Slightly Irregular

A Finley Anderson Tanner Mystery #4

by Rhonda Pollero

Shopaholic meets Stephanie Plum in the fourth novel of the wickedly funny series featuring paralegal-turned-crime-fighter Finley Anderson Tanner.

Kidnapping is so last season.

Couture-conscious paralegal Finley Anderson Tanner knew it was risky to break her cardinal shopping rule—never pay full price—for a last-minute date with her gorgeous new boss, but the hidden costs of her little black dress have put her whole life in the red. After the romantic evening turns into a disaster thanks to impossibly sexy and utterly infuriating private eye Liam McGarrity, Finley finds herself down two thousand dollars and out two potential boyfriends. Naturally, she turns to eBay.

To help pay off her debt, she tries to sell the vintage pageant jewelry she received for doing law partner Ellen Lieberman a favor. But when Finley’s best friend abruptly disappears while helping to wrap up the auction, Finley fears the worst. Does frumpy Ellen have a sinister double life as a beauty queen? Is the auction’s high bidder, Tiara64, more suspicious than her name suggests? Can Finley possibly hunt for clues without irresistible Liam swooping in to bail her out of trouble . . . again? Rhonda Pollero’s hilarious new novel featuring fashionista crime-fighter Finley Anderson Tanner is the must-have mystery of the season.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Romance, Cozy, Cozy Mystery, Chick Lit, Mystery Thriller

286 pages, Paperback

First published August 17, 2010

About the author

Rhonda Pollero also writes under the name Kelsey Roberts.

Reviews

[Maureen DeLuca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whenever I want to read a cozy - This series is one of my go to - number 4 and I have to say it wasn't the best - it was ok read but I put the 3 stars in for I do enjoy the series and the main character is just so funny. If you like cozy mysteries I would recommend this series - starting from book number 1 !

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great entry in the series. I really like Finley and all the problems she finds herself in. This one was kind of light on mystery but it was a lot of fun!

[Carol Bro · Rating 3 out of 5]

SPOILER ALERT: I enjoy these books for the light-hearted humor, but find it a bit irritating that, after four Finley Anderson Tanner books, the author is STILL stringing us along with the non-romance between the Finley character and Liam McGarrity. It was maybe cute for the first two books, but a little less so after the third. Now it's just plain annoying. There's a fine line between teasing the reader into wanting to read the next book and insulting her with too much game-playing. Sorry, but it's just not fun anymore.

[Sheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This long awaited 4th book in the series was a lot of fun, I just wish it was a bit longer. I was also hoping that something more would have happened to move along her fledgling "relationships" with one of her suitors. However, this book was still a lot of fun to read and it was great to see Finley again. I just hope the next book in the series doesn't take another few years to get published.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finley Tanner is just fun. It is a quick and easy read. The big question remains....will Finley ever get enough Rolex parts on ebay to build her watch?

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slightly Irregular by Rhonda Pollero is about a fashionista, Finley. who stretches what money she does have by buying designer clothing and accessories on e-bay. Her closest friend and lawyer at the law firm where she works goes missing after doing Finley a favor. Finley is also taken by her boss, TD&H, and a private investigator at the firm, Liam. Add to the mix Finley's brittle, sarcastic mother and Finley's sister's wedding and it all makes for a fun who-dunit.

[annette jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series

Another in a great series of Books. There is something for everyone,mystery, romance and humor. These are a series of books, but the author gives you enough info, so that they can stand alone, but why deprive yourself. Read them in order, and enjoy the continuing saga of F.A.T. Finley Ann Tanner, paralegal, her group of friends, and the two men who can’t say away from Fin.

[Michael crage · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not sure my rating is fair. The book was well written, but I did not like it. Way too much of it talked about shopping for clothing, fashion or food, none of which are interesting to me. Comparatively little of the book had much to really do with the mystery that the book was supposed to be. And I forgot to mention, another theme of the book was whether the main character, Finley Anderson Tanner which one of two men was interested in having as a boyfriend.

