I wanted Madriani to fail in a way because Acosta was so unlikable. He wasn’t the only one though. The district Attorney whose name escapes me, was also an asshole. When he fired Lenore for no reason, she shouldn’t have gone to the victim’s apartment. What she did there, affected Paul’s case for the worse. She took a note off the victim’s calendar that if it were left alone, might have shed some doubt on whether Acosta was the last one to see her alive or not. Also, she left a thumbprint on the doorframe that couldn’t easily be explained.

There were unexpected things – like when the cops sent a guy disguised as a cable guy into Paul’s house to plant drugs and the horrific scene that ensued when the rest of the cops barged in and then found nothing. They beat the hell out of Paul and Lenore before the ‘beat cops’ showed up and broke things up. The DA claimed he knew nothing.

There were predictable elements, too. Like when the victim’s now orphaned child was in court ‘feeding’ her teddy bear buttons and other small things. I knew that there was some important evidence in that bear. Probably the piece of jewelry that left the gash in the coffee table. And of course, it was. Paul and the DA figured it out at the same time.

The met in the court house after hours. Paul was there illegally but the DA wasn’t. They fought. There was a chase and Lenore, to whom Paul passed the initialed cufflink, threw an earring at the DA as a diversion. The DA killed the girl because – I can’t remember.

Wow, the first three reviews here on Librarything were a complete surprise! I read the book before looking at them. Thank goodness!

Present tense didn't bother me. I've read quite a few of Martini's courtroom thrillers so I was familiar with the characters. Can't say that I "care about" characters in anybody's book beyond their use to advance the story and plot. And Martini is a master at plotting and telling a suspenseful story. At least in my mystery lover's opinion.

The Judge is typical Martini. Legal wrangling with attorney Paul Madriani and his associate Harry Hinds seemingly behind the eight-ball right up to the last few pages. Then a clever deduction turns everything around, producing a big finish that exonerates Madriani's client. I've enjoyed them all. ( )

I have to admit, I didn't read this book. The author completely lost me the instant I saw the book is written in the present tense. ( )

Judge is accused of murdering someone in the DA's office. Killer was the DA himself. Had a grudge against system.

I got to page 100 when I realized that I didn't care what happened to any of the characters. (So I didn't finish it.) ( )