C., political staffer. Authorities believe the bloodthirsty assassin Liquida Muerteaka "the Mexicutioner"may be responsible, and that Madriani is the ultimate target of the killer's twisted vengeance.But the danger pales before an even more terrible unfolding scenario. Evidence is mounting that the elusive maniac and a domestic terrorist who calls himself the Old Weatherman have joined forces, intending to strike at the very seat of the United States government, pulling the capital cityand the countryinto a vortex of terror . . . unless Paul Madriani and weapons control expert Joselyn Cole can somehow unravel the enigma of . . . The Rule of Nine. who is the best book author The Rule of Nine: A Paul Madriani Novel (Paul Madriani Novels)
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Plot might have been decent if the style hadn't ruined itBy anonymousDisclaimer: I marked "no sexual content" because I stopped reading before there was any opportunity for some to happen.I used to love his courtroom novels. This...there was a decent plot, but I found myself checking if there was a co-author listed, looking for some explanation of the irritating writing style. Mixed metaphors all over the place, descriptions of women that were cliched and sexist ("all her curves were in the right places"? Really? Even for 2011, this is hackneyed). The women are just not well-characterized at all, their dialogue and actions annoyingly unrealistic. If I find myself asking "Why did she do that? Who does that??" over and over, there's a problem. And who needs a play by play description about how a character looks up a name online (excuse me--on the World Wide Web)? Complete with thumb-scrolling? The beginning was a nice, tight, suspenseful read and I loved that the initial character was fleshed out so completely. Even used that as an example of thoughtful characterization of a minor figure. The first part was the Steve Martini I remembered. Then it just took a nose dive and became unreadable.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Thriller-Legal, not Legal-ThrillerBy Dr LawWith Steve Martini it is somewhat Hit or Miss in terms of whether you have a thriller, where the protagonist is a lawyer; or a trial thriller. In any case both are good fun.You could have easily replaced the attorney, Paul Madriani, with Jason Borne, Robert Langdon, Jack Ryan, etc. The "law" plays such an infinitesimal part to this story, that it may be Mr. Martini is just continuing to use his same main character rather than to split the series (such as was done with the Lincoln Lawyer books with either Mickey Haller or Harry Bosch as the lead).In any case, I have yet to be disappointed in a Martini book. Maybe it's because I am a lawyer??? :-)0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Martini is one of the best!By Dolphin TotemThis book is another thriller that keeps your interest until the very end. A subway bomb diversion as well as a nuclear bomb threat is the theme and a mercenary killer is busy murdering numerous people to make it happen. When Paul Madrianis daughter is the target, the killer is on the loose to take his revenge. This book ends w/ the killer on his way to accomplish this aim, thus making it essential to read the next book. Very clever