Rating: 
Summary: (4 1/2) One of the Best Paul Madriani Stories
Review: It is always an interesting experience to read an early book in a series that I have recently discovered and see how both the characters and the author's style have evolved in his later works when compared to those early efforts. In some instances the central character's evolution has been so extensive that their early incarnation is hardly recognizable; in many cases the author has gotten increasingly formulaic in the storylines and the early books (often bestsellers that launched the series) are clearly superior and in fact are a reminder of the reasons for the series popularity. (Many readers feel that the Kay Scarpetta series by Patricia Cornwell falls into this latter category.) I have been a fan of the Steve Martini series featuring lawyer Paul Madriani, for several years; in the absence of any additions to the series since the disappointing THE ARRAIGNMENT in January 2003, I decided to fill in some of the backstory with which I was unfamiliar by reading THE JUDGE, originally published in January 1996. This is a well written novel with an excellent storyline; I highly recommend it to both fans of the author and first-time readers as a standalone novel.
As the story begins, Paul Madriani agrees to do a favor for a friend who once saved his life, Lenore Goya, chief deputy prosecutor for Capital County, CA. His client will be Lenore's childhood friend and distant relation, Tony Arguillo, a relatively new member of the city's Police Department who has been subpoenaed by a grand jury investigating the police union for corruption. The situation is compounded by a labor dispute between the city and the union and the upcoming re-election campaign of Judge Armando Acosta (known as "the Coconut"), who within the first ten pages threatens to jail Tony if he won't testify under a grant of limited immunity. Suddenly, everything seems to change dramatically for Tony when THE JUDGE is arrested during a sting operation by the Vice Squad for supposedly soliciting a prostitute. Paul visits Lenore while she is interviewing the undercover operative (Brittany Hall) involved in the sting; Lenore's boss D.A. Coleman Kline suddenly confronts Lenore regarding another case and then imperiously and with great irritation chastises her for interviewing Ms. Hall in his absence. It appears that the D.A. believes that this high profile case involving a sitting judge may further his ambitions to someday run for governor (in addition to providing ammunition in his personal vendetta against Lenore). To Madriani's great surprise and the consternation of his long time associate Harry Hinds, Judge Acosta asks Madriani to defend him and adamantly declares that he has been framed by the Police Department in retaliation for his treatment of Tony, the union's fair haired boy.
As Madriani is just starting to pursue his investigation and develop a strategy for defending Acosta, the case suddenly assumes epic proportions as the key witness against his client is found brutally murdered. The only witness is Ms. Hall's very young daughter; as the case proceeds the confusing nature of the evidence and the age of the witness present problems for both the defense and D.A. Kline (for whom the political stakes have risen dramatically as he chooses to prosecute the case himself). This book effectively combines all the elements found in this series - murder, sex, corruption, courtroom drama, politics, detective work, and clever legal maneuverings. Since it occurs shortly after the death of Madriani's wife Nikki, it also provides some information regarding his relationship with his daughter Sarah in the period after Nikki's death. In addition, suspense develops as to how the intensity of the case will affect Paul's relationship with Lenore, who is also a single parent and dealing with the problems of raising two young daughters. The potential cost of the case for Madriani and Lenore suddenly escalates dramatically when violence explodes that might touch the lives of their children as well as themselves and when a situation occurs which might lead to their disbarment.
This book was very enjoyable; a particularly satisfying element was the inclusion of a lot of actual courtroom scenes and legal maneuvering. Some of the more recent legal thrillers by several authors including Martini have seemed to be much more action oriented and focused primarily on lawyers acting as detectives to unravel the evidence in their clients' cases. I much prefer the emphasis on the courtroom drama itself as an integral element of the story. There were a few minor flaws which I won't bother detailing, but careful attention to the story allows the reader to unravel the case in concert with Madriani. My only disappointment was my surprising familiarity with elements of the story once I got involved in the book; some research revealed that this book actually formed the basis for the script for a made-for-television movie which I had obviously watched several years ago and then forgotten until reading the book dredged up the forgotten storyline from my memory. The fact that the book contains substantial additional material and some differences in the plot development allowed me to still enjoy the story as it unfolded, but at the same time undoubtedly made me more alert to certain clues in the narrative regarding the outcome than I otherwise would have been. But if you have not seen the film, you will definitely find THE JUDGE to be one of Martini's best novels and realize why it became a best seller when originally published.
