Teddy Crutcher is a teacher at the prestigious Belmont Academy; education establishment to the very rich. He's also the current incumbent of the Teacher of the Year award which is no mean feat. But he is a strange animal as we soon start to find out. Always playing mind games with his students and he has a bit of a warped sense of duty to those in his care. Despite wanting the very best from them academically. He appears to despise them, their parents and his colleagues. He's not really got much going for him. No one has seen his wife Allison around recently either. Oh and he delights in his little experiments with the plant matter in his garden.
But he didn't mean his latest experiment to go so far as to actually really cause harm... It was only meant to injure, not kill... And when the wrong person is arrested... he really has his work cut out for him trying to unwind all of that and redress the balance...
This was an absolute blast all the way through... For all he is a wicked, evil person, I actually really loved Teddy as a character. He's totally bonkers and with some very weird motives at the beginning, as well as a very warped sense of justice. But you can't fault his attention to detail, grit and tenacity as he just rides roughshod over everyone who gets in his way... People like student Zach who has found himself on Teddy's current shtlist, and Fallon, one of Teddy's previous students whose life he played around with.
You do have to maybe suspend belief a little along the way but, for me, that was an easy thing to do as I was having so much fun that I hardly rolled my eyes at what was going on as it all twisted and turned as it got to what I thought was a wholly satisfying ending.
Pacing was good and the characters were all very well drawn - if at times a little caricature-esque in places. But all had a little something that made them stand out - for good and bad.
And the story got on with itself at quite a fair lick with pretty much no superfluous padding or waffle.
All in all, a worthy addition to what is shaping up to be an impressive back catalogue. Roll on next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

For Your Own Good is billed as a thriller set in a prestigious school. The novel focuses on Teddy, he’s just been awarded ‘Teacher of the Year’ and thinks that everything he does for his students is for their own good. There are deaths aplenty in this book, meddlesome parents and students digging a little too closely to home, but sadly although this book did keep me entertained, it just didn’t grip me as it should. Yes there were some twists but I felt the whole book lacked pace. Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin UK Michael Joseph and the author for the chance to review.

What a ride!

I needed a good thriller to read, and this book is way more than I expected I’ll get. I mean, I've read a few of the author's books in the past and knew that I was in for a ride, but this one probably is way higher than what I was looking for.
It's hilarious, darker and gruesome in the same way that it's gripping and twisted.
I mean, Teddy is definitely a challenging character and to see him unveil his layers was interesting and had me hooked from start to finish.
The ending was unpredictable, but I had my theories early in the story and I can say that I was right with most of them.
This book was a perfect escape.
Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy.

Samantha Downing has become one of my favorite authors. I love looking into the mind of a psychopath and few authors manage to make this so much fun. This wicked thriller is full of weird people you love to hate and still root for them.

Teddy is a teacher and he loves everything about it. He wants nothing but the best for his students even if it means to sometimes punish one of them for their own good. He is a fascinating character and I loved everything about him and hated him at the same time. He is a narcissist and he has a carless way of destroying lives around him. He is willing to do everything to protect the prestigious private school he is working for. Luckily he is growing some poisonous plants in his garden so he is able to get rid of some inconvenient people. But one dead body leads to another to make things finally right. And of course nobody suspects the harmless Teddy to be one behind it all.

This was a fun read full of twists and turns. I love Downing ‘s writing and I love how she makes simple stories about marriage or a road trip or a teacher at a private school feeling so fresh and entertaining.

This is a good twisty thriller, with a fast moving story.

At a top US school, Teddy Crutcher is Teacher of the Year - he's also a murderer. Day by day, more members of the school community die, yet the reader is the only one that knows the truth. As two others start to put the pieces together, their lives are also now at risk...

Keeps you guessing as to what's going to happen next, and when everyone will work everything out. Fast paced and compelling, a great read.

I have absolutely loved this book. Yet again this author smashes it out of the park with her writing. A gripping read, I finished in two sittings.

Thanks for letting me read an ARC

This novel was so much fun to read and elements of it reminded me of classic Agatha Christie novels like The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. For Your Own Good is set at a private high school in the US called Belmont High. We read from the viewpoints of several different characters but our main character is Teddy, an English teacher who takes it upon himself to bring the more entitled of his students and colleagues down a peg or two...by poisoning them.

