Publication order of paul madriani’s books
publication order of stories/novels by paul madriani
Paul Madriani is the fictional main character and regular first-person narrator in a series of bestselling thrillers by Steve Martini.
madriani is a criminal lawyer (although he sometimes handles civil cases) with powerful investigative skills. throughout the series, he is tasked with unraveling complex plots presented to the reader while trying to bring cases to a successful conclusion. Supporting characters include Madriani’s law partner and friend, Harry Hinds (who Steve Martini has described in interviews as something of an alter ego), who appears throughout the series. His estranged wife, Nikki, appears in two books and died in the third. her daughter sarah also appears in several of the novels, usually in a minor role until 2011’s *merchant of secrets*. in the previous books, she lives in the capital city, california (sacramento) and in 1999 *the lawyer* he moves to san diego. additionally, various supporting characters, such as researchers working with and for madriani, occasionally cross novels.
You are reading: Paul madriani books in order
paul madriani is first introduced in *convincing evidence* from 1992 as a former corporate lawyer working solo cases after having an affair with the wife of the senior partner of his former firm, leading to his firing . Ben Potter, the senior partner who had been cheated, has a sterling reputation that led to his nomination as a Supreme Court Justice. On the eve of the nomination, however, Potter is found dead of an apparent suicide. As the investigation turns from suicide to suspected murder, Talia, a potter’s widow and Madriani’s former lover, approaches him to act as her defense attorney. Desperate to find cases (Madriani’s firing left him pursuing cases on his own with only marginal success) facing a district attorney eager to convict Talia Potter and push for the death penalty, in the midst of his own collapsing marriage. crumbles, madriani is almost overwhelmed at all times. the first book with a high-profile case that puts him under a microscope as he has to successfully defend the woman intimately involved in the spiral of his own self-destruction highlighted throughout the book.
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Although originally intended as a one-off novel, *convincing evidence* it was such an immediate commercial and critical success that the paul madriani series continued with *first witness* from 1993. in his second book, madriani, now somewhat successful as a lawyer A criminal defender, he is appointed a special prosecutor and is tasked with finding a serial killer, when he realizes that more than one killer may be involved.
madriani is almost always the narrator in most of his books; occasionally the third-person omniscient is found at the beginning of the novels. madriani is deeply involved with cases, working alongside detectives and their partners to not only successfully defend and prosecute cases, but also investigate or lead investigations himself. madriani occasionally interacts with the clients he represents or with characters related to the cases. Sometimes characters who have personally given madriani trouble need his help later, like in *convincing evidence* or *the judge* from 1996, where a previously hostile judge finds himself accused of murder and turns to madriani to clean up his case. name.
steve martini took a break from writing paul madriani books after *the judge*, writing two other novels in the meantime; subsequent books, beginning with *the lawyer* (2000) move not only the character, but also his law partner, his family, and his firm further south to san diego (due to a windfall that brought a win in a civil case) so Madriani can pursue a romantic relationship. The move allows both recurring characters from Madriani’s past to be drawn into the stories as well as new characters, while the civilian victory leaves Madriani considerably more mobility, which becomes necessary in later novels.
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The first three books in the Paul Madriani series establish a series of characters in Paul Madriani’s personal life, and the character extends outward in future books. In the first four books, Madriani generally deals with complex, but generally localized, mysteries. Later novels, however, find Madriani dealing with increasingly dangerous and explosive cases, often at the helm of the highest offices in the country, as well as international intrigue. Paul Madriani’s novels are very much courtroom dramas (the early ones are largely set in the courtroom, with essential background material gathered around the cases), but increasingly they are moving to more generalized locations throughout throughout the series. Other books continue to raise the international travel-related stakes for the character, dealing with everything from finding serial killers to drug cartels to cold war conspiracies. In *Guardian Of Lies* (2009), Madriani finds himself in the middle of a complex case that uncovers a possible nuclear attack on the United States, which he manages to prevent shortly before the event occurs. the last three books mark a substantial shift from courtroom to dark suspense.
madriani is frequently the target of assassination attempts. In *The Lawyer*, Madriani suspects that he has been directly targeted for murder. Various enemies are picked up during the Madriani series, but there is no apparent nemesis until the introduction of “Liquida”, a Mexican assassin who was involved in some of the events in *El Abogado*. He appears in later novels and is the subject of 2011’s *Trader of Secrets*, where Madriani’s interference in some of Liquida’s plans has turned the killer against Madriani and his family. Due to the events of *Trader of Secrets*, Madriani’s daughter, Sarah, is being moved from one safe house to another, though she is eventually captured by the killer. Liquida is revealed to be driven by a desire for revenge: Madriani’s investigations stopped a series of events in which Liquida might have profited enough to withdraw, and he holds Madriani personally responsible.
Two books by Paul Madriani have been made into successful two-part television miniseries, both based on earlier novels. *Undue Influence* premiered on CBS in 1996. In it, Brian Dennehy stars as Madriani and Patricia Richardson stars as Laurel Vega. *the judge* on nbc, in which paul madriani was played by chris noth, and edward james olmos as judge acosta. The latest miniseries received a great deal of contemporary negative feedback from critics, who seemed largely at odds with actor Chris Noth, who was in the cast of *Law & Order* (and with whom compared the miniseries unfavorably at the time) though *the judge* was an Edgar Award winner the following year for Best TV Movie or Miniseries. Both miniseries are available online and on DVD.