Louis Auchincloss may not the best, but he’s very good. He’s underrated, under-read, and highly entertaining. He’s been my favorite for several years. I’ve read about twenty of his novels, about ten of his story collections, a few collections of criticism, a few biographies, and a memoir. I like him.

The Rector of Justin (1964) is reckoned to be his best, and is about the only one that anyone reads any more, and even that one rarely. I don’t disagree with the consensus, but it’s perhaps not where I would start. Maybe try The Embezzler (1966), a fictionalization of the case that lead to the creation of the S.E.C., or The Education of Oscar Fairfax (1995). Or this one, which was characteristically good. ( )