I have read many fast action thrillers, but I have to say, this may be one of the fastest I have come across. Being new to the series, I was a little lost for a few chapters, but that was ok. I was able to pick up enough to figure out who the good guys were and who the bad guy was. I found myself drawn into the characters without even realizing quite how they related to each other.
The narrative switches between third person past tense and first person present tense, the latter being used solely for the main character, Paul Madriani. I believe Martini is using the present tense to make the action pop a bit more, however, I found it distracting. I was able to move on and read and enjoy the book. But each transition to the present tense gave me enough pause to be distracting.
I enjoyed the plot and the considerable globe-hopping that took place throughout the book. I had no idea where I would end up next. The ending of the novel was my favorite part. I am not going to give you any spoilers, but I will say that I was pleasantly surprised at how things worked out for Liquida. Martini gives us a strong resolution with just a bit of comedy. Perfect.
Steve Martini was born in San Francisco and was an honors graduate from the University of California at Santa Cruz. He worked as a newspaper reporter in Los Angeles before earning his law degree from the University of the Pacific's McGeorge School of Law. He entered private law practice in 1974 and eventually served as an administrative law judge and supervising hearing officer. The first Paul Madriani novel was published in 1992. Trader of Secrets is the twelfth book in the series.
Rating: 3/5
Trader of Secrets by Steve Martini
Publication Date: May, 2011
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