Guardian of Lies: A Paul Madriani Novel (Paul Madriani Novels) (original 2009; edition 2009)

Guardian of Lies has what is at times a bit of a convoluted tale with many elements that are hard to swallow, yet at the same time can be compelling and gripping. The story centers around Katia, a woman from Costa Rica who, although not abducted, is being held almost like a prisoner by the exceedingly polite former spy master Emerson Pike. Pike has an obsession with a series of photographs of Pike's mother, which leads to an old Cold War Russian, who is now working with the Castro regime and Middle Eastern terrorists. It gets a bit hard to follow, which is part of the problem with this novel.

After Pike is murdered, Katia turns to attorney Paul Madriani, after a chance meeting. Madriani is determined to help Katia, and in the process uncovers much of the mystery behind this novel. The novel works at a fast pace, and makes the reader wan to continue reading, but much of the time is hard to follow. The characters aren't terribly compelling. The villainous characters aren't remotely believable and often times hard to take seriously. There's enough in this novel that makes it worth reading, but not enough that I would highly recommend it.

Carl Alves - author of Blood Street ( )

Defense attorney Paul Madriani gets caught in a web of deceit and murder involving Cold War secrets, a rare coin dealer who once worked for the CIA, and a furious assassin in one of the most entertaining novels yet in this New York Times bestselling series.

A woman pauses in the hallway of a darkened San Diego beach house at night - listening for just the right moment when she can flee before her companion notices that she's gone.

A man outside watches the same mansion, waiting for a sign that he can enter on his mission of blood and carnage.

So begins this riveting new tale about Paul Madriani and his latest case - that of Katia, a woman accused of an unlikely crime - a trial that will unravel a careful but horrifying conspiracy. Madriani soon realizes that he's signed onto something much more sinister than a botched heist. As he searches for the truth that will clear Katia's name, he finds himself on a path that takes him from Southern California to Costa Rica, and, ultimately, to a secret buried since Castro's rise to power.

Together with his partner, Harry Hinds, Madriani must piece together the threads of a decades-old conspiracy involving priceless gold coins, an aging American spy, a disaffected Russian soldier, and a forgotten weapon from the days of JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis. As the separate strands of the story come together, Madriani finds information that will ultimately lead him to the one person who holds the key to it all: a man some call "The Guardian of Lies." ( )

If you liked the other Paul Madriani novels you will probably like this one (although this can be your first without any problem). The book is a combination of international intrigue, terrorism, and legal/political thriller. It was an easy read, full of action that I enjoyed. ( )

Yet another mystery that was good for a quick summer read on the train. Doesn't take much thought to read it and is quick. I've never read a Paul Madriani novel before, and probably wouldn't again, unless it was left in a hotel room. I'm not one for legal dramas and this one dragged. Lots of technical detail, which again, may be my disinterest. ( )

This is a "clear your calendar and prepare to stay up all night" thriller. Although Martini plants numerous clues, and the reader thinks he knows what's happening, the plot twists are numerous, and aggregate into an incredible story featuring the Cuban missile crisis, the cold war, Homeland Security, the Columbian and Mexican drug cartels, a beautiful model from Costa Rica, Guantanamo bay detainees, missing nuclear weapons, and a bunch of lawyers in San Diego California trying to prosecute or defend the beautiful model when she is accused of killing a local coin dealer (who turns out to be a retired CIA operative).

Anyone else trying to tie all that together would have left us in a sinking morass of confusion. Martini pulls it into a breath-taking fast-paced, very scary (because it's so believable) story with an acceptable resolution.

I've read several others in the Paul Madriani series. I think this is definitely the best. ( )