In Steve Martini’s 14th Paul Madriani thriller, Blood Flag, the defense attorney’s twentysomething legal assistant Sofia Leon turns up murdered on a patch of chaparral just outside San Diego. Sofia’s treasured iPhone is not with her body but Madriani finds a small part of it, an Eiffel Tower charm, across town at the home of his latest client.
The client is a woman accused of mercy-killing her father, Robert Brauer. He was the last-surviving member of the 45th Infantry platoon responsible for liberating Munich at the close of WWII. Brauer died shortly after receiving a package containing a small box, a German ID card, and a tiny key—the same package that mysteriously preceded the deaths of other members of his platoon.
Both Israeli intelligence and Aryan skinheads want that package. The suspense builds as Madriani unravels both murders despite interference from both sides. And while the story is well-paced, it is the characters in Blood Flag that really draw readers in.
Scenes of Sofia twirling her phone’s tiny Eiffel Tower charm while comforting a client, working late to finish a case, and going out after work to rescue a dog ensure that she haunts readers’ minds long after her untimely demise. While many readers know Madriani, a steadfast, incorruptible defender of the little guy, from previous installments of the series, it is his girlfriend, Jocelyn, who steps out further in this book. Compassionate, quick-witted, and intelligent, she steals each scene she appears in.
One distraction: the Israelis’ hired henchman came off as comically unintelligent, too much so to have been hired by any intelligence service. I would also have liked to see more of Madriani’s partner Harry whose naughty, contrarian nature balances the Matt Dillon-like virtues of Madriani himself.
Steve Martini’s writing is smooth, clear and easy to become immersed in. The integrity he writes into his characters feels as fresh as a Pacific Ocean breeze coming across the Big Bay. Blood Flag is a rewarding read with strong characters and an outstanding sense of realism.
BEST CRITICAL OR NONFICTION BOOK
BEST YOUNG ADULT NOVEL
BEST CRIME FICTION AUDIOBOOK
The features are adaptations of Jennings’ first three novels, Except the Dying, Poor Tom Is Cold and Under the Dragon’s Tail. Even though Except the Dying provides a detailed coverage of the death of Murdoch’s fiancée and its effect on his future relationships, I’d suggest you put the movies on hold and go directly to the series. Beginning with the first episode in 2008, the main characters and their continuing stories, occasional visitors from genuine history books (like Henry Ford, Emma Goldman, Winston Churchill and Conan Doyle), and the always witty and carefully constructed science-rich, socially aware whodunit murder plots have coalesced into a television series worthy to be called a classic. (The movies and the first eight seasons of the series are available via streaming on Acorn TV and in DVD format from Acorn. Season nine, which can be screened now at Acorn and will be available on DVD on August 2, is currently appearing also at various times on the Ovation cable network, inexplicably, under the alias, The Artful Detective.)
A fun swing through 1920s New York with Lizzie Borden
