Bookshelf: Pleasure Seekers and Secret Keepers

History of a Pleasure Seeker by Richard Mason
If you’re already loving Downtown Abbey, you’ll adore Richard Mason’s opulent new coming-of-age drama set at the turn of the 20th century in Amsterdam. History of a Pleasure Seeker follows Piet, a charming but austere young man who becomes the tutor for the son of a tycoon, soon observing and then eventually pursuing all manner of pleasure himself, including the charms of his employer's wife and the attentions of certain gentlemen on the staff. (Knopf, $26) — Sam Hernandez