When the murder of the Herald's beloved advice columnist goes unsolved, her longsought replacement, Alex Marks, nearly withers under the strain of filling the void. Alex was not only a devoted fan, she also had contacted "Dear Constance" multiple times throughout an abusive relationship, signing her pleas for help, "Lost Girl." It's not only dispensing the same empathetic advice in the same sympathetic tone that challenges Alex, it's the overall mystery surrounding the sudden death, the haunted eeriness of the New York newspaper offices, the erratic behavior of her boss, and the ominous threats she receives that prompt her to delve into her predecessor's murder. But having forged a new identity when she moved to the city, Alex is paranoid about getting close to people. Are her new friends and colleagues allies or enemies? With a propulsive pace of escalating violence and immersive compassion for Alex's untenable position, Maxwell's palm-sweat-inducing psychological thriller decisively captures the subterranean fear and uncertainty that accompany victims of domestic violence.

A bored New Yorker gets her dream job--and a potential stalker--in Maxwell's entertaining if uneven follow-up to The Golden Spoon. Alex Marks spends dull days working as a pharmaceutical copywriter and reading the New York Herald's Dear Constance advice column. She's shaken when she learns Francis Keen, the longtime author of Dear Constance, has been murdered. One night, after a few too many glasses of wine, Alex decides to apply to be Francis's replacement. To her astonishment, she gets the job, allowing her to confirm what she's always suspected: that she's a great writer and a better advice dispenser. Soon, however, Alex picks up on a sinister undercurrent at the Herald involving bad blood between the editor and the owner, and starts receiving threatening letters that question her fitness for the job. Worried she might become the next target for Francis's killer, she enlists a former cop and a canny waitress at the diner she frequents to help her investigate. Meanwhile, a writer who goes by Lost Girl sends increasingly distressing letters to Dear Constance. Maxwell maintains scintillating tension throughout, but the overheated finale arrives a little too abruptly. It's a mixed bag. Agent: Alexandra Machinist, CAA. (Aug.)