Title: FOR YOUR OWN GOOD

Author: Samantha Downing

ISBN: 9780241446898

Publisher: Penguin Random House UK

Pages: 393

Source: Review copy from Penguin Random House South Africa

Teddy Crutcher has won Teacher of the Year at the esteemed Belmont Academy, home to the best and brightest.

He says his wife couldn’t be more proud—though no one has seen her in a while.

Teddy really can’t be bothered with the death of a school parent that’s looking more and more like murder or the student digging a little too deep into Teddy’s personal life. His main focus is on pushing these kids to their full academic potential.

All he wants is for his colleagues—and the endlessly meddlesome parents—to stay out of his way.

It’s really too bad that sometimes excellence can come at such a high cost.

Official Summary

Welcome to a compelling tale that drops you into the world of teachers and students at an exclusive private school. Samantha Downing has blown me away with this dark, twisty tale. I read and loved My Lovely Wife during November last year, so my expectations were high when I reached for For You Own Good. This book had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish, I could not put it down.

I simply love how dark and creative this author is with her storytelling. She manages to produce original stories that keep you on the edge of your seat and leaves you racing from page to page as she unravels all the details. I somehow missed out on He Started It her second novel, but I am happy to say that I secured my copy of that the minute I closed this book. I cannot wait to dig into that one.

Teddy Crutcher believes he is the best of the best. He works hard to ensure his students are the best they can be. Not just academically, Teddy believes it is his responsibility to ensure the spoilt rich kids he teach become better people. His colleagues and the parents of these children have a habit of getting in his way, but Teddy will not be perturbed. He will turn these kids into decent human beings, no matter what the cost.

Receiving For Your Own Good from Penguin Random House South Africa had me jumping with joy. I loved My Lovely Wife and could not wait to dig into this book. With very high expectations, I was not left disappointed. I lost all sense of time when I opened this book. The story is dark and twisty and from page to page you are left doubting most of the characters. I could not put this book down.

Teddy Crutcher, the English teacher – You are forced to love him and his warped way of doing things. I enjoyed this quirky man and found myself picturing him as a school principal I once had. (It’s probably best that I do not mention any names here.) The author did a marvellous job with this character. I also enjoyed Ms Marsha, the efficient, no-nonsense secretary to the school principal. This character was so original you will have no problem putting a face from your own life to this woman.

Samantha Downing has done it again! For Your Own Good is absolutely brilliant – another five-star read. I loved this book! I cannot wait to read He Started It. I have my copy ready and waiting, now I just need to schedule some time to get to it.

If you are keen on a dark twisty tale that will keep you on the edge of your seat as your race to the end of the book to see where the story is headed, then you will love Samantha Downing. Her writing is original and creative and her stories are compelling and twisty. I highly recommend you give For Your Own Good and My Lovely Wife a try – If you haven’t yet.

I will do my best to upload a review of He Started It before the end of 2021.

Also by Samantha Downing

My Lovely Wife

A couple’s fifteen-year marriage has finally gotten too interesting…

Our love story is simple. I met a gorgeous woman. We fell in love. We had kids. We moved to the suburbs. We told each other our biggest dreams and our darkest secrets. And then we got bored.

We look like a normal couple. We’re your neighbours, the parents of your kid’s friend, the acquaintances you keep meaning to get dinner with.

We all have secrets to keeping a marriage alive.

Ours just happens to be getting away with murder.

He Started It

Beth, Portia, and Eddie Morgan haven’t all been together in years. And for very good reasons—we’ll get to those later. But when their wealthy grandfather dies and leaves a cryptic final message in his wake, the siblings and their respective partners must come together for a cross-country road trip to fulfil his final wish and—more importantly—secure their inheritance.

But time with your family can be tough. It is for everyone.

It’s even harder when you’re all keeping secrets and trying to forget a memory—a missing person, an act of revenge, the man in the black truck who won’t stop following your car—and especially when at least one of you is a killer and there’s a body in the trunk. Just to name a few reasons.

But money is a powerful motivator. It is for everyone.

About the Author

Bio from the Author’s Site

Samantha Downing is the author of the bestselling My Lovely Wife, nominated for Edgar, ITW, Macavity, and CWA awards. Amazon Studios and Nicole Kidman’s Blossom Films have partnered to produce a feature film based on the novel.

Her second book, He Started It, was released in 2020 and became an instant international bestseller.

Her third thriller, For Your Own Good, was released in the US on July 20, 2021. It has been optioned by Robert Downey Jr. and Greg Berlanti for HBO Max

She currently lives and works in New Orleans.

Thank you to Penguin Random House South Africa for this review copy. I love Samantha Downing’s writing and appreciate the opportunity to share my review of For Your Own Good. Just in case you missed it – I loved this book and highly recommend it.

Do you enjoy Samantha Downing? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below. Remember to get a copy of this book – you will not be disappointed. Thank you for spending some time with me, until next time… Happy Reading!