Starred review from December 21, 2020
When aspiring novelist Florence Darrow, the protagonist of Andrews’s devilishly plotted debut, gets fired from her dogsbody job at a Manhattan publishing house, she faces the prospect that she might not be destined for greatness after all. Then fate intervenes—an offer to become the live-in writing assistant to a literary supernova who uses the pseudonym Maud Dixon. Initially, all goes swimmingly as Florence’s charismatic new boss—real name Helen Wilcox, and at 32 only a few years her senior—seems keen on mentoring Florence. But when the pair embark on a research trip to Morocco, things become considerably more complicated. Especially after Florence wakes up in the hospital following a car crash to find no trace of Helen, but instead a gendarme insistent that she is in fact Helen, an understandable error given the name on the car rental paperwork as well as Helen’s soggy ID. And with that the game truly is afoot as Florence scrambles to figure out the nature of what will prove to be Helen’s fiendish master plot, barreling full-speed towards a breathtaking series of Highsmith-style twists and a stunning conclusion. This darkly comic take on contemporary publishing may well leave readers asking, “Who is Alexandra Andrews?” Agent: Jennifer Joel, ICM Partners.

Starred review from April 15, 2021
An ambitious aspiring writer gets a dream job working for her favorite author. Andrews' devilishly clever debut opens at a publishing-house holiday party in a New York bar where editorial assistant Florence Darrow and her colleagues are debating "the question asked in countless magazine articles, online forums, and publishing lunches all over town": Who is the author behind the pseudonym Maud Dixon? Someone says they've heard it's a man! As one of the millions of fans of Dixon's debut novel, Mississippi Foxtrot, Florence dismisses the importance of the author's gender. "She knew that, whoever she was, she was an outsider, like Florence herself." Later that night, Florence ends up in a hotel with her editorial director, who happens to be married to a famous actress. "He must have known," Florence later muses, "that sleeping with a young assistant who worked for him had the potential to destroy both his career and his family." But when Florence tries to parlay their connection into a book deal, it is she who ends up losing her job. Oddly, though, she's not worried about being broke and jobless--she's sure the universe is watching out for her. And she may be right, because two weeks later she's asked to apply for a job as personal assistant to Maud Dixon herself. This delightful publishing satire continues for about half the book, and just when you're thinking "Didn't they say this was a thriller?" the wild suspense plot kicks in. The story leaps from an isolated estate outside Hudson, New York, to the dusty medinas and towering cliffs of Morocco, and here the comparisons to The Talented Mr. Ripley start to make sense. At every diabolical twist and turn, Andrews' impish sense of humor peeks around the corner to jack up the fun. Terrific characters, vivid settings, and a deliciously dastardly, cunningly constructed plot.

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Starred review from January 1, 2021
Identity theft takes on a new meaning in this fresh and arresting thriller. Florence Darrow is scrabbling her way up in the publishing world, working as an editorial assistant and trying in vain to get her own work noticed. After an ill-advised tryst with a married editor, Florence needs to save face, too. The opportunity seems to fall in her lap: "Maud Dixon," aka Helen Wilcox, the reclusive author of a smash best-seller, needs an assistant, and she's specifically requested Florence. When Helen brings Florence on a trip to Morocco to research her next book, Florence feels swept away by the beautiful scenery and exotic setting. But a freak accident leads to Helen's disappearance, leaving Florence to wonder if she could get the publishing career she wants by simply becoming Maud Dixon. The answer to that question encompasses the second half of the book as the intrigue builds to a satisfying conclusion. Already optioned for film, Andrews' debut is a page-turning, surprising read that will appeal to fans of Hank Phillippi Ryan's The First to Lie (2020).

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