Teddy is a throughly unlikeable character but, call me crazy, I kind of liked him. He genuinely believes that he is teaching his students and colleagues lessons their privileged lives have yet to teach them. Bolstered by his 'Teacher of the Year Award', he feels validated in what he does. As an outsider at Belmont High Teddy is in a way an underdog and so, despite myself, I would find myself rooting for him even as he carried out some truly evil acts.

The plot of this novel was fairly ridiculous but I was having so much fun reading it that I didn't mind. I definitely preferred this book to the other Samantha Downing book I read - His Lovely Wife - and I think it's because the story didn't take itself too seriously. Downing keeps the reader intrigued by providing us with twists and turns and we are left hanging on until the very end of the book to find out whether Teddy will get away with his dastardly deeds. If you're after a fast-paced, entertaining read that's not necessarily concerned with being plausible then I would definitely recommend For Your Own Good.

This is one of the best books that I have read this year – I was hooked from the first paragraph, and my interest did not flag once. It is not so much a book where the characters develop – as much as the reader develops. As you go through the book, and learn another snippet about each character, your perceptions change, and your sympathies change – often from page to page.
I am an ex-high school teacher, and as such I immediately bonded with Teddy, as he braces himself for a meeting with a parent, who disagrees with Teddy’s assessment of his son’s work. The father is obnoxious, arrogant and entitled, and stops just a fraction short of demanding that Teddy change the grade. But, Teddy handles it all very well (A+ for diplomacy, tact, ethics etc) – and you start to see why he won the ‘Teacher of the Year Award’. Then comes the last sentence of the first chapter – and you get the first sucker-punch. How could he have possibly won the award?! A bit more about the trials of being a teacher, more empathy (from me), but also a feeling that maybe Teddy is not as committed to the welfare of his students as he should be.
All the teachers in the book believe that what they are doing is for the good of their students, and all the parents believe that they have the best interests of their children at heart. But, almost all are severely deluded, and much more interested in enhancing their own situations. Creating artificial obstacles to the progress of entitled students does not make them better human beings. Likewise, smoothing their paths so they always succeed, might make their parents happy and raise the school’s profile (and finances), but does little to prepare the students for life. There is a big disconnect between what the adults want – and what the kids need.
Apart from Courtney, there are few characters in the book, whom you like from start to finish. All have their flaws – some flaws are (much) bigger than others. One character in particular just gets more and more monstrous as time goes on.
But it is a crime novel – so we have to have a murder. Will it be a teacher, a student or a parent? Maybe it is manslaughter? Maybe our prime suspect was not involved after all? The dead person had certainly managed to get up many people’s noses.
Of course, the first person arrested is the wrong one (Police procedural 101). How to get the police on the right track? Most crime novels – by their nature – are quite serious. This book is not. In fact, it is more of a farce, with the situation getting more and more out of control. No laugh-out-loud moments, just a steady drip of subtle comedy (all for your own good!) – a bit of a low-key “Final Destination”.
And the twist at the end (before the epilogue) is just inspired – I never saw it coming.
I highly recommend this book – particularly if you have worked in education – but even if you haven’t. It is very entertaining, with perfectly constructed and believable characters, and a finely crafted plot line. Enjoy!

This was a great and absorbing book. It is the story about a fancy school with pushy parents. Teddy Crutcher comes from a more mediocre background as has been awarded the teacher of the year. This accolade he feels entitles him to be pompous and too self - assured. The book is told from various points of view and all is not what it seems when teachers and students fall ill. The main characters are well defined and I look forward to more from this author.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this brilliant book

school days are suppose to be the best days of your life, though they can also come back to haunt you, especially if you have a teacher that you know has it in for you....

teddy crutcher is that very teacher, his reasoning being he is teaching his students a very important lesson in life..... hes recently won teacher of the year and feels its his mission in life to bring about certain changes....

wow this book, brilliantly written and you feel the horror the more you carry on reading, who will be next to fall victim

this book kept me up late at night, as i wanted to see what was going to happen next

Teddy Crutcher is an English teacher at the elite Belmont Academy and just wants the best for his students, even if they don't think so. He has received the very prestigious Teacher of the Year Award, an award that he believes has been a long time coming and well deserved because everything he does for his students is for their own good. Then one of the parents collapses at a school event and later dies in hospital, the police launch a murder investigation and Teddy takes it up in himself to 'fix' things, but why does he feel the need to do that and why is he being stalked by an ex pupil? Is there more to this 'Teacher of the Year' than meets the eye?

