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Prime Witness

Prime Witness

Prosecutor Paul Martini thinks that he has found the murderer of six people, but when no evidence links the suspect to the last two slayings, Paul realizes that another brutal killer is still free. By the author of Compelling Evidence. 85,000 first printing. $100,000 ad/promo.

User Ratings and Reviews

3 Stars Enjoyable but don’t look for plausibility
I made the mistake of reading this immediately after polishing off Compelling Evidence (the 1st one in the series; Prime Witness is the 2nd). Steve Martini’s verbal tics and catch-phrases started to grate after I ran across them over and over again. That said, I found it an entertaining read, especially the courtroom scenes. Martini brings those vividly to life, and the constraints of the setting mean that his wilder flights of plotting fancy are kept (mostly) under control while we’re safely in court.

Which brings me on to another of my grumbles about this book: the characterisation is way over the top. We meet too many characters who are either angelic (for instance Sarah, Madriani’s sentimentally idealised daughter) or totally and one-dimensionally given over to wickedness. And as for the judges and their goings-on outside the courtroom… well, I had to laugh at the Grand Guignol implausibility. It makes for an irritatingly self-righteous authorial voice.

Despite all that, I’ll be reading the next in the series – but not until I’ve had a break from Martini, and the chance to forget some of his more annoying mannerisms.

3 Stars Too much information
Reading this book is like being stuck at a table with a number of lawyers at a social event…they’re alright on their own but, get them in a group, talking shop, and they’re the most boring people possible to anyone outside that legal circle. A serial killer is loose in a university town, killing couples in a vile, ritualistic fashion, when the bodies of yet another couple are found, supposedly killed in the same way. Paul Madriani is working as the town’s temporary Chief Prosecutor when Andre Iganovich, a Russian immigrant, working as a security guard at the University, is arrested and charged with the murders. The details of the investigation and eventual solving of the crime is, no doubt, absolutely right, but to anyone who doesn’t work in criminal law, the legal minutiae is not only beyond the comprehension of the untrained mind, but is deadly dull into the bargain.

5 Stars Engrossing
What a great book. This is the first book I’ve ever read by Steve Martini and I can’t wait to start the next (Compelling Evidence). Prime Witness was engrossing from start to finish. My only reservation is that I would have liked to have seen a little more courtroom action. I don’t recall prime Witness being made into a motion picture, but it sure seems like a great candidate.

4 Stars excellente
I have refrained from reviewing Steve Martini’s books even after consuming a slew of them, mistakenly believing his work will speak for him.

It appears not!

For those who doubt his ability, and are content to take potshots, I recommend Prime Witness.

When a killer who was on the lam is caught over the border in Canada, there is relief in the community that the murderer has been caught. Now they want justice–justice for the the spate of double murders that took place over a period of months. Enter Paul Madriani and Adrian Chambers.

Paul has been appointed temporary DA of Davenport county, and is the lead prosecutor in this case; Adrian, his arch-enemy, will be defending Iganovicth, the alleged killer.

Getting Iganovitch convicted could be the least of Madriani’s woes, because he must deal with a possible copycat killer, the quicksand of county politics, two backstabbing justices, and an adversary for whom hitting below the belt is akin to a pat on the back.

Paul Madriani’s hope in all this is to find the elusive Prime Witness.

The book finishes on a high note; with a conclusion that leaves you with the stark reality: you’ve been following the wrong scent.

This book lacks the courtroom drama other books in the series have: That might be because Paul is playing in the wrong team–according to Harry Hinds. Instead there is a greater emphasis on the legal process.

I love the brief descriptions of the Coconut and the Prussian, the colorful painting of Chambers; the other characters enliven the story. I do have misgivings about the level of estrangement of Paul’s wife.

Like most books in this genre, this one is simply written, though unlike many others, of which I could name a few, this one is highly entertaining.

The Prime Witness is definitely worth a peek.

1 Star half star if I could
WOW was this book a stinker! I mean really…first of all I had to search for the name of the main character in the book. Second I didn’t realize that this was the second book in a series thus I was completely lost when Martini talked about things that happened in the first book. Also while I usually like first person books this one was just WAY to hard to follow. I felt that most of the characters that we met in the first book where not fleshed out in this one, again losing me. This was my first Martini book and it will most likely be my last.

