Shadow of Power audiobook

4 Stars. Author Steve Martini at his best. We have tantalizing snippets of the case at the start but what it all means, the reader is at a loss. A US Supreme Court Justice gets in trouble swimming in the Caribbean and a waiter with issues which come back to haunt him, slips on blood in the suite where a controversial author is staying. Is there an 18th century "J" letter secretly supporting the continuation of slavery and written by one of the authors of the US Constitution? Was there back-room collusion to preserve its continuation? Great courtroom action revealingly described by the waiter's lawyer Paul Madriani with a bang-up finale. (August 2017)

An author, former attorney, seeing $$$, writes a book based on slavery, the constitution, and a mysterious letter by a founding father provided by a vengeful "associate" in the law. The author is murdered. Social unrest ensues through out the country resonating from the book and the trial of his alleged killer that Paul and Harry are defending. The defendant is innocent, and the real killer comes out in the end. Between the lines commentary on the state of politics and media in our society.

3 1/2 stars - a bit too wordy and complicated for me but this mystery had a murder, a Supreme Court justice out for revenge against a lawyer/author.I enjoyed the courtroom scenes but the background of slavery and the US Constitution was a bit too much.

I enjoyed this book. The twists and turns are great. I listened to it while knitting and it was a perfect companion.

Martini has created a very interesting character in Paul Madriani. I have enjoyed getting to know him and look forward to more of his complicated exploits.

The Paul Madriani thriller are all set in the legal arena. In some ways, Madriani is able to pull off some real life Perry Mason type moments. The legal tricks he uses are a bit more honest than some of those performed by Mason under the direction of the great Earl Stanley Gardner. Chicanery isn't really Madriani's strong suit, but he knows how to maneuver so that prosecutors jump the direction he would like them to leap. At the root of this mystery is the death of an author who claims to hold a document that will bring race relations to a riotous response, a letter purportedly written by Thomas Jefferson. His first book exposed the Constitution's language that semi-concealed the approval of slavery and ignited a series of race riots. Madriani's client, a hotel employee, stands accused and his white supremacy leanings make him appear guilty. Madriani is convinced that finding the document and its source is his client's only hope for he believes the murderer is connected to that document.Martini writes well and adds interesting tidbits. Several interesting discussions take place in between scenes of investigation or litigation. One of them is regarding the manner in which the Constitution is amended, without striking out the original language. This discussion, however interesting is not the most interesting passage offered. Martini writes a two page essay that is almost comical, but very relevant, about elections. This was written well before the Trump era, but still it speaks to the animosity and shenanigans pulled by both parties. The resolution seemed rushed-- as if the author had made all the social commentary necessary and suddenly needed to complete the mystery's solution-- one I didn't find especially well thought out. It still was a fine novel with several interesting ideas explored and the courtroom scenes among the best it legal fiction.

Been a while since I read a Steve Martini Legal Thriller. It is like I didn't miss a beat, and jumped right back in and visited with my old friend, Paul Madriani.A best selling book provoking, promoting racial tension leads to the author's murder. Worse, a mysterious letter from the time of the drafting of the the Constitution is at large. The words written could launch a second American Civil War.Madriani and his firm have been tasked with defending the man police are confident killed the author. All evidence points at the man, but Madriani and his team believe the man is innocent. Wrongly accused. The truth behind who is truly responsible can only come from finding the letter supposedly written by Thomas Jefferson . . .Therein lies the problem. No one has seen the letter. No one knows who has the letter . . . but Madriani will stop at nothing (due diligence on steroids) to find it!Another great book by a fantastic, smooth writer!Phillip TomassoAuthor of Absolute Zeroand Adverse Impact

Always enjoy reading Steve Martini especially his Paul madriani series. This one is a murder mystery but with a lot of racial history and politics involved when the author of a controversial book on Black slavery is killed in his hotel room just before he is about to reveal any controversial Jefferson letter linked to the constitution. What follows are investigations, historical research, journalism but the best of all the court scenes and arguments. A lot to learn about the practice of slavery, the background to the writing of the constitution. A long but interesting book. However I see a lot of sub 3 ratings so read only if you have the patience and are a historical buff.

I initially found this book hard to get into, but once the trial of the defendant began, it was totally absorbing. The courtroom drama and arguments were compelling and even humorous at times. There were interesting twists and turns to the story, with historical references thrown in that were mind-boggling. I highly recommend this book and will likely read it again sometime in the future so that I can better appreciate the various nuances of the plot. This is the type of material that I enjoy the most from Steve Martini.

Murder Trail of a Literary ProvocateurPaul Madriani is involved in a murder trial with a link to the Supreme Court. The only alternative theory of the crime they have is the so called Jefferson Letter. Can they find the letter? Does the letter give more fuel for the fire started by the victim in his book?

Steve Martini’s Paul Madriani Series are fast paced legal thrillers with well crafted plots which will have you guessing until the end. Attorney Paul Madriani just seems to attract clients who draw him into mysterious situations that in turn draw Madriani into unraveling the threads to help his clients.

Slavery It's my first novel by Martini and I enjoyed the legal setting. The premise was a bit farfetched. Because I am an historian its difficult to grasp t he premise of the novel. But it makes for interesting reading.

Not bad, a convulated plot when it finally comes out but still worth reading

Wow! I really enjoyed this book! Great read about a trial and the interaction between the prosecutor and the defense. Interesting historical content as well. I highly recommend this book!

Interesting story with a lot of twist. The lawyers are very involved in their cases. Love the lady PI

SuperVery good plot and characters area 0000000 well drawn. This book 8a loaded wirh information and facts. I enjoyed it very mucgh.