Sarah Cobb

A happy combination of romance and mystery keeps this lightweight novel just far enough from being glib. Socially prominent in late-19th-century New York City, sisters Millicent and Agatha Cobb are expected to behave impeccably, and when Millie, 23 and unmarried, becomes pregnant, she feels constrained to accept an offer from her brother, Henry, and his wife to raise the child as their own--along with their stipulation that she never reveal her true relationship to the boy. Rae ( Julia's Story ) quickly cooks up a continually simmering broth of melodrama and chicanery as Millie's son, William, grows up in a quirky household that includes his reclusive aunt Clara and scholarly but indolent cousin Arthur. Visits from ``Aunt'' Millie and the increasingly unpleasant Agatha are frequent but barely tolerated. Twenty-two years pass quickly and Henry, a widower, marries Sarah, only 20. When Henry dies under mysterious circumstances, Sarah is arrested for his murder. By this time she and William are in love--but the plot has only now begun to thicken. ( Sept. )