Name Dropping [Hardcover]

Jane Heller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2000

Pre-school teacher Nancy Stern is in a personal and professional rut. But what really puts a dent in her self-esteem is the realization that another woman named Nancy Stern has just moved into her building... a Nancy Stern who lives in the penthouse... A Nancy Stern who interviews celebrities for glossy magazines... a Nancy Stern who's chummy with Kevin Costner. Nancy's loss of her own specialness deepens as she keeps getting the other, more glamorous Nancy's mail, phone calls and party invitations by mistake. It's all too much to bear--until a man calls one night, intending to ask the other Nancy out on a blind date. What follows is a raucous and romantic involving mix-ups, mistaken identity, and murder ...

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The name's the thing in this lively romantic thriller in the Susan Isaacs tradition, a theme set up in the opening scenes when Manhattan preschool teacher Nancy Stern gets flowers from an unknown admirer. As she soon learns, however, the bouquet is not for her, and neither are the phone calls from intriguing-sounding men or the invitations to film screenings and glamorous parties. Another Nancy Stern, a celebrity journalist, has just moved into the penthouse in our heroine's building. It's enough to make a teacher who hasn't had a date in months accept one of the mistaken invitations. The man proceeds to steal her heart, and the longer she waits to tell him about the mix-up in identities, the less she wants to. But when the other Nancy Stern is killed and the murder makes the headlines, the charade is over.

Or is it? It seems the killer was confused, too--he meant to put sweet Nancy out of the picture, and it all has to do with a gaudy brooch given to her by one of her pupils, a little boy who claims his father is a pirate and has a treasure chest full of booty. This is the perfect summer read--as frothy as an incoming wave, as refreshing as a Popsicle on a hot day. If you liked Susan Isaacs's Compromising Positions, you'll love Jane Heller's Name Dropping. And on your way to pick up some extra sunblock, you'll want to add Heller's earlier caper Sis Boom Bah to your beach bag. --Jane Adams

From Publishers Weekly

Heller proves once again that she has breeziness down to an artful science. In her latest romantic suspense novel (after Sis Boom Bah), there's another powerful premise as well as a quirkily humorous heroine to hang it on. Nancy Stern, self-described Brunette Who Keeps Her Head, is a teacher at Manhattan's Small Blessings, a tony preschool where ultrachic parents deposit their "trophy offspring." Not completely satisfied with her lot in life, Nancy finds herself suffering from serious envy when a second Nancy Stern--who turns out to be a glamorous celebrity journalist--moves into her building and Nancy I begins to find $10,000 AmEx bills and invitations to private movie screenings in her mailbox and phone messages from ardent male admirers. Nancy I is intrigued, desperately wanting to learn if the grass is really greener; when she gets another misdirected phone call, this time from a man asking for a blind date, she decides to be Cinderella for one night and impersonate Nancy II. The blind date turns out to be the man of her dreams, but now that she's told him so many creative untruths, how can she ever go straight? To complicate matters, Nancy II is soon murdered and Nancy I finds herself caught up in a new existence that's even more exciting than she bargained for. Those without cause to take it personally will find it a treat to see Heller turn her culturally observant wit on certain parenting trends. There's even a rollicking and appropriately themed "shoot-out" to go with the nursery school setting. With a dearth of fleshed-out suspects for the murder, the mystery aspect of the book is somewhat shortchanged, but most readers will come for the fast pace and the fun, of which there's plenty. Agent Ellen Levine. Author tour. (June)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 327 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1st edition (April 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031225234X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312252342
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,311,277 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I hope those who've enjoyed my novels of romantic comedy will try my first nonfiction book, "Confessions of a She-Fan," about my passion for the NY Yankees. Yes, it's about baseball, but it's also about marriage (mine) and what it really means to be a fan. If you aren't into baseball, maybe you know someone who is and you'll tell them about it.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jane Heller has done it again., May 30, 2000

By 

Nancy R. Katz "NancyK18" (NJ) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Name Dropping (Hardcover)

As she did in her previous books, Jane Heller in her latest book, Name Dropping, provides her readers with a light and witty reading experience.

Nancy Stern, a divorcee living in New York, spends her days as a nursery school teacher at the prestigious Small Blessing school. She spends her nights with friends listening to them chart their romances or lack of romances and wonders if she'll ever meet Mr. Right among the play-doh.

Then out of the blue she begins receiving invitations to society eveneings, phone calls from strange men and even beautiful bouquets of flowers. As she wonders what's going on, the mystery is solved when she learns that the celebrity interviewer and writer, another Nancy Stern, has moved into her building. And then when a man calls asking for a blind date with the other Nancy Stern, nursery school teacher Nancy decides its time to seize the man and spice up her life. What ensues is a comedy of errors and intellignece which only a witty writer like Jane Heller can deliver to her readers.

This is a fun book, most likely meant to be read this summer on the beach. But remember when you laugh out loud, others around you may be wondering why.

Have fun with this book.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining light read, July 27, 2000

By 

HH (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Name Dropping (Hardcover)

Name Dropping begins with two women, both named Nancy Stern, living in the same building. One of the women interviews celebrities for a living and the other (our heroine) works at a preschool. When the preschool-teaching Nancy starts receiving invitations to parties with celebrities and phone calls from strange men wanting to sleep with her, she knows there's been a mix-up between the two Nancys. Annoyed, our Nancy accepts a blind date with a man who unintentionally called her while trying to reach the other Nancy. There's a murder and some missing jewels, and our Nancy has to try to sort everything out.

I really liked the characters in the book. Preschool-teacher Nancy was fun and believable, as was Bill (the blind date she fell for). Celebrity Nancy was easy to dislike. The kids at the preschool were entertaining as were the other teachers. I read the book quickly because I wanted to find out what happened to everyone.

While this was by no means a literary masterpiece, the writing style was enjoyable and easy to read. I felt like I could relate to the people and the surroundings even though I had never been in that particular situation. The plots and subplots kept the book moving and there wasn't much lag time between events.

I would recommend this book to people who enjoy first-person, self-depracating novels about women who aren't gorgeous or important. I would also recommend it to people who like light mysteries without much horror or blood.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What's in a Name..., July 26, 2000

By 

Roz Levine - See all my reviews

This review is from: Name Dropping (Hardcover)

Meet Nancy Stern, nursery school teacher with the girl next door looks and a nice studio apartment on the upper east side of New York City. Life is easy, steady and rather unexciting until one day roses arrive for her from someone she doesn't know; then fancy party invitations and interesting phone calls. As Nancy investigates these odd occurrences, she finds that another Nancy Stern has moved into the penthouse of her building. She's blond, rich, gorgeous and writes celebrity profiles for popular magazines. She's got the kind of life that nursery school Nancy wishes for. So when a nice sounding man calls nursery school Nancy for a blind date, thinking she's the other Nancy Stern, our girl goes for it pretending to be celebrity Nancy. So far, so good, until celebrity Nancy is found murdered in her apartment. Confusing? Not really. Jane Heller gives you a light, witty, well written mystery full of funny scenes and irreverent dialogue. The writing is wonderful, the characters, interesting and the story line, just lots of fun. Did the killer get the wrong Nancy? Hang in there to the very satisfying ending and find out. This is a great book to take along to the beach. Read and enjoy!