Mr. Nice Guy

Spouses Feifer and Miller’s witty romp through the allegedly glamorous world of magazines follows an aspiring writer and the jaded sex columnist who unintentionally launches his career and boosts it into the stratosphere. Naïve Southerner Lucas Callahan worships Empire magazine and is thrilled when he lands a gig as a fact-checker there. When he embarks on his first one-night stand with an attractive brunette he meets in a dive bar, he doesn’t know she’s Carmen Kelly, the sex columnist for Empire. Carmen is increasingly jaded, and after a night of so-so sex, she excoriates Lucas in her well-read column. Hurt, Lucas pens an eloquent rebuttal—and soon finds himself cast as “Mr. Nice Guy” in a relationships and sex column in Empire. Neither expects to fall in love—but when they do, they’ll be forced to decide between ambition and desire. The authors’ intimate knowledge of the New York City media world is on full display in this smart successor to glossy media business tell-alls such as The Devil Wears Prada—and they aptly illustrate the sometimes ruthless tactics endemic to this career path. Sharp and satisfying, this well-plotted, expertly characterized tale will have readers turning the pages quickly to get the latest dishy details. (Oct.)