Attorney, The, Martini, Steve

Having moved to San Diego to be closer to the woman in his life, Madriani takes on the case of Jonah Hale, an elderly man in terrible straits. As a result of their only child Jessicas longtime drug addiction, Jonah and his wife have been raising their eight-year-old granddaughter, Amanda. On the heels of Jonahs multimillion-dollar state lottery win, Jessica revives her interest in mothering. When Jonah wont deal--maternal rights for a mega-bucks payoff--Jessica plays dirty: she accuses the old man of having sexually abused her as a child and similarly abusing Amanda now.

Enter Zo Suade--a flamboyant, feminist activist with a penchant for making the objects of custody battles and their mother/plaintiffs disappear. True to form, a week after Zo takes on Jessicas case, mother and daughter vanish. When Zos body turns up, Jonah becomes the prime suspect. And Madriani is the man who can prove his innocence.

Filled with action in and out of court, rich in characters with motives obvious and subtle, The Attorney marks the much-anticipated return of Paul Madriani.