Customer Reviews

Fat Chance

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As you can imagine, having the last name of Chance for 26 years, I have heard every "chance" joke to come down the line. So I winced a little bit when the new novel by Rhonda Pollero crossed my desk. A book called "Fat Chance." Ok, I'll give it a shot.

Turns out, Pollero has produced a cute, well-written and intriguing suspense novel.

The Fat in "Fat Chance," actually stands for the heroine of the story, Finely Anderson Tanner. Finely is an estates and trusts paralegal for a prestigious law firm in Palm Beach, Florida. She is a sucker for fashion, a master at discovering fabulous EBay bargains, and much to her mother's chagrin, has solved a murder or two or three.

In an effort to give Finley some respectability, Finley's mother bequeaths her a less-than-stellar beach cottage that offers a little more than property value. And there happens to be a skeleton in the closet... a real skeleton!

Now, in addition to staging an Extreme Home Makeover Finley-style, F.A.T. takes on the task of finding out who the skeleton was, and how its untimely demise ultimately relates back to an acquaintance of Finley's beloved first stepfather. She recruits the help of hunky police detective Liam McGarrity, her new boss Tony Caprelli, and her bevy of fashion-loving friends to help her investigate the cold-case murder, and renovate and redecorate, in that order.

Confused? I was too, in the beginning, as "Fat Chance" is the third installment in the Finley Anderson Tanner series. (The other two books in this series are "Knock Em Dead" and "Knock Off.") But due to Pollero's polished writing style, it was easy to catch up on the cast of characters and the past situations that bring Finley to her present state of mayhem. According to Pollero's website [...]she has more Finley novels in the works, so I for one will be anxious to see what new mischief and what new bargains Finley comes up with.

So, in retrospect, this Chance was glad she took a chance on giving "Fat Chance" a slim chance of approval. It was well worth it.

Wow, what a strong introduction into what I hope is more to come. Finley is a wonderful heroine, smart, funny with a flair for fashion, even at a discount. (Who can't relate to that?) Finley's world has the usual friends, disfunctional family and hot guys. All have wonderful chemstry. If you want a fun mystery with humor and characters you will really like don't hesitate to pick up this book.

This series is such fun!! The characters are very believable and I enjoy their interactions. Finley receives a beach front home from her mother with a lot of restrictions in the deal. The house is a Royal Mess - needs major rehab and there is a skeleton in one of the closets. Who is the skeleton and how did that person die? Finley and friends investigate and Sam (her decorator expert gay friend) helps to rehab the house. Of course, Liam the private investigator is in the action, too. Looking forward to reading the 4th installment: Slightly Irregular.

I think this is a fun series--mystery, humor, romance and shopping tips. Who could ask for more? :) I'm looking forward to #4, but I don't see a definite release date. I hope it comes out soon!

Finley Anderson Tanner has turned a corner in her life. After getting fired at the law firm where she was a paralegal, she's gotten her job back... with a big raise and the grudging appreciation of "Vain Dane" one of the partners. And now, she's a homeowner of a house in Palm Beach on the water. Of course, since it's Finley, things don't go as smoothly as hoped for. The new house comes with major strings attached from Finley's mother and house payments and renovation costs could seriously curtail Finley's cut-rate couture shopping. Who are we kidding, of course it won't, Finley plans to give up food instead.

Fat Chance is another great Finley mystery. Finley is as breezy as ever and her friends are all back. I really like these stories, Finley may wear designer clothes and drop brand names in every sentence, but she's still fun, her relationships seem real and I like that though life isn't perfect she still has attitude.

Definitely recommended, the writing quality hasn't declined from previous books, the mystery is well plotted and the setting is fun.

My favorite of the F.A.T. books so far. Maybe because we're finally getting to the romance. It promises to be sizzling. :-)

This book is just as great as the other 2 in the series. If you haven't read them, I strongly suggest starting with those, rather than with this one, only because the characters are so great and you'll miss some of the back story if you read them out of order. However, that said, Pollero does make references to the other 2 books so you won't be totally lost if you haven't read them.

What I like so much about this series is that not only are the characters fun, but the actual mysteries themselves are really top notch.

If you like Stephanie Bond and Lois Greiman, I highly recommend Rhonda Pollero's series. (And if you haven't read Bond or Greiman, I recommend them too!)

This series is an obvious knock off (how appropriate, the first book title in the series!) of Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. Don't worry, Janet, there's no competition here!

I found the characters to be shallow, lacking definition and depth. Finley, the lead female, comes across like a 17 year old girl - all lust and designer labels. Strangely enough, she can afford huge house payments and very expensive cars (even if the cars are leased) but not expensive clothing.

The plot was simplistic - I had it figured out less than half way through the book. The stabs at humor were lackluster, at best. And why is it that Finley does all of the detective work, when there is a paid PI on board? Liam seems to do little other than raising Finley's temperature and ire. There are obvious problems with the action, as well - for instance, when Melinda spins her tale of Carlos as an intruder, she does not give, and no one asks for or even thinks about, an explanation for how he got past the guard gate in his old silver car, which is parked not far from Melinda's house in a very expensive gated community.

A light, quick read, this series will make a fine stop-gap for the time between Plum books, but is not in the same class with Evanovich's work.

I love this series! Finley's sense of humor and self mocking are hysterical, and make her feel so real. This 3rd book is as terrific as the last two. Rhonda Pollero is a master at plotting a great mystery and there are some terrific twists that left me baffled till the last chapter. FAT CHANCE is a brisk read and I was thoroughly entertained. A fun mystery doesn't get any better! I can't wait for the next Finley Anderson Tanner mystery!

Her mother Cassidy with her five surnames from all her spouses persuades her daughter Finley Anderson Tanner to buy a cottage on the beach of Palm Beach for $25,000 that mom swore that stepdad Jonathan Tanner, who died fifteen years ago, wanted her to have. The estates & trusts paralegal at Dane, Leiberman and Zarnowski loved Jonathon who was the only man she considered as her daddy.

Accompanied by her friends, Becky Jamison, Olivia Garrett and Jane Spencer, she goes to see her new house only to find it smells horrendously and the inside is a disaster. Becky soon finds a corpse in a closet. While the police plan to do nothing as they assume he is a vagrant, private investigator Liam McGarrity seems to show up every time she is in need including obtaining her a cheap handyman. Her new boss at the office criminal defense attorney Tony Caprelli encouraging her to investigate while Finlay thinks once again mom dumped on her as she resolves to learn who left the body in her beachfront home.

The latest Finley Florida fiasco is a fun frolic as the heroine is conned by her mom only to find matters getting worse for her. The lighthearted story line is brisk and breezy as the heroine seems to land in amusing scenarios regardless of what she does. Fans will enjoy her escapades and her chick lit asides as she now has two hunks maybe in her personal life.

Harriet Klausner