Mentor : A Novel

In this twisting and unpredictable psychological thriller, a famous writer desperate to save his career brings a stranger into his life--with terrifying results.

Twenty-five years ago, Charles Davis's first novel made him a literary legend. But his recent work has not matched its power or its popularity. With his latest novel savaged by reviewers, Charles is paralyzed by self-doubt--until fate hands him an unexpected muse.

Emma Bowles is the young assistant Charles's wife, Anne, hires to bring order to his pressured existence. Where Anne Turner is sleek and elegant, a daring and driven entrepreneur, young Emma is awkward and self-effacing. But Charles is the first to glimpse the intriguing mysteries beneath her small-town demeanor.

Charles becomes obsessed with Emma, with understanding her, controlling her. But is she prey--or predator? By the time Anne realizes she wants this disturbing young woman out of their lives, it's too late. All three are trapped in their own deceptions, and only a savage, shocking act can free them.

Set against the glamorous backdrop of Manhattan's society and media elite, The Mentor is a brilliantly self-assured debut, full of surprises and reversals worthy of Hitchcock. This is a thriller as lethally sharp as the ruthless ambitions--and dark demons--that drive its cast of characters.

Sebastian Stuart is a native New Yorker who now lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.