#WWWWednesday – 10th January 2024

WWWWednesdays

Hosted by Taking on a World of Words, this meme is all about the three Ws:

  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you’ll read next?

Why not join in too?  Leave a comment with your link at Taking on a World of Words and then go blog hopping!


Currently reading

One of the ninety-five unread books on my Kindle and a book for my personal Backlist Burrow reading challenge (that I hoped to complete by the end of 2023 but didn’t).

The Most Difficult ThingThe Most Difficult Thing/Part of the Family by Charlotte Philby (The Borough Press via NetGalley)

How do you know who’s on your side, if you don’t know whose side you’re on?

David is the heir to global company TradeSmart, run by his philanthropic father Clive Witherall. Meg is an ambitious intern at a national newspaper, determined to break into the media world. Anna is hiding a dark secret, desperately clinging onto her new identity.

When the three friends meet Harry, everything changes…

As Anna finds herself drawn into the dark and highly controlled world of espionage, she is forced to question everything she thought she knew about the people who have recruited her – and about herself.

All Day at the MoviesAll Day at the Movies by Fiona Kidman (Gallic Books)

When war widow Irene Sandle goes to work in New Zealand’s tobacco fields in 1952, she hopes to start a new, independent life for herself and her daughter – but the tragic repercussions of her decision will resonate long after Irene has gone.

Each of Irene’s children carries the events of their childhood throughout their lives, played out against a backdrop of great change – new opportunities emerge for women, but social problems continue to hold many back. Headstrong Belinda becomes a successful filmmaker, but struggles to deal with her own family drama as her younger siblings are haunted by the past.


Recently finished

History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund (Weidenfeld & Nicolson)

The Distant Dead (The Detective’s Daughter #8) by Lesley Thomson (Head of Zeus)


What Cathy (will) Read Next

His Bloody ProjectHis Bloody Project by Gordon Macrae Burnet (Contraband)

The year is 1869. A brutal triple murder in a remote community in the Scottish Highlands leads to the arrest of a young man by the name of Roderick Macrae.

A memoir written by the accused makes it clear that he is guilty, but it falls to the country’s finest legal and psychiatric minds to uncover what drove him to commit such merciless acts of violence.

Was he mad? Only the persuasive powers of his advocate stand between Macrae and the gallows.

Book Review – The Teacher by Tim Sullivan @HoZ_Books @AriesFiction @TimJRSullivan

Book cover The Teacher by Tim Sullivan Blackboard with chalk letter O

Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for The Teacher by Tim Sullivan, the sixth book in the DS George Cross crime series. My thanks to Andrew at Head of Zeus for inviting me to take part in the tour and for my advance reader copy. 

I hope you’ve been collecting the letters published by those taking part in the tour which when put together will spell out a phrase. In case you missed it, here’s today’s. Collect the next letter tomorrow from bookstagrammer, Joe at southseareads.


About The Teacher

Book cover The Teacher by Tim Sullivan

An eighty-year-old man is found murdered in his home. His age and standing in the community makes finding his killer difficult – why would anyone harm an elderly man? What threat could he possibly be to anyone?

With no apparent motive, DS George Cross canvases the community for potential suspects but the man was known as generous, charitable, community-minded. Each interview about who the man is muddies the picture further. So Cross decides to look for who he was – revealing a past that is far less honourable than his present . . .

He’s a victim. But is he innocent?

Format: Hardback (384 pages) Publisher: Head of Zeus
Publication date: 18th January 2024 Genre: Crime

Find The Teacher on Goodreads

Purchase links 
Bookshop.org 
Disclosure: If you buy a book via the above link, I may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops

Hive | Amazon UK 
Links provided for convenience only, not as part of an affiliate programme


My Review

I joined George Cross’s legion of fans when I read the previous book in the series, The Monk. All the things I loved about him then are evident again in The Teacher: his dogged determination, his truthfulness and his amazing observational and deductive skills.

I like how the author, Tim Sullivan, presents a neurodivergent character in a positive way, emphasising his unique abilities as well as his challenges, such as dealing with his father’s unexpected decision to take a foreign holiday. George’s relationship with his father is one of the gentle joys of the book, as is George’s friendship with local priest, Stephen.

I was pleased when DS Josie Ottey’s patience with her mother was exhausted and she returned to work earlier than expected because she and George make a great team. Which is more than can be said for the detective George is initially paired with – DI Ben Warner. Misogynistic dinosaur is the phrase that comes to mind. I hated his prejudiced and dismissive attitude towards George and was glad when he was forced to confront the consequences of his actions. He’s not even a good detective, leaping to conclusions, relying on his supposedly unerring ‘gut instincts’ and ignoring inconvenient facts in his haste to close a case. It’s a good job George is there to fill in the gaps. As DCI Carson says to Warner, ‘When something occurs to George, that things aren’t right, nine out of ten times he’s right’. As it turns out, this is one of those nine times.

The Teacher is another skilfully crafted crime novel but it’s definitely not ‘cosy’. As well as being an intriguing mystery, it deals with serious issues such as ‘county lines’ drug dealing, physical and sexual abuse, organisational corruption and addiction.

In three words: Intriguing, suspenseful, gritty

Try something similarMother of Valor by Gary Corbin


About the Author

Author Tim Sullivan

Tim Sullivan is a crime writer, screenwriter and director, whose film credits include Shrek, Flushed Away, Where Angels Fear to Tread and Jack and Sarah. His crime series featuring the socially awkward but brilliantly persistent DS George Cross has topped the bookcharts and been widely acclaimed. Tim lives in North London with his wife Rachel, the EmmyAward-winning producer of The Barefoot Contessa and Pioneer Woman.

Connect with Tim
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