The Good Teacher: An absolutely gripping whodunit full of twists by Rachel Sargeant

The Good Teacher: An absolutely gripping whodunit full of twists Reviews

• 
  Michelle

  If you are a seasoned psychological thriller reader then I think this title tells you everything you need to know about the story within these pages. When "Good" is in the title it's likely a diversion, no?
  
  Yes.
  
  Carl Brock is a well respected teacher in his community that dedicates his time after school to helping underprivileged students. Recently married to Gaby his life is the picture of perfection. So how did he find himself murdered in a ditch on the side of the road while his wife was beaten nearly to death and tied up in their home? You'll have to read it to find out.
  
  The ending was rather lackluster and wasn't very surprising either.
  
  Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Impulse and Killer Reads for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
• 
  8stitches 9lives

  The Good Teacher is the second novel of Ms Sargeant's I have had the pleasure to enjoy; it matches up pretty well against The Perfect Neighbours. It is also the first in a proposed new series featuring the delightfully ditsy DC Pippa Adams. This is a cross between police procedural and family/domestic drama, and it's a fun, scream through-in-an-afternoon type of book. Granted it's not an especially original concept, but it's well written, fast paced and easy to engage with, and Pippa is a character that is multi-dimensional, different and yet rather scatterbrained for someone of her police rank or calibre.
  
  There is an ominous undertone that underpins every page, puts the reader off-kilter and has them wondering what exactly is around the corner. The tension is then ratcheted up by a good few twists in the tale, and the secrets, deception and devious dealings rise up to the surface. This is a particularly suitable read for those who like their crime fiction on the clean side as there are no gory or graphic scenes. Recommended.
  
  Many thanks to Rachel Sargeant for forwarding me an ARC.
  
  You can also find my reviews posted
  here on my blog.
• 
  Susan

  This novel is an odd mix of the modern, police procedural, but with hints of a cosier, more character driven mystery. It begins with the murder of a respected teacher, found stabbed in a ditch, his wife left, beaten, and tied up in her own kitchen. It is the first day out of uniform for Detective Constable Pippa Adams, when she is sent to the house of Mrs Gaby Block, wife of the victim, Carl Edward Brock.
  
  Pippa is a wonderful character and it was her, without doubt, which made the book work for me. Far from being from the wrong side of the tracks, she tones down her upper class accent. Her parents are divorced and she joined the police after leaving a promising career in dance, but, that aside, she is delightfully normal. A little shy, and gauche, she is apt to say the wrong thing, blush at the wrong time and get things wrong. Nicknamed ‘Agatha’ by Sergeant, Mike Matthews, after an unguarded comment about Christie, she is aware that she is seen as the new girl and unsure of how to be taken seriously.
  
  The mystery itself centres on the unlikely victim and why he was murdered, when so many speak highly of him. There is much about office politics – both at the school where Mr Brock worked, and at Penbury Police HQ, where Pippa has to negotiate her new job. If you like character driven mysteries, without much violence, then this may well appeal to you. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
  
• 
  Karen

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• 
  Liz Barnsley

  Compelling psychological thriller. Review to follow for the tour.
• 
  Mandy White (mandylovestoread)

  The Good Teacher by Rachel Sargeant is a quick and addictive book. The story is fast paced and keeps you wanting more. I was not a big fan of the main character, she was a bit all over the place but still enjoyed this read.
  
  Pippa Adams is young cop, new to the area. The first case on her first day is a kidnapping and murder. The murder victim is a well loved teacher at the local school and his wife is found tied up in their home. as they get into their investigation they find that maybe this teacher was not so good after all. The ending will surprise you for sure!!
  
  Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Impulse and Killer Reads for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased
• 
  Nicki

  Firstly I would like to sincerely thank Rachel Sargeant and Killer Reads for sending me an advanced copy of this gripping thriller. And for giving me the opportunity to take part in the Blog tour.
  
  On her first day out of uniform, new Detective Pippa Adams finds herself investigating a bizarre murder mystery. The body of a beloved teacher had been discovered lying in a ditch beside a country road. And when the police went to inform the deceased wife,they found her beaten and gagged in the kitchen of their suburban home.
  
