THE FRAUD SQUAD

My Fair Lady meets Working Girl in Singapore.

Samantha Song is an avid follower of Singapore's social scene; her dream job is writing for S, the country's preeminent glossy magazine, but without connections or money, she settles for an entry-level job at a PR firm. There, she meets Anya Chen, a socialite whose family has fallen out of the top circles but retains their wealth. Anya introduces Samantha to her friend Timothy Kingston, heir to his family's business and fortune, who chafes against his predetermined path, wishing to do something creative with his life. If only he could prove that his birth should not determine his future! Samantha, whose optimism, quick thinking, and tolerance for risk truly feel cut from the same cloth as Melanie Griffith’s Tess McGill, convinces Timothy to turn her into a socialite, asserting that they can both get what they want from the deal. With Anya's help—and her wardrobe—Socialite Samantha Song is born. Things go swimmingly at first, but no one will be surprised by the complications that come with her continued success, including jealous friends, a burgeoning romance, and an evil ex. The real pathos comes from Samantha’s mother, a manicurist who works long, exploitive hours to pay off the immense debt left by her late husband. The book seems unsure how to reconcile this subplot with a more urgent question: Will Samantha make it to the famous S Gala and complete her transformation?

There is sweetness to this story of glitz and glam despite some missed opportunities.