Consequences

Claire Carlisle leaves Madison, Wis., and her cruel, wealthy husband, Bennett, to begin anew in England with a man she truly loves. She succeeds in abducting only one of her two daughters, Meredith, later renamed Page. An infuriated Bennett prevents Claire from contacting Liza, their older daughter, and raises the girl in a loveless household. Page and Liza meet years later in a Swiss boarding school, but don't realize that they are sisters. Rebellious Liza is expelled from school but, just before leaving, spies an aristocratic woman stepping out of a limousine to embrace Page. Her memory jogged, Liza recognizes her mother and swears to avenge both Page and Claire for having abandoned her. Through a complicated series of events, Liza alienates Page and Claire from each other and plots to take over her mother's hotel chain in Europe. A fast pace and glamorous settings combine for gratifying escapist fare. Consequences is the first effort by pseudonymous collaborators Cynthia Katz, co-author of Breaking into Video , and Victoria Skurnick, executive editor of Book-of-the-Month Club. (Nov.)