Manor House - Hardcover

Rense, Paige

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0385485026 ISBN 13: 9780385485029

Publisher: Doubleday, 1997

Synopsis

Enter Pierpont Tree and China Carlyle: he's the devastatingly handsome and urbane scion of an old Santa Barbara family; she's a ravishingly beautiful flame-haired film star who retired at the peak of her career.  He minds the family ranch; she dabbles in writing.  Together, they investigate murders.

And the murder of Beau Paxton leaves Pier and China with quite a crowd of suspects: the twin brothers who own Manor House--and who held a multimillion-dollar insurance policy on Beau's life; the beautiful young managing editor, the real brains behind Beau's flashy, figurehead position; the society gossip columnist who coveted Beau's position for herself; Beau's roommate and "uncle," who argued with him publicly the night of the murder; and a whole world of designers and dealers, players and wanna-be's, high rollers and lowlifes, whose desires and ambitions make Manor House a magazine to die for.  

With the kind of knowledge and attention to detail only a seasoned insider can supply, Paige Rense takes us on an unflaggingly stylish journey to the heart of the mystery, and in the process offers a keyhole peep into some of the most private, rarefied chambers in Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, and New York--a world where people pay $750,000 for an antique desk, and a wealthy widow refits her barbecue pit with an eternal flame in memory of her late decorator.  Elegant, witty, and wise, Manor House is a boundingly readable novel from the pen of a compelling writer.

About this title

Review:

The "Manor House" in Paige Rense's novel of the same name is the world's most exclusive design magazine, a glossy publication in which architects and designers would kill for their work to appear. So when the editor in chief is found shot to death in Hollywood, the field of possible suspects reads like a "Who's Who" of the interior design world. Enter Pierpont Tree, the very handsome, very rich scion of an old-money family in Santa Barbara, and his ravishing ex-actress girlfriend, China Carlyle. These two have nothing but time and money to spend, and a spot of investigating makes for a nice break from their jet-set routine. Soon Pier and China are up to their necks in jealous assistants, covetous roommates, and ambitious designers as they piece the clues together.

More than a murder mystery, Manor House is also a glimpse into the high-flying world of the super rich, where an antique desk is a bargain at $750,000 and a barbeque pit (complete with eternal flame) is a suitable memorial for a departed loved one. Readers with a mind for murder and an eye for an elegant setting will find Paige Rense's book made to order.

From the Publisher:

"Talk about a book having all the right ingredients for a great Sunday afternoon read in front of the fireplace! Manor House has them all, and then some: rich people, big houses, good cars, the right kind of chintz on the sofas, and the right kind of porcelain on the mantelpieces. The stage is set and, right off the bat, in these swank circumstances a murder is committed, and the suspects are many. Manor House kept me riveted until the end. Mrs. Rense writes about a rarefied world in which she moves effortlessly, as one of the keenest observers of her era."
--Dominick Dunne

"This extremely amusing novel is driven by experience and a terrific gift for storytelling, not to mention the author's well known wit and her razor-sharp sense of humor. I couldn't put it down."
--Mark Hampton

About this edition

• Publisher: Doubleday
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0385485026
• ISBN 13: 9780385485029
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272