Suspense And Sizzle On The UpperEast Side (NAPSA)—In the darkest recesses of Central Park on a rainswept night, a tabloid TV reporter lies stabbed and violated, her blood soaking into the wet earth. The murder hasall the hallmarks of a random sex crime. But Suzanne Shepard was a beautiful and ruthless celebrity scandalmonger with so many enemies that her death seemsa grisly form of payback, rather than a random act of violence. Federal prosecutor Melanie Vargas—whose romantic evening with FBI agent Dan O’Reilly comes to an abrupt end when she is called to the crime scene— si 4 if aah 5 Sa: M EF : ’ . au WU HH iHt A NOVEL OF SUSPENSE knows she must stop the killer immediately. Anyone capable of such savagery is likely to strike again soon. That’s just the beginning of “Cover-Up” (William Morrow), the latest tale of suspense and sizzling romance from Michele Martinez, herself a former federal prosecutor. Drawn from Martinez’s extensive experience with the criminal justice system, the book is fueled with the authentic- ity of a real-life expert and has been garnering glowing reviews from thecritics. In “Cover-Up,” the third novel in the series featuring Vargas, she races to solve an unfolding crime that appears to involve a highsociety scandal, a personal trainer who’s selling recreational drugs to his clients, and a sinister Park Avenue plastic surgeon. Meanwhile, she’s fallen hard for her partner in crime-fighting, agent O’Reilly. Yet on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, where a glittering surface hides a multitude of sins lying just out of sight, there’s more at risk than Vargas’s heart. She’s been receiving chilling e-mails from an anonymous “admirer” who knows way too much about the brutal crime she’s investigat- ing—as well as intimate details of her own movements. As Vargas drawscloser to the truth, the ter- rifying stranger lurks even closer to her and shefinds herself fighting for her life against a truly psychotic killer. Martinez’s novels have been widely praised for combining the elements of intense legal thrillers, police procedurals and inside looks at the treachery of the work- place, with a bit of romantic sus- pense added for good measure. A review in Justice Magazine raves, “Take a top-drawer episode of ‘Law & Order,’ mix in a little ‘Sex and the City’ and garnish with some Carl Hiaasen, and you'll see why Martinez is considered an up- and-comerin the mystery biz.” “Cover-Up” is available at retail and online bookstores. More information about Michele Martinez and her booksis available at her Web site, www. michelemartinez.com.
