Fat Chance (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: dead girl, fake skeleton, Fat Chance, Rhonda Pollero, Palm Beach (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An amusing, at times strident narrative voice drives Pollero's third Palm Beach puzzler (after 2008's Knock 'em Dead). Pert paralegal Finley Anderson Tanner is stunned when her divalicious mother, Cassidy Johnstone, sells her the beach-front house once owned by Finley's late beloved stepdad, Jonathan Tanner, for $25,000. Discouraged by the renovations needed on the property, Finley finds support from such friends as interior designer Sam and annoying if hunky PI Liam McGarrity. Nothing prepares her, however, for the literal skeleton in the closet—the remains of a girl clutching a medallion Finley gave Jonathan when she was a child. Finley's frantic efforts to stay romantic and fashion forward while seeking to identify a homicide victim and catch a nefarious killer make for a jittery mix that doesn't always jell. (Mar.)
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From Booklist

Finley Anderson Tanner knew there had to be a catch when her mother offered to do her a “favor” by selling her an old cottage in Palm Beach for considerably less than market value. Of course, Finely thought the reason the deal was so great was because the house needs major renovation. Once Finley takes ownership, though, she discovers something that wasn’t in the contract: a skeleton in the closet. Finding out who put the unwanted addition in her new dream home will take some work, but fortunately for Finley, she has the help of annoyingly sexy private investigator Liam McGarrity and her new boss, the just-as-hot Tony Caprelli. Amateur detection and designer shopping on a discount play equally entertaining roles in the third installment in Pollero’s addictively acerbic chick-lit mystery hybrid series featuring Florida paralegal Tanner.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Pocket; 1ST edition (March 24, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416589481
• ISBN-13: 978-1416589488
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #109,688 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 3 in The Finley Anderson Tanner Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Take a "chance" on Fat Chance!, July 9, 2009

By	Sharon Galligar Chance (Wichita Falls, Texas) - See all my reviews

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.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fun, March 30, 2009

By	bobsmom "kn" (west chester, pa) - See all my reviews

This was an enjoyable read. Some interesting twists. I found the mother character to be unpleasantly unbelievable. What a b----! And I hope Finley gets a real romance in the next book. Skirting around the surface with close calls might be an attempt at tension, but it gets old.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars just as enjoyable as the first two books, March 30, 2009

By	alpha_grrl (Olympia, WA) - See all my reviews

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.