Reviewed by Kristin
Private school teacher Teddy Crutcher is weary of his students. Most of them are spoiled little brats with parents who are just as bad. Teddy has had enough of teenagers who can’t think for themselves and parents who expect their little darlings to have all A’s, no matter the quality of their work. His students deserve to be knocked down a peg or two; after all, it’s for their own good.
Belmont Academy is a most prestigious school, a proper stepping stone to the Ivy Leagues. Many of the teachers are former students themselves, part of the Belmont family. The teachers care, and truly want the students to achieve their dreams. But something sinister is brewing beneath the surface. Soon it’s more than SAT scores and vying for valedictorian status, as the bodies begin to fall.
Students, parents, teachers, and even headmasters are at risk as Belmont goes from a serene place of learning to a hall of horrors. What seemed to be a safe haven is suddenly fraught with danger, whether to life and limb or to one’s reputation. Anxieties, ambitions, and ardor motivate the various characters. High school is usually drama filled, but this year at Belmont is reaching a whole new level.
Downing’s debut serial killer novel My Lovely Wife was a real roller coaster ride and she continued her sardonic and somewhat deadly humor in her next book He Started It, where three adult siblings were forced to recreate a childhood road trip, with you guessed it, deadly consequences.
Samantha Downing is the queen of red herrings, and her newest novel does not disappoint. I found it very hard to know which characters to trust, and the twists and turns continue to the very end.
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