  When Pippa and her new colleagues start digging into the teachers life, they discover that he ran a homework club for vulnerable children.
  
  But what did he teach them? Was the club as innocent as it seemed? It seems that the good teacher was hiding dark secrets. But who killed him and why?
  
  The Good Teacher is quite a quick read that has a shocking,heart pounding opening chapter. Then we are introduced to ex ballet dancer Pippa and follow her and her not very likeable colleagues investigation into the teacher's murder. All Pippa wants is to be accepted and taken seriously but her new colleagues just seemed to treat her like she was just a major inconvenience. As the story unfolded, I really tried to feel some sympathy or empathy for Pippa but I didn't think she a very memorable main character. I can honestly say that out of all the main characters in this book,the only one I liked by the time I finished reading it was DS Mike Matthews. Scattered throughout the story was the odd chapter here and there that was voiced by a character called Benjamin Hedges. If you want to find out how he fits into the story,then you are just going to have to read the book and find out for yourself.
  
  I enjoyed the mystery elements of this fast paced thriller. There was several twists and turns along the way including one twist that was totally unexpected. The chapters were short and snappy and gave the reader a very bad case of Just one more chapter syndrome. It was a enjoyable read,my one personal issue being that there was a bit too much office politics at the police station for my liking. Although I didn't enjoy The Good Teacher as much as I loved The Perfect Neighbours that will not stop me from looking forward to reading more books written by this author in the future
• 
  Rachel Sargeant

  If you’ve read The Good Teacher, I’d like to thank you for spending your precious time with my book. I hope you enjoyed it.
  For anyone interested, here’s how I came to write the novel.
  In 2002 I went to a crime writing workshop led by crime writer David Armstrong. He set us a five-minute exercise to write about a character at a crime scene. We shared our work in the group and I was happy with what the others said about my paragraph – my first piece of fiction since school days.
  On the way home, I called into a newsagents and spotted Writing Magazine, a magazine I’d never noticed before. Enthused by the workshop, I bought a copy. It took me a few days to read it but eventually I came to an advert for the magazine’s annual crime short story competition. I had a go at expanding my 100-word workshop piece into a 1600-word story, covering the same scene. I sent off my finished effort to the competition and couldn’t believe it when it actually won and I was invited to the award ceremony at Harrogate.
  Buoyed up by this success, I rewrote my short story as the first chapter of a full-length crime novel. I managed to find a publisher and the book came out in 2010. After a few years, it went out of print and the publisher returned the rights to me. In the meantime I’d undertaken a Creative Writing Masters. I met three fantastic fellow writers on the course and we’ve continued to share early drafts of our work for comment. I thought I���d rewrite my novel using the techniques I’d learnt on the course and with feedback from my three writing buddies. By the time I’d updated the book, I’d acquired a literary agent and The Perfect Neighbours had been published by HarperCollins. When I sent the latest version of my first novel to my agent, she sent it to my Perfect Neighbours editor. He took it on, helped me update it further and gave it the new title of The Good Teacher.
  I can honestly say my book started life sixteen years ago as a 100-word exercise. Several thousand words and the support of many people later, it’s made it to the Killer Reads list. I'd say it's more cosy crime than gritty police procedural or psychological thriller. I hope you like it.
• 
  Stephanie ((Strazzybooks))

  I didn’t particularly enjoy this book, and I almost didn’t finish it a few times.
  
  The story was instantly intriguing, but something was off for me with the writing and plotting.
  I felt disconnected to the characters and lost interest in what was happening with the murder mystery, amidst the police station drama.
  While it was somewhat interesting to see a young woman rise up through the detective ranks, her inner-voice was way too obnoxious for me; the MC seemed to always be blushing, doubting herself, or remembering a mysterious, violent past experience. The men that surround her in the precinct are pretty terrible and stereotypically dickheads.
  I didn’t really understand the characters (like the randomly placed stepmother) or their motivations.
  
  This one didn’t work for me, but others may enjoy seeing the MC try to prove herself as a detective and the *twist* at the end.
• 
  Linda Hill

  Pippa Adams has just joined CID, but it isn’t necessarily easy to fit in.
  
  I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Good Teacher, because it is an interesting and entertaining murder mystery without the gratuitous and graphic violence that sometimes spoils these stories for me. I thought The Good Teacher was really well plotted and I enjoyed making the connections in the story alongside Pippa, finishing the book with a sigh of satisfaction. Rachel Sargeant has a brisk, lively quality to her writing that makes the plot zip along effortlessly.
  
  I found Pippa a cracking character. The reader is drip fed aspects from her past and reading The Good Teacher has left me wanting to know more about her. She’s set up perfectly for a very satisfying series and I found her multi dimensional and engaging. I loved her nickname Agatha after Agatha Christie and actually, I could imagine Agatha Christie thoroughly appreciating the way The Good Teacher is written because there are many resonances with her own style. Rachel Sargeant understands that readers sometimes need less gore and more depth of character.
  
  I also really enjoyed the themes explored. Rachel Sargeant encourages the reader to think about the difference between appearance and reality, about the dynamics of race, family, gender and authority, and about identity, grief and loyalty. I think there is huge potential for Pippa Adams in the future.
  
  The Good Teacher isn’t a high octane police procedural, but I enjoyed it all the more for being a measured and compelling first book in a series that I will be following with great enthusiasm and interest. The Good Teacher is a smashing book and very well worth reading. I really recommend it.
  
  https://lindasbookbag.com/2019/01/26/...
• 
  Stephanie

  The start of the novel is quite tense, a woman handcuffed to a chair and then a body found by a pensioner walking his dog. It doesn’t take long for the two cases to be linked.
  
  Pippa ‘Agatha’ Adams is a new member of the local CID. She has to prove her worth and accepts her nickname with good grace. She has her dreams about how her career and working relationships will be. But the reality isn’t like her dreams. It is harder to be accepted than she imagined and she has to put up with public dressing downs and being on the receiving end of jokes and the occasional insult. There is a strong hint of trauma in her past which influenced her decision to join the police but no real detail.
  
  I liked Pippa and her team. The rivalries, the jokes and the loyalties were all convincing. The author showed that the loyalties had to be earned, the existing team weren’t prepared to give Pippa an easy ride, she had to prove that she was worthy. There was a character, the head teacher who I loathed with a passion. I really hope that he wasn’t a true portrayal of anybody within the education system.
  
  I expected the teacher to be not as good as the title suggests but I was completely wrong about the reasons why. I was also wrong about who the culprit was. It does all work though, I was just duped. It would be great to see this novel become a series, I would love to see Pippa succeed in her job and build on her standing in the team.
• 
  Roma Sharma

  This was a rare DFN for me. While I was intrigued by the plot, the actual writing didn’t do much for me. It has too many narrators and too many characters with their backgrounds coming up pretty early on. It made me loose interest and hence I eventually just gave it up.
• 
  Amanda

  I read the synopsis for ‘The Good Teacher’ and I just knew that I had to read it as it sounded like just my kind of read- a dark, mysterious, psychological thriller with a twist. I couldn’t wait to start reading and so without further ado, I dived straight in as it were. Boy oh boy I absolutely loved reading ‘The Good Teacher’ but more about that in a bit.
  I couldn’t help but warm to Detective Constable Pippa Adams from the first moment I met her so to speak. She is a young, feisty, serious, determined young police officer who is desperate to impress her bosses and desperate to learn from the more experienced detectives. She has an obsession with Agatha Christie which she lets slip to a member of her team and consequently she gains the nickname ‘Agatha’. She doesn’t like it but at the same time she is desperate to fit in so lets it go. I thought that she seemed to lack self confidence but then I suppose we all do when we start a new job. DC Adams is a very keen observer of people and she certainly seems to know the sorts of questions to ask even if she doesn’t always phrase them correctly. Pippa has a heart of gold but I think to start with she is perhaps a bit too trusting. Pippa works well as part of a team but equally she works well on her own. She is very good at using her own initiative, which has brought her some valuable results and intelligence. Pippa is determined that her first investigation in CID will be a success. Is it a success? Well you are just going to have to read the book for ourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.
  Oh my goodness gracious me, ‘The Good Teacher’ is one hell of an addictive read. The book starts in such a shocking and unforgettable way that it will remain fresh in my mind for a long time to come. For me, the story hits the ground running and maintains the pace throughout. The author grabbed my attention literally from the first sentence of the first paragraph of the first page. It didn’t take me long to get into the book and pretty much by the end of the first page, I knew that I was going to become addicted to reading this book. So it proved to be- for me at any rate. I made the mistake of starting to read this book just before going to bed and two hours later I was still reading. I decided that sleep is for wimps and so I just carried on reading. I found it impossible to put the book down and I begrudged having to stop reading. If I had to stop reading for any reason, then I would literally count down the time until I could safely start reading again. I binge read this book over the course of a day, which certainly helped to distract me from the horrendous chronic back pain that I suffer from.
  ‘The Good Teacher’ is extremely well written. The author uses such vivid and descriptive language that I actually felt as though I was Pippa’s invisible work partner. I found that I was interacting with the book. Yes, yes before anybody says anything I know ‘The Good Teacher’ is a work of fiction but if I am enjoying a book and the writing is of good quality, I tend to ‘live’ the story as if it were real. I also have a very vivid imagination which helps too.
  Reading ‘The Good Teacher’ is much like being on a rather scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride with several twists and turns along the way. I have to be honest and say that I did guess one element of a twist in the tale but that didn’t spoil my enjoyment of this book in any way. There were other twists and turns that I wasn’t expecting and which felt like a punch to the gut.
  In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Good Teacher’ and I would definitely recommend it to other readers. I can’t wait to read what Rachel Sargeant comes up with next but whilst I wait I am going to read her other book called ‘The Perfect Neighbours’. I just know that I am going to enjoy reading it just as much as ‘The Good Teacher’. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.
• 
  OutlawPoet

  Meh.
  
  This is an uneven little thriller that tries very hard to be different.
  
  The mystery of our teacher is marred by the fact that we never, ever believe anything good about him. As a result, we don’t really care who killed him.
  
  Our main character is a rather unbelievable cop-slash-pretty blonde-slash-dancer-slash-I donn’t know what. She just kind of is… Even when she has these observations or revelations that can turn a case on its ear, the reader is left feeling that she isn’t too bright and she just stumbled into the truth. (I will say the running Agath joke is cute.)
  
  In the end, the book is okay. I might try the author again in the future, but I don’t know that I’ll hope for all that much.
  
  
  *ARC Provided by Net Galley
  
  
• 
  Christen Moore

  When I started Murder and Moore, one of my hopes was to discover new authors. I have been very lucky. I have found many new fantastic authors I would have never discovered had I not started Murder and Moore. Many of these authors are now automatic adds to my to be read list whenever I learn of they’re newest release. After reading The Good Teacher, it is safe to say that Rachel Sergeant is the newest author to be added to my list of automatic must reads.
  
  When Carl Brock a beloved teacher at the local school is found murdered in a field, his wife badly beaten and handcuffed to a chair in their home; the town of Penbury is shocked. The assault and murder is assigned to rookie Detective Constable Pippa Adams and her partner to investigate. As Pippa dives into the case, she begins to unravel the life of the teacher. Uncovering lies, betrayals, and extreme abuses of power.
  
  Readers will be able to tell pretty early on that Carl Brock is not so good. However this does not make the story any less compelling. Trying to figure out what Carl was up to will keep readers glued to the book. The story of a person in a position of authority and how they take advantage of their power will always interest me. We all know someone who has let power go to their head. The feeling of wanting this person to get knocked down a peg or two is something everyone can understand. Especially when the individual is abusing their power. I found myself cheering Pippa on as she refused to believe the consistent stories of Carl’s dedication and love for his students.
  
