Warren Botts is a disillusioned Ph.D., taking a break from his lab to teach middle-school science. Gentle, soft-spoken, and lonely, he innocently befriends Amanda, one of his students. But one morning, Amanda is found dead in his backyard, and Warren, shocked, flees the scene.
As the small community slowly turns against him, an anonymous narrator, a person 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 secrets, illusions, and memories.
Nicole Lundrigan uses her prodigious talent to deliciously creepy effect, producing a finely crafted page-turner and a chilling look into the mind of a psychopath.
[A] sly and clever thriller
Publishers WeeklyNicole Lundriganis the author of five critically acclaimed novels, includingGlass BoysandThe Widow Tree. Her work has appeared on best of the year selections of theGlobe and MailandNOW Magazineand she has been longlisted for the ReLit Award. Born and raised in Newfoundland, she now lives in Toronto.
A spine-chiller for readers who appreciate language and refined, well-crafted plots
Quill & Quire
Equal parts disturbing, suspenseful, and raw, The Substitute will have you holding your breath until the very last page.
Ian Hamilton, award-winning author of the Ava Lee seriesA feast for fans who miss Patricia Highsmith's and Margaret Millar's haunting anatomies of people as nice as pie except for their murders.
Kirkus Reviewsa captivating psychological thriller that balances secrets and lies with identity and family.
Mystery Scene MagazineLundrigans writing is both elegant and darkly humorous, delivering bare-knuckle social commentary that will appeal to fans of Gillian Flynn, Karin Fossum, and Laura Lippman.
Booklist STARRED REVIEW
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