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    Notorious
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    Notorious
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    Notorious
    Ebook376 pages4 hours

    Notorious

    By Michele Martinez

    3/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    About to take a controversial rap star to trial for a past crime, Melanie Vargas receives an important piece of information from his lawyer. In full confidence, on the steps of New York City's federal courthouse, he tells her that his client may have had ties to a wanted fugitive. Moments later, a powerful car bomb blows the man to pieces, with Melanie only steps away.

    As shocking as the murder is, it has other repercussions for Melanie. Her relationship with the victim wasn't strictly professional. While recovering from her breakup with FBI agent Dan O'Reilly, she had become attracted to the charismatic lawyer. But after his death she realizes that she knew very little about him—including the fact that he was married.

    Determined to find the killer, Melanie enters a dangerous world of subterfuge and double-crosses, going as far as the glittering lights of Vegas to discover the truth. But the more she digs, the more she finds troubling about her friend. Several people had the motive to end his life.

    Meanwhile, the rapper's defense has been taken over by the slickest shark in the business, a man of questionable morals who may have had previous unlawful dealings with his client. But the outcome of the case isn't the only thing on the line. As the sole witness to the murder, Melanie is in danger of losing her own life. And it isn't long before she realizes that she can't trust anybody, not even those closest to her.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateOct 13, 2009
    ISBN9780061869808
    Unavailable
    Notorious
    Author

    Michele Martinez

    Michele 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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    Reviews for Notorious

