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Dallas O'Connor Mysteries #1
Going Out In Style
Fashion stylist Dallas O'Connor turns sleuth to investigate the brutal killing of a beautiful young model, after she and Cuban artist Raul Domingo become prime suspects in the crime. Reprint.
332 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
3 people are currently reading
114 people want to read
About the author
Chloe Green
25 books9 followers Suzanne Frank is a newspaper and magazine journalist who has traveled extensively in Egypt, Greece, and Israel. A native of Texas, she lives in Dallas. She has written 4 novels under her own name and a short series of light mysteries under the name Chloe Green, which feature a fashionable sleuth named Dallas O'Connor. Her four novels are a linked series of time-travel fantasy that take a woman from the 1990s to ancient Egypt, Atlantis, and Biblical Israel. She draws heavily on history, myth and especially the Judeo-Christian Bible.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
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April 30, 2011I wish there was a category for "started to read, but gave it up". I haven't finished this book, and I don't intend to. It bored me. I love a good "cozy" mystery, but not this one. As an audiobook, I find the narrator to be the most important piece of the puzzle. If I can't like the narration, it ruins the story for me. Ah well, you can't win them all.
August 15, 2021
This book...I'm still struggling to come to terms with how I should view this book.
I like mysteries. I like them a lot. Because of that, I can be pretty lenient with them. The big bad explaining their whole plot to the main character in the final act? Expected, but acceptable. A series of very coincidental clues that appear suddenly during the rising action? Cliche, but better than nothing. But goddang did I give this book a LOT of leniency, and it still felt undeserved.
I feel like the main character, Dallas O'Connor, did not figure out a single thing by herself over the course of the book. Things were given to her, and even then she didn't do anything of substance with the information she was given. Her conclusions were sudden, lacking, and disappointing. But we're supposed to root for her? For any of the characters? There were maybe three characters I enjoyed in this story and that's because they had a collective total of two lines of dialogue. Not to mention the plethora of random character development moments that were supposed to happen and didn't, or did happen and didn't get explained, or happened so late in the game as to have no consequence. What's even the point at that point?
Another thing was that I found myself missing swaths of information in short periods of time. Most of these instances were minor--Dallas in a car in one sentence and in a diner in the next, with no transition, etc. However, sometimes these jumps skipped over BIG information and it would take me several minutes to backtrack and try and figure out what and how I had missed this info. Eventually, I just gave up and accepted whatever I was given. Leniency strikes again.
The novel is also woefully outdated. It was (apparently) published in 2001 and you could feel the author trying to make the setting modern by sprinkling in as many "relevant" references as they could. I understand this on some level, and many books do this successfully even if they were published many a decade ago. However, after the first time Dallas mentions looking longingly at her "neon green Nokia", I had to put the book down and take a walk because I was so taken out of the narrative by how dated it felt. Maybe that's me being unfair, but it was very noticeable to me.
Will I read the other books in this series? Maybe. This was an easy, light beach read that required almost negative brainpower, which was nice. I did like the attempts at LGBTQ+ representation from this early '00s book and I'm interested to see if that continues in the other books in the series, as well as how certain relationship threads get frayed and/or strengthened as time goes on for Dallas O'Connor. But damn, it might be a while until I dive back into this world. I've got to build up my "leniency" stores again.
I like mysteries. I like them a lot. Because of that, I can be pretty lenient with them. The big bad explaining their whole plot to the main character in the final act? Expected, but acceptable. A series of very coincidental clues that appear suddenly during the rising action? Cliche, but better than nothing. But goddang did I give this book a LOT of leniency, and it still felt undeserved.
I feel like the main character, Dallas O'Connor, did not figure out a single thing by herself over the course of the book. Things were given to her, and even then she didn't do anything of substance with the information she was given. Her conclusions were sudden, lacking, and disappointing. But we're supposed to root for her? For any of the characters? There were maybe three characters I enjoyed in this story and that's because they had a collective total of two lines of dialogue. Not to mention the plethora of random character development moments that were supposed to happen and didn't, or did happen and didn't get explained, or happened so late in the game as to have no consequence. What's even the point at that point?
