Fallout

The Wessex Papers #2

by Daniel Parker

Dear Charles, I regret to inform you that I have expelled your son, Noah. This was not a decision that I made lightly. Indeed, it is particularly vexing to me, as you and your family have faithfully supported the Wessex Academy for so many years. Sadly, I had no choice. I don't want to go into the sordid details on paper; suffice it to say that the incident involved one of our female faculty members, and that Noah's behavior was inappropriate in the extreme. Perhaps some kind of arrangement can be made, although I'm doubtful. Again, my most sincere regrets. Yours,
Phillip Olsen,
Headmaster Sunday and Fred discover more about the sinister conspiracy at Wessex. The blackmailers are getting desperate....and they're willing to turn to murder.

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Boarding School, School, Teen

256 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2002

About the author

Daniel Parker is a pseudonym of Daniel Ehrenhaft.

Reviews

[teddy · Rating 2 out of 5]

What. Did I just read.

The second book has the same wruh-wroh-wraggy mystery van type writing style but instead of about pulling pranks its about statutory rape and the tendency of wealthy families to slowly begin to care about their status first and foremost by dissuading their children from seeking help for their addictions and mental illnesses.

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Still pretty good.

* Noah gets a copy of the tape of him and Miss Burke having sex with a demand for $200,000. Winnie offers to help him set up a trading account so that he can make money by doing a pump and dump, but Noah isn't sure it will work. (It doesn't; he gets called out, the stock he bought plummets, and they lose the $4,000 initial investment that Winnie loaned him.)
* Sunday and Fred keep spending time together, but when Mr Burwell catches them together in Mr Olsen's house, he makes them not spending time together part of the rules for him not getting them expelled.
* Sunday and Fred on another wander to Mr Olsen's house discover Mr Olsen in an old small basketball costume, dancing around his cellar with posters proclaiming him to be some amazing basketball player and the 'worlds sexiest batchelor'. They also discover that he's got some sort of illegal betting thing going, with the mafia!
* Fred plays basketball but can't concentrate, and the team lose by 27 points. This leaves Mr Olsen in even more trouble because he told everyone to bet on the team winning, and now they all want their money back. Including Hobson's father who bet $20,000.
* Miss Burke was obviously in on the whole videoing her and Noah and then blackmailing him, because she then tries to pull out of the whole arrangement, which Olsen won't allow.
* Noah is expelled, and Mr Olsen writes a letter to his father basically asking for money if he wants Noah to return to the school.
* Noah's father replies 2 days later to say he'll pay, but asks where Noah is as it's been 2 days and he hasn't returned home.
* Sunday discovers another tape of Mr Olsen dressed as a woman performing shakespear. Mackenzie gives this tape to Hobson for safe keeping.
* Alison catches Mackenzie and Hobson together and decides to retaliate by making out with Winnie.
* Sunday and Fred sneak away to an old abandoned quarry where they'll be able to discuss what's going on uninterrupted, and instead witness Mr Olsen (the principal), and the brother of the kid who got expelled in the first book (Salvatore Viverito), putting Mr Burwell and Miss Burke in an old car, and rolling it off the cliff into the quarry 😲

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

grr Noah was my favourite character!

[Cheryl Sitmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read these books in order.