Book Review: The Jury

Reviewed By: Luke Croll - RAM

The Jury     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Steven Paul Martini
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Legal Setting
Series: Paul Madriani # 6
Headline; 2001; £17.99; 311pp
Classification Adult fiction (thriller)

Attorney Paul Madriani is sure that he is representing a guilty man - Dr. David Crone, accused of murdering a young colleague. The forensic evidence is compelling and the motive is there. However, Madriani owes it to his client to give him the best defence possible. Is Crone guilty?

Normally, Martini's legal thrillers are exciting and interesting, but in my opinion, 'The Jury' fell well short of the mark. The plot was interesting, but that was about all. It was tepid, lacked pace and seemed generally average. Martini succeeded in painting a picture of Crone that made it hard to like him, but the rest of the characters were never really developed. The ending of the novel, whilst surprising, also seemed somewhat unbelievable.

I am very disappointed with 'The Jury', as the previous works by Martini that I've read have been fascinating and good legal thrillers. 'The Jury', sadly, is not. It seems that Martini is decreasing in quality over time, since his previous book, 'The Attorney', was also weak. If you want to read a good one, I suggest 'Critical Mass' or 'The List'. Moreover, as for the book being called 'The Jury', we have to wonder why.

Luke Croll - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Luke Croll - RAM

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