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Melanie Vargas is an ambitious young New York prosecutor wishing and hoping for that big case. -- one that will propel her career forward and put her at the top gaining the respect of all of her peers. Through sheer happenstance and luck she manages to get a murder case that happened a few blocks from her home. It will turn out to be a very high profile case involving arson and the brutal murder of a notorious attorney. This is the case that will either make or break her career and the stakes for her are rather high. The evidence points to a gang member who goes by the name of Slice (and no, it is not because he loves pizza) and he is one dangerous and scary dude. Melanie may be a little green when it comes to doing her job but she knows how important this is for her. The question then is, will she be able to pull it off? With all the secrets and double crossings going on in the book, it is anyone's guess. A word of warning before starting Michele Martinez debut novel -- clear your schedule and allot several hours to reading because once you start you will not want to stop. The last thing you want to do is put the book down in order to grab a bite, go to the bathroom, or even sleep. MOST WANTED will grab you from the very beginning and, no matter how hard you try, it will not let you go so easily. Taking a break from reading this book is unadvisable. For a first-time novel, though far from perfect, the novel was pretty impressive. Martinez introduces in Melanie a strong Hispanic female lead character and does not need to resort to provide to stereotypes making her real in each of the written pages. Melanie's personality reflects in the risks she takes and in her ambition to have everything she wants -- a strong career, a nice home, and a loving family. She might not have it all right now but at the pace this book goes she probably will. The novel is relatively tame when it comes to what could have been even more graphic violence involved in the investigation. It involves arson, drugs, blackmail, and murder among other things. Though a bit predictable, especially by the book's conclusion, it was one of the best crime novel debuts out there with some very real and likeable characters. The author is off to a great start. Can't wait to see what comes next!
Reviewed by Angel L. Soto, February 2005
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