Prime Witness

Written by Steve Martini

Narrated by Joe Mantegna

In just five days, a rural college town in California is rocked by two sets of brutal double murders. When another set of bodies is found, Paul Madriani, special prosecutor, must find the killer— quickly. Physical and trace evidence lead to the arraignment of a college security guard on multiple charges of murder. While the evidence linking the suspect to the first four killings is solid, something is glaringly different with the last two, and Madriani slowly begins to realize there is another killer in their midst. It is only during the trial— when he is fighting for both the conviction of one killer and the identity of another— that Madriani discovers shocking answers that go far deeper than anyone could have imagined.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Phoenix Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jun 1, 1993
• ISBN: 9781607475477

Steve Martini

Steve Martini is the author of numerous New York Times bestsellers, including The Enemy Inside, Trader of Secrets, The Rule of Nine, Guardian of Lies, Shadow of Power, Double Tap, and others featuring defense attorney Paul Madriani. Martini has practiced law in California in both state and federal courts and has served as an administrative law judge and supervising hearing officer. He lives in the Pacific Northwest.

Reviews for Prime Witness

[aliceanna-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Another good book by Martini. Not as good as Undue Influence, but still strong plot and characterization. The female character of Lenore is very strong - a 20th century warrior goddess (which means most men would call her a bitch). The ending is particularly riveting and totally took me by surprise.

[ecw0647 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I first got interested in Steve Martini after watching The Judge, an interesting movie that had some nice courtroom scenes for which I am always a sucker. I had already purchased Prime Witness in audio so decided to make it my chores listening. I enjoyed it. Several characters pop up who were in The Judge. This one is unusual int hat Paul Modriani, Martini's protagonist plays the role of district attorney, rather against his will and he is thrown into the middle of a case that pits him against an old antagonist. No point repeating the plot, that's available everywhere.

Some reviewers have downgraded this book because of the level of detail supplied in the investigation. That's the kind of stuff I like. I especially enjoyed the courtroom and lawyerly battles using obscure features of the law in an attempt to gain the upper hand in the battle to gain the advantage.

One negative, I thought, was the side plot that involved threats against Modriani's wife. I thought that was unnecessary and not well explicated. The ending is perhaps a bit preposterous; nevertheless, solid entertainment.

[lynngood · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In five days, the town of Davenport is rocked by four brutal murders - two couples - their bodies found tied and staked out on the banks of Putah Creek. Then two more bodies are found, Paul Madriani thinks there is more to this case than meets eye.

[benfulton · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Oddly enough, I read this window into the legal workings of a small Southern county in a hotel room in Nashville. The descriptions of the politicians, lawyers, and law enforcement officers ring very true, although some bitterness towards insiders and other people who waste government money comes through pretty clearly. It could be the narrator being bitter, I suppose, rather than the author.The book is blurbed as a "powerful new courtroom thriller" but I don't think there's really that much thrilling about it, at least in the John Grisham sense of "bad guys aiming guns at lawyers". There's a short stalking scene towards the end that might push it into the thriller genre, but that's not one of the book's strong points. Those would include:The characters, not least the narrator, who makes fascinating leadership decisions.The politics. You'll find out just how Roscoe P. Coltrane kept on as sherriff of Hazzard County after all those years of failing to catch the Dukes out.The puzzle. You wouldn't have suspected it would make much of a whodunit, based on the amount of legalese going on, but I never saw the identity of the murderer coming. Not until they said it straight out in the last few pages of the book.A few minor issues come up here and there; repetitive language and some laziness in describing emotions, and the hero faces down a lot of opposition rather glibly. But still, one of the better courtroom dramas out there.