Stuck in Manistique

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Pub Date 29 Oct 2018 | Archive Date 26 Nov 2018

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Description

Near the midpoint of the Upper Peninsula, along a Lake Michigan bend of shore, is the town of Manistique, Michigan. Mark had never heard of Manistique before the death of his estranged aunt, but as sole beneficiary of Vivian’s estate, he travels there to settle her affairs. As Mark tours his aunt’s house for the first time, the doorbell rings.

Days after graduating medical school, Dr. Emily Davis drives north, struggling with her illicit rendezvous on Mackinac Island. She never makes it—on the highway near Manistique, her car collides with a deer, shattering the car’s windshield. Stranded for the night, Emily is directed to a nearby bed and breakfast.

Maybe it’s a heady reaction, the revelation that his aunt, an international aid doctor, ran a bed and breakfast in retirement. Or perhaps he plainly feels pity for the young, helpless doctor. Regardless, Mark decides to play host for one night, telling Emily that he’s merely stepping in temporarily while his aunt is away.

As a one-night stay turns into another and more guests arrive, the ersatz innkeeper steadily loses control of his story. And though Emily opens up to Mark, she has trouble explaining the middle-aged man who unexpectedly arrives at the doorstep looking for her. 

Will these two strangers, holding on to unraveling secrets, remain in town long enough to discover the connection between them?

Near the midpoint of the Upper Peninsula, along a Lake Michigan bend of shore, is the town of Manistique, Michigan. Mark had never heard of Manistique before the death of his estranged aunt, but as...


A Note From the Publisher

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: A native of California, Dennis Cuesta attended the University of Michigan and remained in the Upper Midwest during his early career. STUCK IN MANISTIQUE is his first novel. . .Dennis and his wife did get stuck in Manistique once, long ago. The interrupted trip served as inspiration for the novel.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: A native of California, Dennis Cuesta attended the University of Michigan and remained in the Upper Midwest during his early career. STUCK IN MANISTIQUE is his first novel...


Advance Praise

"Set in small-town Michigan, Stuck in Manistique is an unconventional novel that is both entertaining and cathartic. Dennis Cuesta's quirky and atmospheric novel, Stuck in Manistique strikes a perfect balance between lighthearted fun and heartrending emotion. . . .The book's twists and turns are original, putting new spins on tropes and archetypal characters."

-Foreword Clarion Review


"Death changes everything. But when one door closes, another opens. Stuck in Manistique  details the process of these doors opening and of being both stuck and unstuck, and is a delightful read of changed lives, purposes and connections that offers hope and imparts a positive feel about life's twists, turns, ironies and the power of serendipity. . . .separate stories [wind] into a fun entwined set of experiences with a light thread of humor overlaying all."

-D. Donovan, Senior Book Reviewer, Midwest Book Review


"Set in small-town Michigan, Stuck in Manistique is an unconventional novel that is both entertaining and cathartic. Dennis Cuesta's quirky and atmospheric novel, Stuck in Manistique strikes a...


Marketing Plan

- National trade advertising

- Librarian marketing campaign

- Reading group guide and online book club attention

- Targeted social media ads

- National trade advertising

- Librarian marketing campaign

- Reading group guide and online book club attention

- Targeted social media ads


Available Editions

EDITION Hardcover
ISBN 9781732410909
PRICE $24.00 (USD)

Average rating from 332 members


Featured Reviews

I think this is the funniest book I have read. Totally unpredictable, great characters, and I read it in one day. The twists and turns of events had me laughing out loud. A financial planner arrives at a remote town in upper Michigan to check out a house left to him by his aunt. He does not realize it is a Bed and Breakfast until guests start showing up. Although reluctant to be a host, he feels sorry for every guest's situations and becomes the greatest host; going above and beyond the call. The town is charming and easy to picture, given the excellent details of the setting. The characters are unique and lovable. This was a delight to read!

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This book starts out in one direction, and you think it's going to be strictly chick lit, and then you turn the page and a mystery unfolds. Can coincidence really be just that, or is something bigger than fate at work? As more guests start arriving, the book evolves again, part Agatha Christie closed room mystery, part thriller. But always there is humor that keeps things light and makes the reader shake their head in wonder, When will the coincedences end? Is Vivian controlling things from the grave? As the book starts to turn into a gothic thriller, you won't be able to put this book down! And when the end somes, you'll be hoping for another book with the same characters! Make sure it's on your Fall reading list!

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I loved this book, the characters are quirky, the town is charming and the story line keeps the pages turning effortlessly. The ending is perfection. Read this one in one day. This book is what fate is all about, how one event can bring so many other things to light. Five stars!

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This book was really well written and conceptualized. It just felt cozy and familiar -- in a totally good way. The characters were true to life in remarkable circumstances. How would I react if I found out I owned a B&B and guests were arriving?? Yikes. The twists and turns kept coming, but without a sense of peril that keeps you from just enjoying the characters. Strange to say, I know, given some of the events in the book, but it is the way I felt. I've never been to the UP but have been to Mackinaw Island and have stood at the base of the bridge's southern end. It is a beautiful area up there, with kind people, unique food, and nature. Mr. Cuesta really captured that feel in his book, and I have scheduled a return trip for next summer because of this book. What a wonderful read.

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Stuck in Manistique is just plain fun! The characters are a hoot and the story is amusing. It made me think about just what is family and how a chance meeting can turn into a deep friendship or a romantic forever. It made me think of the mistakes people make along the paths of their lives and how the way they deal with those mistake is what defines them as a person. I really like these characters. Hopefully there will be a sequel...Still Stuck in Manistique sounds good to me!

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Mark has inherited a bed and breakfast in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. With every intention of selling it, he finds himself hosting Emily Davis, a recent graduate of medical school who is on her way home but has had an accident with a deer and has no transportation. As she waits to have her car repaired, she and Mark get to know each other and others in the small town. An enjoyable read with delightful characters.

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I usually don't give a book 5 stars unless it continues to haunt me long after I've read it, but this one was so much fun, was so enjoyable on every page, and managed to surprise me throughout, that I have to give it a 5.
There is a lovely sub-genre of fiction popular these days of a person - usually a woman - having a surprise inheritance of a bookshop/bakery/B&B from a sometimes completely unknown relative in a small town in the middle of somewhere nice. I've read many of them, some of them trite and some with character and depth.
Stuck in Manistique looks at this general scenario from a refreshing male point of view, and nails it on all counts. Mark leaves his job and home in Chicago to see and sell the home in Manistique, Michigan he has inherited from his international aid doctor Aunt Vivian. As he is looking over the place, his first customer arrives. It seems no-one told him his aunt ran a B&B and in addition to booked customers, the local hotel is still sending business her way when they are booked because no-one told them Vivian had died. And this is just the beginning of a jam-packed plot of engaging characters and relationships shifting and growing more chaotic by the minute. Lots of humor, growing friendships and real connections, a little heartbreak and unexpected turns here and there. Dennis Cuesta keeps the story believable, thoroughly original and unpredictable, and absolutely delightful. I highly recommend it.

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