Most Wanted [Mass Market Paperback]

Martinez's effervescent debut thriller comes on like a series pilot, with a winning heroine and a large cast of colorful supporting characters drawn in broad strokes and primed for future episodes. Young, ambitious Melanie Vargas, a federal prosecutor in Manhattan gets the big break of her career almost by mistake: she's pushing her baby daughter through the nighttime streets when she walks into a crime scene. A fire has nearly destroyed the house of hotshot attorney Jed Benson, and cops are everywhere. Melanie fast-talks her way into the apartment where Benson has been brutally murdered. Melanie desperately wants the case - and she has to fight to get it - but she's hard-pressed to put in the hours it requires. She's booted out philandering husband Steve, a development she has yet to disclose to her nosy sister or her meddling mom, and she has a prima donna nanny. Martinez gives equal time to Melanie's balancing act and the complicated case, which begins as a probe of the C-Trout Gangsta Blades gang, but widens to include Benson's white-shoe law firm. Though still contemplating reconciliation with Steve, Melanie finds herself drawn to FBI agent Dan O'Reilly. The plot doesn't quite gel, but Martinez has crafted an enormously appealing heroine and a breezy, entertaining tale.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

An edgy New York setting, a sexy and smart Latina federal prosecutor, and a blue-eyed, hard-abbed FBI agent get this debut mystery off to a fast start. Gorgeous Melanie Vargas, the prosecutor, is raising a six-month-old daughter while dealing with a cheating husband and a killer job. When Jed Benson, a prominent New York citizen, is found tortured and murdered in his posh townhouse, Melanie grabs the case and won't let go. Proving herself to her hard-nosed boss, Bernadette, isn't Melanie's only hurdle--she must also deal with a growing attraction to Dan O'Reilly, the FBI agent (he of the hard abs) assigned to the Benson murder. The plot turns predictable early on, but the characters, especially lovable Melanie, will hold most readers' interest. Fans of Mary Higgins Clark, in particular, will devour this tasty trifle. Jenny McLarin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

“Michele Martinez’s Most Wanted is taut and crisp, as well-crafted a mystery as you’ll read this year.” (--John Lescroart )

“Lightning-paced and suspenseful, sexy and fun, brimming with unforgettable characters, Most Wanted is an absolute must read.” (Janet Evanovich )

“Most Wanted is an utter page-turner.” (Tess Gerritsen )

“The pages turn in a blur! Edgy and fresh.” (Iris Johansen )

“First-timer (and former federal prosecutor) Martinez stokes reader interest with a large, attractive cast.” (Kirkus Reviews )

“Effervescent debut thriller...Martinez has crafted an enormously appealing heroine and a breezy, entertaining tale.” (Publishers Weekly )

“Martinez’s debut novel is a breakout.” (USA Today )

A betrayed wife and dedicated mother suddenly forced to raise her six-month-old daughter alone, Melanie Vargas is also an ambitious, hard-working professional who has had to bite and claw for recognition in the federal prosecutor's office. Then, while strolling with her baby girl on a steamy New York night, Melanie stumbles onto the kind of high-profile case that could make a career: the burning townhouse of a wealthy former prosecutor, its owner's tortured, murdered corpse smoldering within. Melanie Vargas wants this chance -- she needs it -- and she'll do whatever it takes to get it.

But a headline-grabbing opportunity of a lifetime could cost Melanie more than she ever imagined, as it pulls her closer to a dangerous affair with a secretive, enigmatic FBI agent -- and closer still to a sadistic human monster moving expertly through the city's darkest shadows.

Michelle Martinez is a graduate of Harvard University and Stanford Law School worked at a prestigious Manhattan law firm before serving eight years as a federal prosecutor. She lives in New York City with her husband and two children.

Melanie Vargas is a complicated woman struggling to negotiate her job as a prosecuting attorney and her life as a new mother whose marriage has crumbled. Her efforts are complicated by the childhood memory of her father's assault and subsequent abandonment. Anne Twomey masterfully relates Melanie's conflicts through her controlled pace. During her expert performance, the listener becomes engrossed as the plot gains intensity, the characters become more desperate, and the bodies pile up. As the story closes, the listener is left hoping to see more of the Martinez/Twomey team. S.K.P. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.