Suddenly

When pediatrician Mara O'Neill is found drugged with Valium and dead of carbon monoxide poisoning--an apparent suicide--it sets off crises in the lives of the three pediatricians who were in practice with her in a small Vermont town. For Angie Bigelow, dealing with Mara's death becomes the final straw in the disintegration of her once-well-organized--and ostensibly happy--home and marriage. Peter Grace, whose involvement with Mara was more complex than he admits publicly, must resolve a sense of discontent rooted in his youth. Paige Pfeiffer, who was Mara's friend since college, copes with her deep sense of loss by caring for the infant from India that Mara had arranged to adopt. Paige's life is further complicated by the attentions of Noah Perrine, acting head of the posh but troubled private school where Paige coaches girls' athletics. Delinsky ( More Than Friends ) does her usual good job of creating a dynamic interaction among a varied ensemble of characters, but their lives convey a subtle and complex subtext on parenting--that being a perfect parent is integral to being a perfect person--that may wilt some readers' enjoyment. Author tour. (Feb.)