Cornelia Read’s second book, THE CRAZY SCHOOL, brings us back to the world of Madeline Dare from A FIELD OF DARKNESS. This time, she is living in the Berkshires, working at a school for troubled children. What starts out as an intriguing story of Madeline as a young teacher who bonds with some of her students takes an unexpected turn at the halfway mark.
Santangelo Academy is the last resort of education for those who can afford to send their children there. The school is run as if the staff were trained by reading THE GREAT SANTINI. In short, being treated like dirt is not what you would call a helpful atmosphere for them.
One of the major problems with the school is David Santangelo, the founder who believes EST was a great idea. Then there is outcome of kids’ bad behavior: They are sent to a building called The Farm, which borders on sadistic, considering how they are treated within the walls.
After a week of work, Madeline knows she has made a huge mistake, but cannot leave the children to a life like this. It’s slowly revealed to her that two of the students plan to run off when they turn 18, since the girl is pregnant. But that birthday night is when the book takes a major turn, with – spoiler alert! – both the girl and boy wind up dead, made to look like a double suicide, with Madeline herself being drugged with no recollection of how she ended up where she did.
When the local police come to investigate, Madeline de facto becomes the prime suspect, since it’s her prints on the cups from which the poison was consumed. She gets a boost of help from her uncle, who sends a top-notch lawyer her way, who reveals some very damaging information about her co-workers and the practices of the staff.
There are plenty of suspects in the book to keep the reader guessing, with Read doing a fine job in leading us along. But the final outcome of the killer and his or her reasons are just a bit too preposterous for me. Read takes some major jumps with these ideas. If she held off with some of the over-the-topness, THE CRAZY SCHOOL would graduate with a greater recommendation. –Bruce Grossman
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THIS AUTHOR:
• A FIELD OF DARKNESS by Cornelia Read
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- A Field of Darkness
- The Palace Tiger
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- Obedience
- Like a Dog with a Bone
