Blood Flag by Steve Martini

Attorneys Paul Madriani and Harry Hinds are living off the proceeds of a recent windfall legal case.  But instead of basking in the sun at some Caribbean resort, they decided to rebuild their San Diego law practice.  They hire a young attractive legal assistant, Sofia and renew their efforts to attract higher brow clients.

 

Emma Brauer, a sixty something widow, is accused of mercy killing her ninety year old, World War II veteran father, Robert Bauer.  He died in the hospital of an insulin overdose and the police arrest Emma for manslaughter.  She insists she is innocent and tells Madriani and Hinds that her father had recently received a package in the mail that caused him great anxiety.  The package was sent to him by the attorney of a recently deceased Army buddy and contained a safe deposit box key and a slip of paper.  As she is escorted off to jail, she pleads with her attorneys to retrieve her father’s dog from her house.  Sofia volunteers to get the pouch and care for him until Emma is arraigned.  But Sofia never gets the dog and is found murdered a few days later.

Paul and Harry riddled with guilt for possibly having put Sofia in harm’s way, follow the clues back to Bauer’s Army unit.  The unit was stationed in Munich as WWII ended and a flag stained with the blood of Hitler’s earliest supporters had disappeared in that time and place.  The FBI becomes interested in the Blood Flag when Israel’s Mossad make inquiries.  So Madriani and Hinds surmise the package that Robert Brauer received is somehow a clue to the Blood Flag, vindication for their client, Emma Brauer, and motive for the murder of their young colleague.  But they are not sure how it’s all related and what danger they must face to find out.

Fifteen years ago, Steve Martini was one of my top ten authors.  His legal themes were well researched and full of courtroom suspense.  He then ventured into conspiracy stories on a federal and international scale and I thought his plots a bit contrived. Blood Flag is a step back toward his roots where he excels but with a touch of conspiracy theories thrown in… not his best work but good entertainment nonetheless.  I may go back and reread Compelling Evidence, Undue Influence, or The Arraignment to see if they are as good as I remember.