The Faculty Club

Tobey's unconvincing debut centers on a Skull and Bones–like society at a Yale-like university in New England. High achiever Jeremy Davis, a native of a small Texas town who attended an obscure college, is thrilled that he's starting at “the greatest law school in the world.” The very first day of classes, Jeremy's ingenious answer to a tough ethical question so impresses Professor Ernesto Bernini, a former U.S. attorney general, that Bernini asks Jeremy to become his research assistant. When Jeremy overhears Bernini mention him as a possible candidate for “V and D,” a club that invites only three law students each year to join, he doesn't hesitate to compromise his morals to become one of the chosen. Jeremy's pursuit of the truth behind V and D later puts his life in danger. Readers will search in vain for any fresh take on the familiar idea of an all-powerful secret Ivy League cabal controlling world events. The revelation of what's really going on is more likely to elicit groans than chills. (June)