Cover-up
Starred Review.The brutal rape and murder of Suzanne Shepard, a scandal-mongering New  York City TV journalist, provides a welcome high-profile case for Melanie  Vargas in Martinez's stellar third thriller to feature the sharp and sexy  federal prosecutor (afterThe Finishing  School). Melanie accompanies her boyfriend, FBI agent Dan O'Reilly,  to the grisly crime scene in Central Park, where someone, later dubbed the  Central Park Butcher, has carved "bitch" into the victim's stomach with a  hunting knife. In the ensuing joint state-federal investigation, Dan, Melanie  and NYPD detective Julian Hay pursue a number of slippery suspects, including a  well-known politician who the media claim is getting special treatment. Then  Melanie starts receiving threatening e-mails. Could it be the same guy who  stalked Shepard, or a celebrity cosmetic surgeon, a fitness trainer who also  deals drugs, or a suspicious witness? Martinez, herself a former federal  prosecutor, supplies plenty of insider savvy as she juggles the large cast with  &eacute;lan.(Mar.)Copyright &copy; Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.