Another thing was that I found myself missing swaths of information in short periods of time. Most of these instances were minor--Dallas in a car in one sentence and in a diner in the next, with no transition, etc. However, sometimes these jumps skipped over BIG information and it would take me several minutes to backtrack and try and figure out what and how I had missed this info. Eventually, I just gave up and accepted whatever I was given. Leniency strikes again.
The novel is also woefully outdated. It was (apparently) published in 2001 and you could feel the author trying to make the setting modern by sprinkling in as many "relevant" references as they could. I understand this on some level, and many books do this successfully even if they were published many a decade ago. However, after the first time Dallas mentions looking longingly at her "neon green Nokia", I had to put the book down and take a walk because I was so taken out of the narrative by how dated it felt. Maybe that's me being unfair, but it was very noticeable to me.
Will I read the other books in this series? Maybe. This was an easy, light beach read that required almost negative brainpower, which was nice. I did like the attempts at LGBTQ+ representation from this early '00s book and I'm interested to see if that continues in the other books in the series, as well as how certain relationship threads get frayed and/or strengthened as time goes on for Dallas O'Connor. But damn, it might be a while until I dive back into this world. I've got to build up my "leniency" stores again.
September 16, 2024
This book was definitely readable. It took place in the world of models, the beautiful rich people, and the fashion industry. Three things I know nothing about! It had a far-fetched Hollywood movie type ending. Still, it does get you hooked and you really can't put it down as you try to sort out the mystery that's going on. You might be able to guess and guess correctly but it's still not a bad time getting there. It's a good cozy type murder mystery starter book to a series.
January 15, 2019
You've got to love a sassy Texas, and Dallas O'Connor is just that. Am currently listening to the second book in the series, and am super disappointed that the third is that last in the series. Any chance this could be revived?
November 11, 2013
Chloe Green is the pseudonym for one Suzanne Frank, authoress of a series of time-travel romance/suspense books, none of which I have read. Her debut mystery, Going Out in Style, is about as far away as one can get from time travel and ancient civilizations. The story is set in Dallas, and I've been there before and can say I don't recall seeing anything ancient there except maybe for the house my sister bought, and that technically was in Grapevine.
Anyway, Going Out concerns Dallas O'Connor, a local set designer who arranges and designs sets for catalog fashion shoots and similar projects; that is, Dallas would normally be doing these things if she were not in hiding. See, when she reports early to work one morning she happens upon the lifeless body of an up-and-coming model, not to mention the very life-filled body of a hunky Cuban artist named Raul who is holding the murder weapon. Sometimes the early bird gets more than the worm, sometimes she gets accused of wielding the knife herself for the final cut.
Raul, naturally, asserts his own innocence as well, and Dallas is reluctantly made his partner in crime investigation. So, she blends into the city for which she was named, sneaking around to colleagues and friends conducting her own investigation in order to clear her name. It's not as easy as it sounds, however, as it seems somebody is usually one step ahead of her, planting traps and staging other crimes that have the police thinking Dallas is on some sort of spree, and Dallas must work quickly before she finds herself fashionably late to her own funeral.
Going Out is a nice, enjoyable read with moments of mirth and lunacy (particularly when Dallas and Raul are hashing out their plans and options); Dallas especially is likable as a harried heroine who knows her priorities and still feels justified in bending the rules (it's not everyday somebody accepts a date with a stranger in a fancy restaurant when she's supposed to be running for her life). I suppose I also like this story because of its originality, since I do not recall having read a Texas-set mystery in years, much less anything with the fashion industry as a backdrop. If Suzanne/Chloe can tear herself away from her romances, I think she can continue to keep the Dallas O'Connor series in fashion.
Anyway, Going Out concerns Dallas O'Connor, a local set designer who arranges and designs sets for catalog fashion shoots and similar projects; that is, Dallas would normally be doing these things if she were not in hiding. See, when she reports early to work one morning she happens upon the lifeless body of an up-and-coming model, not to mention the very life-filled body of a hunky Cuban artist named Raul who is holding the murder weapon. Sometimes the early bird gets more than the worm, sometimes she gets accused of wielding the knife herself for the final cut.
