The Teacher

Bad things happen to nice people, but is it right when those nice people begin to take revenge?

There are two key characters in this book; with the focus surrounding their timid and kind personalities, these are Abbey and Parker, both of whom had been dealt a bad start to adulthood.

Abbey was a young, bright veterinarian student, when a party with her ‘friends’ changed her view on the world; the guy of her dreams and his friend took her up to a room and the trust she once had, was lost.

Diamond beautifully captures how Abbey deals with this betrayal and the reactions from the relevant parties; including the university Dean, were difficult for me to read. Albeit I do believe they are an accurate account of how the events would be treated from a real life point of view. Abbey’s life changed dramatically from that point and unable to deal with the rumours and the looks, she dropped out of university and began a quiet life looking after the exhibitions in a local museum.

Meanwhile there’s a killer on the loose…someone is going around and killing random men. Is it a maniac or is there a connection behind these murders?

Abbey’s solitary job is shaken up when Parker; a PhD student, joins the museum team to help identify animals that had been badly damaged in a fire. Luckily for Abbey, Parker is quiet, a hard worker and passionate about the animals. Abbey begins to enjoy having someone else in the room; that shares the same interests as her, and slowly a budding relationship blossoms between the two.

As the book continues, we flash back to the events that followed Abbey’s life changing moment and we learn first hand from Parker, how he became the student working in this particular museum. The book is a fantastic puzzle and each chapter provides us with another piece, leading us closer to the link between these two characters and the gruesome murders.

As if there wasn’t enough going on, there are also the quirky detectives investigating the murders; Adrian and Grey. These two also have their own unusual stories that provide us with an insight to their secretive pasts’, but let’s face it everyone has something their hiding… and this book is just an example of how secrets unravel.

The murder investigation provides the needle and thread to stitch together these two sets of characters. As the motive for the murders unravels; corruption, deceit and abuse are placed on the table. Katerina builds up the momentum of this story so subtly that before you know it, you’re hit with one secret after another…leaving you gob smacked.

I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller; it’s gruesome, psychological and full of those softer moments, which allow you to warm to the characters. I was left feeling like the detectives did the right thing and that the secrets that remained hidden, were right to remain that way.

Would I read a book by Katerina Diamond again? Yes – she’s definitely produced a turn pager and I thoroughly look forward to seeing the dynamics of her next story

Until next time, Chloe x

P.S. I’m still working on the book review on The Storm Sister… I’m having writer’s block with it, but don’t worry it will be up in the next few days!