Lev has been running a successful blackmailing operation out of his boarding school since he was a kid and it’s gone off without a hitch for years. Now that he’s about to graduate, it seems a very inconvenient time to fall in love - especially while the principal is playing dangerous games with Lev and the other students.

Just what is the principal’s endgame? And who unleashed all these hitmen on Lev? Meanwhile, Lev’s sister Mary is having troubles of her own. Desperate people seem to follow her everywhere she goes - yet, despite her sincerest attempts to help, no one ever seems to get better.

Things go from bad to worse when Mary suddenly has to run away from the school to help Lev with his newest scheme. .

. Combining the psychological acuity and moral ambiguity of Robert Cormier (The Chocolate War, I Am the Cheese) with the modern trappings of a young adult mystery à la Karen M.

McManus (One of Us Is Lying, Two Can Keep a Secret), This first installment in the Illegitimate series is a fun, fresh espionage novel full of countless twists that are sure to keep readers guessing as it bulldozes its way towards its breath-baiting, larger-than-life climax. .