The body of Sofia Leon, a young paralegal in the law offices of Paul Madriani and Harry Hinds, is found on a desolate country road. When last seen, Sofia was leaving Madriani’s office on a Friday evening with the keys to the house and car of Emma Brauer, a new client who was about to be taken into custody on suspicion of murdering her father in a mercy killing. Sofia, who listened in on the discussion between the two lawyers and Emma, volunteered to go to Emma’s house to leave her dog with a neighbor and then meet a friend for dinner. 

Emma gives details to Madriani and Hinds leading up to the suspicious death of her father shortly after he entered the hospital. A few weeks before he died, the elder Brauer, an aging World War II veteran, had received from an old army buddy a small package containing a slip of paper and a key. He didn’t seem to know what it was, but had placed it in a safety deposit box and hidden the key in a safe room in the house.

"BLOOD FLAG is a page-turner and explores a subject that deserves the exposure."

After the sheriff’s department arrives at Madriani’s office on Monday morning to report Sofia’s apparent murder, Madriani, Hinds and their PI, Herman, go to Emma’s place to see if they can determine what happened to Sofia. They find evidence that Sofia had been to the house before disappearing. After a thorough search, they discover a trap door to the basement, where they locate the key. This activity is being watched under two sets of surveillance teams: two men with Aryan Nation tattoos are observing from a block away, and two Mossad agents look on from another viewing post.

As Madriani and Hinds soon learn, the object of their interest is a “Blood Flag” --- a Nazi relic drenched in the blood of a fallen Nazi and waved during Nazi rallies in Germany toward the end of World War II. Mr. Brauer and two of his army buddies were present in Nuremburg at the war’s end and had taken it as a souvenir. It is now deemed to be worth perhaps millions of dollars. But why is it of such importance to the Israeli secret police, or the two Aryan Nation men?

Steve Martini is best known as a courtroom procedural writer, but in his last three novels has shifted to writing more action-filled adventures. BLOOD FLAG blends the two genres as Madriani, Hinds and Herman track down the killers while preparing a case to free Emma of all charges. Their investigation leads them into the dark underworld of Nazi memorabilia and its collectors. It proves to be a dangerous game, eventually attracting the attention of Zeb Thorpe, the Executive Director of the National Security Branch of the FBI, who has crossed paths with Madriani in the past. 

As a fan of legal procedurals, I rather miss Martini’s courtroom scenes and would like him to return to what he knows best. As an attorney and former judge, Martini knows that world inside out. That being said, BLOOD FLAG is a page-turner and explores a subject that deserves the exposure.

Audiobook available, performed by Dan Woren