To the Manor Dead

Janet's Planet Mystery #1

by Sebastian Stuart

Janet Petrocelli, my gimlet-eyed sleuth, is a recovering therapist. She had a practice in New York City, but career burnout -- combined with the implosion of her marriage to the Asshole -- made her rethink her life.

A junque junkie, Janet buys a small building in a quirky Hudson River town. She opens a used-stuff shop downstairs and lives above. It doesn’t take her long to realize that the valley is filled with people who are every bit as fascinating, delightful, degenerate, sexy and dangerous as anyone she knew down in the city.

And while Janet may think she wants less to do with “that overrated, self-obsessed, narcissistic species – the human race”, in fact, her voracious curiosity and her passion for the lost, the wounded, and the underdog inevitably draw her into the heart of darkness.

In To the Manor Dead, Janet becomes entangled with one of the Valley’s aristocratic old families -- the Livingstons – who have gone to seed in pretty spectacular fashion. She is led into a web of drugs, depravity, greed and, of course, murder.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Cozy

303 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2010

About the author

I was born and raised in New York City; my first home was Greenwich Village. I went to a bunch of schools, including two years at a public high school, before finishing up at a ragtag prep school in Connecticut (the setting for my novel The Hour Between).

At 17, I moved to San Francisco, ostensibly to go to San Francisco State College. It was the late sixties and the classroom had a hard time competing with my adolescent craving for adventure and the carnival of the times. I stayed in that dreamy town for seven years, leaving behind my heart and quite a few brain cells.

I moved back to New York City and tried to be an actor. I didn’t have the chops (or the talent), although it was fun appearing as the only man in the off-Broadway hit Women Behind Bars (I hope there are no photos of my nude scenes) and on Broadway in the bomb Legend, starring that spitfire Elizabeth Ashley.

I started writing plays, a surefire way not make a living. To bring in the bacon (which I was still eating back then) I had every job you can imagine: cabdriver (I loved getting fares to forgotten corners of the city); medical transcriptionist; wine salesman; really bad waiter. For a while I lived in an atmospheric little aerie on top of a brownstone -- reached by a private staircase, it had skylights, a roof deck, a clawfoot tub, ancient appliances, it was like being back in the 1940s.

My plays started getting produced off-off Broadway at places like La Mama, Theater for the New City, and The Kitchen. I made some lifelong pals and we would work together again and again, spending hours in cafes after rehearsals. It was la vie boheme circa 1980s. I ended up having close to twenty productions – Michael Musto, bless his heart, called me “the poet laureate of the Lower East Side” -- and it never stopped being a thrill to see my work up on stage.

I also wrote a few screenplays that were optioned, and had some fun experiences out in Hollywood. Especially when Madonna was interested in doing one of my plays and arranged a reading at her bungalow on the Warners lot. The mouth on that girl!

Twenty years ago I fell truly madly deeply in love with a fella I met at a scruffy writers’ colony in Vermont (it was very hard to get into – you had to call them up). I moved to delightful, bosky Cambridge and have been here ever since. I’ve ghostwritten in every genre imaginable, have published four novels, and write a fundraiser called Banned in Boston every year. When I’m not writing, I like to take long walks, run, do a little yoga, read, go to museums, and dance around the kitchen to eclectic playlists Steve puts together.

My love affair with the Hudson Valley/Catskills began over thirty years ago, when I bought a small cottage beside a big stream in West Saugerties. I spent my first summer there exploring the hidden byways and quirky towns, something I still love to do. It’s a wonderfully diverse area in every way, filled with fun, fascinating people and, of course, a lot of mystery.

Reviews

[Mark Baker · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot was okay, but almost all the characters made my skin crawl. The main character was only okay. The family of suspects were actually rather creepy. I have a feeling the author was going for funny, but it missed the mark for me.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[Franklie · Rating 4 out of 5]

SOOOO close to perfect fun, but it had my pet peeve - sludgy vocabulary. And LOTS of it. (What's wrong w good ole 'damn' and 'hell'?) And a few descriptions I wish I could un-see. Ah, well.
The characters even brought up the topics of being prosaic and/or erudite. Made me smile.

Otherwise...
THE VIBE OF THIS BOOK AND EACH CHARACTER IS AMAZING FUN. Would love to read more about each one of them.

Oh, there were a couple of comparisons that didn't sit well either. For example, the baddie was compared to Hitler. Sorry, condo-development is NOT worse than genocide.

Despite my intense aversion to litter language, I may have to read the next one. Yay!

[Linda Smatzny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strange characters . Easy book to read.

[Grey853 · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first I was put off by Janet. She's shut down and forcing the humor a bit much. As the story goes on, the book does get better and the mystery unfolds.

The best part of the book for me was her relationship with Josie, the girl she liberates from an abusive stepfather. Despite her oath to avoid attachments, she steps in and protects the teen. Josie turns out to be quite the cook and an asset to the shop. I was hoping in the end that Josie would remain with Janet instead of going to a foster home, but maybe in the next book that will happen. For me that was the core of the story of Janet, how she finally lets down her guard to help someone who needs her.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Janet has left her therapy practice in the Big Apple for a laid back life selling junque in a small town on the Hudson river. But she can't stop her therapist attitude, and responds more to the problems of others than she would choose. When she gets involved in the explosively dysfunctional, formerly rich Livingston family, she finds herself more involved than is quite safe. There are male authors who can write convincingly in a female persona; Stuart doesn't make that transition smoothly, but he'll keep you reading anyway.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Janet Petrocelli owns and operates a small "junque" store in the Hudson Valley of New York. She was a psychologist in her past life but left that profession after two marriages failed. She meets Daphne Livingston, a seventy year old lady who wishes to sell off some of her furniture. When she is found dead and the police don't seem to want to investigate at all, Janet begins to look into the case. This was a quick read and very well written. I enjoyed it and the characters were very well written.

[J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Figuring out what a person is thinking was part of Janet’s life as a psychotherapist, but it is a lot harder when the person is dead and her occupation is now storeowner. The book has many interesting characters with interesting traits that would expect from a book whose main character is a former shrink. There are clues to follow, but there the lack of character relationships prevents this book from receiving a higher rating.

[Bunnyhugger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I heard about this from Porter Square Books where the author was scheduled for a reading. I didn't go but have been in the mood for a mystery so requested it from the library.

Update 11/9/10
This is a fun mystery populated with quirky, somewhat degenerate, characters. I think it's the start of a series (Janet's Planet) so will keep an eye out for the next installment.

[Virginia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had 28 characters if you count the narrators pets, and none were fully developed. Author was more concerned with what everyone was wearing and eating than setting a tone. This was supposed to be a mystery, but there was no tension. It was short and quick.

[Bridgit · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not like the writing style of this at all and unfortunately the plot wasnt good enough to save it from being a chore to read. Luckily it was short.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok; good short read. I would try another book by the author, but it wasn't a book that I felt as though I couldn't put down.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was super funny in parts. I liked all of the characters, but they needed to be a bit more developed. Hopefully the other Janet's Planet books will have that depth.

[Michael Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book, couldn't put it down. The eccentric characters kept you going. Will look for more from this author, and hope that Janet's Planet will become a series.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fun, mostly because it is set in Rhinebeck/Kingston/Saugerties.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun eccentric characters and set in the Hudson Valley (which appeals to me) but largely forgettable.

[Suzan Poisner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weak character development.
Felt like plot ran along and then in 5 pages the book abruptly ended.

[Heather Adores Books]

I live in the same town as this author so it was fun to read the names of places I know. It was a good, quick read.