The Tutor

By: Daniel Hurst

Narrated by: Gareth Bennett-Ryan, Deirdra Whelan

Length: 5 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

What if you invited danger into your home?

Amy is a loving wife and mother, to her husband Nick, and her two children, Michael and Bella. It's that dedication to her family that causes her to seek help for her teenage son when it becomes apparent that he is going to fail his end of school exams.

Enlisting the help of a professional tutor, Amy is certain that she is doing the best thing for her child. But when she discovers that there is more to this tutor than meets the eye, it is already too late.

With the rest of her family enamored by the tutor, Amy is the only one who can see that there is something not quite right about her. But as the tutor becomes more involved in Amy's family, it's not just the present that is threatened. Secrets from the past are exposed too, and by the time everything is out in the open, Amy isn't just worried about her son and his exams anymore. She is worried for the survival of her entire family.

This will be one lesson they will never forget.

©2021 Daniel Hurst (P)2022 Tantor

Not bad

It was short and easy to follow. Good narration but not as big of a twist as you would think. Not the best book ever but good enough to listen.

I'm being generous

As a production, this is okay, except that the narrator who portrays the Swedish character does not have a convincing accent at all. Don't expect "literature", though. This is like a B-rated movie flick meant for some cheap thrills. It's fine for passing the time, but it isn't the kind of book you read or listen to for its themes or literary artistry. Nor do I think it's intended to be, though it's not without its "point". There is endless reflection and musing, which drove me to fast-forward at times. Part of this is due to the 1st-person, present-tense narration. I don't mind 1st-person, but added to present-tense, it seems to lure the writer into wasting time with thoughts instead of more complex and interesting plot development. (I've seen this before.) I also don't like dual narratives much, and this novel is another one of those. I might try another novel by this same author when I need light entertainment, but we'll see.

Pretty Good

Enjoyed listening to this Daniel Hurst book as I usually do his books, but when he pulled it all together in the end, it felt a bit silly and more than unlikely.

Not as exciting as I expect

The story was okay, didn't keep my attention as well as the other books I've read from this author. Ending was a little twist but still not very exciting or thrilling

Frustrating “Gotcha” Tactic

This book, similar to The Wrong Woman, gets frustrating, as the last bit of information shared in the book is spent revealing all of this information that couldn’t have somehow been gaged at all through the book. I understand that predictability isn’t great in a thriller, and I agree with that, but endings like this appear to be cheap, as if there was no other way to tell a story like this. Amy and Nick are both problematic characters in their own way—Nick avoids spending time with his family/is selfish and Amy spends time worrying that her mediocre husband will cheat again. The characters are basic, as they never grow or learn any lesson. The son is insufferable the whole time, and the youngest daughter appears someone ignored. The “twist” at the end isn’t really a twist that “works”. It seems thrown together.