Blood Flag

A Paul Madriani Novel

By: Steve Martini

Narrated by: Dan Woren

Defending a client accused of killing her father, attorney Paul Madriani is drawn into a treacherous conspiracy dating to World War II in this enthralling installment in the New York Times bestselling series.

Paul Madriani and Harry Hinds have a new client: Emma Brauer, a woman accused in the “mercy killing” of her aged father, Robert Brauer. Insisting she’s innocent, Emma tells Paul about a package sent to her father shortly before he entered the hospital. Bequeathed to him by a member of his unit from World War II, the box contains a key and a slip of paper. Emma fears that this package is connected to her father’s death.

When Paul’s young assistant Sofia is murdered, Madriani is blindsided by the realization that Emma’s fears are well-grounded.

Digging into Robert’s military history, Madriani discovers that other members of the Army unit Robert served with have recently died—under similarly suspicious circumstances. When he finds that the box sent to Brauer relates to a mysterious talisman that went missing at the end of the war—a feared Nazi relic known as the “Blood Flag”—Madriani and Hinds realize they are in for the fight of their lives.

With Emma’s life on the line and their own safety in jeopardy, Madriani must uncover the truth before the evil of the Blood Flag is allowed to spin a new web.

WOW!! Just WOW!

Steve Martini has been writing novels in the Paul Madriani series for almost a quarter century. Most qualify for 4 stars, but Blood Flag is an incredible novel. It's a legal thriller I suppose, but Martini digs into history in the style of Steve Berry and he provides the intensity of suspense that Michael Koryta writes. It is a fabulous novel.

Blood Flag is the 4th consecutive Mandiiati series audiobook that Dan Woren narrates. Woren is very, very good.

The story was dragged out a bit

Characters were good they played well off of each other The story was a bit cumbersome to follow if you were listening in short spurts.
Overall I learned a lot about hitler

just ok

Any additional comments?

The book was mildly entertaining but not well finished. There were too many questions left unanswered about players (Israelis, Nino, fake skinheads,Tony) in the book. The ending is not very satisfying and well telegraphed. The Jocelyn character is also strangely scripted. For most of the book she is smart, forceful, and dynamic. Then when told of Tony's murderous nature on the phone she suddenly loses 40 IQ points asking stupid questions while he is in her presence. It was as if the author and editor were in too much of a hurry to have a payday. Also, do other people feel as I do that Harry is a more interesting character than Paul and deserves more of the focus of a novel?

A most perilous case

I use to follow the Paul Madraini series but somehow I got sidetracked. I saw it listed on Audible’s suggest reading list and decided to buy it. I have always enjoyed Steve Martini’s writing.

Paul and his partner Harry Hinds have a new client, Emma Brauer. Emma is accused of murdering her father, Robert Brauer, for his money. Paul has his new legal assistant Sofia check into a package left at Robert Brauer’s home just before he was murdered. Paul is notified by the police that Sofia’s body has been found murdered near Robert Brauer’s home. Paul discovers that Robert Brauer was stationed in Munich at the end of WWII and his team was searching for a “blood flag” which was a Nazi flag used by Hitler. He also discovers all members of the unit are dead by mysterious means.

The book is well written and researched. The characters are interesting as is the plot, which twists and turns every which way. I remember the Martini books I read in the past were mostly courtroom dramas. This book is primarily an international thriller. I did find it interesting because of the World War II connection. Dan Moren did a good job narrating the book.

Excellent!

Martini delivers again with a spell-binding piece guaranteed to keep you holding on until the end.