NetGalley Top Reviewer

NetGalley Top Reviewer
NetGalley Top Reviewer

Saturday, September 25, 2021

For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing

 Twisty and clever, this was such fun to read -- mayhem and murder at Belmont Academy, home of some of the most entitled prep school teenagers and parents that you'd ever want to hang out with.

Rich, spoiled teens need an excellent education and counsel, don't they? Well, Teacher of the Year, Teddy Crutcher, is just the man who knows how to step right up and help mentor those darlings "for their own good." Sure, he may be a bit unhinged and misguided -- don't those cuticles of his look a sight -- but he only wants them to get what they deserve. He isn't too fond of his colleagues at the academy, and the parents just need to butt out of his business. Bribing for grades? Other teachers telling him how to run his classroom? Not going to happen on his watch.

Teddy has some issues, though. His personal life is in shambles, and by the way, where is his wife anyway? When Teddy sees an opportunity to push his way into more respect and attention, what is a little poison going to hurt? When people start dying at #murderhigh, suspicion falls on the most unlikely; which members of this community need to wake up?  No spoilers.

What a cast of characters! Told from different points of view, the narrative was so lively and fast that I read this book in one sitting as I just could not put it down without knowing how it was all going to turn out. Having been educated and also worked in the private school system (albeit not this particular type of elite academy), I had to laugh at some of the interactions between administration, faculty, parents, and students. The author has an excellent style that brought these people to life on the pages, made me shiver, and made me whoop in recognition. I almost had to hold my breath as the story ratcheted to a very satisfying conclusion. Fans will definitely not want to miss this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Books for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend.

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.

Genre - twisty thriller

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