Book Review: Going Out in Style

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Going Out in Style     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Chloe Green
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Amateur Sleuth
Series: Dallas O'Connor # 1
Kensington, Jul 2000, $20.00, 316 pp.

Dallas O’Connor works as a stylist for The Store, but also toils as the production manager of the Store’s quarterly catalogue, Metamorphosis. Although she can use the extra money, Dallas wonders about her sanity for accepting the extra job because the art director Gary keeps changing his mind on the publication’s concept. The lead model nineteen-year old Ileana Kargonis fails to show up for the shoot. When Dallas arrives at the studio she hears strange noises, which lead her to finding the murdered body of Ileana.

Dallas also sees a man holding a bloody knife leaning near the corpse. She refuses to listen to what the man has to say, fleeing the scene and calling the police. The cops think Dallas is a prime suspect since there is no evidence that the person she claimed to have observed by the body was ever in the building that evening. That same individual abducts Dallas, forcing her to help him prove his innocence before the police arrest either one or both of them.

Chloe Green is going to have a long, successful career as a mystery writer if her funny, breezy debut, GOING OUT IN STYLE, is any predictor. The cast is eccentric, whimsical, and entertaining. The admirable heroine goes with the flow, but tries to influence the direction it is heading. The delightful anti-hero “partner” makes a perfect foil for Dallas. Hopefully this novel will evolve into a continuing series because it is fresh and enjoyable reading.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner