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Melanie Vargas #1
Most Wanted
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.
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.
416 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
10 people are currently reading
516 people want to read
About the author
Michele Martinez
16 books33 followersMichele Martinez, a graduate of Harvard University and Stanford Law School, was a federal prosecutor in New York City for eight years. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
April 5, 2013
What a great mystery, thriller, legal/police storyline! Found this one by browsing the library shelf. Will certainly look for the others since this is supposed to be #1 in the series. Martinez's writing reminds me of Grisham, Grippando & Rosenfelt - all wonderful legal mystery writers. Everytime I thought I knew exactly who the mole was I ended up being surprised. I only successfully picked one of the many - I like that!!
January 28, 2017
I thought this book was heart stopping, pulse pounding, exciting, and thoroughly entertaining and captive! I went with Melanie on every step, twist, ride, and turn. This book has only wet my appetite for other books by this author. I already have three more of her books ready to read. I can't wait, extremely excited to get started with her next book! This is the first book of the series, once you read this book, you will feel the same as I do. You will definitely be picking up the next book in the series. I have no doubt! In this book, there are multiple plot twists. There is excitement at every turn! You will definitely need to carve out enough time to binge read. The people we should be able to trust, can we? Take this mind blowing ride with Melanie, and see how she deals with the multiple trust issues that are thrust in front of her.
June 13, 2022
It was a really good story. Enjoyed all the twists and turns. Whenever I thought I figured it out there was a different twist. Kept my interest till the end .
October 18, 2012
Liked the general plot line and I really wanted to like Melanie Vargas.
The overall issue I have is the dropping out of character for most of the women is this book. Melanie's boss is portrayed to the reader as a real hard nose, someone to fear but she at times gives into too easily to Melanie and even comes close to a sniveling wimp when confronted with a cheating lover. Melanie we are told is a loving mother, smart lawyer, good head on her shoulders but she too falls to a confused shameful image of a working mother trying to balance her life. She refuses to address the immediate need of her childcare issues, can't return a call on a cell phone in a potential emergency because she doesn't have the phone number.
Hello, pull up last incoming call and press redial. And don't get me started on the overuse of profanity. Melanie even resorts to talking like a sailor by the end of the book. Why?
But as a said I liked the plot of the story so I endured and finished the book.
The overall issue I have is the dropping out of character for most of the women is this book. Melanie's boss is portrayed to the reader as a real hard nose, someone to fear but she at times gives into too easily to Melanie and even comes close to a sniveling wimp when confronted with a cheating lover. Melanie we are told is a loving mother, smart lawyer, good head on her shoulders but she too falls to a confused shameful image of a working mother trying to balance her life. She refuses to address the immediate need of her childcare issues, can't return a call on a cell phone in a potential emergency because she doesn't have the phone number.
Hello, pull up last incoming call and press redial. And don't get me started on the overuse of profanity. Melanie even resorts to talking like a sailor by the end of the book. Why?
But as a said I liked the plot of the story so I endured and finished the book.
June 2, 2010
Oh good lord, another single mom lawyer (or least separated from husband). Mom knows better than everyone else in law enforcement. Endangers herself repeatedly despite her concern for daughter Maya. “Mah –ya” the reader whines (audio book). Subtext: “Yes, I am ignoring everyone’s advice and going after the most vicious character this side of Hannibal Lector, a skeeze named “Slice,” but all I can really think about is Mah-ya!” or “Yes, I am falling for a cop that I am not sure I trust, but hope he will rescue me before Slice kills me so I can go home to Mah-ya!” Give me a break. Mom Lawyer behaves like an unruly teenager and quickly grew tiresome. Don’t think I’d read another with this character.
September 5, 2008
Melanie Vargas is a young prosecuting attorney who lives only a few blocks from a major crime scene. She manages to land this high profile case featuring a very powerful and very dead lawyer. He has been killed by a cold blooded killer appropriately named Slice. As the case heats up Melanie is having a hard time knowing who to trust. There seems to be at least one bad egg on her team. She just hopes it isn't Dan O'Reilly. She is seriously attracted to him, but she is still technically married, so they both are trying to respect that.
Good mystery, but a little complicated in the romance department.
Good mystery, but a little complicated in the romance department.
September 23, 2013
I read this book on audio. The accents that were used were horrible and quite insulting. It was if the narrator was trying to incorporate every accent that she ever heard into the reading. For Ms Vargas to always be concerned about her baby, she continued to put herself in danger. And for her to be a prosecutor,she was so gullible and naïve that it makes you wonder how she got the job. Would not recommend.
September 1, 2009
One of my guilty pleasures is genre fiction, and I like FBI/law/mystery type books. This is a great example of that - it was a page turner with interesting characters that I wanted to find out more about. I did think that the identity of the villian was a bit obvious, but the way the plot played out made sense.
I'm starting on the sequel now!
I'm starting on the sequel now!
August 28, 2008
Good, quick murder/plucky young female attorney story. Characters haven't many shades of gray, but are all good-looking and ready for a sexual exploit (not an explicit book, though, don't worry!).
This is the kind of book I enjoy "in between". Like a palate cleanser after something grim.
This is the kind of book I enjoy "in between". Like a palate cleanser after something grim.
April 7, 2012
A New York prosecutor, Melanie Vargas, is young, ambitious and her marriage is rocky. Melanie gets a great case, except the murders don't seem to stop at one. Enjoyable, well-paced I will read more in this series.
September 5, 2012
I really like legal thrillers and this was a good book. I started this book and couldn't put it down and finished it in 48 hours - (had to sleep sometime). Highly recommend the book and hope this author writes more legal thrillers.
March 3, 2008
For the genre of entertaining, potato chip thrillers this was good one.
Read
August 2, 2011Loved it! Loved the characters. I'm hooked.
September 14, 2011
books really great! the suspense is killing me before i turn each page, making me want to read it all until there is no more pages left, i'm loving it so far
June 14, 2012
Just discovered her books and went and bought all 4 of them. I'm on the 3rd on and I can't wait till I get through the series. Great writing, and a wonderful story line.
November 25, 2013
I think this is a GREAT suspense novel that is very hard to put down once you start to read it. Michele Martinez does a GREAT job on describing the characters and surroundings.
June 25, 2014
This was a pretty average mystery. It was a good pool read that kept my attention but was also easy to pick up and set down.
September 16, 2019
It’s already been a long day at work, and the child won’t sleep. Melanie Vargas is at her wit’s end. Earlier in the week, she threw her husband out for cheating on her, and she’s raising six-month-old Maya, sleepless nights and all. It’s the age-old solution: If the kid won’t sleep, bundle it into something that moves and vibrates, and the child will drop off ere long. Into the stroller goes Maya, and out into the steamy New York night goes mom and the little girl. But what’s all the commotion down the block? Looks like someone’s house is on fire, and if Melanie’s right, it’s the house of a well-known former federal prosecutor. A fictional current federal prosecutor herself, Melanie realizes if she can snag this case, she’ll have a high-profile case that could launch her career upward. She gets the case, and she gets in over her head soon enough.
His name is Slice. They call him that because of the way he mutilates his victims when he kills them. He had a good time carving up that former prosecutor and burning the house down around him. And best of all, he has a mole in the clanking bureaucracy of the prosecutor’s office who can keep him a step ahead of local and federal law-enforcement officials.
As Melanie digs further into the case, her best intentions of raising her daughter responsibly seem to get threadbare. She’s all eaten up by the guilt of not being home with the kid, but that didn’t garner much sympathy here. She came across as a woman with a rather thin moral compass—eagerly wrapping her legs around the waist of her almost-out-of-her life husband one minute and making out with a mysterious FBI agent for whom she clearly has feelings despite the ongoing nature of a faltering marriage.
It’s a race against time as Slice finds more witnesses who could have testified at a trial regarding the dead prosecutor and now never will. Melanie must figure out who the mole is in her department before Slice works on her.
I’ll read the next book in this series at some point, just not immediately. For those of you who care, note that the profanity index runs high throughout this. It’s a fast-paced mystery that seems realistic in many ways.
His name is Slice. They call him that because of the way he mutilates his victims when he kills them. He had a good time carving up that former prosecutor and burning the house down around him. And best of all, he has a mole in the clanking bureaucracy of the prosecutor’s office who can keep him a step ahead of local and federal law-enforcement officials.
As Melanie digs further into the case, her best intentions of raising her daughter responsibly seem to get threadbare. She’s all eaten up by the guilt of not being home with the kid, but that didn’t garner much sympathy here. She came across as a woman with a rather thin moral compass—eagerly wrapping her legs around the waist of her almost-out-of-her life husband one minute and making out with a mysterious FBI agent for whom she clearly has feelings despite the ongoing nature of a faltering marriage.
It’s a race against time as Slice finds more witnesses who could have testified at a trial regarding the dead prosecutor and now never will. Melanie must figure out who the mole is in her department before Slice works on her.
I’ll read the next book in this series at some point, just not immediately. For those of you who care, note that the profanity index runs high throughout this. It’s a fast-paced mystery that seems realistic in many ways.
October 10, 2025
I really enjoyed this book. The mystery and the characters were fun, and straight forward. It is, in my opinion, a hidden gem. The mystery was satisfying. The writing worked for me. It is a great example of a simple, well written book. I have recently found too many books trying to over-complicate the writing style or plot/storyline. I guess the reasoning behind that surrounds differentiation. For me complicated plotlines or fancy over-done writing styles are NO-FUN. This book is simple, what you see is what you get, exciting and just a good time. It is proof to the saying "Keep it simple stupid."
