One of the valuable lessons you learn (I hope!) when you get serious about becoming a published author is that no agent wants to see your work before it’s been through a beta reader, or several. That your-eyes-only copy is not for courting representation, and having your besties love on it does not count. I’m not here to tell you how to find a beta, or why, but I will recommend Sisters in Crime as a good place to start.
SinC is where I found two beautiful beta readers, one of whom has just returned my first manuscript, Public Record, a political suspense novel set in a city much like San Antonio. You can read more about that here while I get to work on edits.
Elaine Wolff 