The Enemy Inside by Steve Martini

The Enemy Inside is Steve Martini’s most recent legal thriller featuring Paul Madriani, a San Diego based defense attorney.  The series dates back to the early 1990’s and of late his clients tend to be tied to national political corruption and international conspiracies.

Alex Ives is a young reporter for a Washington D.C. based internet news service called Gravesite.  While vacationing in San Diego, he is involved in a traffic accident that kills Olinda Serna, a vastly successful lawyer who deals in political influence peddling in the U.S. Congress.  Ives is arrested for vehicular manslaughter and thanks to Madriani, is released on bail.  Coincidently, Ives was previously investigating Serna for Gravesite, following a trail of corruption and conspiracy that involved huge cash payoffs to congressional members by depositing the money in Swiss banks.  But Ives didn’t even know Serna was in San Diego and has no recollection of the accident.  In fact, he would have died in the accident as well if not for a Good Samaritan passerby who pulled him from the crash.  Further, his blood alcohol was well below the legal limit.  Apparently, he had been drugged at a party and the accident staged.

As Madriani and Harry Hinds, his partner begin to investigate Ives, more of his associates are murdered.  Alex’ boss at Gravesite dies shortly after Madriani interviews him and the young woman who lured Alex to the party where he was drugged the night of the automobile accident turns up dead as well.  The attorneys conclude Alex’ life is in danger and send their PI, Henry Diggs with him into hiding in Mexico.

 

With the information Madriani learns from Ives’ boss, he is convinced a conspiracy to bribe U.S. Congressmen is at the core of Ives’ problems.  Madriani and Hinds head for Switzerland to talk to an ex-bank official, Simon Koroff.  Koroff tells them about millions of dollars deposited in Gruber Bank, his former employer, in the names of several U.S. Congressman.  He also tells them that Olinda Serna and her associate, Rubin Bentz had frequently visited the bank.  Bentz is serving a jail term in a Colorado federal prison in solitary confinement... evidently to keep him from talking.  Koroff too is murdered shortly after the meeting with Madriani and Hinds.  The attorneys quickly head back to the States.

 

Madriani gets a call from a Washington political broker telling him he should apply for a federal judgeship because he has the backing of California’s senior Senator.  He is told he should consider representing Rubin Bentz if he wants the appointment.  Madriani doesn’t want the appointment but he definitely wants to talk to Bentz.  Bentz has incriminating information stashed somewhere that could unravel the U.S. Congress not to mention save Madriani’s client.

Martini is the master of complex legal thrillers as is proven once again in The Enemy Inside.  His plots and subplots are numerous and multifaceted.  But with such a sizable cast of characters, keeping all the players straight is a challenge.  From international hit men, to Washington politicians, lobbyists and conspirators, to reporters, to Swiss bankers, to Chinese government officials, Martini juggles a lot of storylines but satisfactorily connects all the dots by the end.  The thrill ride is a journey well worth the effort.