Steve Martini Books in Order

Lawyer Sam Bogardus agrees to help Jennifer Davies locate her father, using four pages from Sir Francis Drake’s journal as their only clue. Their investigation becomes dangerous when someone proves willing to kill to halt the search.

After Ben Potter is found dead, his wife Talia faces a murder prosecution that could end in execution. She asks former lover Paul Madriani to defend her, forcing the criminal lawyer to confront mounting evidence and personal entanglements.

A succession of brutal killings shocks Davenport, with two couples found bound beside Putah Creek. When two additional bodies appear, Paul Madriani questions the apparent pattern and suspects the case holds more than investigators initially recognize.

Recently widowed Paul Madriani defends his sister-in-law Laurel against charges of murdering her former husband’s new wife. As the evidence grows and Laurel refuses to explain her whereabouts, Paul begins to doubt the innocence of his own client.

After Judge Acosta is caught with a sex worker, her subsequent murder makes him the chief suspect. Paul Madriani takes his defense, confronting possible manipulation, corrupt relationships, and deceptive evidence in a particularly difficult courtroom battle.

Abby Chandlis hires Jack to appear publicly as Gable Cooper, the invented male author of her lucrative novel. His sudden celebrity seems to fulfill their plan until Abby experiences a succession of potentially deadly accidents.

Former public defender Jocelyn Cole seeks a quieter life in the San Juan Islands, representing fishermen suffering from an unexplained illness. Her suspicions of industrial contamination intersect with the disappearance of two nuclear devices from the former Soviet Union.

Bernhardt edited this anthology of legal thriller stories by lawyer-authors, each taking the law in a different direction. It is more sampler than novel, with short pieces built around guilt, loyalty, surprise, and revenge.

Paul Madriani hopes to build a new law practice in San Diego and a future with Susan. An encounter with a former client whose granddaughter has been abducted pulls him into a case that challenges his deepest assumptions.

Paul Madriani defends Dr. David Crone, accused of killing colleague Kalista Jordan after her body washes ashore in San Diego Bay. The unexpected death of a key prosecution witness complicates a case in which Paul already doubts his client.

After lawyer Nick Rush and a client are gunned down outside a federal courthouse, Paul Madriani investigates his friend’s death. Fearing he was the intended target, Paul follows connections through international drug dealings from California into Mexico.

Paul Madriani represents soldier Emiliano Ruiz, accused of killing a software executive with an assassin’s precision. Gaps in Ruiz’s military history and the victim’s secretive government work complicate the defense as both client and prosecutors withhold crucial information.

Paul Madriani defends a young man accused of murdering a controversial legal scholar in San Diego. Searching for a missing Thomas Jefferson letter, Paul and Harry Hinds uncover historical secrets and political interests surrounding the Supreme Court.

Defending Katia against criminal charges, Paul Madriani uncovers connections among rare gold coins, an aging American spy, and a dangerous assassin. The investigation reaches Costa Rica and exposes a conspiracy rooted in the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Paul Madriani and weapons expert Joselyn Cole investigate a looming attack on Washington while an assassin seeks revenge against Paul. A murder accusation and government pressure complicate their efforts to decipher the plot and prevent another catastrophe.

Paul Madriani, Harry Hinds, and Joselyn Cole pursue an assassin who continues threatening their circle. The international chase draws them into a conspiracy involving missing NASA scientists and stolen weapons technology coveted by dangerous foreign interests.

Harry Bosch flies to Boston chasing a lead in a long-cold murder while local PI Patrick Kenzie hunts the same man over a missing seventh-grader. When their paths collide outside the suspect's house, each detective must trade information and instincts to solve both crimes.

Paul Madriani defends Alex Ives, a friend of his daughter accused of killing influential lawyer Olinda Serna in a car crash. Alex’s missing memories and Serna’s powerful clients lead Paul toward corruption and a killer protecting political secrets.

Paul Madriani assists a Navy SEAL facing possible prosecution over disclosures about a high-profile assassination. When the serviceman vanishes, Paul must locate him while navigating a dangerous struggle involving military secrecy, accusations, and concealed motives.

Paul Madriani defends Emma Brauer, accused of killing her elderly father, after a mysterious wartime package arrives. Suspicious deaths among his former Army comrades and the murder of Paul’s assistant point toward a missing Nazi relic.