Trader of Secrets: A Paul Madriani Novel

“Steve Martini ranks among the top authors of legal thrillers.”
—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“You like Law & Order? Or even a John Grisham novel? Well, Steve Martini is one of the best of the best when it comes to crime thrillers.”
—Asbury Park Press

The reasons why Steve Martini is one of the most popular thriller writers around are abundantly clear in Trader of Secrets: an ingenious plot, great characters, gripping storytelling that combines the legal expertise of John Lescroart, Brad Meltzer, and Scott Turow with the heart-pounding political intrigue of Vince Flynn and Brad Thor. Superstar crime novelist Linda Fairstein says, “Take it from a prosecutor—Steve Martini has created one of the most charismatic defense attorneys in thriller fiction,” referring to Martini’s fearless yet very human series protagonist, defense attorney Paul Madriani. In Trader of Secrets the crusading lawyer is on the trail of dangerous criminals who are trying to steal state-of-the-art weapons technology…with nothing less than the future of America at stake.

Defense attorney Paul Madriani is embroiled in a case as perilous as any he has ever faced: one that involves an angry killer who will stop at nothing short of vengeance, and two missing NASA scientists who are holding secrets that a hostile government desperately wants to purchase—in blood if they must.

Madriani's daughter, Sarah, has evaded the man known as Liquida, who has stalked her all the way across the country. For her own safety, she is being kept under armed guard on a farm in Ohio.

But one morning, itching for a predawn run to shake off the tension that has grown in the hours she's spent waiting for word from her father, Sarah slips from her ring of protection. What she doesn't know is that at the same moment her assailant is outside, waiting patiently in the dark.

Meanwhile in California, two men in a parked car argue over millions in cash that could be slipping through their fingers and a scheme involving government technology for sale that could rock the world.

Paul Madriani, his companion Joselyn Cole, and his longtime law partner, Harry Hinds, track Liquida, not knowing that their quest will carry them deep into the vortex of international terror.It is a journey that will lead them toward a bizarre and cruel twist of nature—and the ultimate weapon of mass destruction. From the nation's capital to California, from Bangkok to Paris and the jungles of Mexico, Madriani and his party race against time to find Liquida and the scientist who is the "trader of secrets" before he can unleash the weapon that could set the world ablaze.

“You like ‘Law & Order’? Or, even a John Grisham novel? Well, Steve Martini is one of the best of the best when it comes to crime thrillers.” - Asbury Park Press

“This is an exciting Washington thriller that grips the audience from the onset and never lets go until the final dramatic confrontation. The story line is action, action, and more action that will have Madriani fans salivating.” - Midwest Book Review

“Martini’s hero and narrator, Paul Madriani, is a San Diego criminal lawyer. Madriani isn’t one of those cardboard superhuman heroes. In fact, Mr. Martini trips him up so many times in so many delicious ways that one often wonders whether or not he actually is going to prevail.... A tantalizing souffle.... To this rich batter, Mr. Martini adds one of the better villains in recent thrillerdom. [The] professional killer is known in street legend as the Mexecutioner.... Mr. Martini also has a flair for the kind of narrative that can make readers smile.... A compelling “tick-tock” race against the clock.” - Washington Times

“The writer has shifted gears in a big way, moving his wry hero out of the courtroom and into the center of a breathless high-stakes thriller in the Lee Child vein.... [It] gets scarier with each page that is turned.... All of the elements of a good thriller—a wonderful protagonist, a terrifying villain, lots of unexpected humor, and an author who clearly knows how things work in the world of politics and law.... A thriller with broad implications and a very high entertainment quotient.” - Joe Meyers, Connecticut Post

“[A] fast-moving, action-filled story.... Touching on timely subjects of great concern and filled with suspense, this is a good read with a cliffhanger ending.” - Oklahoma City Oklahoman

“Breathless.... Includ[es] one of the scariest assassins in modern crime fiction.... Ratchets up the suspense.... [An] exhaustively researched and all-too-plausible thriller.” - Connecticut Post Online

“Take it from a prosecutor—Steve Martini has created one of the most charismatic defense attorneys in thriller fiction. Madriani is a guy who won’t quit until he works every angle, finds every chink in the D.A.’s armor, and picks at the evidence until he tears the thread to unravel his opponent’s case. Best of all, he’s got the heart of a lion—protective, humane, courageous—that makes him such great fun to watch.” - Linda Fairstein, author of Killer Heat

“Steve Martini ranks among the top authors of legal thrillers with his richly interesting characters, masterful plots, and beautiful writing.... The climax is terrifically terrifying.” - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette