Consequences

Veteran romantic suspense writer Victor (The Sisters) returns with a dramatic story of family betrayal and sibling rivalry. When Claire Carlisle flees her abusive husband, an accident forces her to leave one of her two young daughters behind. Claire gives her daughter Page a new existence in London; Liza is raised by her unloving father in New York, unaware that her mother mourns and misses her. Sweet Page and unscrupulous Liza meet by chance at boarding school, allowing Liza to learn her mother's new identity for the first time. Years later, burning with anger at her abandonment and with envy at the rich and exciting life Page and Claire now lead as international hoteliers, Liza uses her considerable wiles to edge Page out of her mother's heart, career and pocketbook. Soon it is Page who feels estranged and abandoned. Will the two sisters ever come to terms? The author's characterizations sometimes verge on the stereotypical, and her plot twists rely heavily on coincidence and miscommunication, yet this is a brisk and colorful tale, rich in its evocation of privileged lifestyles and well seasoned with a blend of sex and intrigue. (Feb.)