Who Is Maud Dixon? has enough twists and turns (really good ones!) to make you dizzy for a week. Dizzy with joy! By the end of the book you’ll start wondering if author Alexandra Andrews might be a murderer herself.”—James Patterson
"Once the two women land in Morocco, the sinister game of shedding identities begins and Maud and Florence begin tossing their passports back and forth like hot potatoes . . . or hand grenades. Who Is Maud Dixon? turns out to be much more than a question about authorship; indeed, it’s a question fraught with life and death consequences. Andrews’s novel is sharp, unpredictable and enormously entertaining. To say anything more would ruin the fun of reading — and being lightly appalled — by it."—Maureen Corrigan, Washington Post
"Fans of psychological thrillers like Patricia Highsmith’s "The Talented Mr. Ripley" will love Andrews' debut novel. . . . the story is full of twists and turns that will leave you hooked."—Harlan Coben, TODAY
“Dark comedy meets twisty thriller . . . . Couldn’t be more fun.”—People magazine
“Who Is Maud Dixon? combines a rapid-fire plot with larger questions of authenticity and authorship, creating an edgy and distinct work that is as compelling as the mysterious figure at its center.”—Chloe Schama, Vogue
“In-jokes about the publishing industry. Check. References to Lydia Davis and Renata Adler. Check. Wicked and ambitious female Ripley-like characters. Check. Andrews’s amusingly mean-spirited thriller ticks off a lot of boxes — so much so that I basically plowed through this unexpected, high-low of a surprise.”—Vulture/NY Magazine
“The two women at the center of this story are complicated, to say the very least. Full of diabolical twists and turns and lush settings (Morocco, anyone?), this is one of the best thrillers out this year.”—Fiona Davis, Good Morning America
“In this addition to the list of reasons one should not travel to Morocco with a too-good-to-be-true new acquaintance, the dissatisfied young editorial staffer with lofty literary goals and a penchant for stealing her roommate’s yogurts falls into a dream gig assisting her mysterious favorite writer, Maud Dixon; false identities and murderous hijinks ensue."—Vanity Fair
"The debut novel everyone will be talking about this spring is a twisty, spicy tête-à-tête that pits two very determined women against each other — but in a good way."—Entertainment Weekly
“Smart, slyly clever debut . . . . Andrews skillfully delves into each woman’s true personality, driving Who Is Maud Dixon? into an incisive look at ambition, greed, identity and celebrity worship. . . . Andrews’ wicked sense of humor and intelligent plotting deliver a briskly paced novel filled with inventive twists reminiscent of “All About Eve,” “Gaslight” and any Patricia Highsmith novel. Who Is Maud Dixon? establishes Andrews as an author to watch.”—South Florida Sun-Sentinel
“A sparkling debut that will keep you guessing.”—New York Post
"Part Elena Ferrante, part Patricia Highsmith–themed thriller, Who Is Maud Dixon? is set to be one of the buzziest debut novels of the year."—Wall Street Journal
“A tense, addictive page-turner that'll make readers think twice about heroes, bosses, and other dangerous creatures.” —Town & Country
"A sparkling debut that will keep you guessing."—New York Post
"Devilishly clever debut . . . 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."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Devilishly plotted debut . . . barrel[s] 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?'"—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Identity theft takes on a new meaning in this fresh and arresting thriller. . . . Andrews’ debut is a page-turning, surprising read."—Booklist (starred review)
“Keen-eyed satire with the sly unpredictability of a first-rate thriller.”—Airmail
“Set aside some time for this one, because once you crack it open, you won’t want to put it down until every last question is answered.”—Book Reporter
"Stylish and sharp, with wicked hairpin turns, Who Is Maud Dixon? is part Patricia Highsmith, part All About Eve and pure fun.”—Maria Semple, author of Where'd You Go, Bernadette?
“Smoothly written, nimbly plotted—yet also buzzing with an irresistible intensity and relish. Roaring round of applause here.”—AJ Finn, author of The Woman in the Window
“A Hitchcockian mashup about egos in every sense of the word, Who is Maud Dixon? never sacrifices graceful prose and acute insights for its breakneck pace. ‘Unputdownable’ has become overused praise, but it fully applies here; it is impossible to start Alexandra Andrews’s novel and not feel compelled to speed through its switchback twists to its conclusion.”—Teddy Wayne, author of Apartment
"Who is Maud Dixon? is clever, cunning, and diabolical in the best possible way. Anyone longing for a good old-fashioned thrill need look no further."—Ann Patchett, author of The Dutch House
“Captivating debut! Who is Maud Dixon? is a beautifully written literary thriller with a sumptuous Moroccan setting. What’s not to love?"—Elin Hilderbrand, author of 28 Summers
“Who Is Maud Dixon? channels the spirit of Patricia Highsmith at her finest: Alexandra Andrews' deliciously witty, surprising and sly novel will keep you riveted to the last page.”—Claire Messud, author of The Burning Girl
“Cunningly plotted . . . . Who Is Maud Dixon? is a wickedly fun study in deception, secrets, striving and longing. Andrews’s stylish, intricate debut novel showcases deft prose and expert use of tone and atmosphere. What means might one justify to grasp the life she really wants and (she’s tempted to believe) deserves? These memorable pages hold one possible answer.”—Shelf Awareness
10/01/2020
In debut author Andrews's Who Is Maud Dixon?, Florence Darrow, assistant to pseudonymous author Maud Dixon (actually Helen Wilcox), awakens in a hospital after a terrible accident with no memory of the event and Helen missing in action—so why not take over her life (75,000-copy first printing)? In the pseudonymous Finlay's buzzy Every Last Fear, NYU student Matt Pine learns that his entire family has perished while vacationing in Mexico, and the FBI and State Department are questioning the accidental gas leak story put forth by the local police. Flynn, who as a YA author writes as L.E. Flynn, goes adult with The Girls Are All So Nice Here, as Ambrosia Wellington recalls the not-so-nice thing she did one night with former best friend Sully and receives ever more threatening missives about an event she thought was history (150,000-copy first printing). In The House Uptown, Ginsburg's follow-up to Sunset City, 14-year-old Ava winds up in New Orleans after her mother's death, living with a bohemian artist grandmother who finds Ava's presence a reminder of dark things past (50,000-copy first printing). In the latest from Lovering (Tell Me Lies), things prove to be To Good To Be True as starry-eyed Skye Starling blissfully accepts a marriage proposal from her sophisticated older boyfriend, actually a devious skunk whose dark secrets the story backtracks 30 years to reveal (150,000-copy first printing). How does upright Parisian cop Alice end up on a park bench in Central Park, New York, chained to a Dublin musician she doesn't know and in possession of a gun significantly missing a bullet? Read top French author Musso's Central Park to find out. Following Oliva's The Last One, Forget Me Not features a lonely woman still trying to make sense of her past—she was born to replace a dead sibling, escaped the 20-acre compound in Washington State where she had been pretty much abandoned, and at age 12 suddenly faced an incomprehensible world. Already grabbed by 17 territories worldwide, Sten's Scandi-set The Lost Village features documentary filmmaker Alice Lindstedt's efforts to chronicle the mining town whose inhabitants—save for a dead woman and an abandoned newborn—all vanished on a single day in 1959. But bad things keep happening on set (100,000-copy first printing).
★ 2021-03-17
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.