  When I labeled Pippa Adams a rookie in the above paragraph it was not an exaggeration. We meet Pippa on her first day in the Criminal Investigation Department. She has no allies and everyone seems eager to see her fail. Nothing she says is right, to her colleagues and superior officers her questions seem pointless. I immediately felt sympathy for Pippa. The first day of any new circumstance is always hard. However Pippa is no push over. While her questions seem pointless to her fellow officers, she knows exactly what she is doing. She is quick, clever, and follows her instincts. Her new insight is a refreshing contrast to the older more jaded detectives in some of my other reads.
  
  Pippa has some issues in her background. Before enrolling in the police academy she was well on the way to becoming a successful dancer. The Good Teacher hinted at the reasons for the abrupt change in career but did not go into many details. I found this a little disappointing but I have the feeling The Good Teacher could be book one of a series. Hopefully we will learn the reason behind her career change.
  
  Overall I found The Good Teacher entertaining and fun. The story focused more on the murder investigation rather than character development. The murder at the heart of the story was not overly graphic or gruesome. The Good Teacher is perfect fo readers looking for an introduction into crime fiction.
  
  Murder and Moore Rating:
  
  4 out of 5 Stars
• 
  Karen Cole

  I was really looking forward to reading this novel - particularly as I work in a school. Thankfully, my workplace isn't hiding as many secrets as the school in this intriguing thriller (I hope!)
  The novel opens with a chilling scene which switches between a young woman, Gaby Brock who is in a desperate plight and an older man out on his bicycle, apparently hiding something from his wife. Reg's reasons for sneaking out behind her back soon pale into insignificance, however, when he discovers the body of a murdered man in a ditch. The victim turns out to be Carl Brock, an English teacher at the local secondary school.
  Although The Good Teacher is about the investigation into the murder of Carl and the assault on his wife, it's also about Pippa Adams who has only just left her job as a uniformed officer to become a detective constable. Her first day doesn't quite go to plan and she manages to earn herself the nickname, 'Agatha' after she makes an enthusiastic but ill-timed comment regarding the famous fictional detective's sleuthing methods to her new mentor, DS Mike Matthews. I really liked Pippa; she's naive, awkward and frequently either says too much or too little. However, although she doesn't make the best first impression on her new colleagues, she is actually a perceptive police officer whose outward persona belies her abilities. As for those colleagues, I must admit that I didn't much like many of them, although as the novel progressed I realised my initial feelings about DS Matthews were a little hasty and I found myself warming towards him. I've read quite a few books where the young rookie is teamed with a more experienced officer but they are quite often from the point of view of the old-hand so I enjoyed reading a novel which for the most part follows Pippa's point of view.
  The majority of the book is written in the first person from Pippa's perspective but there are parts written in the third person which give us a glimpse into other characters and the most puzzling are the sections following Bartholomew, a clearly devout and deeply troubled man. I really don't want to give too much away about the case itself here, suffice to say I found it fascinating to see how the various strands of the plot eventually came together. I must admit to not being surprised by certain reveals but this didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book at all. Although there are some dark themes explored here, I felt that Agatha Christie fan, Pippa would love The Good Teacher as it definitely has the feel of a cosier crime solved by the sleuthing skills of somebody using their powers of observation.
  I thoroughly enjoyed it too and actually would welcome reading more books featuring Pippa and DS Matthews. There's certainly scope for further development of both characters and the relationship between them. I'd recommend The Good Teacher to anybody who enjoys well-plotted crime novels with a domestic drama feel to them and look forward to reading more of Rachel Sargeant's books in the future.
• 
  Elizabeth Horton-Newton