[Nancy H · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good mystery with lots of fashion and some romance along with the mystery. When Finley has a friend make a delivery to an E-bay customer, she does not expect the friend to completely disappear. She is also suspicious of the sudden disappearance of one of her bosses, who just suddenly resigns from work and is never heard of again. There is a lot going on beneath the surface here, and eventually Finley figures it out.

[Ginger Paro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story!

The characters are like old friends to me now. The story is rich and very entertaining. So glad I found this series!

[Marlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it. She's so funny and fun.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was still a good read m, as the series goes, but really heavy on romance and Finley’s sister’s wedding. The mystery didn’t really get going until more than 50% into the book.

[Mikey ಠ◡ಠ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh, Rhonda.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 stars.

[❂ Murder by Death · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would have gotten five stars from me, because it's a really entertaining read. Not deep and meaningful AT ALL, but really entertaining. It lost that fifth star, however, because the author had so many continuity errors it drove me nuts. If you're really specific about what your contractor has tattooed on his knuckles in the third book, don't change the tat in the fourth one. If you have a specific conversation between the main character and her boss, stating that she'll get pain over time for taking a continuing ed class in the third book, then don't have the main character complaining about not getting the overtime in the fourth (unless there's an explanation for it, and there wasn't.)

But continuity issues aside, this book (and series) has a great cast of characters, mostly loveable ones, but a few you enjoy hating. The story line was solid, although a wedding sort of put the whole plot line on hold for a good chunk of the book, but it was fun to read. The suspect was obvious to me from the start, but I was too entertained by the writing to be irritated by it. And the romantic tension - really excellent!

I have the fifth book in hand and I'm looking forward to cracking it open tonight - it promises to be even better!

[The Peon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished the entire series of Finley Anderson Tanner books by Rhonda Pollero. This series was a VERY VERY simple read. It was a combination of Chick-Lit and Mystery…but mostly Chick-Lit, the mystery was much to be desired. The author’s writing is beginner level at best. Do not get me wrong, I read the books and enjoyed them to some degree, however the plots were sub par and unbelievable. The author would introduce a problem but often times would not resolve it. Another thing that was annoying was that she would literally copy and paste pages of the same information in subsequent books, which I guess would not have mattered if I did not read all the books in order. It was so obvious that I skipped several pages, not one or two but 10 to 15, at a time. In one book, Knock’em Dead, there was a character whose name was spelled several different ways throughout the book. Overall, I did enjoy the books and look forward to the next one. These books can definitely be read over the weekend, not all at once, unless you are a super reader. If you decide to read this series do not have high expectations. I recommend this series but with caution.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a fan of this series. I'm glad to seem it return to publication. I'm unsure where all the criticism is coming from, the book is a standard light mystery. The characters are consistent, and the plot was entertaining.
The relationship between Liam and Finley continues to take new avenues, and develop. The new addition of Izzy is fresh and allows Finley's character to reflect and grow.
The story was interesting and light enough not to be too heavy and weigh the story down or overwhelm the balance.
I enjoy Finley's roll-with-it attitude, and eBay shopping for stylish clothes.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and I am looking forward to the next installment.
I would recommend it for those who enjoy a light mystery with a sense-of-humor.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved - Loved - Loved the latest F.A.T. book. Oh how I missed her! I really enjoyed the character development in this book -- Izzy is a great addition; I also enjoyed being able to see more of Finley's sister (and the extended family). I am looking forward to seeing how these characters continue to develop. Another thing I'm enjoying is the love interests; I don't have a favorite (yet!) and I think that's a sign of excellent writing.

The worst part of this book is that it went by so quickly! You know it's a good one when you are "pacing" yourself, only allowing yourself to read chapters as a reward, and counting the pages of wonderfulness left... The worst part is indeed that it is over with and now I have to wait to hear more of the story...

