The Fraud Squad

Samantha Song flips through fashion magazines and dreams of being in them—either as the sparkling socialite or as the person writing about said socialite. At a chance dinner, Sam connects with Anya and Timothy, both with connections to Singapore’s social elite; dubbing themselves the Fraud Squad, the trio concoct a plan à la My Fair Lady to see if they can transform Sam into a socialite in just a few months. The result is a fantastic coming-of-age story about glamour, betrayal, and the folly of ambition. Zhao uses her own experience writing at high-end fashion magazines to create a lush and sharply realistic setting for Sam’s rise and fall through Singapore’s high society. Siho Ellsmore’s narration skillfully highlights Sam’s anxieties, as her fear of getting caught runs throughout everything she does. High-society drama has become a popular genre, leading to some predictability in the plot. But the head-spinning betrayals, the twist ending, and the slow-burn almost-romance bring a singular flourish to the genre.