Finishing School, The and over 360,000 other books are available for Amazon Kindle – Amazon’s new wireless reading device. Learn more

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
101 used & new from $0.01

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Express Checkout with PayPhrase
What's this? | Create PayPhrase
Sorry!
The Finishing School: A Novel of Suspense
 
 
Start reading Finishing School, The on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don’t have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here.
 
  

The Finishing School: A Novel of Suspense (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "EVEN THE MOST dedicated prosecutor hates the sound of a pager shrieking at two o'clock in the morning..." (more)
Key Phrases: endowment campaign, Carmen Reyes, Juan Carlos, Whitney Seward (more...)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)

List Price: $23.95
Price: $21.08 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $2.87 (12%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Usually ships within 1 to 3 weeks.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

19 new from $2.90 77 used from $0.01 5 collectible from $10.00

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
  Kindle Edition $7.59 -- --
  Hardcover $21.08 $2.90 $0.01
  Paperback, Large Print $23.95 $8.75 $0.26
  Mass Market Paperback $7.99 $3.41 $0.01
  Audio, CD, Abridged, Audiobook $21.86 $6.45 $1.90
  Audio, Download Offsite Link $15.73 or less with new Audible membership

Frequently Bought Together

The Finishing School: A Novel of Suspense + Cover-up: A Novel of Suspense (Melanie Vargas) + Most Wanted
Price For All Three: $36.06

Some of these items ship sooner than the others. Show details

  • This item: The Finishing School: A Novel of Suspense by Michele Martinez

    Usually ships within 1 to 3 weeks.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • Cover-up: A Novel of Suspense (Melanie Vargas) by Michele Martinez

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • Most Wanted by Michele Martinez

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Most Wanted

Most Wanted

by Michele Martinez
3.9 out of 5 stars (38)  $6.99
Notorious

Notorious

by Michele Martinez
4.2 out of 5 stars (10)  $7.99
The Wind Shifts: New Latino Poetry (Camino Del Sol)

The Wind Shifts: New Latino Poetry (Camino Del Sol)

by Francisco Aragón
$12.21
Black Widow's Wardrobe

Black Widow's Wardrobe

by Lucha Corpi
4.0 out of 5 stars (1)  $12.95
Mirrors Beneath the Earth: Short Fiction by Chicano Writers

Mirrors Beneath the Earth: Short Fiction by Chicano Writers

by Ray González
5.0 out of 5 stars (1)  $14.95
Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At the start of Martinez's gripping second thriller (after 2005's Most Wanted), New York federal prosecutor Melanie Vargas is summoned at two in the morning a week before Christmas to a sadly bizarre death scene on Park Avenue. The teenage stepdaughter of Wall Street mogul and would-be U.S. senator James Seward has died of a heroin overdose, along with a fellow student at a posh East Side girls' school. Melanie soon finds herself up to her neck in politics: Seward's first call on discovering the bodies is to the police commissioner, not 911, and the agent in charge of the case is from the Elite Narcotics Task Force, which her boss is trying to impress. As the various agencies involved fight for turf and power, it's largely up to Melanie to find out what really happened to the two dead girls. The author draws from her own background as a lawyer and special prosecutor with years of experience in drug cases to raise this well above the common run of suspense novels.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From Booklist

After hitting the ground running with her debut, Most Wanted (2005), Martinez doesn't slow down a bit in this successor. Sexy Latina prosecutor Melanie Vargas is back, clawing her way up the career ladder as an ambitious New York City prosecutor while at the same time yearning to spend quality time with her young daughter, Maya. When two teenage girls, students at ultraposh Miss Holbrooke's School, are found dead in a Park Avenue apartment, Melanie is assigned to the case--along with her former heartthrob, FBI agent Dan O'Reilly. Melanie begins closely investigating the school and everyone in it, much to the dismay of the administration. When it's discovered that the girls overdosed on heroine that they may have been transporting in their stomachs, Melanie realizes they're dealing with a highly dangerous situation. Martinez generates plenty of suspense while painting a vivid picture of Manhattan life and exposing the underbelly of an elite prep school. Melanie's fiery love scenes with Dan add heady romance to an already intoxicating brew. Jenny McLarin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 400 pages
  • Publisher: William Morrow; First. edition (January 3, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0060724005
  • ISBN-13: 978-0060724009
  • Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #233,915 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category: (What's this?)

