Steve Martini biography

Author Biography  | Interview  | Books by this Author  | Read-Alikes

Steve Martini
Photo: Brian Smale

Steve Martini

Steve Martini Biography

Steve Martini was born in San Francisco and grew up in the Bay Area and Southern California. An honors graduate of the University of California at Santa Cruz, Martini's first career was in journalism. He worked as a newspaper reporter in Los Angeles and as a correspondent at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, specializing in legal issues, before gaining his law degree from the University of the Pacific's McGeorge School of Law.

In 1974 he entered private law practice in California where he appeared in both state and federal courts. During his law career he worked as a legislative representative for the State Bar of California, served as special counsel to the California Victims of Violent Crimes Program, and was an administrative law judge and supervising hearing officer.

In 1984, Martini turned his talents to fiction. Compelling Evidence, the novel that introduced attorney Paul Madriani, was published by Putnam in 1992. A national bestseller, that novel earned Martini a critical and popular following.

Steve Martini's website

This bio was last updated on 01/07/2014. In a perfect world, we would like to keep all of BookBrowse's biographies up to date, but with many thousands of lives to keep track of it's simply impossible to do. So, if the date of this bio is not recent, you may wish to do an internet search for a more current source, such as the author's website or social media presence. If you are the author or publisher and would like us to update this biography, send the complete text and we will replace the old with the new.

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Interview

Steve Martini talks about how he started writing, the process of writing and the research resources he relies on.

How did you begin writing?
I actually started writing as a journalist in 1969 for a newspaper in Los Angeles. At the time I was not a lawyer, but had just graduated from the University of California and intended to enter law school. I wanted a couple of years in the real world before plunging back into studies. What started as a brief diversion became an obsession. I found something almost therapeutic about composing at a keyboard. At the time it was an ancient manual typewriter. The news stories I wrote were converted into print for the paper on an old hot lead "Linotype" machine. I became hooked on writing, though at the time I had not ventured into fiction. All of my writing was on a daily deadline and intended for publication in the newspaper. I covered the courts and local government, and in 1970 I was transferred by the newspaper to the State Capital in Sacramento where I became a capital correspondent and ultimately bureau chief covering state government and the courts.

Did you intend to become an author, or do you have a specific reason or reasons for writing each book?
For many years I thought about writing fiction, but couldn't seem to find the time to do it. I actually crafted several story ...

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Books by this Author

Books by Steve Martini at BookBrowse
The Rule of Nine jacket Shadow of Power jacket Double Tap jacket The Arraignment jacket
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Read-Alikes

All the books below are recommended as read-alikes for Steve Martini but some maybe more relevant to you than others depending on which books by the author you have read and enjoyed. So look for the suggested read-alikes by title linked on the right.
How we choose read-alikes

  • Linda Fairstein

    Linda Fairstein

    Linda Fairstein, America's foremost legal expert on crimes of sexual assault and domestic violence, led the Sex Crimes Unit of the District Attorney's Office in Manhattan for twenty-five years. A Fellow of the American ... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    The Arraignment

    Try:
    The Bone Vault
    by Linda Fairstein

  • Phillip Margolin

    Phillip Margolin

    Phillip Margolin grew up in New York City and Levittown, New York. In 1965, he graduated from The American University in Washington, D.C. with a Bachelor's Degree in Government. From 1965 to 1967, he was a Peace Corps ... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    The Attorney

    Try:
    The Associate
    by Phillip Margolin

We recommend 6 similar authors

View all 6 Read-Alikes

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