Pressure Drop

Technologically aided conception, baby stealing, inexplicable marine accidents and the activities of a wealthy, mysterious family are among the intriguing elements Abrahams ( Hard Rain ) expertly brings together in this gripping tale. At 39, New York PR executive Nina Kitchener yearns for motherhood and, lacking a mate, decides to undergo artificial insemination at the Human Fertility Institute. Shortly after birth, however, her infant boy is kidnapped from the hospital's nursery. When she discovers that another baby conceived at the Institute also was stolen, Nina begins to investigate the secrecy-shrouded facility, somehow connected to the rich, reclusive Standish clan. Meanwhile, in the Bahamas, diver and Zombie Bay Club owner N. H. Mattias is checking into the Standishes for his own reasons. Eventually he and Nina join forces to uncover some nefarious secrets. Maintaining suspense throughout, Abrahams sets his scenes with evocative details, using cynical wit to describe the harried lives of Manhattanites, then switching tone to convey the darkly sensual, threatening atmosphere of the Zombie Bay Club. BOMC and Mysterious Book Club featured alternates. (Nov.)