(AP) - Lauren Weisberger set tongue clacking with her first book, The Devil Wears Prada, her fictional account of working for Vogue's Anna Wintour.

In her sophomore effort, Everyone Worth Knowing, Weisberger takes aim at publicists to the stars such as Lizzie Grubman and her "PoweR Girls," but she misses the mark.

Her main character is 27-year-old Bette Robinson, who, in an uncharacteristic burst of spontaneity, quits her job as a banker and goes to work at the hot PR agency Kelly & Company, going from a firm where there is a "no leaving for lunch" policy to a company where employees consider partying all night to be one of their job requirements.

Having worked 80-hour weeks at her banking job, Bette knows nothing of the nightlife at trendy Manhattan spots such as Bungalow 8. But she's a quick study. Faster than you can say "gossip item," Bette finds herself linked to a British aristocrat known as the Nightlife Adonis.

Her new employer is thrilled - and encourages Bette to work the relationship to the company's advantage. But that street runs both ways: Mr. Adonis is using Bette as well.

Bette becomes accustomed to life behind the velvet rope, though somewhat uneasily. She seems capable at wrangling high-profile guests, party bags, liquor and so on for celebrity and corporate events. But it all comes crashing down at a party that is cursed with too many guests and not enough bubbly.

While the novel demonstrates a working knowledge of New York's rich and fabulous, Everyone Worth Knowing has few characters that evoke empathy. Bette's co-workers are petty, shallow and self-involved, fuelled by alcohol and drugs. The plot is tedious, and Bette's ultimate undoing is trivial.

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