The Rule of Nine

A Paul Madriani Novel

By: Steve Martini

Narrated by: Dan Woren

Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

The Old Weatherman dreams of a plan that could be his swansong, an attack to drive a stake through the heart of the right-wing establishment and bury it for good. Now he’s found the money, the ideal weapon, and the professional who knows how to use it. And he has put his sights on the perfect target at the very seat of the United States government, in the heart of downtown Washington. It will be a strike heard round the world.

San Diego defense attorney Paul Madriani is still reeling from the trauma of a near nuclear explosion he helped avert near the naval base in Coronado. Threatened by federal authorities to keep quiet about the near-miss in California, Madriani is now faced with a new problem in the steely-eyed and alluring Joselyn Cole, a weapons control expert, who believes he has to go public with what he knows if they have any hope of stopping a similar event in the future.

But Madriani has been linked to a murder of a Washington, D.C., political staffer, and authorities believe a shadowy figure called Liquida—a hired assassin known as ‘the Mexicutioner’—may be responsible. And that this man, as the last survivor of the attack in San Diego, might be driven by a bizarre and horrifying, star-crossed vendetta and might now be looking for Madriani himself.

What Madriani and Cole begin to fear is that the Old Weatherman and this madman have joined forces and intend to pull the city—and the country—into a vortex of terror before Paul and Joselyn can find answers to the enigma that is "the rule of nine".

Crack another case Paul Madriani.

©2010 Paul Madriani, Inc. (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers

Lost and confused

I'm a Steve Martini fan, but as of late I'm becoming more confused. I love court room drama, but in Steve's last book and this latest it cast attorney Paul Madriani as an action hero. He's out saving the world instead of defending clients in the court room. That's an awkward position for a defense attorney.

Almost an abrupt ending.

At times fast paced, good twists. Ending leaves you needing to start the next book!

The Rule of Nine

I am a big fan of Steve Martini, but I was somewhat disappointed in this book. The narration was rather bland and uninteresting which made the story harder to follow since the scenes were constantly changing. I also found it frustrating that the story was left unfinished.

And then?

Great book, but didn't have an ending. Maybe it's a cliff-hanger and there is another book to follow? I read this book several years ago and remember it had a good ending with all strings drawn together. This audio seems to be missing the last chapter.

Who knew a Martini could be so irritating??

Haven't read a Martini book for a while, and this one didn't improve my disposition. In fact, I rarely write reviews unless I find a book fabulous or horrible. Sadly this one was the latter. The plotting was convoluted and confusing, and I actually listened to the last 40 minutes twice because I could not believe the book ended so abruptly--as if the author had a publisher's deadline to meet so just stopped writing. I'm not too excited about trying another . . .

The Rule of Nine

This plot was a mess! Apparently Paul Madriani will not be sticking to his knitting...no more lawyering for him...he's trying his inept and naive hand at counter-terrorism and taking out professional, skilled and bloody hit men. REALLY?! Law practice "closed till further notice", Cross-country chases, saving Washington DC with a footballer's tackle??? Character "development" about 1/4 inch deep.... If this is Martini's new direction, I will leave him to others...