Steve Martini – författare

Paul Madriani, a brilliant criminal defense lawyer, had a once-promising career with a prestigious law-firm, until an ill-judged affair with the senior partner Ben Potter's wife led to his resignation. Now he scrambles for work amid the ghosts of his doomed affair and the remains of a failing marriage.Then Potter is found dead, an apparent suicide. But as details come to light, the case turns from suicide to murder and the needle of suspicion points towards the victim's seductive wife, Talia Potter. Indicted and arrested, Talia turns to Paul, her former lover, to defend her against the mounting evidence in a case that for her could result in the gas chamber

In the space of five days the college town of Davenport is rocked by four brutal murders: two couples - students - their bodies found tied and staked out on the banks of Putah Creek. Then two more bodies are discovered. This time the victims are Abbott Scofield, a distinguished member of the university faculty, and his former wife Karen. The police suspect Andre Iganovich, a Russian immigrant, but Paul Madriani thinks there is more to the case than meets the eye. Forensic reports on the physical evidence suggest lingering questions about the Russian's involvement in the Scofield killings, and Paul becomes increasingly convinced that the second murders are the product of a copy-cat killer - a cold and calculating murderer who has taken the lives of the Scofields for reasons that Paul is determined to uncover...

When lawyer Sam Bogdarus agrees to see Jennifer Davies little does he realise that his attractive new client is to put his life at risk. Jennifer is tracing her father - her only clue being four sheets of parchment belonging to the journals of Sir Francis Drake. These papers hold the key to her father's identity and a multitude of unsolved mysteries... Full of scepticism, Sam agrees to show the papers to university professor Nick Jorgensen. Astoundingly, Nick verifies the papers' authenticity. But already too many people know of the journal's existence. And when his lawyer partner is found murdered, Sam encounters a ruthless killer who seems determined to stop his pursuit of the truth. Eventually Sam is lured into the Simeon Chamber, to discover one of the best-kept secrets time has ever known...

Recently widowed attorney Paul Madriani is struggling to hold on to what is left of his family when he and his young daughter are caught up in yet another family tragedy. Paul's sister-in-law, Laurel Vega, is involved in a bitter custody battle with her ex-husband, Jack, who wants to take their children to Washington DC. When her case disintegrates, Jack's new wife is found dead in the family home. Laurel is arrested and charged with murder. Madriani takes on her defence but the evidence against Laurel is daunting and her own failure to cooperate - in particular, to tell Paul where she was on the night of the murder - leaves the reader wondering if perhaps he is defending a guilty woman. But what actually happened that night is more tragic than anything revealed so far. And it is up to Paul to uncover the shattering piece of evidence that will lead to the terrible truth.

When Judge Armando 'The Coconut' Acosta is caught with a prostitute, few are sympathetic. Lawyer Paul Madriani has a long history of enmity with the judge and considers Acosta's arrest to be the consequence of a lifetime of corruption. Even when the call girl is found to be a beautiful police academy recruit and the entire case appears to be a set-up, Paul is still reluctant to step in and save the judge's career from impending doom. Then the police recruit is brutally killed and Acosta is charged with murder. Lenore Goya, an ambitious defence lawyer, takes on Acosta's case and reluctantly Madriani is persuaded to come on board - they both know he owes her one. Together they uncover the shocking evidence, the ugly lies, the deceit and the corruption that are at the bottom of the most complex and terrifying murder trial of Madriani's career.

Gable Cooper has penned a novel worth six million dollars. But he doesn't exist. Abby Chandlis is lawyer-turned-novelist and the creator of Gable Cooper. She is looking for a charismatic man to pose as the author of her knock-dead thriller. When Jack Jermaine enters her life, Abby is convinced that his charm and good looks will clinch success for her novel, so they make a deal. But as her book rockets to the top of the bestsellers list and Jack is propelled into stardom, Abby senses peril. A series of deadly accidents persuades her that her life is in danger and, with Jack in pursuit, she races to the one person who can put an end to the nightmare that was once her dream of making The List.

Joss Cole, a burned out public defender from LA, has opted for a quieter life in Washington State. Then into her office walks Dean Belden in search of a lawyer to help him set up a business. Within days Belden appears before a federal grand jury and, just minutes before testifying, he is killed. Meanwhile, Gideon van Ry, a nuclear fission expert in California, is troubled by the failure to account for two nuclear devices missing from the former Soviet Union. Under a false bill of lading, they were shipped to a company called Belden Electronics, and Gideon's only lead is the lawyer who incorporated Belden Electronics - Joss Cole...

Tired of the corrosive politics of Capital City, hot-shot lawyer Paul Madriani has reached a watershed in his life. A new practice in San Diego, the mellow swells of the Pacific, and if things work out, a future with Susan McKay - that's the plan.But when Paul meets an old client, whose eight-year-old granddaughter has been abducted, he is drawn into a case which destroys everything he believes in.