For Your Own Good is a tense, at times comical, thriller with so many unreliable characters that appear to all have their own agendas. It's a cat and mouse tale of murder, bribery and deception in a world of rich, over indulged children, and parents that will stop at nothing to ensure their offspring gain the required results to further their education in the top universities, and then there's Teddy Crutcher; bit of an oddball, appearing to want the best for his students, but only those that he really likes, and as for the other teachers, well that's another story entirely. I've read a couple of Downing's books and thought they were great, this is another one to add to that list, with twists and turns throughout and an unexpected ending, it's definitely one I recommend.

I'd like to thank Penguin Michael Joseph UK and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

WOW what a twister!
Teddy Crutcher is teacher of the year in a prep school and has unconventional ways of trying to help his students no matter how far he goes his heart is in the right place, at least he thinks so.
Until a students mother dies from poisoning at a school event and more poisonings start to happen but who did it?
A page turner of who did it, once you think it`s someone the story takes you elsewhere.

Definitely a page turner and keeps you on your toes, love all the twists.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review

Teddy Crutcher, a teacher at the prestigious Belmont School. He is a complex character who wants the best for his students. He leads a very private life and has major psychological issues with some of the other teachers who were all previous students themselves at Belmont... Teddy was not one of them and hiis underlying resentment would prove to be catastrophic. Samantha Downing has written another book I ccould not put down. So many times I guessed what was coming and each time I was so wrong. I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good psychological thriller. Teddy Crutcher is a destestable character who will go to any length for his students "own good".

Ive read this author b4 and can honestly say it a amazing.

I can't wait to see what othet books she writes.

A very good read that didn't quite do it for me.
It's hard to differentiate between heroes and villains in this book as the 3 primary characters are a mix albeit with differing proportions.
The book concentrates on Teddy, the English Teacher at Belmont, Fallon, an ex-student whose college plans were ruined by Teddy and Zach, a current student whom Teddy dislikes because of Zach's wealth and persona.
A strict timetable is maintained throughout the book and I was never quite certain how it would end.
On the whole though a really good read but I felt it somehow lacked any 'wow' twists.

A kind of psychological thriller with an unusual setting, not set in a house of some kind, but in a secondary school in the States. We meet Teddy Cruncher is a committed teacher who won the Teacher of the Year award. Teddy wants his students to succeed and targets those he thinks are not trying enough, so not everyone likes him. Then a parent dies at a school's event, it looks suspicious, some kind of poisoning and the police gets involved, the victim's daughter ends up in jail. Not everyone is convinced it's the end of the story, especially after a teacher dies. I can't reveal much more without spoiling the book, but it's a good and well-written story. Although we are dealing with some dark and twisted happenings, the book has some humour. Different from the usual staple diet of psychological thrillers (which I nevertheless enjoy), it's definitely a book to read.

A deliciously dark and twisted book, I stayed up way too late to read it all in one glorious go!
Thank you to netgalley and Michael Joseph for an advance copy of this book

When a new book is going to be released from Samantha Downing I’ll be ready and waiting to read it, soon!

This is based around a school where we get to meet certain students and teaching staff.

And the Teacher of the year Award for prestigious Belmont Academy school goes to……drum roll……
Teddy Crutcher.

Does he deserve it?
Find out and see.

Zach is one of his students. His parents don’t like the results from Teddy regarding they’re sons work…..
So they protest.

Did they get anywhere with Teddy?
Find out and see.

Someone dies at the school.
Who did it, was it murder?
There are several unexplained deaths.
Did someone kill them? If so…how?

I recall the Rudyard Kiplin famous quote…. “If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you……” and Teddy seems to be doing just that! Thank you very much! He’s looking awfully suspicious though.

A student ends up being blamed.

There are loads of branches on this story tree, it could be anyone.

Who will you pick? Because I was wrong!

Loved this so much.

Mostly enjoyed this intriguing book,this was not a book of massive twists and turns but then not every book has to be if the story si good enough and this one is
Sometimes a lot going on with multiple POV but that kept it active and my concentration on who was who etc
Well written and good characters made this a worthy read

I thought For Your Own Good was an ok read. I liked the story and read it very quickly but it just lacked the twists and turns that I expect from a thriller/mystery story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.