The Good Teacher

by Rachel Sargeant

Killer Reads

Publication Date : December 14, 2018

Pages : 224

Synopsis From Publisher :

Even the good have to die.
A beloved teacher is murdered and left in a ditch beside a country lane. His wife is found beaten and gagged in their suburban home.

Even the best schools have secrets.
New detective Pippa Adams learns that the teacher ran a homework club for vulnerable pupils. But what did he really teach them?

Even the perfect family has something to hide.
When Pippa scratches the surface of the school community, she meets families who’ve learned a shattering lesson. And finally uncovers the good teacher’s darkest secrets…

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

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