    3/5

    9 ratings9 reviews

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    • 2/5
      I enjoyed the first three books in this series, but was really disappointed in this one and had a hard time finishing it. The premise of the story was good, but the dialogue and actions of supposedly intelligent people was, at times, immature and childish. I don't care for the direction in which she has taken the two main characters. Pretty much, I'm sorry to say, I just didn't even care to finish the book. Still, I'll probably read her next book and hope it will be as good as the first three books in the series.
    • 4/5
      Notorious is an entertaining legal-centered mystery focusing on prosecuting attorney Melanie Vargas. When the lead defense attorney for rap artist Atari Briggs is assassinated, Melanie vows to bring the assassins to justice along with convicting Briggs on the murder charges that he faces from his life on the streets before becoming a star. The plot of the book mainly focuses on Melanie's investigations and subsequent witness interviews and periodic court hearings. There is more than enough to keep the book moving along at a brisk pace and Martinez' writing style never becomes tedious as I have found many legal thrillers to be. There are several twists and turns throughout the novel and I found it to be a nice, entertaining read. I will definitely be reading the previous Melanie Vargas books in the near future and eagerly anticipate future additions to the series. It's always nice to find a new series of books that I can pick up and read for a couple of hours in an afternoon without feeling like I'm wading through something that I really have to put a lot of thought into. The feel of this novel reminded me a lot of a Patterson novel, albeit with less of the suspense and more of a courtroom feel.
    • 2/5
      This book is a cross between a thriller and "chick-lit" but doesn't seem to pull off either terribly well. It doesn't have enough brains and suspense to be a satisfying thriller and has too much to be just a trashy brain-off novel. The author also seems to feel that the best way to wrap up plot lines is by killing off the charachters. Yet none of the characters who are killed are developed deeply enough that you feel any real emotion over them. Most of the characters feel like stereotypes to me. The naive small-town girl gone bad, the gruff bad-ass undercover agent with the heart of gold, the shyster lawyer who is more concerned with money than justice, the rap mogul who traded his street cred for music business power, etc.While I'll freely admit that this is not a genre I usually read much of, I've read better examples. Patricia Cornwell is one author who I think writes in a similar genre, but develops characters more fully, and has enough real-world information to make those characters believeable rather than simple stereotypes.Overall, it's a quick read, and fills a role as mindless entertainment, but not something I'd choose to read on my own.
    • 4/5
      Martinez brings back federal prosecutor Melanie Vargas in the fourth novel in the series. Vargas is trying a rap star for murder when his attorney is blown up by a car bomb. However, Melanie has just been discussing a deal with him, and she was the only witness. When Melanie has to wortk with the new attorney, he proves to be an untrustworthy man, known for his shady dealings. Suddenly, her case starts to fall apart as witnesses are intimidated by violence.Notorious is a fascinating page-turner, with one major problem. Melanie Vargas seems to be a weak character to hold a series together. She's too quick to react, instead of thinking. At times, she seems too naive and trusting for her job. She seems to just go with the flow of the case, and everything seems to fall into place for her.However, this is an intriguing story with an unexpected twist at the end that brings the overall plot to a perfect conclusion. If Melanie Vargas has more backbone, this book would be even better.
    • 2/5
      Note: This review is of a pre-publication version in the Early Reviewer program. Since I’ve worked as a Federal Government lawyer for 30 years, some in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, I love and can relate to legal thrillers, crime and prosecution. But this novel just didn't grab me. Most telling is that I could easily put it down. The back cover blurb says: "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-comer in the mystery biz.” - Justice Magazine.I’ve real every Hiaasen, Grisham, and many legal thrillers, but this blurb lacks foundation. Notorious has absolutely none of the humor or quirkiness of Hiaasen, and I’m a sucker for the Hiaasen-Evanavich-Parker type of humor. In fact, the problem with this novel is its general tepidness. We don’t learn enough about the protagonist, Melanie Vargas, to relate to her, as you would Stephanie Plum (Janet Evanovich), Spencer (Robert Parker), or Jack Reacher (Lee Child). In fact, it’s hard to relate to any of the characters. One of the primary reasons I like novels is that they transport me to a different time and place, or involve me in exciting adventures. The reader missed the boat with Notorious. Part of the story’s problem could be its detachment from reality, both in dialogue and in plot. For example, Melanie, the Assistant U.S. Attorney prosecuter, talks to an incarcerated informer-murderer-drug dealer-bad guy who is threatened in jail when word gets out that he’s a rat. She suggests lockdown, for his safety. He says, “Aw, man, that’s fucked up. I can’t handle lockdown.” Upon further discussion about his safety, he says, “You’re right. I’m vulnerable where I am now. I’m’a go with your recommendation.” No problem with his first response, it’s right in character. But, this same guy isn’t going to use “vulnerable” and “recommendation” in this conversation. No way!The other serious problem is that the plot relies on a major event involving behavior of an attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office that COULD NEVER HAPPEN. Since detailing the problem would spoil the novel, let’s just say that this totally outrageous event is not humorous, in the Hiaasen style, and not in keeping with the serious nature of the characters and the plot, which are clearly intended to be grounded in reality.Another flaw, Melanie Vargas, described on the book’s back cover as a “tough-as-nails” federal prosecutor, cowers on the floor of a car while her federal DEA investigator is hit in a drive-by shooting and lies dying from the bullet wound in this throat. When Melanie finally summons the courage to get out of the car, does she attempt to stem the spurting blood to give the guy a chance? Nooo, she holds his hand and says comforting words. Wish I could be more positive about this book, but honesty takes precedence over desire to be nice. So, there you have it, my honest review of Notorious.
    • 3/5
      A fast paced suspense novel. Martinez used current events as a hook. Character development helped make the story a must read for mystery buffs. I wish the ending had been slightly different. Hey, Michele - wish Melanie would have gotten the man instead of the other men "getting" him!
    • 4/5
      A suspense author people should check out is Michele Martinez. She first introduced Melanie Vargas in Notorious by Michele Martinez “Most Wanted“, which I felt was an exciting first novel. ‘Notorious’, the fourth book in the series is just as fresh and exciting as her first. Melanie is a Federal prosecutor and about to prosecute a rap star accused of murder. In her mind, it is an open and shut case, until the rapper‘s lawyer tells her he has information on a terrorist and he wants to deal. Before this can happen, the lawyer dies in a car bombing making Vargas an eyewitness to his murder. Now her life is in jeopardy. After the partner takes the case, witnesses are either disappearing or being killed.and the defendant denies he wanted to make a deal. Martinez is one of the better writers of suspense novels; she weaves this double-plotted story effortlessly. There is no one better in writing a tale of deception. As a former federal prosecutor she knows the in and outs of the justice system. If you are like me, you probably want to start at the beginning of the series and watch both the character and Michele Vargas grow stronger with each book. Recommended.
    • 5/5
      Federal Prosecutor Melanie Vargas and Lester Poe, the most famous criminal lawyer in America, are standing on the steps of the Federal Courthouse in New York City, discussing evidence that his client has against a known terrorist. And planning to go out on a date when the trial is over. Melanie, watching as Lester walks to his car, sees a man walking his dog. Except that the dog is just a prop being used to make him blend in on the street. His real purpose in standing on this street, at this time of the day is to activate a bomb planted in Lester's car. When Lester opens the door, the explosion knocks her to the ground, as debris and body parts come raining down.The bombing is just the first in a long string of crimes being committed to keep rap star Atari Briggs out of jail. And to get revenge on those he thinks wronged him back in his drug dealing days.Michele Martinez keeps the story moving, but not always in the direction you would expect. I particularly like the fact that the final chapter isn't rushed the way so many are. She takes the time to make the story flow to a natural ending, rather than just wrapping it up quickly.This is the first book I've read by by this author, but it won't be the last.
    • 2/5
      Melanie Vargas is a federal prosecutor, and this is her fourth appearance in a novel by Michele Martinez. That being the case, one would expect her to be a more complex, fully fleshed out character than she is in Notorious. In fact, as a heroine created by a woman author, she’s fairly unimpressive. She has no outstanding qualities as a lawyer or a woman. She has the obligatory ex-husband, and the ex-lover she can’t quite get over. The details of her personal life included in the narrative feel “stuck on”, and some of them are so entirely predictable they set my teeth on edge. I never formed a mental image of the woman, and after finishing this novel I have no interest in reading about either her earlier exploits or any future installments of her career saga. She is no match for Robert B. Parker’s secondary female character, Rita Fiore. I had never read Martinez before, so I had no level of trust as to what she might do with or to her characters---unfortunately, she left me with an uneasy feeling that she might kill off anybody, including some of those innocent personal connections of her heroine. In fact, she did dispatch one character in a monumentally stupid fashion; if it hadn’t come so close to the end of the book, I probably wouldn’t have gone on reading at that point. The writing is a bit uneven, and may benefit from final editing before the book’s publication in March of 2008. Some of the dialog is wretched, and the women are all stereotypes with no sense about men whatsoever. The plot, which involves preparation for the trial of a famous and extremely popular rap musician with a history of drug dealing, moves along at a good pace, with some viably tense moments, but fizzles with an ending that in no way evolves from what comes before. All the legal maneuverings, investigation and personal sacrifices of the central characters were a build-up to nothing, despite the explosive terminal event. I’ve seen better drama on Law and Order, where I usually manage to believe that prosecutors do get so personally involved in their cases that their own lives may be placed in jeopardy. In this book, it just didn’t work for me.