For Marlie Montague, the heroine of this funny, fast-paced tale from Rita finalist Wilde (Charmed & Dangerous
), writing comic books about government conspiracies comes naturally: her whistleblower father was framed by the navy and killed during an alleged escape attempt. Yet Marlie doesn't take the occasional death threat seriously—until an assassin disguised as a UPS deliveryman shows up at her door. Timid Marlie, assisted by the italicized voice of her fearless comic-book alter ego, Angelina, manages to flee to the home of newly arrived neighbor Joel Hunter, a hard-body hunk more than capable of playing bodyguard. Unbeknownst to Marlie, Joel is actually a navy secret agent assigned to watch her; he also holds a key to her traumatic past. Together, the two embark on an odyssey of spy games, daredevil escapes and heavy breathing. Double-crosses and ulterior motives abound, and while emotions never delve more than comic-book deep, readers will be too busy laughing at the shenanigans to mind. (Mar.)
