The editor in chief of Cosmopolitan UK
follows Cosmo
(U.S.) editor Kate White's lead by penning a mystery with a reporter in the starring role—but the narrative in Baker's busy whodunit has as much to do with what everyone's wearing as it does with what they're doing. Annie Anderson is a serious reporter going undercover at a fashion magazine. Or she's a burned-out investigative journalist taking refuge in a lighter job. Or, wait, she's an amateur detective with a heart of gold. At times it's hard to tell where Baker's going with her main character, who's the expected chick-lit combination of perky and put-upon, but the ride is fun. In New York to see the fashion shows and interview golden boy designer Mark Mailer, Annie quickly stumbles into a nightclub robbery that ends in Mailer's death. Was it just a robbery gone bad, or was Mailer targeted—and is his wife, ex-junkie and model Patty Lang, next? Annie's the only person Patty will trust with her story, and soon the reporter's knee deep in a chic world with a very seedy underbelly. If Baker's Americans seem to use the same Briticisms Annie does, and if general suspension of disbelief gets slightly strained by such a fashion-conscious mystery, well, those looking for a killer and a happy ending probably won't mind. Agent, Emma Parry. (On sale May 31)
