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dontpanic42's review against another edition
2.0
This is a legal thriller that rolls along well and is set up nicely for a fantastic ending. A wealthy CEO of a tech company repsonsible for critical Dept. of Defense software is killed by a professional gun shot by someone who knew where to find the gun and who was trained in shooting twice in rapid succession to make sure the target went down (whence the "double tap"). The cops arrest and charge the natural suspect: a former member of the CEO's security group to whom the gun belonged, with whom the CEO had had a slightly beyond professional relationship, and who had recently been seen following her around.
Enter Paul Madriani, attorney extraordinaire, to investigate the situation and clean up the mess. What follows is good courtroom drama that I (as an attorney myself) appreciate. It's tough to do well. And though Martini at times tosses out information before forgetting that he has given you no basis for understanding what the information means, and then going back and trying to clean it up, for the most part the story flows smoothly along towards what is an eagerly-awaited climax.
The problem for me is the payoff. Now, I won't give anything away here, but I found the revelation of the CEO's killer to be a huge anticlimax and, infinitely worse, simply implausible on the information given to us during the buildup and even after the author's lame attempt to explain how everything ties in. I love a good thriller, but it comes with a risk: whether or not the ending will reward the reader for his ride through all of the buildup. Alas, despite the good courtroom drama, the ending of this one did not. Add to that some unanswered question and some guns left unfired on the mantle (see Chekhov), and you have yourself a two-star disappointment.
Enter Paul Madriani, attorney extraordinaire, to investigate the situation and clean up the mess. What follows is good courtroom drama that I (as an attorney myself) appreciate. It's tough to do well. And though Martini at times tosses out information before forgetting that he has given you no basis for understanding what the information means, and then going back and trying to clean it up, for the most part the story flows smoothly along towards what is an eagerly-awaited climax.
The problem for me is the payoff. Now, I won't give anything away here, but I found the revelation of the CEO's killer to be a huge anticlimax and, infinitely worse, simply implausible on the information given to us during the buildup and even after the author's lame attempt to explain how everything ties in. I love a good thriller, but it comes with a risk: whether or not the ending will reward the reader for his ride through all of the buildup. Alas, despite the good courtroom drama, the ending of this one did not. Add to that some unanswered question and some guns left unfired on the mantle (see Chekhov), and you have yourself a two-star disappointment.
abrswf's review against another edition
4.0
I have always liked this series of books, not least because Martini really knows how courtrooms work and his trial portrayals are dead on. I was thoroughly surprised by the outcome of this book and the solution of the crime, too. But this book displays a much deeper and more bitter sense of cynicism than I’ve seen in other Martini novels. And I also question one important plot point: I find it very hard to believe any competent judge would entertain a sweeping motion to hide alleged “trade secrets” from the criminal defense in a murder case, brought at the last moment and without advance notice, buy off on it, then limit the defense to three days to investigate in case of appellate reversal. So, one star off. Still, this was a very good read.
weaselweader's review against another edition
4.0
It's not a "legal thriller", it's a "legal procedural"!
Despite being firmly slotted into the legal thriller genre, Steve Martini's novel Double Tap is most unequivocally not a thriller. And while that may sound like bad news for potential readers and existing Steve Martini fans, that statement is most unequivocally not a condemnation or criticism of what is an exceptionally interesting novel.
The story is simple. Madelyn Chapman is a powerful, wealthy, beautiful, and extremely self-indulgent business woman - the CEO of a high-tech software firm whose main customer is the US government. She has been found in her home murdered with two very tightly grouped gunshot wounds to the head. This particular style of murder is called a "double tap" in the trade and is typically the signature of a professional assassin who, by the bye, is also a superb marksman.
The case against Emiliano Ruiz, a career soldier, is rock solid and defense attorney Paul Madriani is worried about his inability to explain certain obvious gaps in his client's military résumé that Ruiz steadfastly refuses to clarify. In the face of almost overwhelming evidence against his client, Madriani doggedly investigates the case and begins to bump into dangerous secrets that the government, the military and the new CEO of Chapman's firm would prefer stay under the darkest and deepest cover.
In the same manner as a police procedural is not a suspense thriller, Double Tap is not a legal thriller. It's definitely a legal procedural with an almost encyclopedic wealth of fascinating minutiae on the details of a trial for capital murder - the pre-trial investigations that would be undertaken by a defense attorney; motions and counter motions; side bars; forensic examination of evidence; objections sustained and over-ruled; side bars; characterization and selection of "expert" witnesses; potential grounds for appeal and mistrial; jury selection; discovery; arraignment; witness lists; required disclosure of evidence; media coverage; and much, much more.
