The Jury

The Attorney, which marked the returnof Steve Martini''s lawyer-sleuth Paul Madriani, was hailed for its "well-observedcourtroom maneuverings" (Christian Science Monitor) and "crisp dialogueand tart observations" (Publishers Weekly). Now Martini delivers themost daunting capital case of Madriani''s career.

PaulMadriani has ample reason to suspect he''s representing a guilty man. Dr. DavidCrone, a respected medical researcher and principal in mapping the human genome,is charged with the murder of a young colleague: twenty-six-year-old KalistaJordan, an African American research physician whose body washed up on a beachin San Diego Bay. Forensic evidence links her murder with material in Crone''sgarage. Crone had both opportunity and motive: Kalista had recently ended theiraffair and may have been deserting him professionally as well, moving on to arival genetic research facility. However, when a key witness for theprosecution dies unexpectedly, leaving an incriminating note behind, Crone''sinnocence seems confirmed-until Madriani hits upon a potentially damning looseend.