Publication Date February 6, 2024

I enjoy psychological thrillers, but had not previously read anything by Freida McFadden (One By One, The Co-Worker, The Housemaid) , so I had no expectations when I received a copy of The Teacher from Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

The story has two main characters: Eve is a math teacher at Caseham High, and Addie is one of her  students. Poor Addie is taunted and bullied by her classmates as a result of allegedly inappropriate behavior involving her and an older male teacher during the previous school year.  That teacher (no longer employed) warns Eve not to trust Addie, and Eve passes that warning along to her husband Nate, who teaches English at the same high school, and also has Addie in one of his classes. The warning about Addie is true: she for SURE can’t be trusted.. Plus, she lies and hurts people, and the other students go out of their way to make her miserable.  

Unfortunately Nate is thinking with the wrong part of his anatomy, inappropriate conduct soon occurs (there is no “allegedly” this time), and the twists and turns begin.. There are tons of secrets, “OH NO” moments, and a wonderfully twisty plot with surprises galore.

As a retired teacher, I particularly enjoyed it…and have recommended it to my husband – a former English teacher who encountered an Addie or two before his retirement.. I loved this book, and stayed up for HOURS to finish it. It is just good entertainment. Five stars.