Carmen Cole's inner voice is working overtime on her wedding day. Something isn't quite right on what should be the happiest day of her life. Seeking out her soon-to-be husband Matt for some reassurance, Carmen finds him in bed with her best friend, Karen. But the worst betrayal is the discovery that Matt is superhero Machinator and Karen is super-villain Crusher! How had she, ace reporter, missed the secret identities of the people closest to her? Reeling from the double betrayal, Carmen snaps pictures of the couple that make the next day's front page, revealing Machinator and Crusher's true identities. From that moment on, it becomes Carmen's mission to unmask the superheroes and ubervillains of the world.

Moving from job to job, town to town, Carmen reveals the secret identities of all the heroes and villains she encounters. Now she's ready for the crown jewels of good and evil: The Fearless Five and the Terrible Triad. Given free rein by her boss, Carmen digs until she discovers the identity of the man behind the mask of Tornado. Her single- minded ambition falters when Tornado's alter ego, Travis Teague, commits suicide. Carmen is busted down to the society beat and her time researching superheroes is now spent reporting on who's wearing what and the identities of the latest super-couple -- until she's kidnapped by the Terrible Triad.

Super-villainess Malefica and her cohorts, Scorpion and Frost, want the identities of the remaining Fearless Five, and Carmen is just the woman to get the inside scoop. She has one month to unmask the superheroes, or she'll become another of Frost's monstrous science experiments. Though her heart isn't in it, Carmen reopens her files on Striker, Fiera, Mr. Sage and Hermit, and she struggles to come up with a way to avoid unmasking the Fearless Five and survive a fate worse than death.

KARMA GIRL, by new author Jennifer Estep, is a laugh- out-loud roller coaster ride of pure escapist entertainment! Readers are drawn into an amazing world of good and evil and heroes and villains with over-the-top settings and characters. Ms. Estep has painstakingly created a comic book world and populated it with a collection of creatively believable people entwined in a basic battle of good vs. evil, with some romance thrown in on the side. When I started reading this story, I had no idea what to expect. And when I read the words "spandex" and "superheroes" in the same paragraph, I was concerned about getting through the next 300+ pages. Well, I was up until 3 a.m. (not good on a school night!) because I couldn't put this book down! Ms. Estep has a gift for storytelling and showcases it beautifully in what I hope is the first of many adventures of Karma Girl and the Fearless Five. This one is going on my keeper shelf!