March 30, 2019
I enjoyed this book, even though it does seem a stretch that a prosecutor would do all this detective work, especially when it is as dangerous as described. Apparently Michele Martinez spent eight years as a federal prosecutor in New York City, so maybe that's what she did. Anyway, it's a good story.
March 13, 2020
I usually pick books by authors new to me while browsing my local library book sales. Most Wanted was one of these. Well, I have found myself another good selection. I think this is the first in a series and I will be looking for the next. A fast paced read. You will be turning the pages of this suspenseful, yet fun to read book. Thank you Michele Martinez for a good read.
June 16, 2020
Single mom is trying to make a name with the NY DA and gets a case of arson/murder near her home. She runs into bad cops, drug dealers and the involvement of her friend and architect. Insider warns her not to trust her co workers. She fights to survive at work and on this case.
Violence and gore.
Violence and gore.
July 30, 2022
First of all, let me list the things that the main character did that I (or any other relatively sane person) would never do: everything. Every single freaking thing. The woman’s an idiot. Was she a lawyer? Cop? Prosecutor? Dunno - but she wasn’t good at it, whatever it was. She’s also a terrible parent. Also, Martinez is not good at dialogue. I’m just glad this was a quick read.
February 18, 2019
The story was quite interesting, but the characters were not as well defined.
Too graphic and gory for my taste, and the sprinkling of Spanish comments and phrases (with no translation) throughout the book was a bit annoying.
Too graphic and gory for my taste, and the sprinkling of Spanish comments and phrases (with no translation) throughout the book was a bit annoying.
February 22, 2019
Ok, I have to confess I only made it through the first 2 chapters. There's just something kind of false about her writing style. She tries to hard to make the story believable.
December 3, 2019
Random book I picked up at my local book sale. Loved it and was excited that I could get the other books from the library as well. Definitely looking forward to reading more by this author.
December 23, 2014
U.S. Attorney Melanie Vargas maneuvers her way to being assigned a career making or breaking case, the murder of a former prosecutor. Teamed up with a sexy and charming FBI agent, Melanie soon realizes that she may be in over her head. Lies, conspiracy, gangs, and witnesses dying right and left, Melanie must uncover the truth before it hits too close to home.
Debut author Michele Martinez presents readers with a heart racing suspenseful novel. I was selected to preview this book by the HarperCollins Publishing through its First Look program. The book was overflowing with twists and turns on nearly every page. Ms. Martinez seemed to throw everything into her novel except the kitchen sink, and yet she was able to wrap it up nicely into an entertaining book. Melanie proves to be a gutsy and motivated character. She is likeable and interesting, however, where she excels in her career, she struggles on the home front. Faced to deal with a cheating husband and being a fairly new mother, Melanie has a lot to juggle with her career on the line.
Debut author Michele Martinez presents readers with a heart racing suspenseful novel. I was selected to preview this book by the HarperCollins Publishing through its First Look program. The book was overflowing with twists and turns on nearly every page. Ms. Martinez seemed to throw everything into her novel except the kitchen sink, and yet she was able to wrap it up nicely into an entertaining book. Melanie proves to be a gutsy and motivated character. She is likeable and interesting, however, where she excels in her career, she struggles on the home front. Faced to deal with a cheating husband and being a fairly new mother, Melanie has a lot to juggle with her career on the line.
December 5, 2014
3 STARS
"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." (From Amazon)
An okay suspense novel. I would read more books by Martinez.
"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." (From Amazon)
An okay suspense novel. I would read more books by Martinez.
October 25, 2008
Melanie Vargas is a Federal prosecutor who finds herself with the case of lifetime that will make her career. If it doesn't get her killed. It's just what she needs with her personal life in shambles.
I really wanted to enjoy this book...I even managed to finish it. Even the main, most likeable character, Melanie Vargas, is too dumb for her own good. Hello!!! Husband is a user! Boss is a loser! And other than our hero, Dan, every other character is corrupt and a thug. The character I liked most was actually Randall. You could care about him and the situation he finds himself in.
I really wanted to enjoy this book...I even managed to finish it. Even the main, most likeable character, Melanie Vargas, is too dumb for her own good. Hello!!! Husband is a user! Boss is a loser! And other than our hero, Dan, every other character is corrupt and a thug. The character I liked most was actually Randall. You could care about him and the situation he finds himself in.
July 9, 2008
Ambitious New York prosecutor Melanie Vargas is investigating a high-profile case of a lifetime. But this opportunity will bring Melanie dangerously close to a sexy, secretive FBI agent and closer still to a sadistic human monster moving expertly through the city’s darkest shadows. Most Wanted is the debut in the Melanie Vargas series of thrillers.
#1 Most Wanted
#1 Most Wanted
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews