Bad Habits

Professor Mackenzie Claire Woods, the narrator of this engrossing psychological thriller from Gentry (Good as Gone), is on a career high, finally achieving her quest for respect after delivering a keynote speech at an academic conference held at an L.A. hotel. She’s about to retreat to her suite when she spots Gwen Whitney, her former best friend and rival. Flashbacks reveal how the once close friendship Mackenzie and Gwen formed in high school splintered after they were admitted to a prestigious, cultlike graduate humanities program at Dwight Handler University. There, the two women vie for the attention of the university’s power couple professors, Bethany Ladd and her husband, Rocky Semyonovich, who use gossip, betrayal, and sex to control students. Bethany and Rocky will also determine who receives a fellowship that, for some, is worth killing for. Superior storytelling makes up for the off-putting leads and an absurd twist toward the end. This rousing exposé of the politics of academia, with its textbook reputation for backbiting, will keep readers turning the pages. Agent: Sharon Pelletier, Dystel & Goderich Literary. (Feb.)