Silk

Scheming and backstabbing abound in James's look at the tension-filled, high-stakes world of fashion. After her own nuptials crumble, British divorce lawyer Christine Fairbrother is hoping to rise through to ranks to Queen's Counsel, colloquially known as "taking silk." Christine's daughter, Isabelle Ciss%C3%A9, is struggling to get her fashion designs noticed by the right people, including garment manufacturer Massimo Rivelli. Meanwhile, Victoria Crabtree, Massimo's mistress, plans to use Isabelle and her designs as part of a plot to get Massimo to finally leave his wife. What Victoria doesn't realize is that she will set events in motion that will tie all the characters together. James (Step Sisters) gives readers an entertaining glimpse into the not-so-glamorous, nuts-and-bolts side of fashion, but familiar characters%E2%80%94the middle-aged woman beginning to date again after a divorce, the struggling young designer, the unhappy mistress desperate to oust the wife%E2%80%94make the book feel more off-the-rack than haute couture. Agent: Shelia Crowley, Curtis Brown. (Mar.)