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series so much resembles the books by Dorothy Howell, one of which I recently reviewed, except that these are set in Florida and the Howell series is set in California. Both feature heroines who are preoccupied with clothes, handbags, shoes, their witchy mothers, their favored sisters, their friends, drinking, and hot men. Finley, in Pollero's books, is slightly more responsible, holding down a paralegal job that she does well, although she's also totally irresponsible about money (don't believe me, ask her accountant, Jane). When Finley's best friend disappears, she risks arrest and danger to find her. If you like Howell, you'll like Pollero, and vice versa.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has actually been my favorite so far in the series. The mystery part is very small, and she doesn't give you as many clues (or red herrings) as the first three books- it's almost an afterthought. However, at this point in the series, it was nice to spend more time on the repeat characters and growing their relationships with Finley rather than falling into the same pattern as the rest of the books, like many similar series do, where a majority of the story is focused solely on introducing a new cast of characters for the mystery aspect, when those characters will never be mentioned in any future book.

[Meryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A witty and charming story. Finley Anderson Tanner works for a law firm and would like to date Tony Caprelli who is a partner in the firm. She thinks she has a date with him but Liam McGarrity, who is a P.I. and also friends with Tony sat her up to babysit for Tony's daughter Izzy instead. Finley is very attracted to Liam even though she doesn't want to be. He ends up being her escort for her sister's wedding where her mother does nothing but insult Liam. At work one of her bosses and then one of her friends disappear. She tries to find them herself but Liam get's involved and saves her more than once. A cute read.

[R · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was really fun to read! A few things:

1. I want Finley to find a style of shoe besides wedges. I mean, really! Who owns that many pairs of wedges?!

2. I'd really like for Liam not to save her just once. I mean, is there a cop or detective who could come to her rescue?

3. I really can't stand her mama? It would be hard for me to feel bad if she died in the upcoming book. I'm just sayin...

I'm sure there are other things that I just can't remember right now but yeah...this one was fun. I had a hard time putting it down!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I definitely recommend this book to everyone! You will fall in love with the Finley Anderson Tanner character and all her humorous antics she gets herself into while she solves crimes. The story moves right along nicely. The suspense over Finley's missing friend as well as Finley's romantic relationships with Liam and Tony adds to the fun. The new character, Izzy, is also amazed by Finley and becomes her friend. Rhonda Pollero writes another excellent book!

[Sonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Pollero and her witty writing and I love Finley, she's smart and someone I would love to be friends with. I don't know why it took Pollero over two years to write this book and I hope the next one doesn't take this long. I felt that some parts were a rip of Stephanie Plum, especially with two hot guys love triangle, but at least these guys are friends. Also the book was somewhat predicteable but I had a lot of fun reading it.

[Kemi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the story enough to go back and read the earlier books in the series.

Perhaps it's because I haven't read the other books, but it drove me crazy how much certain things were glossed over in this book. It felt like there were big holes in the story. In fact, there were a few times I looked to see if a page had been torn out, or some were stuck together, just because there were such leaps in the story progression.

Overall, though, I enjoyed the book.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great story...kept me interested all throughout until I realized the book was coming to an end but the story wasn't. It was a good mystery that kept me curious but when the end came, it was cut too short, lacking details, quickly put together. There could have been so much more. It was as if the writer had a page limit.

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved a lot of the characters. A little miffed that nobody was not MORE concerned immediately about people disappearing. I found myself saying, "If something happened to so & so I am gonna be so mad!" Silly I know as it is just a book (not real life) Sigh...maybe I am just jealous of their lifestyle???? BUT I will for sure read "Bargain Hunting" next. Because mainly I LOVE LIAM !!!!!

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the characters- all the characters- so it would be nice to hear more about some of them. Also, this one ended kind of abruptly and I like my loose ends tidied. :) Whinging aside, Finley was still fun and Liam was still hot...

[Judith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the series but tired of the tension btw finley and Liam. Hook up already! And make a choice btw Liam n Tony. I prefer Liam by d way. Also deal with the reason ur mom hates or Hassels Finley so much. The past issues should be dealt with. Cant wait for d next one...

[Tina Axell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this series; the writing is good and the story keeps me interested. I was just very surprised that the mystery part of the story didn't pop up until towards the end. Kind of strange for a mystery, no?