The Classroom

by A. L. Bird

Isabella Inchbald (Narrator)

Don’t miss the chilling new psychological thriller from A.L. Bird, author of The Good Mother and Don’t Say a Word, perfect for fans of C L Taylor, Sherryl Brown and Lisa Hall.

Letting go of your daughter for the first time isn’t easy…

After years of IVF, Kirsten White is a devoted mum to Harriet – and she can’t believe the time has come to send her little girl off to school. But Harriet has now turned five, and she can’t stay Kirsten’s baby forever. It might be hard, but it’s time to entrust her daughter’s care to her new teacher.

… the classroom is the one place she should be safe.

Miriam Robertson has been waiting for the perfect little girl to walk into her class. She’s very picky… but when Harriet walks in, Miriam knows: this is the child she’s been waiting for.

Harriet knows not to speak to strangers. But her lovely new teacher isn’t a stranger at all. In fact, she’s her new best friend. And you can always trust your friends… can’t you?

Praise for A.L. Bird:

‘A fast-paced, gripping thriller.’ B A Paris, bestselling author of Behind Closed Doors and The Breakdown

'Intense and brilliantly uncomfortable reading' Lisa Hall, bestselling author of Between You and Me

‘An absolutely jaw dropper and a must read for all.’ – Karen Whittard, Netgalley reviewer

‘Readers hear claim that, “This book will leaving you guessing until the end.�? I am glad to say that, for once, the claim is true.’ – M Scott, Netgalley reviewer

‘Kept me up all night.‘ – Kathleen Johnson, Netgalley reviewer

‘The psychological tension ramps up to a plot twist that took me completely by surprise.’ – Avonna Kershey, Netgalley reviewer

‘Wow! A well deserved 5 stars, one of the best pyschological fiction books of this year so far!’ – Julia Beales, Netgalley reviewer

‘One you get towards the end you better hope you’re not needed for anything because you will find yourself glued until the last word.’ – Tara Sheehan, Netgalley reviewer

‘Impossible to put down.’ – Linda Strong, Netgalley reviewer

‘A pacy, action-packed, brilliantly plotted psychological thriller with one hell of a showdown. I absolutely loved it!’ – Diane Jeffrey, author of Those Who Lie

• ISBN13: 9780263275964
• Publish Date: 1 September 2018
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: HQ
• Edition: Unabridged edition
• Format: Audiobook (WAV)
• Duration: 6 hours and 58 minutes
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.co.uk

Reviews

[zooloo1983]

Probably not the best time for me to read this book with my little one just starting school…….but you learn.

Now I will warn you this review will be vague, there is something in this storyline that just that the smallest detail slipped will give the plot away, and sadly I have read a couple of reviews that have done so.

Anyway, the story follows a couple of storylines that leave your head spinning with a LOT of questions!

We start with Kirsten life in September 2018 (Ah present day hello!) with her daughter Harriet starting school, both Kirsten and her husband Ian having busy lives. Constantly being told by Kirsten how much she loves her daughter, but always has work on her mind. Before I changed my job, I was guilty of this a lot, and I felt a lot of empathy for her, as you love this bundle of joy but you always find your mind occupied on what you could consider more pressing.

Then, we meet Miriam in the same timeline as Kirsten, she is Harriet’s young school teacher with an uneasy fixation with her. Something just slightly off there.

Then we are taken back five years to 2012 to Becky and the two weeks she spent at a Drama club in the summer.

What is the deal with Kirsten? Miriam? And how does Becky fit in to this?

These are just some of the questions at the beginning of the book, I spent ages playing detective, and for a change, this book delivered early on, still with one twist I didn’t see coming. As for the rest of the book…well you need to read this.

As I said I did feel some empathy towards Kirsten, but slowly I found that her, Miriam and Ian were not likeable characters. Only protecting themselves and what was best for them. I loved Harriet and Becky, well bless her, she deserved so much better. Despite the lack of likeable characters, this book draws you into a terrifying story that unsettles you to the core. It made me cuddle my little one a little bit tighter and tell her I love you so much that I was told off as I said it too much!!

I whizzed through this book without realising as I needed to know what was going on. I needed closure and I needed safety! I personally did not find any bits of the books slow, but just so much intrigue and cryptic conversations between people that had me screaming at the book to tell me the answers and now!!! Goddammit! Plus I always love it when I see a shoutout to my hometown Watford -give me a whoop whoop.

This is my introduction to A.L Bird (but not my last), I was left feeling uneasy for most of the book. It felt tainted, and I was worried because really as the blurb says, the classroom should be the one place your child is safe.. isn’t it?

Who do you trust?