    #82 in  Books > Literature & Fiction > United States > Hispanic

More About the Author

Michele Martinez
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Visit Amazon's Michele Martinez Page

Inside This Book (learn more)

Citations (learn more)
This book cites 1 book:

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Finishing School: A Novel of Suspense
85% buy the item featured on this page:
The Finishing School: A Novel of Suspense 4.0 out of 5 stars (21)
$21.08
Notorious
8% buy
Notorious 4.2 out of 5 stars (10)
$7.99
Cover-up: A Novel of Suspense (Melanie Vargas)
4% buy
Cover-up: A Novel of Suspense (Melanie Vargas) 3.9 out of 5 stars (16)
$7.99
Most Wanted
2% buy
Most Wanted 3.9 out of 5 stars (38)
$6.99

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
 
(12)
(10)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

 

Customer Reviews

21 Reviews
5 star:
 (11)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:
 (3)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (21 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Well-written, edgy suspense and smoldering romance , January 22, 2006
By N. Larrabee (Tarrytown, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
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!
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars STELLAR VOICE PERFORMANCE CAPTURING BOTH DANGER AND DESIRE, January 15, 2006
This review is from: The Finishing School CD (Audio CD)

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
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars mystery and suspence, February 24, 2006
What is unique about this book is its authenticity. Nothing is contrived and everything is well researched. A finely written mystery.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
The first chapter had me interested and thinking I had found a well-written mystery novel. By the next chapter disappointment was setting in, and, after that I mostly skimmed the... Read more
Published 3 days ago by Shellie Lewis

5.0 out of 5 stars Michele Martinez a fantastic writer
I have all four of Michele Martinez's books. I love reading them. Waiting for the next one!
Published 12 months ago by R. J. Bauman

2.0 out of 5 stars Cliched story, lousy reading
Listening to this book on CD hurts. Not only did I groan at the many lines that seemed to come out of a 1940s B-movie mystery, and at the obvious tilt toward chick-lit romance,... Read more
Published 20 months ago by MJ

4.0 out of 5 stars a guilty pleasure
I say that this book 'Finishing School' is a guilty pleasure due to the fact that Martinez writes this story both loose and fast. Read more
Published 20 months ago by C. Elgin

3.0 out of 5 stars sex, lies, and school girls
Sexy Federal Prosecutor Melanie Vargas, soon-to-be single mom, is called in to view a Park Ave. crime scene that is literally a mess. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Linda

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great Melaine Vargas story
She's finally coming around in this book to dumping her ex & hooking up with Dan O'Reilly.
Published 23 months ago by M. Whitlark

3.0 out of 5 stars Que lastima! It's really a romance!
The premise sounded good--a gritty mystery based in New York with a strong female ADA. Instead, this book is a female-in-jeopardy romance with some gratuitous violence thrown in... Read more
Published on July 5, 2007 by Frank's Daughter

2.0 out of 5 stars Just not up to snuff
I gave this book two stars because the writing is good, but....make no mistake, it's a romance. The author TRIES to make it a mystery, but there are just too many mistakes. Read more
Published on April 24, 2007 by Darian Ray

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Michelle's second book was even better than the first! I'm not completely finished reading it but the excitement is almost coming to an end. I can't wait to read the next one.
Published on April 10, 2007 by Carlie Titus

3.0 out of 5 stars Solid, fast-paced romantic suspense
When two overpriveleged, popular white teenagers wind up dead from a heroin overdose, Federal Prosecutor Melanie Vargas gets a call from her boss in the middle of the night... Read more
Published on March 14, 2007 by K. Hinton

Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   




Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)


Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject

 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.