Whacked by Jules Asner

From the Publisher

Dani Hale is obsessed with Hollywood murders, from Marilyn Monroe’s suspicious death to the killings she writes about for the TV crime series Flesh and Bone. Smart, sexy, savvy, but not a little insecure, Dani is determined to carve a place for herself among the Los Angeles entertainment elite-becoming a credit-card-carrying member of the very world whose rituals and absurdities she loves to satirize. Jules Asner’s Whacked is the story of a familiar young woman whose insecurities drive her to terrifying extremes.

Life promises to be perfect for Dani. She has an almost-perfect boyfriend, Dave, a TV director who demands his women be “factory”-i.e., with no plastic surgery enhancements-and who always knows what’s right for Dani and her career. At Flesh and Bone, she has an almost ideal job that lets her indulge her macabre forensic passions-even if the star’s Restylane addiction forces Dani to do last-minute rewrites to delete her close-ups. She doesn’t yet have the ideal figure, but a few more sessions at Barry’s Boot Camp might fix that. And that dream house in the Hollywood Hills eludes her-but moving in seems just a matter of time, once Dave gets around to mentioning marriage.

But something isn’t quite right with her relationship, and Dani-a wily and inventive Internet snoop-learns that Dave’s real creative talents are (1) lying and (2) cheating on her. Soon she’s plunged into the world of singledom, enduring a battalion of bad dates with men whose peccadilloes would drive a lesser woman to kill. More sleuthing leads Dani to discover the truth behind Dave’s liaisons-and the true motives of the Other Woman who caused her all this misery. Ultimately, ourheroine is driven to a dramatic extreme that is as shocking as it is sensible in the girl-eat-girl world of Hollywood.

A novel with a killer eye for the crimes and obsessions of modern relationships, Whacked is a wry, arresting foray into a realm that its author knows inside out.

Publishers Weekly

Asner-ex-model, wife of director Steven Soderbergh and E! Entertainment Television personality-debuts with a dishy mix of Tinseltown hackdom, chick lit and, surprisingly, a chilling plot. Dani Hale is an L.A. TV writer for crime show Flesh and Bonewho has an inordinate interest in all things forensic-one shared by technical adviser Rich Pisani, a retired LAPD cop. "None of this stuff bothered me," Dani boasts about crime scene analysis. But what does bother her is slow-to-commit boyfriend and director Dave; the pretty actress he's directing, Chloe Johnson (whom Asner slyly credits as having worked with Soderbergh); her Crate and Barrel saleswoman mom; and work rival "Evil Janet." But where other chick lit heroines fret about their fears, Dani hacks into e-mails and cellphones to alleviate hers. After discovering Dave has been cheating on her, Dani plots revenge on him, freckled harlot-starlet Chloe and office boor Evil Janet, but things quickly spiral out of control. Asner juggles horror and giggles and wraps it up with a subtle kicker, and though Rich's role is underwritten, the novel is still tons of fun. (June)

Teresa Jacobsen - Library Journal

Off-kilter doesn't begin to describe Dani Hale, a cross between a capable Tina Fey character and Glenn Close's crazed character in Fatal Attraction. As a screenwriter for a forensic drama television series, Dani's star is rising, but being dumped by her boyfriend transforms her into a stalker whose fantasy world crosses into reality. Asner, a former model and entertainment reporter who is married to director Steven Soderbergh, is in her element here. If your taste in humor runs a bit skewed, you'll appreciate this one.

Kirkus Reviews

The romantic mishaps of a paranoid television writer are chronicled in this debut novel from former E! host Asner, now married to director Steven Soderbergh. Dani Hale is in her mid-30s. She has been working her way up professionally and has been dating Dave, a handsome director, for two years. In typical Hollywood fashion, Dave is cheating on her with a beautiful actress. Dani discovers Dave's indiscretions and dumps him, but this betrayal, along with a dysfunctional upbringing that she has never resolved, break Dani's thin facade of sanity. She increases her usual amount of stalking and snooping, and in doing so not only ruins potential love matches but readers' sympathies as well. Dani is certainly crazy, but she is not funny-crazy, and her escapades are painful to read about. It is easier to relate to her obsession with dieting and lattes, and more difficult to relate to her obsession with and neurosis regarding men-and not just those she dates. Dani's friends try to rescue her from her increasing paranoia only to be rebuffed. Once Dani ruins her relationships with her girlfriends, there isn't an appealing thread left. Dani's actions go from merely unattractive and perplexing to outright offensive. A surprisingly gory twist takes readers to the absolute edge of their suspension of belief. The book fails to be either a black comedy or an interesting, in-depth exploration of a twisted mind. Instead, it falls into a strange, pointless middle ground, making it excruciating to follow Dani to the book's conclusion. Exhausting. Agent: Elizabeth Sheinkman/Elaine Markson Agency

Product Details

• ISBN: 1602860173
  
• ISBN-13: 9781602860179
• Format: Hardcover, 304pp
• Publisher: Weinstein Books
• Pub. Date: June 2008
• Sales Rank: 5,942