The Teacher (The DS Cross Mysteries #6), by Tim Sullivan
The Teacher by Tim Sullivan
Five stars out of five.
“The Teacher”, Tim Sullivan’s sixth George Cross novel, opens with an elderly schoolteacher’s death and an account of events that does not quite fit. The mystery’s pleasure lies in the small discrepancies that remain after everyone else thinks they have an answer. That is precisely the territory in which Cross excels.
Cross’s clockwork precision is the book’s chief pleasure. His attachment to routine is stated plainly: »He liked regularity in his life. It removed unpredictability.« His routines are not simply a source of comfort; they train his attention to disruptions that others overlook. On a case, a break in routine is not noise to ignore but a signal to examine. Sullivan makes Cross’s autism part of the way he sees and orders information, without turning it into a magic power. He returns to records, tests assumptions, and follows a line of thought to its end. Even after the apparent case has narrowed, he has »systematically and slowly gone through all the case files and his notes«. That persistence is not a gimmick: it is the method, and the book gives the method its reward.
The familiar team and village setting add texture without displacing the investigation. Cross listens to other people’s impressions, but weighs them against what can be checked. That makes the procedural feel fair. He does not leap to a conclusion simply because a suspect is convenient; overlooked facts still matter, and the mystery moves through a steady process rather than depending on a late shock. That care extends beyond solving the puzzle: he treats arrest as a serious power, not a shortcut, and keeps unresolved facts in view rather than forcing a premature answer. It is quiet, careful suspense, built on attention rather than speed.
My one reservation is rhythm. A handful of passages linger on background or scene-setting after the point is clear, briefly loosening the case’s forward pull. They are few, but noticeable. I wanted those stretches tightened, not the detective’s process shortened.
This comes close to being a favourite. Cross’s precise habits, the steady logic of the investigation, and the series’ humane regard for its characters make it another deeply satisfying read. The few lengths keep it just short of favourite status, but not of the five stars.
Five stars out of five.
Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam