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The Legal Impact of Climate Change Leading Lawyers on Preparing for New Environmental Legislation Assessing Green Programs for Clients and Working with on Climate Change Issues Inside the Minds

The Legal Impact of Climate Change Leading Lawyers on Preparing for New Environmental Legislation Assessing Green Programs for Clients and Working with on Climate Change Issues Inside the Minds

The Legal Impact of Climate Change is an authoritative, insider’s perspective on the regulatory impact of potential climate change legislation and the challenges and opportunities these changes pose for clients. Featuring partners and chairs from some of nation’s leading law firms, these experts guide the reader through the recent environmental regulations that affect corporate operations and speculate on what further reform is expected in an effort to fight the threat of global warming. Emphasizing the importance of implementing strategies that mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and increase the potential for greener enterprises, the authors offer advice on utilizing the media to publicize clients environmental efforts, developing sustainable relationships with government agencies, and assisting clients in auditing their current carbon footprints. Additionally, these leaders reveal their tips for on staying on top of new developments in the climate change arena and preparing clients for future compliance standards on the horizon. The different niches represented and the breadth of perspectives presented enable readers to get inside some of the great legal minds of today, as these experienced lawyers offer up their thoughts around the keys to success within this ever-changing field.

Inside the Minds provides readers with proven business intelligence from C-Level executives (Chairman, CEO, CFO, CMO, Partner) from the world’s most respected companies nationwide, rather than third-party accounts from unknown authors and analysts. Each chapter is comparable to an essay/thought leadership piece and is a future-oriented look at where an industry, profession or topic is headed and the most important issues for the future. Through an exhaustive selection process, each author was hand-picked by the Inside the Minds editorial board to author a chapter for this book.

Chapters Include:

1. Barry J. Trilling, Partner, Wiggin and Dana LLP – “Climate Change and Sustainable Development: Business Challenges and Opportunities and the Role of Lawyers in Meeting Them”

2. Richard R. Capozza, Chair, Energy and Utilities, and Environmental Practice Areas, Hiscock & Barclay LLP – “Climate Change Issues Affect Corporate Risks and Opportunities”

3. Arthur J. Clarke, Counsel, Herold and Haines PA – “Climate Change Ushers in a New Paradigm for Regulatory Compliance”

4. Matthew Coglianese, Partner and Director, Environmental and Green Construction Group, Peckar & Abramson – “Climate Change as a Growing Business Concern”

5. Dennis Cameron and Dale E. Cottingham, Shareholders, GableGotwals – “Preparing Now for Future Regulatory Impact”

6. Phillip L. Conner, Shareholder, McNair Law Firm PA – “The Major Climate Change Issues and Priorities”

7. Jay T. Waldron, Shareholder, Williamson & Wyatt – “Navigating Environmental Law for Client Success”

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Money and Meaning URL New Ways to Have Conversations About Money with Your Clients A Guide for Therapists Coaches and Other Professionals

Money and Meaning URL New Ways to Have Conversations About Money with Your Clients A Guide for Therapists Coaches and Other Professionals

The first book of its kind to introduce a model to help you create conversations about money with your clients, Money and Meaning provides a framework and tools to provide a safe environment in which to have conversations and resolve conflicts. Written by a respected expert in business, financial, and relational issues, Money and Meaning is filled with useful case studies and helps you open the door to thoughtful conversations that explore and resolve money’s multiple meanings.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars A Easy Tool to allow people to discuss their values and money decisions
Because I had been shown how to use the cards that Judith Stern Peck describes in Money and Meaning, I was quickly able to adapt them to situations in my financial planning practise and understand how they are easily used and adapted to different situations.

By separating into two piles -the cards that are meaningful and those that are not meaningful to you – then selecting from the meaningful ones, the 4 that stand out most, one can begin to identify and have a language to talk about their most important values. By repeating this exercise as it relates to making a financial decision, one can begin to look at the differences in how financial decisions may be in alignment or very different from one’s core values. This is a non-threatening way for people to begin to reflect and then have meaningful conversation about it.