  The blurb for The Good Teacher by Rachel Sargeant teased me with the line, “A gripping thriller with a shocking twist.” I dove right into the book, hungry for the clues that would leave me trying to guess the twist.
  Sargeant starts off with the intriguing description of a woman handcuffed to a chair. This first paragraph is definitely a hook. Who is she and why is she handcuffed? And who has handcuffed her? The next paragraph finds a man cycling on a country road. Before the first chapter closes the cyclist finds an abandoned car and a dead body in a ditch, and the woman, Gaby, is rescued by the police.
  It’s in chapter two the reader is introduced the best character in the book, Pippa Adams, the new DC at Penbury Police HQ. Pippa has a fascinating history I will leave readers to discover on their own. Partnered with DS Matthews she is soon on her way to investigate the happenings at the home of Gaby Brock, wife to the late teacher, Carl Brock. As the details of the crime are revealed, Sargeant tosses out clues that are far from obvious at first glance.
  As Pippa, nicknamed “Agatha” in honor of Agatha Christie by the experienced detectives, suffers the practical jokes and teasing of her new co-workers she begins to put clues together. Hints about her past are given throughout and her character is beautifully fleshed out. I found myself rooting for her initial appearance.
  Sargeant has created a story with good descriptions of British police procedures. While Pippa’s introduction and integration into the detective squad is predictable, it is also relatable. Her partner, DS Matthews may resent being stuck with the newbie, but he develops a grudging respect for her. The hard nosed DI Bagley is the female head of the department and it is apparent she is not certain she can hold on to her title. She barks orders like a drill sergeant and puts pressure on her squad to solve the mysterious murder of the popular teacher.
  At times the book seems almost like an outline for a story. Other than Pippa, I had to struggle to remember the names and roles of the other characters. The story is interesting and had a lot of potential in the first couple of chapters. After that it seemed to drag on. There are drug dealers, gangsters, stereo-typical criminals, and badly-behaved teens who struggle to keep the story moving. They seem extraneous much of the time. Their characters never bloom. It did have a nice twist in the end, although I figured it out early on.
  If you’re looking for a quick, easy read, you might enjoy this book. I would like to see Pippa show up in a future book and would even purchase it just to see her show her co-workers she has more on the ball than they realize.
  
• 
  Stephanie

  The action starts from page one and doesn’t let up. A woman wakes up to find herself gagged and bound to a chair in her own home. Her assailants are nowhere to be scene, but there’s an urgency to escape in case they come back. There aren’t a lot of details for the reader at first but eventually it comes out that her husband, a local teacher, has been found murdered in a field.
  
  The police are called to the home, and one of them is DC Pippa ‘Agatha’ Adams, who is on her first day as DC.
  
  From there the action continues to move briskly, as the police race to find the killer. Everyone they talk to seems to have a high opinion of the victim – “the good teacher”. He was a loving husband, a good brother, a well-respected colleague and a teacher that ran an after-school homework club for at-risk youth.
  
  But was he really as he appeared? As the police dig deeper, they start to find cracks in his ‘nice’ persona, but still can’t seem to find the killer.
  
  A MEMORABLE MAIN CHARACTER
  
  The main character, Pippa, has many ‘cozy’ elements to her – she’s nice, friendly, a bit shy and often doesn’t know when to stop talking – but she’s different from the ‘usual’ cozy mystery heroine because she’s a policewoman. She’s also incredibly normal and easy to relate to.
  
  After she’s paired with Sgt. Mike Matthews, Pippa casually compares their case to an Agatha Christie novel, thus earning her the nickname ‘Agatha’. Matthews starts out a bit of a jerk, but eventually, even he warms up to Pippa.
  
  THIS BOOK KEPT ME UP HALF THE NIGHT
  
  I read this book in one sitting (although I did stay up until 3am to do so!). I just couldn’t put it down. The book moves along fast and there’s very few lapses in the pacing.
  
  There’s an incredible amount of twists and turns, but it never became confusing. I was kept guessing until the final reveal. Part of the intrigue are the characters themselves. For example, the reader gets hints that something traumatic happened in Pippa’s past to caused her to abruptly quit dancing (something she was very good at) and join the police force, but the full story never comes out. In fact, many of the characters hint at having much deeper, more interesting stories. I hope that there are more DC Adams stories coming so that we can get to know the characters better.
  
