The Substitute
"[A] chilling psychological thriller..."
The Girl on the Train meets We Need to Talk About Kevin in this sophisticated psychological thriller about a middle-school science teacher accused of murdering one of his students.
Warren Botts is a disillusioned Ph.D., taking a break from his lab to teach middle-school science. Gentle, soft-spoken, and introverted, Warren befriends thirteen-year-old Amanda, a lonely student looking for a friend.
One morning, Warren returns from a jog to find Amanda dead, hanging from a tree in his backyard. A police investigation follows, but Warren is unable — or unwilling — to answer the questions that swirl around him. Suspicions mount, and Warren's peaceful neighbours quickly become hostile.
Meanwhile, an anonymous narrator who possesses the dangerous combination of extreme intelligence and emotional detachment offers insight into events past and present. As the tension builds, we gain an intimate understanding of the power of memory, secrets, and lies.
A deliciously creepy thriller that will keep you guessing to the very last page, The Substitute is a finely crafted page-turner and a chilling look inside the mind of a psychopath.
What Critics Are Saying
about The Substitute
Lundrigan's skillfully balanced blend of psychological thriller and haunting coming-of-age story is infused with creepy, small-town atmospheric suspense. Her writing is both elegant and darkly humorous, delivering bareknuckle social commentary.
A feast for fans who miss Patricia Highsmith's and Margaret Millar's haunting anatomies of people as nice as pie except for their murders.
[A] sly and clever thriller… this book will keep readers guessing… they'll be surprised by how it all plays out.
Equal parts disturbing, suspenseful, and raw, The Substitute will have you holding your breath until the very last page.