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52nd out of 199 books
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10 voters
My rating:
add to my books
Guardian of Lies (Paul Madriani #10)
Defense attorney Paul Madriani gets caught in a web of deceit and murder involving Cold War secrets, a rare coin dealer who once worked for the CIA, and a furious assassin in one of the most entertaining novels yet in this "New York Times" bestselling series.
A woman pauses in the hallway of a darkened San Diego beach house at night--listening for just the righ
...moreHardcover, 443 pages
Published
July 14th 2009
by William Morrow & Company
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It takes a while for this whole storyline to come together, but once it does, you won't be able to put it down. The main character is a lawyer, Paul Madriani, the main character in many/all? of Steve Martini's books. However, this is not really a legal thriller. It is more along the lines of international intrigue.
It is a very good story, one which keeps you on the edge of your seat until the end. A man is murdered, and a young woman who was a guest in his home is the main susp...more
It is a very good story, one which keeps you on the edge of your seat until the end. A man is murdered, and a young woman who was a guest in his home is the main susp...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I don't read a lot of these types of books so I guess I'm not the best person to ask regarding the quality of this book, but for me I found that though the plot was interesting enough, all of the characters were painfully dull. Even "The Mexecutioner" for all his mysterious qualities and psychopathic tendencies, seemed more like a regular joe who happened to kill people. No one really stood out in my mind.
It was like being at a business meeting discussing sales figures as ...more
It was like being at a business meeting discussing sales figures as ...more
I liked the plot, but had trouble staying "in story" with this one.
The author keeps switching the character names from first to last name, repeatedly, even in the same paragraph. I just found it confusing.
Paragraphs like these are rampant:
"Nitikin now knew that Alim no longer needed him. Yakov was running out of time. If Afundi found Marciela in the back of the truck..."
Maybe if I were 20 years younger, or if I had read the book in one ...more
The author keeps switching the character names from first to last name, repeatedly, even in the same paragraph. I just found it confusing.
Paragraphs like these are rampant:
"Nitikin now knew that Alim no longer needed him. Yakov was running out of time. If Afundi found Marciela in the back of the truck..."
Maybe if I were 20 years younger, or if I had read the book in one ...more
Well it seems Martini has decided to cross his legal thrillers into the land of espionage and intrigue...but it just doesn't mesh well for me. The joy of fiction is that anything is possible but I have a hard time buying into Paul Madriani (albeit with assistance from Rhytag and Harry and eventually backup from the FBI) stopping a terrorist attack.
As always, I enjoyed Martini's writing and the story-line. My project was just fitting Madriani into the character more akin to a sharp,...more
As always, I enjoyed Martini's writing and the story-line. My project was just fitting Madriani into the character more akin to a sharp,...more
I picked this up from the Library sale.
I actually thought it was a different author.
I normally don't like picking up books that are a 'series' in the middle and prefer to read the first one first but.... it was a long plane ride.
It is a 'typical' thriller with:
drugs
assassin
terrorist
FBI agents
lawyers
Cold War leftovers
and a nice tidy package at the end.
oh and it has a dwarf. 1/2 an extra star for a dwarf.
It was a ...more
I actually thought it was a different author.
I normally don't like picking up books that are a 'series' in the middle and prefer to read the first one first but.... it was a long plane ride.
It is a 'typical' thriller with:
drugs
assassin
terrorist
FBI agents
lawyers
Cold War leftovers
and a nice tidy package at the end.
oh and it has a dwarf. 1/2 an extra star for a dwarf.
It was a ...more
This is a great fast paced political thriller!!! Lawyer, Paul Madriani, gets involved in a terrorist conspiracy to devastate San Diego. The plot contains a retired CIA rare coins dealer, escaped Muslim extremists from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (Fidel Castro), a dying Russian nuclear weapons expert, Mexican cartels, a hired assassin, an old nuclear weapon left over from the Cuban Missile Crisis, and last-but-not-least, Madrini is accused of murder. It sounds complicated, but the story is truly beli...more
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Richard Lollar
rated it
Recommends it for:
People who like stories of action, legal thrillers, San Diego/Costa Rica
Recommended to Richard by:
I read all Steve Martini's work.
Another thriller featuring criminal defense attorney Paul Madriani. Mr. Martini always spins an interesting tale, especially considering his background: practicing law in state and federal courts in California, serving as both a judge and hearing officer.
This time Paul has to defend himself from both assassins and the law, accused of two murders. The setting in San Diego, Costa Rica and Mexico is very descriptive. Mr. Martini's character development is excellent as is the way he reve...more
This time Paul has to defend himself from both assassins and the law, accused of two murders. The setting in San Diego, Costa Rica and Mexico is very descriptive. Mr. Martini's character development is excellent as is the way he reve...more
Another tale with law partners Paul Madrini and Harry Hinds this time involving a terrorist plot, a weapon left over from the Cuban Missle Crisis and a creepy Mexican assasin known as Liquida. I learned something about the Bay of Pigs and more than I wanted to know about weapons of mass destruction that can fit in the back of a truck. Paul and Harry are not my favorite protagonists maybe because I don't feel I know them well even after several books but I like them plenty well enough to keep r...more
A lot of jumping around between characters the first part of the book and I found the chapters about Afundi and Nitikin to be a little droll. I would have preferred more legal drama in the book. There was a little bit of a history lesson on the Cuban Missile Crises, which I thought was appropriate and interesting. It's been a long time since I've read Steve Martini so I can't say how this compares to his other books. But the book did get more interesting later on and it came together well. I wou...more
Attorney Paul Madriani and his huge PI, Herman Hinds, save thousands in San Diego and the USN John F. Kennedy from nuclear armed terrorists. Reading Martini reminds me of the Saturday movie serials that I saw as a boy. Lots of action and at the end of each chapter Paul is in extreme jeopardy. But, in the next chapter he cleverly gets out of trouble momentarily only to be faced with another challenge at chapter’s end. In the process Martini creates Liquida, an extremely smart and effective Mexi...more
Martini is my go to author for legal thrillers; I have not been disappointed by any of his novels. His recurring character, Paul Madriani, this time gets involved in a terrorist plot stemming back to the Cold War, so readers get a nice historical back look at Russia, Cuba, and the Bay of Pigs incident. Nicely done.
