The Teacher

The Teacher is a foreboding psychological thriller with cleverly executed twists and turns contrived to keep readers and characters off-kilter and reeling from beginning to end. Author Freida McFadden has honed her craft to near perfection, especially when it comes to those last minute, final page shockers no one sees coming.

In that aspect, The Teacher is the crème de la crème of psychological thrillers – a masterpiece of illusions with unreliable characters and scandalous over the top twists.

The Teacher opens with a mysterious, eerie scene in the middle of nowhere where an unknown is digging a grave before flashing back three months where readers are introduced to Eve and Nate Bennett – a couple who both teach at the local high school. Students dread Eve’s math class like the plaque while Nate’s English class is highly lauded especially among young teenage girls who swoon over his movie star good looks and charismatic personality while gossiping about how a plain Jane like Eve ever hooked a star like Nate. Addie is a student in both classes where she struggles in math and excels at English – an obsessive loner who’s bullied by the in-crowd and shunned by old friends. Eve views the presence of Addie in both her and her husband’s classes as a potential complication because of a scandal involving Addie and a teacher who was fired for improper behavior last year while Nate is sympathetic to Addie’s plight, offering to help her hone her writing skills as a young poet and encouraging her to find her place among her peers. Before long, the three characters’ lives are hopelessly intertwined in a dangerous, highly combustible situation that can’t end well. The story that unfolds is one that quickly morphs into a sordid tale of bullying, stalking, abuse, revenge and murder. There’s little more I can say without spoilers. I advise going into this one as clueless to the plot line as possible and prepare to be blown to smithereens by a signature McFadden explosive ending that I suspect will leave readers reeling and discussing for some time.

Author Freida McFadden has rendered another fast-paced, addictive thriller readers will find nigh on impossible to put down. The disturbing story is narrated via the voices of Eve and Addie with chapters alternating between their points of view. An overall tone of impending doom permeates the pages as characters and readers struggle with deciding who can be trusted and who’s hiding behind a mask of civility waiting for their chance at the ultimate revenge. The author’s utilization of short, engaging chapters is highly effective at drawing readers into this mystifying tale of abuse and murder. Support characters are as riveting and believable as the main characters, playing major roles in the outcome of this heart wrenching tale. Readers should be forewarned that The Teacher accentuates dark themes including abuse of power and sexual molestation of minors some may find disturbing.

The Teacher is one of those books that swallows readers whole, sucking them in on page one and holding them hostage until the very end. Simply said . . . McFadden’s books should come with a highly addictive warning label in neon colors on the front cover. Even when some of the twists border on the unbelievable, readers will find themselves thoroughly engaged and reading into the wee hours seeking answers. And, as always, McFadden will absolutely stun readers with the final big reveal in the epilogue.  

The Teacher is a raw, riveting, compulsive psychological thriller that I suspect will top many readers’ favorite lists in 2024.  With each subsequent book, Author Freida McFadden has risen steadily through the ranks to take her place among the elite of psychological thrillers’ authors. Highly recommended to fans of thrillers, suspense and mysteries.