Steve Martini's description of Emiliano Ruiz's trial for murder was compelling and utterly absorbing - the proverbial page turner, to be sure - but, sadly, the ending when it came was almost anti-climactic. In all fairness, the clues were all there and the characters had definitely been introduced in the course of the novel. To call the ending "deus ex machina" would be quite incorrect. But, in comparison with the body of the novel, it arrived with a bit of a thud and was definitely a let down.
One star reduction from what would otherwise have been a five star barn burner. Highly recommended.
Paul Weiss
Despite being firmly slotted into the legal thriller genre, Steve Martini's novel Double Tap is most unequivocally not a thriller. And while that may sound like bad news for potential readers and existing Steve Martini fans, that statement is most unequivocally not a condemnation or criticism of what is an exceptionally interesting novel.
The story is simple. Madelyn Chapman is a powerful, wealthy, beautiful, and extremely self-indulgent business woman - the CEO of a high-tech software firm whose main customer is the US government. She has been found in her home murdered with two very tightly grouped gunshot wounds to the head. This particular style of murder is called a "double tap" in the trade and is typically the signature of a professional assassin who, by the bye, is also a superb marksman.
The case against Emiliano Ruiz, a career soldier, is rock solid and defense attorney Paul Madriani is worried about his inability to explain certain obvious gaps in his client's military résumé that Ruiz steadfastly refuses to clarify. In the face of almost overwhelming evidence against his client, Madriani doggedly investigates the case and begins to bump into dangerous secrets that the government, the military and the new CEO of Chapman's firm would prefer stay under the darkest and deepest cover.
In the same manner as a police procedural is not a suspense thriller, Double Tap is not a legal thriller. It's definitely a legal procedural with an almost encyclopedic wealth of fascinating minutiae on the details of a trial for capital murder - the pre-trial investigations that would be undertaken by a defense attorney; motions and counter motions; side bars; forensic examination of evidence; objections sustained and over-ruled; side bars; characterization and selection of "expert" witnesses; potential grounds for appeal and mistrial; jury selection; discovery; arraignment; witness lists; required disclosure of evidence; media coverage; and much, much more.
Steve Martini's description of Emiliano Ruiz's trial for murder was compelling and utterly absorbing - the proverbial page turner, to be sure - but, sadly, the ending when it came was almost anti-climactic. In all fairness, the clues were all there and the characters had definitely been introduced in the course of the novel. To call the ending "deus ex machina" would be quite incorrect. But, in comparison with the body of the novel, it arrived with a bit of a thud and was definitely a let down.
One star reduction from what would otherwise have been a five star barn burner. Highly recommended.
Paul Weiss
cnorbury's review against another edition
2.0
Gave up on this book about halfway through. For some reason, I never got hooked, didn't care much about the characters, and I thought there wasn't much pace or tension. I don't know why. I rarely give up on a book, especially once I've gotten halfway or farther. Maybe a product of getting old and realizing life is getting too short to waste on books you don't enjoy.
Nothing personal, Mr. Martini. I'll try your debut novel some day.
Nothing personal, Mr. Martini. I'll try your debut novel some day.
ellahxbooks's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book is a legal thriller and is ny first book of the said genre. I did not expect to like it as much as I do and even though it took me quite long to finish because of the busy sched, I say I still enjoyed it a lot. It was very informative and I learned a lot about court hearings and lawyers and computer softwares that protect the privacy of the civillians.
It was slow-paced for me because there were filler chapters where the main character just talked about his uncle who became kind of mentally ill after the war. While I recognize some minor connection to the story, I don't really see how it was necessary. Most of the chapters weren't very captivating because it would cause me to put it down at times because I got a little bit bored. BUT there were chapters where I was really anticipating what will happen next and I am just amazed at how Paul Madriani carried himself throughout the case. The part where the killer was revealed was something that I didn't see coming. Though it felt like a bit of surprise and out of nowhere, the clues actually made sense and that intense scene after the revelation really had me thrilled.
To summarize, I liked this book and I think it's a good introduction to the legal thriller genre for me. Also, I thank my boyfriend for giving me this book as a gift.
It was slow-paced for me because there were filler chapters where the main character just talked about his uncle who became kind of mentally ill after the war. While I recognize some minor connection to the story, I don't really see how it was necessary. Most of the chapters weren't very captivating because it would cause me to put it down at times because I got a little bit bored. BUT there were chapters where I was really anticipating what will happen next and I am just amazed at how Paul Madriani carried himself throughout the case. The part where the killer was revealed was something that I didn't see coming. Though it felt like a bit of surprise and out of nowhere, the clues actually made sense and that intense scene after the revelation really had me thrilled.
To summarize, I liked this book and I think it's a good introduction to the legal thriller genre for me. Also, I thank my boyfriend for giving me this book as a gift.
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