So, the interested agent finally got back to me. To paraphrase:

As-is, not interested in offering representation. I thought these three things were wrong:

• The first half of the plot is slow
• The female lead is unnecessarily cruel to the protagonist
• A subplot is resolved in a way that's inconsistent with the overall plot

If you're interested in making these revisions, I'd be happy to read the book again.

I'm more than a little bummed by this. I'd hoped that, by now, five or six big publishers would be engaged in a bidding war over my book. Instead, it's back to the drawing board for a round of revisions.

At least I know I'm doing *something* right. The book's strong enough it can almost stand on its own. I agree with the first two of the three points above. The revision will make the book stronger, I think. So I'll do it.

Uncross your fingers, Jim.