Tucker Andersen
Rating:
Summary: great courtroom drama!
Review: Judge Armando Acosta is not Paul Mandriani's favorite person and yet he ends up defending him in a murder case. Judge Acosta has been involved in a case involving a cover-up by the police of a murder. During the investigation, he, himself, gets arrested for solicitating an under-cover prostitute. The under-cover woman is later found murdered and Judge Acosta is accused of her murder. Assistant DA Lenore Goya, who Paul is interested in, has an interest in both cases, but is fired by DA Kline and ends up taking the judges case until her fingerprint is found at the home of the murdered victim, so she has to quit because of a conflict of interest. Paul gets the case by default and even though he isn't fond of his defendent, finds himself involved in a case full of intrigue and many questions as he works to defend his client. I found the book quite interesting and I got a good look at how trials are conducted. If you are looking for a good legal thriller, then you won't be disappointed in this book. I highly reccomend it.
Rating:
Summary: great courtroom drama!
Review: Judge Armando Acosta is not Paul Mandriani's favorite person and yet he ends up defending him in a murder case. Judge Acosta has been involved in a case involving a cover-up by the police of a murder. During the investigation, he, himself, gets arrested for solicitating an under-cover prostitute. The under-cover woman is later found murdered and Judge Acosta is accused of her murder. Assistant DA Lenore Goya, who Paul is interested in, has an interest in both cases, but is fired by DA Kline and ends up taking the judges case until her fingerprint is found at the home of the murdered victim, so she has to quit because of a conflict of interest. Paul gets the case by default and even though he isn't fond of his defendent, finds himself involved in a case full of intrigue and many questions as he works to defend his client. I found the book quite interesting and I got a good look at how trials are conducted. If you are looking for a good legal thriller, then you won't be disappointed in this book. I highly reccomend it.
Rating: 
Summary: Blind-sided by the ending....once again
Review: Martini has yet again quickly undone an entertaining story with a shockingly improbable ending. If
you've read Prime Witness you'll be subjected to the very same ending. I'm surprised it was
allowed out the door. It's like someone just took an ax and cut the tail off some dog of a story and
jammed it on to page 378. I don't understand why Martini goes through all that work only to
destroy it..
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent most of the way
Review: Nothing dry about this Martini. Commands attention until probability gives out and Hollywood takes over near the end.
Rating:
Summary: All rise for Steven Martini and the Judge!
Review: Outstanding! This was my first Martini book and it won't be my last. As a prosecutor I was sure of who the murdered was in this story. However, Martini had a different idea and with a masterful twist my jaw dropped to the ground at the end. Great book, I highly recommend it to any legal fan!
Rating:
Summary: This was a great courtroom thriller! It was hard to put down
Review: The beginning was slow reading, but as soon as you find out about the murder the story picks up. This book has numerous characters and suspects, an interesting and suspenseful plot, and a great ending. This was my first Martini book and it's as good as Grisham's best stuff.
Rating:
Summary: Dull in the beginning than gets to the meat.
Review: The first ten chapters are dull & very boring. Once the trial begins so does the excitement. I was always expecting a surprise twist, however, I never expected the ending we had. The last chapter was the best in the whole book. The Court room drama was exciting and The fact that the cops were trying to frame the Judge was exciting and it took me a while before I could figure out why they wanted to frame him. Police Corruption and the Judge's investigation were the culprits. For the price, the reading was ok, I didn't care for the writing style. For someone beginning to ready mystries, you may take a go on this one.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining
Review: The Judge was an improvement over Prime Witness, but Mr. Martini's style is the same. Does every court case need to be a rushed trial? Does the hero need to be locked in a room with the killer at the end of all his books? The book was a good read and I will most likely read more of his work. It was interesting to see some of the court room antics.
Rating:
Summary: An impressive legal thriller
Review: This book is a winner!!! This is the third book from Martini that I have read and the second featuring Paul Mandriani - this novel is the best of the three. Martini has spun an impressive legal thriller, with an intriguing cast of characters and plenty of action, suspense and plot twists. The Judge is written from the perspective of Mandriani, a lawyer who somewhat reluctantly finds himself defending a judge he does not particularly care for. As the book progresses, the reader is consistently treated to Mandriani's quick wit, sharp mind, and keen sense of reality in the world. The Judge is a compelling novel that is hard to put down. Read and enjoy!!!!!
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