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Book Review of Undue Influence (Paul Madriani, Bk 3)

Undue Influence (Paul Madriani, Bk 3)
reviewed on + 249 more book reviews


Paul Madriani, the brilliant defense attorney, finds himself in a complex web of murder and deceit within his own family. Paul's wife, Nikki, has died of cancer, leaving him alone to bring up their young daughter, Sarah. On her deathbed, Nikki asked a favor of Paul: that he look after her younger sister, Laurel Vega, who is mired in a bitter child-custody battle with her former husband, a powerful state legislator. The two Vegas have brawled in open court for weeks, locking horns over who will be awarded custody of their two teenage children.
When Jack Vega's new, younger wife is found slain execution-style in their opulent home, Laurel Vega becomes prime suspect. And when physical evidence closes the loop, she is arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Paul, remembering his promise to his wife, has no choice but to take her case.
As he scrambles to mount a defense, Madriani investigates every angle of the murder, and uncovers more than a few skeletons in the Vega family closet. He unearths a dark and enigmatic side of Laurel, an aspect he never knew existed, and with this discovery comes the most chilling question of all: Did Laurel Vega commit murder?