The Haldanes

Writing under a pseudonym, Jessica Stirling ( Lantern for the Dark ) has woven an exciting period story set in Great Britain in the 1920s. Pauline Verity, the abandoned daughter of Barbara Haldane, is reunited with her wealthy maternal relatives after her beloved father is forced to move to Africa. Pauline's sense of isolation is exacerbated by the news that her pregnant mother will soon marry again and is sending the 15-year-old Pauline to a girls' school in Scotland, a Haldane family tradition. At St. Austin's, the timid girl meets her spoiled, manipulative older cousin Stella. Pauline's relationship with her mother remains cool, but she does warm up to other members of the extended Haldane clan. The death of the Haldane patriarch brings familial squabbles to a head and forces several previously closeted secrets out into the open. Rich in details of everyday life and manners, Crosby's well-crafted novel treads familiar territory but is a pleasant read nonetheless. (July)