  *** Thank you to Rachel Sargeant and Killer Reads for providing me with a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. ***
  
  You can read my full spoiler-free review on my blog:
  https://www.bookfrolic.com/book-revie...
• 
  Christine Rennie

  With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the book in exchange for an honest review.
  This was an excellent storyline and with a really good twist at the end. I would like to read more about Phillipa Adams in future and the rest of the police team. They were all very entertaining.
  Highly recommended.
• 
  Jalia Shelley

  Excellent psychological thriller. New detective Pippa Adams is investigating the brutal murder of a beloved teacher. Was Carl a good man or a horrible predator? As this story unravels it is impossible to put down. Fast paced until the climatic ending. Excellent book. Thank you #NetGalley for the chance to read this.
• 
  Karen Devine

  Good story!
  
  Liked the characters, the story was good. Lots of people to choose from for the who done it? Good plot!
• 
  Cristie Underwood

  The author wrote a thriller that started with a bang and just kept going! The twists kept coming, so I couldn't put it down. I cannot wait to read more from this author!
• 
  Jen

  I love a good thriller with a touch of mystery and when I was told that the story is loosely based around a town not far from me too, I couldn't wait to read it. And having read and loved the previous book, The Perfect Neighbours, I was keen to see whether this second book could match it. Which it did. And then some.
  
  The Good Teacher opens in truly dramatic fashion with one of the central characters, Gaby, chained to a chair as a reader, not having a clue why. You feel the tension rising as the chapter progresses, Gaby's plight uncertain and with no end in sight. And yet interlaced amongst Gaby's story is the seemingly incongruous tale of Reg, a man peddling his way towards a sneaky cooked breakfast, an act which will lead to the most grim discovery of his life ...
  
  This book is a thrilling and suspenseful who-dunnit with a cracking central character that I grew to like very quickly. Pippa Adams is fun, a little quirky maybe, but suffering very much from new girl syndrome, finding herself the butt of the jokes amongst her fellow Detectives for her love of puzzles and random Agatha Christie references. I really did like Pippa and warmed to her almost immediately as I think everyone can recognise a little bit of themselves in Pippa. She is intelligent and ultra keen, but possesses a kind of off-kilter intuition which leaves her open to ideas which may pass her colleagues by. She is sympathetic too, but questions everything she sees, challenging her colleagues in an entirely unassuming way. Her colleagues are a little harder to grow to like, although I did find myself developing a bit of a soft spot for DS Mike Matthews too. He was a little abrupt and dismissive of Pippa to begin with, but stepped up to the plate when it really mattered.
  
  There are other elements to this story which I can't really go into without giving too much away. However what I can say is that the main victim, Gaby's husband, is a teacher, and this brings him into contact with a whole host of people who may have the opportunity to hurt him. The main that the police need to solve is why. I love the way in which the author slowly feeds the clews into the story, giving the reader plenty of suspects and draws together the separate threads of story until they form a very clear and quite stark picture. There is plenty of emotion in this book, and the author tackles some meaty subjects with a keen observation, and a sensitive manner, making it feel believable.
  
  This is a great police based thriller with a good bit of humour, engaging characters as well as a serious subject at its heart. It does feel more cozy crime than dark thriller, Pippa exhibiting quite a few of the traits of some of her favourite deductive literary heroes, but I really enjoyed that angle to be fair. A change of pace to some of the other books I normally read, but it still seemed to simply fly by. Perhaps because it had me smiling just as much as it challenged by little grey cells. There are so many secrets for the police, and us as readers to uncover, that it will keep you hooked from start to finish.
• 
  Ali Harper

  I really enjoyed reading this. There's a satisfying mystery to solve but also I loved the interaction and conversations between the police officers and the central character, the latest recruit to the force. She had an intriguing past and it's one of those books that doesn't spoon-feed you the whole story - there's lots bubbling away just under the surface.
• 
  Marianne

  3.5
  
  Good premise and characters. Pippa is a interesting one, she has many layers. The story focuses on its characters and their relationships. The mystery reveal is something I seem to be running across lately so I wasn’t all that surprised but overall it was still an enjoyable read.
  
  Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Harper Impulse and Killer Reads.
• 
  Tracy

  enjoyable !