Conscience Point — Erica Abeel

Madeleine Shaye has all the luck. At mid-life, she's in a relationship with the man she's admired since college, the wealthy, well-regarded, though still-somewhat-married-to-
someone-else New York publisher, Nick Ashcroft. Her daughter, Laila, and she remain close while other mother-daughter relationships among their friends seem to be regular battle zones. And Madeleine's dual career as a concert pianist and TV arts reporter gives her enough stimulation and challenge (as well as glamour) to keep her feeling fully connected.

But…luck has a way of running out.

It begins when she feels a maddening coolness from Nick, whose newly hired publicity director is a sharp British looker considered to be a real up-and-comer in the industry. Then, Madeline gets into a tangle with Laila, whose sudden decision to leave college in favor of working for social causes in Guatemala leaves her feeling shocked and disconnected. Still reeling, it's not long before Madeline learns that a hungry young co-producer with an eye for youth culture has usurped her position at the station. What next?

To be sure, there's a story for everyone in Conscience Point: start with a successful woman at the height of her career struggling to adjust to the fast-paced, new world of pop culture and youth: throw in a love triangle (or two); add a good dose of mother-daughter drama; a comic look at New York's artsy set with a peek into the harbored lives of the uber-wealthy; cover it with a dark, Gothic mystery; and top it off with the realization of a dream -- reclaimed later in life. This is a swift, engaging, page-turner that marks a wonderful return for novelist Erica Abeel, whose previous books include Women Like Us and The Last Romance.