#FashionVictim

July 23, 2018
Akhtar’s gleefully bloodthirsty debut sends up the mean girls of the New York fashion industry. Anya St. Clair, whose buzzing, intrusive thoughts lead to violent urges toward anyone who disrespects her, has grown from troubled child to unacceptably chubby style editor at fashion magazine La Vie. Obsessed with becoming the BFF of her perfect, blonde coworker, Sarah Taft, Anya is willing to use everything at her disposal—mood boards, spy software, planted evidence, or elimination of the competition—to suck up to Sarah or bring the woman down, whichever works. When Anya and Sarah become rivals for a promotion, Anya starts making increasingly unrealistic choices. Akhtar’s decision to bring in a detective as a romantic interest only highlights the implausibility of Anya being on the loose. This dark novel has the energy of Heathers gone 20-something and corporate, but its creatively staged revenge murders aren’t enough to carry a story marred by shallow stereotypes and an inability to sell its protagonist as simultaneously psychopathic and relatable. Agent: Deborah Schneider, ICM.

July 1, 2018
A psychotic fashion editor murders her co-workers to get closer to her intended BFF in this comedic mystery novel, the author's debut.Anya St. Clair, fashion editor at New York magazine La Vie, is obsessed with her co-worker Sarah Elizabeth Taft, a tall, willowy, rich blonde who is "the source of all things fashionable." Anya is so determined to hang out, do nails, go to bars, and take selfies with Sarah that she will do anything, including murder. Anya's first victim is editorial assistant Mulberry von Gratz, a "fashion girl who couldn't walk in heels," who's found dead in a closet with a vintage shoe smashed into her head. More murders follow as Anya's obsession deepens and the buzzing noise in her head gets louder. If Anya's co-workers seem one-dimensional, it's all part of the fun as death is met with manicures, green juice, and an article about what to wear to a funeral. There's no doubt that Anya is "totes" psychotic, but will Detective Hopper see past her crush on him and figure out the "obvi" fact that she's responsible for the murders? And what's up with Anya's clueless psychiatrist, the mysterious Dr. M? Much of the humor comes at the expense of characters engaged in excessive exercise, self-harm, starvation dieting, narcissism, and paranoia, yet Anya's point of view makes their behavior hilariously funny as well as profoundly unsettling.The shallow friendships, betrayals, shifting alliances, and many, many designer shoes will keep readers hooked and laughing, if a bit uncomfortably, from Page 1 until the shocking ending.

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