Who is Maud Dixon? by Alexandra Andrews

 

I was lucky to be able to still grab a galley of the much talked about thriller/mystery Who is Maud Dixon? I needed a plot-driven, page turner to get my reading mojo back. And this clever, twisted debut novel did the trick. I stayed up reading past my bedtime!

Florence had been raised to believe she was special and would accomplish big things. She did leave Florida and her single mom for New York City and the world of publishing. But, instead of being a big name writer, she works for an editor who has just sold her first book. Florence is frustrated and imagines another life, the life she *should* have, the success she deserved.

After sleeping with her boss's boss, she becomes obsessed with the man's family, stalking his wife and studying her, imitating her. It lands her in hot water, and without a job.

Then an opportunity arises for her to be the assistant to the best-selling author whose book was a major influence in her life. Maud Dixon was a pen name, and only one person knew who the real person behind the novel was...until Florence is hired to become her personal assistant.

Maud is really Helen Wilcox, only six years older than Florence. Helen is not a nice person. She is blunt, self-centered, cold-hearted, and sarcastic. Florence manages Helen's finances, correspondence, and types her work in progress which arrives in indecipherable handwriting so Florence has to insert her own words. It is also damn poor writing; Florence could do as well.

Helen makes the sudden decision for them to go to Morocco for research. When Florence wakes up in the hospital, a policeman calling her Ms Wilcox, she learns there was a car accident she can't recall--and Helen has disappeared. Florence does not correct the assumption of her identity, and hatches a plan to take over Helen's life for herself. 

Florence becomes embroiled in far more than she expected, and with several more plot twists, instead of gliding on Maud's fame and riches, she must escape prison and death.

The success of the novel rests on plot. Helen and Florence feel like 'types' and even the idea of assuming another's identity is not original. It took me more than half the novel to be hooked into that late night reading to finish the story. Still, it is a fun read. And, truly, there are few of us who never fantasized about the life we believe we are owed, or were jealous of another's success. 

I was given a free egalley by the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.

Who is Maud Dixon?
by Alexandra Andrews
Little, Brown and Company
Pub Date March 2, 2021
ISBN: 9780316500319
hardcover $28.00 (USD)

from the publisher

Florence Darrow is a low-level publishing employee who believes that she's destined to be a famous writer. When she stumbles into a job the assistant to the brilliant, enigmatic novelist known as Maud Dixon — whose true identity is a secret — it appears that the universe is finally providing Florence’s big chance.

The arrangement seems perfect. Maud Dixon (whose real name, Florence discovers, is Helen Wilcox) can be prickly, but she is full of pointed wisdom -- not only on how to write, but also on how to live. Florence quickly falls under Helen’s spell and eagerly accompanies her to Morocco, where Helen’s new novel is set. Amidst the colorful streets of Marrakesh and the wind-swept beaches of the coast, Florence’s life at last feels interesting enough to inspire a novel of her own.

But when Florence wakes up in the hospital after a terrible car accident, with no memory of the previous night — and no sign of Helen — she’s tempted to take a shortcut. Instead of hiding in Helen’s shadow, why not upgrade into Helen's life? Not to mention her bestselling pseudonym . . .

Taut, twisty, and viciously entertaining, Who is Maud Dixon is a stylish psychological thriller about how far into the darkness you’re willing to go to claim the life you always wanted.

One of the Most Anticipated Books of 2021

GoodReads * LitHub * CrimeReads * Town & Country * New York Post * Wall Street Journal

about the author

Alexandra Andrews has worked as a journalist, editor and copywriter in New York and Paris. Who Is Maud Dixon? is her first novel. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and children.