Dangerous Admissions by Jane O’Connor: Dark but Fun

I love suspense/mystery novels. There, I said it. Love them. I try to have at least one in my diaper bag at all times to read when stuck waiting for a train at the RR tracks or in a long line at the bank. I like books that are quick reads, intriguing, and aren’t so obvious I figure out who did it by the second chapter. Oh, yes, books that have short chapters and can be broken up into small bits help, too! Have you ever tried to read anything more complicated than a calendar with four little kids in the house?

I am also a bit of a grammar weenie. In my former life before kids I was a technical writer, but I started as a copy editor. I cringe when I see grammatical errors in advertising or on a menu or, yes, in the novels I read, and my fingers itch to grab a purple pen and fix them. So the fact that the main character of Dangerous Admissions, by Jane O’Connor (of “Fancy Nancy” kid-book fame), is a copy editor and that occupation played a key roll in the plot line was just the right hook to pull me in quick. Harper Collins sent me the book, and I devoured it.

Rannie Bookman is a divorced mother of two who used to be a copy editor until a missing L from the last word in the Nancy Drew classic The Secret of the Old Clock caused her to lose her job. She works freelance and gives tours at the Chapel School, the exclusive private school that her son attends, until she can find other work.

At Chapel School, lives of the super-rich elite kids who attend are full of classes, parties, drugs, and worries about getting into the colleges of their choice their parents’ choice, usually one of the Ivies. But sometimes a substantial endowment from Mom and Dad isn’t enough to get into the desired school, and then Mr. Tutwiler, Director of College Admissions, comes in. Mr. Tut, as he’s known, has connections everywhere, and a good word from him is worth more than a new library.

But when Mr. Tut is murdered, and Rannie’s son becomes one of the suspects, Rannie must find out who the real killer is before her son’s college career is over before it starts. Little does she know that the best person for the job is a copy editor, someone with an eagle-eye and attention to every single seemingly inconsequential detail. Rannie doesn’t bank on the boost her sex-life gets, either, but that’s always good.

Dangerous Admissions is a fun read and a great debut adult novel from the author of the Fancy Nancy series of children’s books.