The book gave me some wonderful ideas about how to apply this technology to my client situations. The case studies made me think about my own values and how they may be impacting clients and potential clients. The case studies include single people, couples and parents in various situations.

Having had a head start with the cards, which are in the back of the book, I have used this with my partners, in a group retirement seminar and, of course, have been able to reflect on my own values and financial decisions.

I highly recommend the book to professionals who are working with clients and don’t know how to approach financial conversation in an open way with them. This will give good examples to draw upon.

It is also a good tool for anyone who wants to just take a look at their own values, their process in making financial decisions, how the two differ, if they indeed do. The book presents a way to gain insight and have conversation among family members, parents, children, business associates or life partners.

A worthwhile read and very worthwhile exercise!

3 Stars My professional opinion
This is a guide for therapists, coaches and other professionals who work with clients that need to unblock money communication issues in order to increase effectiveness in the receiver’s life.

Peck has a way to use cards and a process for using them to help clients align their values with money and then to use a second set of cards that will allow client’s to see where their last decision-making process about money is disconnected with their values alignment.

This process then allows the client to begin an open conversation about money with you. It also shows them how they can begin talking about money with other significant people in their life – spouse, other family members, even their accountant or financial planner.

The language the author uses isn’t at grade 8 level like newspapers or most books. It is written on a college or higher level which makes some parts of the book difficult for this reader to get the gist of unless read two or three times. I found the case studies much too wordy. A common issue found when if it were written tighter, the book would no longer be long enough for a book or they would need some additional filler material.

I did like learning about how to use the cards. I would have preferred a simpler outline summary in each chapter that said, Step 1, 2, etc. The case studies do show some practical applications that run a wide gambit of how to use it.

When I re-read each chapter, highlighted the “how-to apply” steps I could see a clearer picture.

Have patience with this book. Don’t think it will be a quick read. On the other side the methodology is very sound and great information to have if this could help your clients. It is another model to use.

I haven’t worked with it yet with clients. I will however be doing so after I re-write the information so it’s in a simpler format for me to go through the process.

Good bibliography in the back that lists some additional materials that I thought would be interesting to explore.

Catherine Franz

www.CatherineFranz.com

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How to Get More Clients: Hire a Business Development Expert

If your business has been struggling to get more clients in the last few months or year then consider hiring a business development expert that can find the right joint venture marketing partners that can deliver hot leads to your sales team. Many businesses can find themselves in a rut where it’s really difficult to acquire new customers. A joint venture marketing partnership can be the right strategy to get moving forward again. A business development pro will understand the process of putting together a solid business deal that can grow your company. If you feel that building a network of business partners can help grow your business in ways that are unachievable by yourself then find the right consultant or individual that you can bring in-house and do the deals that will get your company more clients.

Hire the Right Person

Hiring a business development person is different than finding a sales person for your team. While a business development expert can always play the role as sales person the opposite is not always true. A person that specifically focuses on business development will understand how to communicate potential business deals to perspective businesses in the right manner. They will understand that it is critical that a strong relationship is forged between the individuals doing the business deal and the company employees that will be involved in implementing the partnership.

Hiring a consultant or consulting firm to act as a business development team for you company is a great route for many small businesses. Many business that do not have the internal man power and capabilities to identify, engage, and do the business deals necessary for growth can benefit from a consultant or consulting firm that has access to the business decision makers or the experience necessary to reach out to companies and develop the relationships required to put together a great business deal.

While a consultants hourly rate may be higher than you’re comfortable with a deal can be put together much faster by a professional than someone trying for the first time to structure a business partnership. Consultants often will require an hourly rate or fixed salary as well as some kind of bonus structure for placing deals together which may be a single payout for each business deal that is signed or a revenue share that is paid out over a period of time based on the amount of business that is ultimately generated from the relationships. Most consultants will not work for pure commission deals unless they believe that a deal can be put together extremely fast and will generate immediate revenue. Most will want a cash payment coupled with a bonus structure. Companies that want to execute business deals with larger fortune 500 type companies should always highly consider hiring an expert that has preexisting relationships with the company that you want to do a deal with. It’s common to hire a consultant for one specific business partnership.

