Fashion Victim: A Novel by Sam Baker

An entertaining read with sharp edges, you can feel some of the cynicism seep through with the fashion shyster merry-go-round.

Investigative reporter Annie Anderson worked extremely hard and had made it when she abruptly quits her job at London Post to accept a position as a fashion editor at Handbag Magazine. Her peers at the Post assume the last case burned her out as she went undercover to expose a juvenile prostitute ring in which an innocent person was murdered. It remains in the blood for Anne to go undercover so she hides her credentials and travels to New York to expose the fashionista class to her readers. Her editor Rebecca Brooks demands she also interviews the hottest designer of the moment Mark Miller. He is forthcoming answering all her questions except anything involving his supermodel lover drug addict Patty Lang or the immediate future of his new company that most insiders believe he will sell. However, the future ends abruptly for Mark when someone shoots him. While the police investigate his murder, Annie interviews associates of the victim though some refuse to speak of the dead. In Milan, Patty is murdered. As Annie continues to investigate, she uncovers a piracy rip-off of designs that places her in jeopardy Annie is a strong center holding the investigative look into the fashion world together. Her homicide inquiries are fun to follow as she seeks a killer while searching amongst way out designers and misanthropic models who aggressively compete in a to the death queen of the hill (make that runway) contest that make the Yankee-Red Sox rivalry look like chicken salad. Sam Baker provides a wonderful who-done-it and readers will want her to return with more Anne undercover investigations. Harriet Klausner