Most Wanted
Michele Martinez
Morrow, March 2005, $23.95, 384 pp.
ISBN 006759690

When Melanie Vargas had proof that her husband cheated on her she threw him out. One night, her six-month-old baby is crying and won't go to sleep, so she takes the infant out in her stroller walking in the direction of police sirens. The home of former U.S. Prosecutor Jed Benson is in flames and his body is all chopped up and riddled with dog bites.

Melanie, a federal prosecutor, wants to take part in this high profile case so she convinces the policemen that her boss sent her there as the attorney who will try the case when they catch a suspect. Her boss admires her chutzpah and gives her the case. She is teamed up with FBI agent Dan O'Reilly; sparks fly from the moment they meet. They team up very well but the investigation goes badly from the start. Witnesses are murdered and evidence disappears. Melanie believes someone is leaking information to the killer, perhaps even Dan, and when her boss tries to throw her off the case, she makes a final attempt to find the killer and that makes her the potential next victim.

Fans of Iris Johansen, Christine McGuire and Elizabeth Lowell will love this suspense thriller with just the right amount of romance. The heroine is smart and ambitious but so vulnerable that readers will take her into their hearts. Besides seeking the perpetrator, the heroine has to figure out who is dirty in her office or amongst the cops. Surprisingly enough, one of the support cast, Melanie's boss, will elicit reader sympathy because she is looking for love with the wrong man. Hopefully MOST WANTED is the beginning of a new series.

Harriet Klausner