cover image Pulse Points

Pulse Points

Suzanne Topper. St. Martin's Press, $19.95 (492pp) ISBN 978-0-312-01501-5

A beautiful, vulnerable heroine, extravagant gems and continuous excitement are among the attractions in this powerfully written first novel. Raised in a Chicago orphanage and painfully ignorant of her lineage, Gaia Gerald wistfully fantasizes about having a mother. Then, miraculously, a gentle, elegant stranger named Dom Perrini takes Gaia away from a miserable foster home to Brooklyn, where his mother raises her. Ultimately, she becomes a prominent jewelry designer at Ferrante-New York, a highly prestigious firm where Dom serves on the board of directors. Though he remains her devoted mentor, he never reciprocates Gaia's strong romantic feelings, or divulges anything concerning his background. Suddenly, Gaia learns that the late head of the impressive Ferrante empire bequeathed the New York store to her because she is his granddaughter. After she has several near-fatal ""accidents,'' Gaia resolves to protect the store's reputation while unearthing its board members' illegal back-room dealings, even if this involves risking her life and finding out the truth about Dom. Topper compensates for a few implausible twists by constantly heightening the suspense, portraying glamorous locales in Manhattan and Italy, and describing magnificent, gem-laden creations. As a writer of first-rate commercial fiction, Topper obviously has bestseller potential. Doubleday Book Club and Literary Guild alternates. (April)