Compelling Evidence By: Steve Martini (Paul Madriani Series #1)

In Compelling Evidence, Paul Madriani, a brilliant criminal defense attorney, was once a promising associate on the rise with Potter, Skarpellos, a prestigious law firm specializing in the defense of “compromised” executives. One of its cofounders is Ben Potter, Paul’s mentor, whose faultless reputation has earned him a probable nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.

In the aftermath of an affair with Ben Potter’s wife, Paul left the firm and took up a self-imposed exile in a small solo practice. He must scramble for work amid the ghosts of his doomed affair while struggling to hold together the remains of a failing marriage.

On the eve of the nomination, Potter is found dead, a shotgun by his body, an apparent suicide. As details come to light in the police investigation, the case turns from suicide to murder and the needle of suspicion begins to point toward the victim’s wife, Talia Potter. Indicted and arrested for murder, snared in a web of intrigue as her husband’s associates plot for control of the firm, Talia turns to Paul, her former lover, to defend her against the mounting evidence to be presented by the politically ambitious chief prosecutor who is bent on sending her to the gas chamber.

Here is a courtroom drama of epic proportions. Never before has a trial been presented in a novel in such riveting and uncompromising detail. With courtroom scenes as sharp as the crack of a gavel, Compelling Evidence is as close as any reader is likely to come to the legal maneuvering and psychological trauma of a death penalty case. Mesmerizing in its pace, captivating in its action, this is a story that holds the reader to its final verdict and shocking conclusion.

Goodreads: 4.00

Paperback, 1993