Teddy Crutcher is a high school English teacher at the elite Belmont Academy. He is a great teacher. So great, in fact, that he won Teacher of the Year. His ultimate focus is to push his students to reach their full potential. And surely he knows what’s best for them – whether anyone agrees with him or not. But when his colleagues, a student, a Belmont alumna, and a parent get in the way of his main objective, he has to get creative. For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing is a chilling and suspense-filled novel that imagines what a teacher might do to ensure no one gets in the way of doing his job. 

Since Belmont Academy educates the best and the brightest, Teddy takes his job very seriously. Not only does he strive to help his students reach their full academic potential, but he wants to teach them how to become stand-up citizens and human beings as well. If he has to give an (in his opinion) arrogant student a B+ (instead of an A), or a “dishonest” student an extremely damaging reference letter for college admission, in order to teach them that lesson, then so be it. What Teddy doesn’t prepare for, however, is that some of his actions might come back to haunt him – whether it be days or even years later. This, of course, just won’t do, because it gets in the way of him doing his job. 

Within just the first few chapters, Downing introduces us to the type of character that Teddy is, while laying the groundwork for a scenario that propels the crazy events that occur throughout the rest of For Your Own Good. Ingrid Ross, mother of Zach’s friend Courtney, is heavily involved in Belmont’s activities and her daughter’s life. When Ingrid collapses during a teacher’s 10-year-anniversary celebration, and later dies, all fingers point to Courtney. Courtney is arrested for suspected murder, but Teddy does not think this is fair (he actually likes Courtney). So he tries to right the wrong in his own way. Unfortunately that leads to things spiraling further out of control. 

Zach suspects Teddy has something to do with the unfortunate events occurring at Belmont Academy, which now involves his friend, so he starts to look into Teddy’s life (which Teddy doesn’t appreciate). Teddy’s colleagues are on edge, and the headmaster struggles to assuage parents’ fears and recover the bad PR that follows (#HomicideHigh is trending). All of the panic is a significant inconvenience for Teddy, not to mention a scorned former student, Fallon Knight, unexpectedly comes back to Belmont to teach (and exact her revenge on Teddy). 

I absolutely loved this book. Downing is a very talented writer, pulling readers along with quirky characters and cliff-hangers and the end of short chapters. We get multiple points of view – but don’t get too attached to anyone. While Teddy appears to be an extremely unfair teacher and crazy psychopath, some reactions by other characters made me think, “Well, wait, did Teddy actually end up making this student a better person, if not in spite of him? Did Teddy’s attempts to right wrongs force other characters to right wrongs?” In some cases, it certainly seems that way. 

For Your Own Good is certainly not what I expected. We’ve got stereotypically wealthy, entitled parents who are focused on their kids attending Ivy-League schools. We’ve got high school students under tons of pressure to exceed expectations. These elements did not come as a shock when reading about an elite private school such as Belmont. What I didn’t expect, however, was a beloved teacher whose recognition falls short, a teacher-turned-priest who has demons of his own, a vengeful former student who nearly accomplishes her mission, unsolved murders, cover-ups, and more. 

Downing’s writing style and storytelling made this book a page-turner, causing me to constantly say, “just one more chapter…” I’ve never encountered an almost-light-hearted murder mystery/thriller – that is, while the story is definitely on the dark side, I didn’t feel any creepy or disturbing vibes (even as the bodies continued to pile up). If I had to choose my favorite book of the year so far, For Your Own Good is definitely up there. I can’t recommend this book enough. It reminds me why I love reading.  

I was so excited to meet with Samantha Downing for another Cantina Conversation to discuss this story. We talk about how she came up with the story, her experiences as a writer, and what themes she wanted to explore and point out. Stay tuned for an upcoming episode of The Nerd Cantina Show podcast and pre-order For Your Own Good, which releases on July 20.