Published: Dec. 20, 2009
Words: 93,234 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9781452309996

Short description

A missing fashion designer, crazy mobster stalkers, and a police officer on the war-path. Somehow it's all connected to a decades-old secret. The Fashion business just got dangerous and it's a race against time for Amber Fox to solve the case. Who is Umberto Fandango? Is he dead? And can Amber stay one step ahead and stay alive?

Extended description

The Fashion Police was voted Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements by The Romance Reviews, and was a runner up in the Chapter One Promotions Novel Competition 2010. It is a screwball comedy-mystery, combining murder and mayhem with romance and chick-lit.

Amber Fox has been making too many mistakes lately and something's got to give...

For starters, Amber accidentally shoots Chief Inspector Janice Skipper and gets thrown off the police force. The only one who knows the truth about the incident is Amber, but no one will believe her. (Read more) The Fashion Police was voted Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements by The Romance Reviews, and was a runner up in the Chapter One Promotions Novel Competition 2010. It is a screwball comedy-mystery, combining murder and mayhem with romance and chick-lit.

Amber Fox has been making too many mistakes lately and something's got to give...

For starters, Amber accidentally shoots Chief Inspector Janice Skipper and gets thrown off the police force. The only one who knows the truth about the incident is Amber, but no one will believe her.

After accepting a job as an insurance investigator from her ex-fiancé, Brad Beckett, it turns out that Brad thinks they've still got unfinished business and the job description includes sexual favours that come with a price.

When fashion designer, Umberto Fandango, goes missing, Amber becomes embroiled in a complicated case. But Amber's arch-enemy, Chief Inspector Skipper, is also investigating his disappearance, and it's a race against time for Amber to solve the mystery before Skipper does and get her old job back. And just when Amber thinks things can't get any worse, she's being stalked by some crazy mobsters.

Who is Umberto Fandango? Is he dead? And can Amber stay one step ahead and stay alive?

"Sibel Hodge gives us one feisty insurance investigator in this comedic mystery. Amber Fox is a modern, career-driven woman who seems to be a cross between Kinsey Milhone and Gracie Hart (Miss Congeniality). I enjoyed the great mixture of action adventure and slapstick. I found myself chuckling out loud and on one occasion snorting water out my nose. The humor did not detract from the solid mystery, and I appreciated all the twists and turns and sub-plots that tied into the story nicely. All of the characters were very well developed, and I could not help feeling a fond connection to Tia. I do wish that Romeo had a little more presence, but that was just wishful thinking on my part. I was very happy to discover that this is only the first of Amber's adventures, and I cannot wait to see what she gets up to next." Coffee Time Romance & More

"In this cleverly written book, the reader is taken on a variety of plot twists with a missing fashion designer, crazy mobster stalkers, and a police officer on the war-path. Sexy Amber Fox is on the case and it will take all her female wit and feminine ways to stay ahead of the game. The novel was entertaining and enjoyable. A recommend for anyone." -- HOT GOSSIP HOT REVIEWS

"A witty well-paced romp, full of energy and with plenty of satisfying twists and turns." -- ROMANTIC NOVELISTS' ASSOCIATION
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Tags

romance, thriller, crime, suspense, mystery, romantic comedy, chicklit, humour, janet evanovich, murder screwball comedy, comedy mystery, womens fiction chicklit, thriller mystery suspense

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Reviews

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Review by: Pamela Terry on Feb. 16, 2012 :
I enjoyed this book for the most part. It got a little corny and predictable in some places, but overall a fun read. I did not think it was "laugh out loud" funny as some reviews state. I enjoy Ms. Hodge's works, and will continue with this series.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)

Review by: Anjelika Thea on Oct. 28, 2011 :
3 stars

This was a decent blend of chick-lit mystery romance. I really liked the humor that I expect one would find in chick-lit fic - a genre I am not very well-read in. It made for a light, fun read. I liked the main mystery plotline, and confess to remaining completely clueless until the last moment. I wasn't so thrilled with the romance line, simply because I really do not care for love triangles, which this was setting up to be. I liked both Romeo and Brad - Romeo because he seemed like a sweet guy who does seem to care for Amber, and Brad because he seemed desperate for a second chance and honestly sorry for the circumstances which had led to his hurting Amber. I liked Amber because she was funny and seemed to be a fairly successful investigator despite her unusual methods. I enjoyed her need for donuts and her preference for unhealthy food. Not being too interested in fashion myself, I found her focus on fashion a bit shallow, particularly when she was in the middle of an investigation.

That said, on to the negatives. I will preface these by saying that it is likely that chick-lit is probably not the right genre for me (right now), and that I probably did not read this at a good time.

While I enjoyed the humor, I also disliked it in a mystery setting. With a mystery like this, I had a hard time coming to terms with the comical tone of the entire book. I guess I wanted more of action and suspense in my mysteries so while the comedic tone was not necessarily a bad thing, it wasn't to my taste at this point in time.

While the other characters were saying how Amber is one of the best investigators, my own opinion while reading exactly how Amber did her investigations really did not match up with theirs. I said that she seemed to be a fairly successful investigator, but I cannot say that she seemed to be a competent one since I did not feel as if I was "own" this. She seemed good at toting up A + B to equal C, but when it came to searching things out herself? She did not really shine. I felt that a lot of her info was obtained through the work of someone else.

The other two side-jobs she had besides the Fandango one really were distracting. This could partially be to distract the reader from finding out the mystery before Amber, which if that was indeed the case, did a fine job. While it led to some entertaining situations, I did not like it.

The side characters, such as Tia, Hacker, The Goonie Girls, and Amber's family were just...eh. Tia came off as too young and ditzy. The whole psychic and spells thing made my eyes roll. I was like, are you serious? Same thing with Hacker and his yoga/chakra/reiki thingamajig. It seemed a little too forced to make Hacker sound atypical and funny. Amber's family also sounded too contrived to be funnily dysfunctional, and the Goonie Girls sounded like caricatures of dumb goons. While I was better able to accept this in Harry Potter's Crabbe and Goyle, I could not really accept this in this book without major eye-rolling.

There were several things that made me go, WTH? She's had several run-ins with the Goons, and it made me wonder, why didn't she report any of these?

I think that if it weren't for the entertainment factor, this would have only rated 2 stars for me. But I did enjoy laughing at the humorous bits, and I liked Amber's voice, so it got bumped up a star. Now, if only I knew who Amber would end up with without having to go through the angst and hurt..
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: Gina Niesen on Oct. 18, 2011 :
This is classic Sibel Hodge. I put most of her books in the "chick-lit" category but they are always something more. They are always funny and have a bumbling, but loveable, female lead.

Amber Fox used to be Detective Sergeant until she accidentally shoots her boss, Janice Skipper, in the rear. She is forced to resign and takes a job as an insurance investigator with Hi-Tec, her ex-boyfriend's, Brad, insurance company. She begins investigating fashion designer, Umberto Fandango, by putting "bugs" in his pens. When Amber realizes the pens aren't working she goes back to replace the pens and stumbles into a possible maybe murder scene. There is blood everywhere and Fandango is missing. So Amber decides she is on the case wanting to beat her former boss to solve the mystery so she can prove herself to get her job back.

Along the way, Amber finds herself in some really funny situations. I mean laugh out loud while your are reading funny. This is what I like about Hodge's writing. There is just something about her writing that always has me in histerics. Some chick lit is just plain boring but not this. The only reason I gave it 4 stars in instead of 5 was that is was a little long but it is still worth the read. If you haven't read Sibel Hodge, try it....I think you might find yourself giggling as you read
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: Joanne on Sep. 16, 2011 :
This is another excellent book by Sibel Hodge. The mystery is brilliant with lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing right until the end. I loved all the characters and they played off each other really well. The book was humorous from start to finish. I recommend this book to anyone who reads the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich or to anyone who loves a good mystery with romance and humour.

Sibel Hodge is turning out to be one of my favourite authors.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)

Review by: Naomi Blackburn on Sep. 02, 2011 :
Alright, I must say I really enjoy Sibel's Amber Fox series. I also must say that I really do not consider this to be classic "chick lit". I think this series can be considered similiar to Lisa Lutz's Spellman series, but slightly "dirtier". With a strong female main character, slightly whacked out family and some serious sarcastic humor I simply love this series! I can't wait for the next one!
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: Rachel Cotterill on Aug. 03, 2011 :
This is a light, fun mystery that reminded me of Gemma Halliday's 'Spying in High Heels' and Kate Johnson's 'I Spy?'

Amber is a disgraced-police-officer-turned-insurance-investigator, with a love life just as complicated as her career history, but she's also a believable, down-to-earth character with an unhealthy bakery addiction. Some of the supporting cast are less realistic: Amber's ex-fiance Brad is now her boss, and gets away with flagrant sexual harrassment, while Janice Skipper is an undisguised pantomime villain, and the 'Goon Girls' are just incompetent. But somehow it all comes together to make a very funny read with a suitably intriguing mystery.
(reviewed within a week of purchase)

Review by: Michelle Kenyon on June 13, 2011 :
Amber Fox is a funny and witty character and she along with her family, friends and co-workers really bring colour and fun to this book. The mystery plot in the book does keep you guessing and I like how the reader is let in on the investigative process through Amber's frequent run through of events and clues, even if her assumptions and hunches are a bit far-fetched and presumptious at times.
The characters kept me laughing and wanting more and the plot kept me turning those pages so overall I'd definitely recommend this book.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)

Review by: Stephen Hise on May 09, 2011 :
I loved this book. Sibel Hodge has a wonderful way of writing funny, smart, fully human characters. If you can imagine "Bridget Jones" re-invented as a detective, you'll have some inkling of her main character Amber Fox.

The story moved quickly, and kept me turning pages all the way to the end. It also kept me smiling - Kudos to Sibel Hodge and long live Amber Fox!
(reviewed within a month of purchase)

Review by: susand3pa on May 02, 2011 :
Amber Fox, insurance investigator, has been compared to Stephanie Plum, but I think she's got elements of Thursday Next as well. Amber's bright, and she has good instincts. Her father adds comedy to the situation as does Amber's encounter with green paint. The competition between Amber's boss, Brad, and her current boyfriend, Romeo, keeps things interesting as well. The reason being the disappearance of Umberto Fandango kept me guessing until the end and the conclusion of the book was satisfying. I'll definitely read the next book in the series.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)

Review by: Jg Dlr on April 27, 2011 :
Almost immediately, the lead character, Amber Fox, reminded me so much of author Gemma Halliday's Maddie Springer, of the High Heels series - very likeable and very normal. I couldn't help but love Amber, who knows how to appreciate baked goods!

The Fashion Police is a light whodunit slash chick lit novel, and Ms. Hodge kept me guessing til the very end about what really happened to missing fashion designer Umberto Fandango. I loved the other characters who, to me, were basically comic foils - Tia (who became Amber's sidekick of sorts), Amber's dad (who, in his retirement, became an undercover "cop" for the local neighborhood crime watch), and Sabre the dog! And lest I forget, who will Amber end up with in the next book? Her sexy ex-fiance and boss Brad, or sexy cop boyfriend Romeo? This was a good read, for sure!
(reviewed within a month of purchase)

Review by: Michelle Liebler on March 09, 2011 :
We meet Amber Fox in the midst of a little angst in her life. Having left the police force due to a little controversy, she is now working as an insurance investigator for her ex. And her cop boyfriend, Romeo is very unthrilled about it.

Amber's got 3 cases on her plate - taking a look at fashion designer Umberto Fandango's security, watching a warehouse for a possible arson attempt, and trying to verify the stolen van claim of a known theif and law breaker.

When Fandango turns up missing, everything spins out of control. And his daughter Tia, the psychic, shows up to try and help Amber solve this case, come to resolution on her love life, and figure out why things have just gotten so complicated

The story was a little slow getting going, but once things started happening, it all came together. Kind of reminded me of the high heel mysteries, although Amber is a more down to earth, practical kind of gal.

Lots of great components, mystery, romance, thriller...who done what? Some things are a little predictable, but the real truths are not what they seem.

Give this one a shot. Well worth it!
(reviewed within a week of purchase)

Review by: Arkali on Nov. 20, 2010 :
Meet Amber Fox, Miss Hot Stuff Investigator. Lately things have been on a bit of a down-turn for her. After shooting a fellow police officer in the rear, Amber was thrown off the force. She insists that the woman had it coming, and funnily enough, she did. Not one to stay down for long, Amber gets a job with her ex-fiance, Brad, as an insurance investigator.

Her current squeeze, Romeo, isn't too thrilled with that. He's pretty sure Brad still has a thing for Amber, and he's not far off. Amber isn't real sure how she feels about Brad, either. She's still attracted to him, but she's been with Romeo for a year, and they've got a great relationship. Plus, Brad up and left her for three months with not a word about where he was going or anything else. Understandably, Amber's unsure whether or not she could trust him, even if she did want to try again.

Shortly after Amber takes the job, things start happening at a dizzying rate. One of Hi-Tec Insurance's clients, Umbarto Fandango mysteriously goes missing. Amber is in the process of investigating his disappearance and also trying to resolve two other cases, all while being chased by the mob and trying to live through her own accident-prone mishaps. As if that weren't enough, her nemesis from the police department is also working on the case. Amber's in a race to solve the case first - winner take all.

Amber is a lot of fun. A well-rounded character, she's got plenty of quirks that make her interesting, including a sweet tooth of epic proportions. Supporting characters are also well done, even down to the two mobsters. The plot is fast moving with a lot of twists and turns and kept me guessing in some areas, though I did put together a couple of things before Amber did. One issue I had with The Fashion Police was that in the review copy I received there were a fair amount of typographical and grammatical errors. I hope that these were addressed in the official release of the book. I also wished that the relationship quandary had been resolved a bit better.

I had a lot of fun reading The Fashion Police. It's a fun romp with lots of humor and lots of action. Amber is a sassy, sweet heroine who manages to be feminine but still tough. I definitely am looking forward to future books in the series.

Reviewed for TheRomanceReviews.com
(reviewed the day of purchase)

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