Manor House [signed]

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.