Fashion Victim

by Sam Baker

Who would leave a highly respected, hard-won position as an investigative journalist at one of London’s top newspapers for a job at a fashion rag? That’s the question on everyone’s mind when Annie Anderson announces she’s making the move. True, the last few months have been tough on Annie, who remains haunted by memories of an undercover sting gone wrong that left an innocent woman dead. But a glossy magazine? It just doesn’t seem very Annie. Her colleagues assume she’s lost it, but Annie has her secret reasons.

After a few days at Handbag, Annie realizes that being a fashion editor is going to be much harder than she ever anticipated. Thrown into the heart of New York Fashion Week, she is unprepared for her new world’s bewildering hierarchy–though she’s becoming increasingly familiar with “that fashion feeling” she gets when facing constant comparisons to the über-thin, ultra-glam women around her. It would be easier working in a war zone than getting the right seat at the Marc Jacobs show.

But if there’s one thing Annie knows, it’s interviewing. So when she scores an exclusive with the hot up-and-coming designer Mark Mailer, she’s back on familiar ground. The gossip du jour has Mark and his supermodel girlfriend Patty Lang on the outs after Patty’s disastrous and very public return to her first love: heroin. Annie senses there’s much more to the story, but before she can coax Mark to open up, he’s dead–shot before Annie’s eyes in what appears to be attempted robbery.

Though shaken, Annie believes that Mark’s death was anything but random, and a grief-stricken Patty agrees. From New York to London to Milan, while taking on a tyrannical boss, slick-as-oil PR execs, and egomaniacal designers with the depth of a linen blouse, Annie searches for answers. But in the pursuit of a good story, Annie must not lose sight of her common sense–or the consequences could make her the next fashion victim.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Fashion

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Sam Baker grew up in Hampshire and, after a degree in politics at Birmingham University, became a journalist, going on to edit some of the UK's biggest magazines. For six years she was Editor in Chief of Red magazine, where she set up the Red Hot Women Awards recognising achievement across politics, science, tech, the arts, media and charity, as well as championing support for Refuge, the charity for victims of domestic abuse.

In 2015 she co-founded and launched The Pool with Lauren Laverne, the online platform that makes inspiring and original content for busy women.

Sam is married to the novelist Jon Courtenay Grimwood and lives in Winchester. When she’s not working or writing she escapes by devouring crime novels or watching box sets.

Reviews

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ik heb Fashion Victim in het Engels gelezen en ik heb ook nergens kunnen vinden dat die in het Nederlands is vertaald. Soms had ik er wel moeite mee dat het in het Engels was en kon ik het echt niet volgen. Op het begin kon ik er dan ook maar heel moeilijk inkomen. Het midden van het verhaal vond ik dan juist weer wel goed te volgen. Daar was de verhaallijn een stuk leuker en spannender om te volgen. Het einde daarentegen was weer heel lastig te volgen. Om eerlijk te zijn snap ik nog steeds niet hoe het nou precies zit. Voor mijn gevoel was het ineens klaar. Wel vond ik de mode elementen er erg goed in verwerkt. Dat maakte het verhaal een stuk leuker. Het verhaal lees je voornamelijk vanuit het perspectief van Annie en heel af en toe een hoofdstukje van iemand anders. Die zorgen ervoor dat sommige delen uit het verhaal net wat beter te zijn begrijpen.

Als ik kijk naar het hele boek dan is het mwah. Ik ben blijven lezen omdat ik graag wilde weten of Mark nou echt vermoord was of dat het een ongeluk was. Voor de rest is het een matig verhaal.

[Gillena Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing. The dark side of the fashion industry surfaces in the Annie's tapes and notes. She and her new 'Handbag' boss Rebecca, reminded me of TV series 'Ugly Betty' and her female boss played by Vanessa Williams. I found the deaths of Mark and Patty left me too sad to enjoy the new romance between Annie and Chris. So that the sweet ending still left the harsh dark bitterness of the industry hanging over.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suprisingly, not a bad book...not a pulitzer winner or anything. Think I got it on clearance on Amazon for about $2 and needed a brainless book to read right now. Plus anything about a Fashion Magazine and Murder is always interesting, right?

[Felicity M · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little slow to begin, it was the fashion element to this book that made me keep going... Picked up bit towards to middle, but I have to say I was expecting a little more with the ending...
A fun read, but a bit "meh"

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining mystery with inside look at international fashion industry.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really fun, quick read with some catty, gossipy insight into the fashion world. Great vacation read!

[Sheila · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is so incredibly boring and slow I don't know if I can finish it!!! I'll let you know how it goes from here... UPDATE: I could not finish the book. It was excruciating.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was passable but mediocre.

[Tricia Loveridge]

Way to hard to get through...had to force myself to finish it! It could have been a good book but never really went anywhere...then the ending made it confusing! thumbs down!!

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did enjoy the fashion world setting, but it was not explored as much as I would like.
Annie Anderson's personality was very strange, not much empathy and she did not seem like
a real person.

[eghzarw · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reasonably entertaining storyline, poor writing, poor character development.

[Jackie Simons]

Read 9/05

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an okay book.