Compelling Evidence by Steve Martini is a courtroom drama filled with a terrific mix of interesting characters, and plot surprises to keep the reader guessing the entire way.

Basic Plot

This is Martini's debut novel featuring defense attorney Paul Madriani. Paul was fired from his law firm a few years ago, after getting caught having an affair with the boss's wife, Talia. Now Paul's marriage is in tatters, and his career as a solo practitioner limping along. But out of the clear blue sky, his old boss Ben calls him for a meeting. It seems Ben is willing to forgive Paul and forget about the affair; all he wants in return is a simple legal favor from Paul. But the next day Ben is found dead in his office, an apparent suicide. Or, was it murder? The state is building a case against Ben's wife, and now Paul is being pressured to defend her. Defending your ex-lover in a high-profile murder case might be a conflict of interest, but Paul does it anyway. And now it's up to Paul - despite his own misgivings, despite the misgivings of his estranged wife - to save Talia from death row.

It takes a long time - too long - to set up the story. But after that, the majority of the book takes place in the courtroom. In fashion typical for this genre, we the readers don't have any idea who really killed Ben, or why. We don't know if Talia is guilty or not.

But we follow along as the state builds what seems to be a very compelling case against her. Then we follow the defense. Most of the research is done "behind the scenes". Meaning that we don't know anything about it until it comes into play during the testimony. Thus we're constantly hit with surprises. Surprise witnesses giving surprise testimony. And, surprising twists in the plot. It's all very enjoyable because we never know what's going to happen next.

The legal proceedings were very clearly explained, yet I was pleased that we were not subjected to overly long, boring explanations. For the most part, the story is told from start to finish, in a tight straight line. The small amount of subplot at first seemed "extraneous" but ended up being meaningful to the story. In fact, nothing was "wasted" and no questions were left unanswered.

As far as the characters go, they are very nicely defined, and for the most part, believable. Note that I didn't say "likable". That's because these characters are very realistic. And that means they are flawed. They're by no means perfect. I felt I could identify with the characters, even if I didn't necessarily like them. But I did like that the characters learn from their mistakes, and grow. Look at Paul. His career and his family life are in shambles because he made a mistake. Yet, he knows what he did was wrong and he does attempt to atone for his sins. His wife, Nikki, at first shown only as a bitter, wronged party, eventually comes around and starts to develop a bit of understanding.

Overall, this is an interesting story, one that kept me guessing the whole time. With characters that were easy to identify with, I enjoyed this book and recommend it.





Also by Steve Martini:
Critical Mass
The Attorney
The Jury


Recommended: Yes