The Mentor: A Novel [Hardcover]

Sebastian Stuart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2, 1999

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Containing traces of The Babysitter, Gaslight, All About Eve and Deathtrap, Stuart's debut psychological thriller creates a wholly original, believable drama out of an archetypal love triangle involving a broken-down literary "genius," his mentally unstable but devoted prot?g? and his icy wife. Novelist Charles Davis was once New York's literary wunderkind, but that was more than two decades ago. Now 49 and bruised from a series of flops, he is sure his newest novel will be a hit: "Through some confluence of good fortune, DeLillo, Banks and Ford are all absent from this fall's list. There's room for him at the top. Again, after all these years." His wife, Anne Turner, is 13 years younger, a marketing hotshot and media celeb, head of an upscale housewares catalogue. One of Manhattan's most glamorous couples, they hit the skids in public when Charles's book is viciously panned in the New York Times Book Review, and he sinks into depression. Anne hires mousy but efficient temp secretary Emma Bowles to restore order to Charles's disheveled office. But Emma is a seriously troubled young woman who calls herself the "BadGirlSickGirl," and is running from a horrifying past. The story picks up speed while lingering exquisitely on eerie plot twists as Charles seduces Emma, and Anne's suspicions heighten. Discovering that Emma is writing her own novel, creatively blocked Charles "helps" her, while endeavoring to steal it, but he must make sure that his quickly disintegrating muse/workhorse will stay sane enough to keep writing. Meanwhile, Anne is pregnant, but Charles probably isn't the father, and Charles's own beloved mentor, his most trusted friend, is the only person who senses, and threatens to spoil, Charles's plagiarist scheme. The unraveling of the plot is ultra-stylish, equal parts ghoulish and cavalier; in Stuart's sharply observed Manhattan, an air of bemused morbidity festers amid the swanky circles of publishing and publicity, and the ambitious souls of the three main characters are creepily, masterfully authentic. BOMC alternate selection; rights sold in the U.K. (Nov.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In his first novel, Stuart moves a familiar, suspenseful plot to a surprising conclusion. Charles and Anne Davis seem to have the perfect life together. Charles is a renowned author whose first book made him a literary legend, and Anne runs a successful, upscale catalog company. Unfortunately, Charles has not been able to repeat the commercial and critical success he achieved with his first book 25 years before. In fact, his most recent effort has received savage reviews, and he is lashing out at Anne. Even though she is dealing with stress in her own work, Anne wants to help Charles. Enter Emma Bowles, the awkward young woman Anne hires to be his assistant. Charles becomes fascinated and then obsessed with Emma. Each step in Stuart's set-up is carefully written, so that the reader seems sure to know where the book will end. But Stuart successfully turns the tale on its head, creating complex relationships along the way. Recommended for larger public libraries.AJane Jorgenson, Madison P.L., WI
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Bantam; First Edition edition (November 2, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553111655
• ISBN-13: 978-0553111651
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,478,040 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Juicy Thriller, November 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Mentor: A Novel (Hardcover)

Although bits and pieces of this book sound familiar at times--Gaslight? All About Eve? Deathtrap?-- it's a really fun read. Short chapters and steamroller plot make it a perfect on-the-bus-to-work book. You don't exactly like any of the characters, but they're always doing something interesting or unexpected. And you can't really predict how the plot is going to turn out. I had it figured all wrong. The book is creepy one minute and bitchy the next, so you're always in for something entertaining. It's the ultimate quick read. I don't read a lot of "thrillers" but this one seemed much better written than the few others I've sampled. Maybe not great literature, but great entertainment.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging, entertaining and suspenseful, November 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Mentor: A Novel (Hardcover)

From the opening line, "New York is Emma's obsession" to the unpredictable ending, this book is a delight. The author takes you to the troubled heart of each character with insight and humor. The story reveals the need for status that drives New York's elite and the fear of humiliation that they mask with their facile sophistication. A compassionate picture of human desire. Fast-paced and compelling. Read it in one sitting. Waiting for the next one.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Guilty Pleasure!, December 13, 1999

By 

K. S. Alpert (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mentor: A Novel (Hardcover)

S. Stuart's The Mentor is a fast-paced, sharp-edged thoroughly enjoyable thriller set in the ego-driven world of New York's literary glitterati. It has enough twists and twisted characters to keep you hooked from the get-go. Since there's no real hero in the book, you never know who's going to emerge victorious... which is why I had to stay up all night to finish it. This is a really fun holiday read-- and if you thought your family was bad, get a load of these people. And kudos to the author for a great surprise ending!