The Finishing School: A Novel of Suspense

What is unique about this book is its authenticity. Nothing is contrived and everything is well researched. A finely written mystery.

A funny thing happened to me on the way to the bookshelf. Michele Martinez, in the short space of two novels, has become one of my favorite thriller writers, and her protagonist, federal prosecutor Melanie Vargas, one of my favorite characters. This was not entirely unexpected; Martinez's first novel, MOST WANTED, was an extremely impressive debut by any standard. She fulfills and surpasses the promise of that work with THE FINISHING SCHOOL, her sophomore effort. I had a very minor quibble with MOST WANTED; federal prosecutors, for the most part, don't get as, uh, actively involved in their cases as Vargas seems to be. I of course understand why she does, within the context of a thriller novel. Who, after all, is going to read a book about someone who spends most of their days reading exhibits, turning pages, and trying not to upset stacks of files on their desk? In a book the federal prosecutor is going to be out hitting the street, fighting crime, kicking rear and taking names. It's the type of situation that creates the need for suspension of disbelief. This is the reason that I fell in love with THE FINISHING SCHOOL (and in lust with Vargas). A few pages into the novel, Vargas's supervisor (the wonderfully and terminally oppressive Bernadette DeFelice) admonishes Vargas about getting "overly involved" in her investigations. Martinez's nod and wink to the foible of the genre is at once endearing and a hint of what is to come. "Overly involved" indeed. In more ways than one. The finishing school of the title is Miss Holbrooke's School, a sprawling private institute of primary and secondary education for women. In the midst of a school fundraising drive, two teenaged students (one of them a Senator's daughter) are found dead as the result of apparent drug overdoses, and a third is missing. The investigation reveals that one of the students has been leading a tawdry double life, one that has led her into dangerous associations, including contact with New York's underground club scene. At the same time, the paths of the dead girls and their missing classmate lead back to the school and indirectly to the office of the school's headmistress, who has some secrets and an agenda of her own. Meanwhile, Vargas's investigation brings her into contact with some colorful and dangerous characters, and also forces her to renew old acquaintances with Dan O'Reilly, last seen in MOST WANTED. The promising relationship between O'Reilly and Vargas has ended --- or has it? Apparently Vargas didn't feel that she had time for a relationship, given the responsibilities of single motherhood and her job. Martinez, by the way, pays remarkable attention to detail in every facet of THE FINISHING SCHOOL, and her accounts of Vargas's childcare difficulties --- including the wardrobe emergencies that came with them --- are a first-rate touch. There is also a moment --- a very small moment --- near the end of the novel involving a paper clip. It is only a transitory scene

Once again Michele Martinez makes use of her intimate knowledge of combating drug dealers and the intricacies of prosecuting hardened criminals to tell a powerful and compelling story. This novel stars the protagonist of her first book, Federal prosecutor Melanie Vargas, and a cast of characters that includes many from that same novel but also introduces some new players. Melanie's hard-charging and very ambitious boss has saddled her with a difficult assignment: find and prosecute the murderer of two rich young girls, students at a posh and prestigious East Side New York school. They have been found dead in the home of one of the girls' parents - who also happens to be a very influential politician who does not intend to let anything hurt his chances for election. Heroin overdosing is a messy and painful way to die, but there are other complications here as well. A young Latina girl who attends the same prestigious school - on a scholarship - is missing. Has she been kidnapped? Has she run away? Is she the supplier of the drugs? In addition to the deaths of the young girls, a substantial amount of money is being siphoned out of the accounts of "Miss Holbrooke's School", on the order of millions of dollars. What is the tie to the drug overdose deaths of the the two girls? Of course, complicating all this is Melanie's partner for this assignment. He happens to be Dan O'Reilly, and they are both hurting from the last time they were together, because of the angry and painful way they parted. Difficulties arise because of the intensity of their emotions, making things even harder than they already are. If you have ever watched one of the popular TV series that show law enforcement and prosecution, and wondered what happened between scenes, this is the kind of book you'll love. It explores more than the bare bones of the story, allowing us a peek into not only the procedural aspects of the case, but how the interactions of the characters on both sides of the law affect their thoughts and actions. Get this book and read it. You'll enjoy the suspense, as well as the satisfyingly convoluted personal interactions of the protagonist with all those around her. -Tony Burton

Melanie Vargas struggles with the demands of being a single mother and a federal prosecutor. She gets a call one morning at 2 a.m. that two girls attending a swanky girl's school in Manhattan, have died from apparent drug overdoses. Melanie is relentless in her dogged pursuit of the myriad of details pertaining to this case. A third girl remains missing and Melanie does not want to give up on her. The cast of supporting characters in this novel are intriguing and deserve your full attention. FBI agent Dan O'Reilly is back on the case, and does not want to give up on Melanie. They have electrifying chemistry when they are together. A guaranteed page turner!

Both beautiful and tough, federal prosecutor Melanie Vargas grew up in Manhattan. This is her town. The neighborhood in which she spent her youth was rough, yet nothing prepared her for what she would find when she goes undercover to track a cunning murderer. It all begins when her pager goes off at 2:00 a.m. She picks up to hear orders from her boss, Bernadette DeFelice, chief of the Major Crimes Unit of the New York City U.S. Attorney's Office. This is a woman who gives Melanie "agita under the best of circumstances." Agita is mild for what is soon to come. Two very wealthy girls have been found dead in the Park Avenue apartment of James Seward, a Wall Street dynamo who is running for the Senate. One of the dead is Seward's stepdaughter, the other a classmate from an exclusive school. It's the week before Christmas, and it looks like the girls have OD'd on heroin. Melanie's orders are to find the drug supplier immediately and not to mess with Seward who has many friends in high places. Add to the mix Carmen Reyes, the building superintendent's daughter who is missing. Seward is all too eager to name her as the supplier. Melanie isn't buying all of this but she's going to have to risk her life in order to prove it. Of course, there's romance in the handsome hunk form of FBI agent Dan O'Reilly. Martinez peoples her story with chilling characters, especially Jay Esposito, a night club mogul who "gave off criminal charisma like musk." Broadway and television actress Anne Twomey delivers a stellar voice performance, perfectly capturing the danger Melanie faces and the desire she feels for Dan. - Gail Cooke