TRADER OF SECRETS: GUEST REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

TRADER OF SECRETS

BY STEVE MARTINI

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Defense attorney Paul Madriani is embroiled in a case as perilous as any he has ever faced: one that involves an angry killer who will stop at nothing short of vengeance, and two missing NASA scientists who are holding secrets that a hostile government desperately wants to purchasein blood if they must.

Madriani's daughter, Sarah, has evaded the man known as Liquida, who has stalked her all the way across the country. For her own safety, she is being kept under armed guard on a farm in Ohio.

But one morning, itching for a predawn run to shake off the tension that has grown in the hours she's spent waiting for word from her father, Sarah slips from her ring of protection. What she doesn't know is that at the same moment her assailant is outside, waiting patiently in the dark.

Meanwhile in California, two men in a parked car argue over millions in cash that could be slipping through their fingers and a scheme involving government technology for sale that could rock the world.

Paul Madriani, his companion Joselyn Cole, and his longtime law partner, Harry Hinds, track Liquida, not knowing that their quest will carry them deep into the vortex of international terror.It is a journey that will lead them toward a bizarre and cruel twist of natureand the ultimate weapon of mass destruction. From the nation's capital to California, from Bangkok to Paris and the jungle! s of Mex ico, Madriani and his party race against time to find Liquida and the scientist who is the "trader of secrets" before he can unleash the weapon that could set the world ablaze.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Steve Martini was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area. An honors graduate of the University of California at Santa Cruz, he holds a law degree from the University of the Pacifics McGeorge School of Law.

Martinis first career was in journalism. He worked as a newspaper reporter in Los Angeles and as a correspondent at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, specializing in legal issues. In 1974 he entered private law practice in California, where he appeared in both state and federal courts. During his legal career, he worked as a legislative representative for the State Bar of California, served as special counsel to the California Victims of Violent Crimes Program, and was an administrative law judge and supervising hearing officer.

In 1984 Martini turned his talents to fiction, quickly earning positions on bestseller lists. All but his first book spent time on the New York Times Bestsellers list. To date, he has authoredtwelvenovels, including eight featuring his popular lawyer alter ego, Paul Madriani.

In 1996 Undue Influence aired as a four-hour miniseries on CBS, followed by The Judge on NBC in 2001.

Martini lives on the West Coast. (Photo by Brian Smale)

GUEST REVIEW:

The first chapter, first paragraph, and the first sentence. I was plunged into a bloody attempted murder scene and what followed this bone chilling scene is an international thriller of suspense and intrigue. The protagonist Paul Madriani and his team takes the reader across the globe in search a man by the name of Liquida the Mexacutionar a stiletto wielding assassin. Liquida weaves his stiletto in and out of peoples lives some live, and some go to meet their maker.

Liquida has one ultimate goal money! His plan is to obtain the software that controls a weapon that the world has never witnessed before and sell it to a third world country. Madriani and his team, Harry and Jocelyn, will do anything and everything to follow the trail of this assassin.

My thoughts:

The novel started with two parallel plots that didnt come together until seventy pages into the novel. Both plots were well developed and unfolded into scene after scene of action packed international crime and suspense. The characters were well developed and multidimensional. The storyline was interesting enough to keep the pages turning; however, the one area that I found disturbing was the overall believability of the plot. I like thrillers that can honestly be intriguing and at the same time completely believable this novel had a sci-fi component that made the plot seem more futuristic and not real. Even with its short comings on believability I still enjoyed the novel and recommend it as a good thriller novel. I have given the novel a 3 out of 5 rating.

Who should read this novel?

If you like old fashion spy novels then you will find this book an enjoyable read. This novel will also cater to readers who love dogs and finally if youre a reader who loves espionage with a sci-fi component then this may be the novel that will be a must read in 2011.