From bestselling author Alina Adams comes a razor-sharp murder mystery where elite kindergarten admissions turn deadly—and everyone has secrets worth killing for.

Admissions decisions are due within the week. The woman who makes them just turned up dead.

Manhattan’s Arete Academy for the Gifted won’t let a little thing like murder derail their mission to accept the best and brightest kindergarteners. But Jamie Perlow, the admissions director’s assistant, isn’t buying the “tragic accident” story used to explain the death of her boss.

Suddenly promoted to interim director—and amateur sleuth—Jamie discovers four families were up for final review. All four are desperate. All four have secrets. And one of them may be willing to kill.

As Jamie investigates Manhattan’s cutthroat private school world, she realizes the truth may cost her more than these families’ combined fortunes.

With Decision Day looming and a killer still at large, Jamie must determine who deserves admission to Aggie…and which parent would murder to secure their child’s spot.

Alina Adams is the New York Times bestselling author of soap opera tie-in, figure skating mysteries, romance novels, historical fiction, and the nonfiction books Getting into NYC Kindergarten and Getting into NYC High School.

She has been covering the New York City school system for over twenty years for Today Show Parenting, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, the 74 Million, and Advance. She has been featured in The Atlantic, New York Magazine, and The New York Times.

Most importantly, Alina has applied her three kids to a variety of New York City public, private, and gifted schools—and lived to tell (all) about it!