I like Martini because he doesn't crank them out once a month like some mainstream authors do - you've got to wait for his new books, and they are worth the wait.
I like Martini because he doesn't crank them out once a month like some mainstream authors do - you've got to wait for his new books, and they are worth the wait.
Martini comes out with another Paul Madriani book. Madriani is a San Diego attorney who, with his partner Harry Hinds, sets out to defend a young Costa Rican lady who is accused of murdering an older gentlemen she is living with and his housekeeper. The older gentlemen was fascinated with pictures Katina had of her grandfather. It turns out that her grandfather was a Russian who was in Cuba during the Cuban missle crisis and he just might still have one of the nuclear weapons. Middle East te...more
Attorney Paul Madriani gets involved with a Costa Rican woman when she is accused of a murder and they find his card on her person. While trying to help her he goes to the jungles of South America where her grandfather is helping a small group of terrorists with a nuclear bomb that he has kept hidden since the breakup of the Soviet Union. A real page turner - lots of intrigue.
The latest in the Paul Madriani series, this one changes up things in a lot of ways. It’s quite different than the previous entries in the series. It’s still a very fun read that had me anxious to get home and devour more pages, but I’m not sure I like all the changes. I’m also very curious about the next book and where Martini will take the series from here.
Not my favorite Steve Martini book. Reads too much like a Tom Clancy; full of scientific facts about nuclear bombs. If you like that kind of book, you'll find more to like in this than I did. Give me English words, give me foreign words, give me logic, give me law, give me history, give me political science, give me behavioral science, give me medical science, but DON'T give me pure science, physics, and math.
Another story with law partners Paul Madrini and Harry Hinds this time involving a terrorist plot, a weapon left over from the Cuban Missle Crisis and a creepy Mexican assasin known as Liquida. I learned something about the Bay of Pigs, but I like them plenty well enough to keep reading all of Steve Martini's books.
I haven't read a Steve Martini book in a while and now I wonder why - this has reminded me how much I like his books. Great plot - kept me interested and reading way later than I should have...
I will be checking the library for more of his books and reconnect with Paul Madriani and Harry Hinds!
I will be checking the library for more of his books and reconnect with Paul Madriani and Harry Hinds!
How is that two lawyers can spend all their time and a ton of money working on a case for one client who apparently has NO money to pay them? Totally unbelievable storyline just from that standpoint alone.
I usually like Steve Martini's books but this one was not one of his better ones.
I usually like Steve Martini's books but this one was not one of his better ones.
My first book by this author. Don't really know what to say about it, it's a long row to hoe, I can tell you that. The pacing is funny, drawn out and overly detailed. The plot just doesn't move along like I'd like it to. There were some surprising moments, but not enough to bring the rating above a 2.
Nothing to keep my attention in the first 70 pages, so I skipped to the end. The sobering 'Author's Note's on drug cartels, nuclear warheads & Cuba, and Kennedy almost made me go back and try to finish the book. Maybe if some of that history had been in the beginning....
Always thought "Martini" would be an excellent last name. And that's why I picked up one his books in the first place. He writes pretty good thrillers and this is one of his latest. Easy reading for late at night. Just be sure the doors are locked and the windows closed.
Interesting plot and character development that is wrapped up in a too typical shortened fashion. A nearly 600 page book that takes too few pages to reach a conclusion. I felt the author was a bit too much on the terror bandwagon that some writers jump on without really knowing the depth of the subject.
I like Martinis books--following the life and craziness of Paul Madriani's law practice but this one went way beyind that. It is a convoluted story involving the CIA, some escaped Muslim extremists from Guantanamo Bay, Fidel Castro, a dying russian nuclear weapons expert, the Mexican cartels, a serial killer. There was just a lot going on in this book
While I like books about characters who are "normal people doing extraordinary things"...Paul Madriani may be just a little too impressive, if that makes any sense. It was a fun book, with good twists/turns throughout. The main plot is a little creepy, if for no other reason that it is a very believable one. I recommend the book, and will try some of the other Madriani books that I hear exist...maybe I can find out what makes Paul more than just some lawyer from San Diego. If you h...more
Just finished this today - I listened to it while commuting.
This is a great book for commuting - one of my favorite narrators.
It was an exciting story and it kept me on the edge of my seat. Sometimes it was hard to get out of the car and get into work or home :)
This is a great book for commuting - one of my favorite narrators.
It was an exciting story and it kept me on the edge of my seat. Sometimes it was hard to get out of the car and get into work or home :)
This was a political thriller. Not my best kind of read but I am running out of books on tape and have to choose some that I wouldn't usually listen to. Amazingly the lanauge was OK and the story was interesting. You got to wonder if anything like this has really happened. Probably the answer is yes. Glad I never knew.
Mr Martini had a way of making characters that were important in the beginning of the book sought of fade into the background and new characters become the focus.I thought that this was different and in no way made the book less interesting.
This is a mystery-thriller. A lawyer in San Diego has a chance meeting with a young woman, a Costa Rican national. Pretty soon there's a murder, a robbery and a terrorist plot. Once again, I listened to the MP3 book and really enjoyed it.
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Steve Martini, a former lawyer, writes legal thrillers and mysteries. His "Paul Madriani" books are bestsellers.
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