• Guardian of Lies

  • A Paul Madriani Novel
  • By: Steve Martini
  • Narrated by: George Guidall
  • Length: 14 hrs and 13 mins
  • 4.0 out of 5 stars (263 ratings)

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Guardian of Lies  By  cover art

Guardian of Lies

By: Steve Martini
Narrated by: George Guidall
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Editorial reviews

Defense Attorney Paul Madriani finds himself accused of involvement in the murder of a rare coin dealer. While representing a Costa Rican woman, also accused of the crime, he uncovers a decades-old conspiracy involving a Russian soldier, nuclear weapons, and a ruthless assassin. George Guidall effortlessly portrays a variety of characters and delivers Spanish and Russian accents as he weaves together the threads of the story. His calm tone and measured pace help build tension, and he delivers the dramatic and emotional passages equally well. Listeners will find it difficult to turn this off once they start.

Publisher's summary

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 best-selling series.

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".

Paul Madriani faces his most challenging - and most urgent - case yet, a breathless story that combines fact and fiction and will hold listeners captive until its final, explosive conclusion.

Crack another case Paul Madriani.
©2009 Paul Madriani, Inc. (P)2009 HarperCollins Publishers

What listeners say about Guardian of Lies

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it

This is a great book. There are a number of sub-plots going on and it keeps your attention to the very end. Another great read by Steve Martini.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Guardian of Lies

Steve Martini is one of my favorite authors & this story was as great as the other legal thrillers he writes. I love the curmudgeony Harry & the little omissions Hinds & Madriani use to solve their cases. This one had more action than a three ring circus & for a little while, had me believing that this would be the one that Hinds & Madriani finally lost. I didn't like the narrator as much as the one who read the earlier books but in the end, I enjoyed the book immensely even though the scenario was a little unlikely. A good listen with lots of action!!

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Good, but not Martini's Best!

As a fan of Martini, this book has too much action that is not feasible. The Judge and Compelling Evidence are so believeable. Not so in Guardian of Lies. Martini is at his best game with courtroom drama!

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Silk purse, sows ear.

George Guidall is among the very best narrational forces in the game.
I am frankly shocked that he would take on such a cartoonish tome.
Even he could not mitigate this absurd plot, try as he did.
This series has promise, but went far afield in this attempt. It is pure, cheap sensationalism and Martini must have been up against a deadline or needed the money.
So write some entertaining, reality linked capers for us and apologize for this dog.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A Mixed Review

A somewhat convoluted plot with multiple agents and motives, mixing murder charges with terrorist plots make for a strange, but not entirely distasteful stew. Guidall, with his remarkable facility for portraying multiple characters with distinct voices, made it fairly easy to recognize who is speaking and acting. With a less talented narrator, the listening experience would have been terribly confusing and unrewarding. If you enjoy plots pitting inept government agencies agains mad terrorists and heroic individuals, alike, you'll enjoy this book; however, if you're looking for an intriguing legal thriller, perhaps you should turn to an earlier Steve Martini.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Whoa! What a ride!

This book was really exciting. It kept me up late reading to see what would happen next. George Guidall always does such a good job of narrating that he improves the author's work.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Guardian of Lies

Love Madriani in the courtroom, but not as much when he is on the run chasing after the bad guys. This book grabs your attention and, although its obvious what will happen at the end of the book, it is a good read. But Martini can do better, and with all the excellent reviews, I was somewhat disappointed.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

A Rapp Martini???

Great read for a thriller, however, it could have had more courtroom action. I had forgotten Martini I am sorry to say in the last several years. But with this one I am back! Mr Guidall has become the voice of Mitch Rapp in my head from reading so many Flynn books in a row but he is a great narrator and his delievery style really helped me get into the Martini characters again... More unagridged with Mr G Please!!!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

An Easy Listen

I enjoyed the story. It was fast paced. Did not take a lot of thought. A good book on a trip.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic book

From beginning to end, Martini does an outstanding job of coming up with the unexpected. His best book -- did not want it to end.

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1 person found this helpful