cover image The Receptionist

The Receptionist

Kate Myles. Thomas & Mercer, $15.95 trade paper (402p) ISBN 978-1-5420-2745-8

Former TV producer Myles’s debut, a melodramatic psychological thriller, has all the fascination of a train wreck. Emily, a tough Hollywood talent agent, and Doug, her sex- and drug-addicted husband, the head of a successful L.A. marketing business, appear to be an ideal couple. In fact, they are both deeply unhappy and disturbed. Doug’s decision to end his affair with his receptionist, Chloe, a beautiful psychopath, leads to Chloe seeking revenge. Meanwhile, when a new app Doug is developing to monitor the emotions of consumers as they shop fails to work, he and his tech guy wind up stealing data from Emily’s main client, a TV show psychiatrist. Getting caught threatens Doug’s business and causes Emily to lose her client and her reputation. Treachery and murder follow. The malicious actions of these angry, narcissistic people are appalling, but that won’t stop readers from turning the pages to see what happens to them next. This is the print equivalent of a made-for-TV movie. [em]Agent: Noah Ballard, Curtis Brown. (July) [/em]