The Agency

From the Publisher

“Entertaining...witty...a delight.” – People Magazine (3 ½ stars)

“Heroine Tess Drake [is] equal parts Ari Gold and Sherlock Holmes in a slit-to-there skirt.” –Entertainment Weekly

“A delicious read!  Even more entertaining than Sex & the City and Lipstick Jungle combined… The Agency is one hot, exciting, and sexy book, with a seductive plot that makes those pages fly.  Don’t miss this exquisite jewel!” –Publishers Weekly

“With an insider’s take on the book biz, and an appealingly foul-mouthed heroine, this debut is fast, funny and a bit nasty—not unlike Tess.  A naughty, catty good time.” —Kirkus 

"The duo writing as O'Brien proves there's nothing like teamwork. The book combines genres effectively, melding into one fantastic novel...  Cleverness abounds, especially in the dialogue and plot twists." —Romantic Times (4 stars)

“The gossipy and glitzy world of book publishing provides the perfectly irresistible setting for O'Brien's sexy and acerbic story of a tough-talking, determined heroine who, even though she hasn't always made the best choices in love and life, still keeps trying.” – The Chicago Tribune

“The Agency is a delicious mash-up of chick-lit and thriller, kind of what The Devil Wears Prada might have been if written by John Le Carre… The authors offer X-Acto-sharp dialogue, steamy sex scenes, a lot of skullduggery and a heroine more appealing when she's naughty than when she's nice.” – The South Florida Sun-Sentinel

“[A] funny and salacious tale… it's easy to get caught up in Tess' glamorous, fast-paced world of lovers, parties and deals, wondering just what is going to happen next.”  —Minneapolis Star Tribune

“A surprisingly single-minded page-turner, packed with a colorful assortment of egomaniacs and more plot twists than Lindsay Lohan's love life… the literary equivalent of a dry martini: salty, intoxicating and curiously delicious.” – New York Daily News

“The Agency's got bite — it sucks you in and leaves teeth marks.” –Amanda Goldberg and Ruthanna Hopper, coauthors of the New York Times bestselling Celebutantes

“The Agency is brash, cheeky, and cuttingly smart.  Move over Bridget Jones, there's a new girl in town!  Despite enemies who hate her, lovers who betray her, and clients who desert her, Tess Drake is a marvelously irrepressible heroine.  You'll want to stick with The Agency from start to finish, through thick and thin, through hell and high water—what a fabulous ride!” – Joan Johnston, author of the New York Times bestselling novel A Stranger’s Game

"Sex, drugs, and literature…" –Sarah Ivens, editor-in-chief of OK! Magazine

“One of the most fun books I have read in awhile. A mixture of racy chick lit, mystery, and adventure, you will find it hard to put this book down once you get started.” —BellaOnline.com

Publishers Weekly

In this disconnected debut from O'Brien (collaborative pseudonym for a media agent and a suspense novelist), driven London literary agent Tess Drake is an antihero so aggressive and egocentric that she repels friends (and perhaps readers). Steely Tess has the lonely top agent's spot at the Bartwright mega-agency, but pines for her own agency. When the head of Bartwright dies in a compromising position, the Miranda Priestly/Anna Wintour/Cruella DeVille-type who steps in is Cosima Tate, whose husband happens to be one of the men Tess is sleeping with. This spurs Tess's solo plans into action, but it's not long before her gravy train-a bestselling talking-panda children's book author-is derailed by plagiarism accusations. Tess's long shot is an underselling debut novel by 29-year-old Oliver Howard that may net a film deal with Tom Cruise (whose agent Tess has, of course, already burned). The whirlwind drama delves with vigor into reliably stimulating big-city pursuits-sex, power, scene-making, celebrity-but the sadly familiar media-world trappings and distant main character make caring about any of it a difficult proposal. (Feb.)

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Library Journal

When the head of the Bartwright literary agency dies from autoerotic asphyxiation and villainous Cosima Tate takes the helm, top agent Tess Drake decides the time is right to break away from Bartwright's to start her own agency. Actress Kate Reading's (The Widows of Eastwick) narration is entertaining, yet, despite all the glamorous fashions, hot sex, and tabloid drama, the pseudonymous authors have created a brusque protagonist who generates little empathy. The result is a chick-lit book that older listeners might initially enjoy but won't care enough about to remember long. [The St. Martin's hc was recommended for "readers who enjoyed The Devil Wears Prada or Bridget Jones's Diary," Xpress Reviews, LJ 3/2/09.—Ed.]—Valerie Piechocki, Prince George's Cty. Memorial Lib., Largo, MD

Kirkus Reviews

A witty debut novel from a pseudonymous writing pair (one is a suspense author, the other a London-based media agent) about a saucy London literary agent eager to go into business for herself. Tess Drake may have sex appeal, nerves of steel and a knack for making her writer clients rich, but she does not have her independence. Opportunity conveniently knocks when the owner of the Bardwright Agency, Lowell Bardwright, is found dead in what looks like an unfortunate, but kinky, accident. Lowell gave Tess her start, but his icy next-in-command, Cosima, has little love for Tess. The fact that Tess is secretly sleeping with Cosima's much-younger husband naturally complicates things. (Tess's code name for him is "Darcy," but it is hard to imagine Jane Austen approving of their X-rated romps.) Ignoring the solid advice of her close friend Oliver Howard, a talented ex-junkie novelist who suggests she not tangle with Cosima, Tess sets about luring writers to her new agency. She begins with Dorothy Starkwell, an uber-successful American children's author. Loyal Dorothy looks like a sure thing, until a potentially devastating blackmail scheme rears it nasty head. Tess also has to look out for her former best friend Saleema, a professional rival who might be holding onto a teeny grudge against Tess for sleeping with her one-time fiance. And then there is Nicolas Hadley, the Scotland Yard detective who informs her that Lowell may not have been alone when he died, with all evidence pointing toward Tess being an active participant in his last moments. Murder, even for Tess, is a bit much, so it is up to her to clear her name, as well as sort out her personal life and launch her firm. But with heronce-promising career prospects looking bleak, Tess is forced to own up to some of the questionable decisions she has made, if she is really going to have a fresh start. With an insider's take on the book biz, and an appealingly foul-mouthed heroine, this debut is fast, funny and a bit nasty-not unlike Tess. A naughty, catty good time.