Dying to Meet You

The British author's unobtrusive style and distinctive characters win her honors at home and abroad. Creating ominous airs in her sixth novel, Gill ( Death Drop ; Victim ) writes about mismatched Lowell Marshall, a renowned pianist, and his wife, Zoe, a dentist. Their troubled marriage weakens further as arthritis ends Lowell's career and Zoe tries to make him get another job. Her nagging drives Lowell away from home to a ruined cottage, left by distant kin, a deep-country refuge that casts a spell on the unhappy man. The enchantment is complete when Lowell finds the photo of a 19th-century beauty and falls in love with the woman he calls ``Girl.'' Replacing the idol of the portrait, teenage Rose becomes Lowell's seducer and their affair proves the catalyst to horrors previously hinted at. The tragedy revealed in the epilogue provides a stunning denouement to this haunting mystery. (July)