A New Man in the House / Her High-School Lover - by Peter Rabe (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

NEW MAN IN THE HOUSE

Roger Garland has made a career out of pleasure. He is, in fact, the perfect butler--discreet, deferential and ready to please the family, particularly the women of the house. His new employer is banker Matthew Hornaday. But Garland is much more interested in Hornaday's teenage daughter, Lorna. Lorna is just discovering sex, and Garland is certain that he can be the perfect teacher. But there is also Mrs. Hornaday to consider. She may be married to a banker, but she was once a Broadway star, and has lost none of her lust for life--or for Garland. If only Mr. Hornaday didn't distrust him so much, this could be the perfect set-up for seduction.

HER HIGH-SCHOOL LOVER

Laura Vaughn has fallen out of love with her second husband. Her first husband, Pierre, taught her all about life when they were young in France, but archeologist Robert makes her feel like an obligation. While Laura writes letters to Pierre, her teenage son Tony seethes with rage and confusion, resentful of his mother, disdainful of his step-father, mad at the world. And Tony's friend, Tad Howard, has problems of his own--his parents hate each other, and use him as their punching bag. Each one them is seeking something and someone to make the pain go away. It is only a matter of time before Laura and Tad find each other.

Review Quotes

"A Rabe novel through and through, only instead of a crime novel it reads like a Machiavellian Lolita-esque story, a sort of coming-of-age with a theme of corruption, including the sexual kind."--Rick Ollerman, "The Differential Peter Rabe"

"As I've said before, Peter Rabe is one of the two major genre influences on my writing, Hammett being the other. His use of language, his handling of emotion, and his eye for the dramatic detail inside the normal were an inspiration for me."--Donald E. Westlake

"Rabe can pack more into 10 words than most writers can do with a page."--Keir Graff, Booklist