... [a] 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.
The soufflé Andrews has deftly constructed to this point deflates a bit when Florence moves to Helen’s house in the Catskills and starts the tedious business of doing this new work, mostly keeping her Machiavellian tendencies in check ... Morocco seems almost beside the point; there is talk of souks and the buying of hats, but Andrews never firmly anchors us there ... From there, Maud Dixon becomes less a Highsmith-esque character study—the tightly drawn portrait of a brilliantly charming sociopath—than a plot-heavy romp. There are feints, counterfeits, battles of wits, plot twists that appear from thin air. At a certain point, we realize—to our delight—that seeing things from Florence’s point of view has robbed us of the chance to consider that she is not the only one with a complicated agenda … assured.
... yet another clever example of what’s been dubbed the Gone Girl on a Train school of suspense ... light on character development and plausibility, but rife with the most important ingredient in this strain of suspense fiction: inventiveness. The plot here makes whiplash turns, loop de loops and sudden reversals. It opens in Morocco, swerves to New York and ends up in the cool amoral vacuity familiar to fans of Patricia Highsmith’s Ripley novels. What’s not to enjoy? ... 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.
Florence is outwardly confident, internally insecure and bitterly judgmental. But what she lacks in likability is more than made up for in her captivating thoughts, fueled by resentment and misplaced aspirations ... Andrews enters darker territory here as she reveals Florence’s hunger to be the person telling the story ... The action that takes [Florence] on adventures far and wide is nowhere near as engaging as their self-destructive tendencies. The desperation for literary stardom is so acute in Maud Dixon it’s unsettling—Florence’s willingness to go to extremes has ramifications both stirring and unpredictable.
... cunningly plotted ... 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.
Astute mystery readers will surely anticipate one or two of the surprises, but hardly all of them. Who is Maud Dixon has as many hairpin turns as the dangerous Rue Badr that plays such a central role to the plot ... 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.
Identity theft takes on a new meaning in this fresh and arresting thriller ... the intrigue builds to a satisfying conclusion. Already optioned for film, Andrews’ debut is a page-turning, surprising read that will appeal to fans of Hank Phillippi Ryan’s The First to Lie (2020).
... devilishly plotted ... the game truly is afoot as Florence scrambles to figure out the nature of what will prove to be Helen’s fiendish master plot, barreling 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?'