Raul, naturally, asserts his own innocence as well, and Dallas is reluctantly made his partner in crime investigation. So, she blends into the city for which she was named, sneaking around to colleagues and friends conducting her own investigation in order to clear her name. It's not as easy as it sounds, however, as it seems somebody is usually one step ahead of her, planting traps and staging other crimes that have the police thinking Dallas is on some sort of spree, and Dallas must work quickly before she finds herself fashionably late to her own funeral.
Going Out is a nice, enjoyable read with moments of mirth and lunacy (particularly when Dallas and Raul are hashing out their plans and options); Dallas especially is likable as a harried heroine who knows her priorities and still feels justified in bending the rules (it's not everyday somebody accepts a date with a stranger in a fancy restaurant when she's supposed to be running for her life). I suppose I also like this story because of its originality, since I do not recall having read a Texas-set mystery in years, much less anything with the fashion industry as a backdrop. If Suzanne/Chloe can tear herself away from her romances, I think she can continue to keep the Dallas O'Connor series in fashion.
December 11, 2012
Fashion stylist Dallas O’Connor is stunned when she discovers her top model dead upon arrival at a shoot for a summer catalogue. Worse, the police suspect her of being involved in the murder. It doesn’t help that she’s kidnapped from the scene and they think she has fled. She’d better find the real killer before he finds her or the cops arrest her. Who would have wanted to hurt the fashion icon? Beneath the glitter lies a world of deceit and subterfuge. Who can Dallas really trust? Someone is hiding a deadly secret, and nothing prepares her for the truth.
September 17, 2013
This was a fun little mystery. The fashion industry isn’t one I’ve read much about, but as a stylist, Dallas is more on the periphery than smack in the middle of it. As the main characters, Dallas and Raul definitely make some questionable decisions, especially Raul. But, since it was entertaining, I didn’t mind suspending disbelief. The mystery didn’t have a conventional conclusion, and I appreciated that. The reasons behind the murder were not something one would expect.
http://www.bookconfessions.com/2013/0...
http://www.bookconfessions.com/2013/0...
August 17, 2008
A frenetic, scattershot read. There didn't seem to be any flow to this mystery. It was a hectic, herky jerky read at best, rushing the reader along at breakneck speed.
The mystery wasn't all that hard to solve, despite the attempts at placing red herrings.
The character of Dallas O'Connor has promise and there are two more books in this series; my hope is that the next installment proves to be a better read.
The mystery wasn't all that hard to solve, despite the attempts at placing red herrings.
The character of Dallas O'Connor has promise and there are two more books in this series; my hope is that the next installment proves to be a better read.
July 31, 2010
It wasn't that it took forever for a crime be committed. It was that I either didn't care about or actively disliked every single character I encountered in the first hour of the audio book.
There are too many books I want to read to waste my time with 'people' I don't care about.
There are too many books I want to read to waste my time with 'people' I don't care about.
October 9, 2014
I enjoy this series a lot, but in rereading I definitely noticed several continuity errors. Also several elements that didn't make sense--including the plot.
But I love the inside look at fashion styling. 3.5 stars.
But I love the inside look at fashion styling. 3.5 stars.
March 12, 2008
Funny crime caper from the author of Reflections in the Nile.
May 31, 2009
Awesome, but really scary xD
December 19, 2009
I wouldn't run out for the next in this series. It's was okay but not a top rater.
April 14, 2021
Re-read 5/19/10. A mystery with a very interesting inside look at the fashion world.
March 5, 2016
A fast, enjoyable beach read, set in the fashion merchandising industry. Some loose threads and she stretches the plot a bit, but a good debut. I'll read more.
November 27, 2010
Love it! Keep rereading this one and the rest of the series. If you like Rhonda Pollero, Dorothy Howell and other fashionable mystery heroines, you'll love this.
July 8, 2012
a fast read, but i got to the end and wasn't 100% sure who killed whom. very complicated and meandering. meh.
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May 28, 2017I found that there was little or no character development in this one. I kept getting lost with who was who - I listen to audio books in the car. Wasn't going to finish it, but I did - ended up enjoying it and went on to the next one in the series.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews