Legal Suspense John Martel John Martel includes his hometown in his books, whether consciously or unconsciously. An article the Modesto Bee by Jane Bannerman caught the author on a visit. At the age of 70, Martel has written his fourth novel, "Billy Strobe." The article says that his books are lumped into the legal thriller category with those of John Grisham and Scot Turow, but Martel prefers to call his work character-drive suspense fiction. All four novels are centered around the justice system, "which he defends, and about which he feels compelled to educate his readers." Martel is a 1948 graduate of Modesto High School and a 1950 graduate of Modesto Junior College. As an athlete he went to the University of Oregon on a track and basketball scholarship. His college career came to a "quick halt" because of the Korean War. He later attended UC Berkeley, got a degree in creative writing and enrolled in law school. He was a partner in the law firm of Farella, Braun and Martel in San Francisco. His latest novel made the San Francisco Chronicle's best-seller list. | ||||
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