Managing a Business Development Team

Managing a business development team member is similar to a sales team member in many respects. It is important that as a business owner you control and own the data that is developed by the team member by making them use the corporate customer relationship management system and uploading any data and reports on potential business partners to the corporate document server. Failing to do this a common problem with companies and their sales teams and even more so with business development professionals as the relationships they have and bringing to the table are often held tightly and not given up easily.

If you are hiring an outside consultant there may be specific clauses in the agreement about who owns what data. This is something to be aware of as it can be very frustrating to be a month or two in developing a new business partner and have a person leave and take the contact information and data with them leaving you in a tough place to continue. It’s critical to recognize that a business development team member is going to need to spend time out of the office meeting with companies, going to business events and other functions that may be fruitful in finding and meeting the right business partners, however if you are paying for someone to be at an event then make sure the business cards that are collected get scanned and retained by the company.

If you have decided that in order to get more clients your business needs to develop strategic business partners than consider outsourcing the work to a consultant or hiring a business development expert in order to speed up the process. Avoid taking team members off their existing duties or forcing yourself to forge the relationships by yourself and add more duties to your already exhausting schedule.

Christian Fea is CEO of Synertegic, Inc. A Joint Venture Marketing firm. He exemplifies how to profit from Joint Venture relationships by creating profit centers with minimal risk and maximum profitability.

Discover more Joint Venture Marketing Strategies join his free report on Joint Venture Marketing.

Getting Your Potential JV Partner to Say “Yes”

One of the most challenging tasks that you will have in forming a joint venture is not finding the right partner, but making the pitch and getting them to say “yes” to your proposal.  JVs are not the usual business paradigm that many entrepreneurs and business owners are accustomed.  Whether it is a lack of knowledge or experience of JVs, other business owners may be doubtful and unconvinced of the benefits a JV can bring to them.

What should your strategy be to approach and convince a potential JV partner?  Here are three important elements to keep in mind when you begin your path to JV success:

Build a Relationship

The most important thing about forming a JV partnership is trust in each other.  Relationships are the key to any business success.  When you approach a potential JV partner, it’s important that you are likeable and sincere so that you gain the trust of the other person.

• Build rapport – Find the common ground.  What do you have in common?  Are you both in the same industry?  Did you go to the same college?  From the same state?  Find the common ground that will build a connection between the two of you.

• Make them feel important – When you give a compliment or praise, your potential JV partner you make them feel important.  Building rapport and making them feel important are great ways to get them open to your ideas.

Teach the Benefits

The best way to overcome skepticism or resistance to a JV is to teach them the benefits.  When you help your potential JV partner understand what’s in it for him, it clears a path to the “a-ha!” moment when he ponders the possibilities.

• Money money money – Hit on the lucrative points as often as you can.  Letting them know that a JV can help them make money with less effort is probably the biggest benefit they will want to know.

• Autonomy – Agreeing to a JV does not mean they are jumping in as 50/50 business partners.  They still get to keep their autonomy in running their own business.  A JV simply means they will agree to join you in a specific business deal or venture.

Pitch the Proposal and Close the Deal

Once you have a good rapport going and softened the resistance to joint ventures, you are free to move ahead with your specific proposal.  What do you want your potential JV partner to do?  Give him the broad view of the proposal and then go into specifics on how you think it will be successful.

Don’t forget that your potential JV partner has opinions too.  Ask him what he thinks about your proposal and whether he has any ideas to add.  Giving them part ownership of the proposal will help them feel more attached to the deal.

Your JV proposal requires the steadiest of hands in convincing a potential JV partner.  Your respect and enthusiasm will go a long way in sealing the deal.

Christian Fea is CEO of Synertegic, Inc. A Joint Venture Marketing firm. He exemplifies how to profit from Joint Venture relationships by creating profit centers with minimal risk and maximum profitability.

To discover more Joint Venture Marketing Strategies join his free Joint Venture Marketing Wealth Report.