Katia Solaz has been lured from Costa Rica to San Diego by a coin collector, an older man named Emerson Pike. He is in essence keeping her against her will with padded gloves of small shopping trips, jewelry and excuses deluxe. While in Costa Rica, Emerson happened to see pictures on Katia's camera, pictures that excited him to no end. After copying them onto his computer and convincing Katia that she needs to see San Diego, he starts the international wheels into motion.

Someone called the Mexicutioner is hired to kill Katia and Emerson and to retrieve all evidence of the photos. The night the hired man enters Emerson's home and kills him is the same night Katia steals a small amount of his coins, enough to get back to Costa Rica, and slips out of the house, therefore saving her life. But she is soon caught and charged with murder. The police discover Paul Madriani's business card in her purse and before Madriani knows what has hit him, he is implicated in the coin collector's murder. The FBI become involved and bug Madriani and his partner's office and homes, then set tails on their every movement, while the District Attorney is hoping to snag both Madriani and the FBI.

Meanwhile, an Arab named Alim with ties to Cuba has been planning a grand retaliation on the United States for the deaths of his family members. He has sent the Mexicutioner to take care of Katia and Emerson Pike. He holds Katia's grandfather, the guardian of a Russian uranium bomb such as the one used over Hiroshima, in Colombia, South America, awaiting a chain of events to occur so he can transport the bomb to his desired destination.

Madriani uses what little information he has gleaned from Katia to prove she did not kill Emerson and get himself out of the hot water he seems to be sinking deeper into. His efforts take him from San Diego to Costa Rica to Mexico and back to the United States, where his path crosses several times with the Mexicutioner and ultimately with Alim. A desperate race with time is all that stands between Madriani and a catastrophic tragedy.

Steve Martini's thriller, GUARDIAN OF LIES, continues with Paul Madriani, a solid, genuinely caring defense attorney who is compelled to seek the truth. His character is refreshing; the well-crafted plot succinctly moves in a straightforward motion to a satisfying conclusion.

Book Summary