The Teacher by Katerina Diamond

 

About this book

You think you know who to trust? You think you know the difference between good and evil?

You’re wrong …

A LESSON YOU WILL NEVER FORGET

The body of the head teacher of an exclusive Devon school is found hanging from the rafters in the assembly hall.

Hours earlier he’d received a package, and only he could understand the silent message it conveyed. It meant the end.

As Exeter suffers a rising count of gruesome deaths, troubled DS Imogen Grey and DS Adrian Miles must solve the case and make their city safe again.

But as they’re drawn into a network of corruption, lies and exploitation, every step brings them closer to grim secrets hidden at the heart of their community.

And once they learn what’s motivating this killer, will they truly want to stop him?

SMART. GRIPPING. GRUESOME.

My review

I’m not normally a fan of the taglines attached to the books title. You know, the ones saying the book has a “twist you won’t see coming” or similar. So when I saw this one I was a bit sceptical. I do think however that this is one tagline that really needs to be there!! It serves as a warning to anyone of a sensitive or nervous disposition that this book really isn’t for the fainthearted. Thankfully that’s not me but it does contain quite graphic violence even though that violence is very integral to the plot. So, if you are squeamish, then be warned as it also covers a rather disturbing subject matter in detail as well.

DS Adrian Miles has only recently returned to work after a suspension. He has been teamed with DS Imogen Grey, who also has a troubled past and has just been relocated from her previous police force. Together they set off to investigate the death of the head teacher at a prestigious boys school (where Adrians son coincidentally goes to school). When more deaths come to light, Miles and Grey face a race against time to work out why these gruesome murders are occurring and who is responsible.

It took me a while to get into this book even though it opens up with a pretty shocking murder! It travels backwards and forwards in time visiting multiple characters until it starts to settle down and the plot becomes clearer. The descriptions of the murders are pretty gruesome but I didn’t think they were gratuitous, although I wanted to read with my hands over my eyes and singing “lalalalala” to block out the images and sounds I was imagining!

I adored the pairing of Miles and Grey. In fact, at times it felt like I had already met them before and I hope the author will seize the chance to write them another case to solve. I loved them as they were both flawed, messed up characters who both came with baggage but who worked together as a true team with totally trust in each other. Without them I don’t think I would have enjoyed this book as much as I did. Saying that though, it is a truly difficult book to put down as there are twists aplenty that will keep the reader on edge waiting for the next mirder

I must also mention that cover!! it’s incredibly eye catching and manages to convey a real sense of evil lurking behind the innocent image of that classic “apple for the teacher”. That cover and the hype on social media surrounding this book will make it a sure fire best seller and although I didn’t love it, it’s a book that has really stuck in my head and I would be interested in seeing which direction the author goes in next.

I received a copy of this book via netgalley in return for an unbiased review.

About the author

Katerina Diamond was born in Weston in the seventies. She moved to Thessaloniki in Greece and attended Greek school where she learnt Greek in just 6 months. After her parents’ divorce, they relocated to Devon. After school, and working in her uncle’s fish and chip shop, she went (briefly) to university at Derby, where she met her husband and had two children. Katerina now lives in the East Kent Coast with her husband and children. This is her first novel.

Available to pre-order now on Amazon