The recent college admissions scandal provides the spark for Edgar finalist Levine’s clever 14th legal thriller featuring attorney Jake Lassiter (after 2018’s Bum Deal). Jake is relieved to learn that his 20-year-old nephew, Kip, has survived being driven off the road into the water in the Florida Everglades. But that relief is short-lived after Jake finds evidence that Kip, who was supporting himself by tutoring high school students for the SAT, has been keeping secrets from him, such as how he was able to buy a new Tesla, with cash, and why his passport records recent frequent trips to the Cayman Islands. Jake’s fears that his nephew was attacked because of his involvement in something unethical are validated when Kip confesses that he’s part of an operation that helps give aspiring college students an advantage. In exchange for a hefty fee, Kip takes the SAT instead of the student, bribes proctors, and provides “resume and essay enhancements.” Levine makes Jake’s efforts to extricate Kip from criminal liability exciting. Fans of John Lescroart’s Dismas Hardy series will be pleased. (Self-published)