The Fraud Squad

Zhao updates My Fair Lady in her sparkling debut, a high society farce set in Singapore. Samantha Song, a PR pro with a working-class background, toils away at an entry-level firm while longing to be a reporter for the prestigious magazine S. After Sam’s wealthy coworker Anya Chen introduces her to Timothy Kingston, the son of one of Singapore’s richest families, Sam sees a path to her dreams. Sam and Timothy begin dating, and at Sam’s behest, Anya and Timothy mount a campaign to transform Sam into the latest hot socialite. The scheme works, and Sam thinks she’s hit the jackpot until things go disastrously wrong at the worst possible moment, with a humiliating zinger from Timothy’s ex, Lucia Yen. Zhao brings buckets of charm to her characters, portraying Timothy as a well-heeled man who doesn’t take himself too seriously, and she makes palpable Sam’s insecurity as she navigates Timothy’s glittering world. The author also gets plenty of mileage from arrogant socialite Lucia, who reads like she strutted off the pages of The Devil Wears Prada. Readers will be eager to see how Zhao follows up this whip-smart and witty rom-com. (Jan.)