The Teacher

LoveReading Says

Detective Sergeant George Cross returns to solve the mystery of who killed a local retired headteacher, where the only surviving witness is the dog.

This is the sixth book in the series featuring the fastidious detective of the Avon and Somerset Major Crimes Unit who has a very particular way of working due to his Autism Spectrum Condition. These methods may annoy some, but also bring results-- he has the highest conviction rate in his police department.

The unfortunate murder victim in this case is retired headteacher Alistair Moreton. While some might have used their retirement to make new friends and find new hobbies, Moreton has done the opposite. He has antagonised his next-door neighbours and alienated the other villagers with his pugnacious ways.

But even as a headteacher, he was known for being a bully to the students with a penchant for using a cane for discipline. Other than his dog Ricky, who witnessed the murder, no one seems sad to learn he’d died.

Working alongside Cross is the interesting cast of characters who helped him solve his previous cases: his partner DS Josie Ottey, the goth forensic scientist Dr. Michael Swift, and social media and computer analyst Alice Mackenzie. At the outset, Ottey is on leave to move house, so Cross is assigned a new partner, who neither understands nor appreciates Cross’s methods. One of Sullivan’s strengths is to make each character, no matter how small, fully developed and interesting.

Sullivan displays a deftness at tackling current issues, such as police malfeasance or abuse in schools, and weaves them through the plot with a light touch. Once again, Sullivan has written a page-turning thriller with the indomitable Cross at its heart. 

Reviewed by Maureen Stapleton
Maureen Stapleton, a writer and journalist, has written for The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Radio Times, Heat, and many others.
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