What do you think?
Rate this book
Teacher's Pet
Adam Lucy, a professional tutor, goes from town to town tutoring problem children, especially rich, problem children. However, at his present location, he gathers a small group of these children and turns them against their parents, school teachers and other students. With his help, they destroy a young teacher who suspects something and eventually, they murder the valedictorian in a ritualistic killing. Adam also has an affair with a young, married woman, who bears his child. After Adam’s children commit their gruesome act, he turns them into the police himself and leaves to go on to another village and start again. Could he be the devil?
319 pages
First published January 1, 1985
20 people are currently reading
439 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Neiderman
74 books394 followersAndrew Neiderman is the author of over 44 thrillers, including six of which have been translated onto film, including the big hit, 'The Devil's Advocate', a story in which he also wrote a libretto for the music-stage adaptation. One of his novels, Tender Loving Care, has been adapted into a CD-Rom interactive movie.
Andrew Neiderman became the ghostwriter for V.C. Andrews following her death in 1986. He was the screenwriter for Rain, a film based on a series of books under Andrews name. Between the novels written under her name and his own, he has published over 100 novels.
Andrew Neiderman became the ghostwriter for V.C. Andrews following her death in 1986. He was the screenwriter for Rain, a film based on a series of books under Andrews name. Between the novels written under her name and his own, he has published over 100 novels.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 8, 2017
Even B-grade Andrew Neiderman is fun to read, and this story about an afterschool tutor who forms a cult of kill-crazy kids is exactly the kind of tawdry, racy read I come to him for.
February 25, 2023
2.5 stars
One the scale of decent to typical Zebra, Teacher Pet sits somewhere in the middle.
As a story, it’s mostly competent and, as is the case with most Neiderman novels, it’s easy to read and decently paced. There is even some well constructed tension at the climax with a good idea of an ending.
But this is a 1980s Zebra aftetall so it’s bound to have issues…like the motivations of the protagonist. There are far too many descriptions of his actions and basic cult of personality surrounding them, but as readers we never get the “why” of it. I’m all for opaque bad guys and open ended conclusions, but this one felt inadequate and thin.
I guess, overall, this wasn’t a terrible read…and by Zebra’s loathsome standards, this actually wasn’t terrible. I just know there are better forms of this story out there.
One the scale of decent to typical Zebra, Teacher Pet sits somewhere in the middle.
As a story, it’s mostly competent and, as is the case with most Neiderman novels, it’s easy to read and decently paced. There is even some well constructed tension at the climax with a good idea of an ending.
But this is a 1980s Zebra aftetall so it’s bound to have issues…like the motivations of the protagonist. There are far too many descriptions of his actions and basic cult of personality surrounding them, but as readers we never get the “why” of it. I’m all for opaque bad guys and open ended conclusions, but this one felt inadequate and thin.
I guess, overall, this wasn’t a terrible read…and by Zebra’s loathsome standards, this actually wasn’t terrible. I just know there are better forms of this story out there.
December 18, 2025
When I was a kid, this is what I thought adulthood would be like: I'd be a bad ass drifter who wanders from town to town, and when I find a good one, I'd stop, make a ton of friends, single out the weak-willed among them, start a cult, get the cult members to do various criminal deeds at my bidding, and then, when it was clear that we were close to getting caught, I would skip town and let my minions take the fall, and off I go to the next town to start the next cult.
That was supposed to be the life! Where did it all go off course? Why did I waste so much potential? Is this what people mean when they talk about the death of the American dream? I was sold a lie, dammit!
That was supposed to be the life! Where did it all go off course? Why did I waste so much potential? Is this what people mean when they talk about the death of the American dream? I was sold a lie, dammit!
February 24, 2020
3.5/5
“Teacher’s Pet”, written by Andrew Niederman (best known for “Devil’s Advocate”), and first published by Zebra, had so much potential going for it, and despite the overall tone and ominous direction, there were some unnecessary setbacks that besmirched the astonished ending.
A captivating and charming individual, claiming the name Mr. Lucy, arrives in the stunted Township of Centerville, New York, offering his services of tutoring some of the more flippant and rebellious teenagers. Some of the parents and teachers utilize the resource immediately, and the community is abruptly aware of some of the immediate results; kids are getting better marks, they’re changing attitudes and mannerisms, and in the long run, they’re changing their overall approach to life. Immediate gratification engulfs the community.
Strange things start happening. Teachers find themselves arrested, valuables vanish, and children start to disappear. Neighbors and faculty members instantly question Lucy’s previous existence, and in doing so, find out the consequences of his true nature.
“Teacher’s Pet”, written by Andrew Niederman (best known for “Devil’s Advocate”), and first published by Zebra, had so much potential going for it, and despite the overall tone and ominous direction, there were some unnecessary setbacks that besmirched the astonished ending.
A captivating and charming individual, claiming the name Mr. Lucy, arrives in the stunted Township of Centerville, New York, offering his services of tutoring some of the more flippant and rebellious teenagers. Some of the parents and teachers utilize the resource immediately, and the community is abruptly aware of some of the immediate results; kids are getting better marks, they’re changing attitudes and mannerisms, and in the long run, they’re changing their overall approach to life. Immediate gratification engulfs the community.
Strange things start happening. Teachers find themselves arrested, valuables vanish, and children start to disappear. Neighbors and faculty members instantly question Lucy’s previous existence, and in doing so, find out the consequences of his true nature.
July 14, 2015
Why they labeled this a horror book I'll never know. I've had nightmares better then this. It was the worst book I've read in awhile. The story was boring lame and uninteresting pass it up and save your brain cells.
October 23, 2022
The ending of this book saved it for me. Its a classic tale of a mysterious stranger coming to a small town and evil things begin to happen.
July 20, 2019
Another example of great 80’s B-grade horror and suspense. Quite linear in terms of plot. Overall a good read but I did think that both characters of the married couple (Barton and Ellen L) were a bit one-dimensional and oversimplified given the ordeal Ellen went through.
May 22, 2020
Wow. I kept reading this because I hoped there would be some kind of reveal at the end...but I was sorely disappointed. Why does Mr. Lucy do what he does? Surprise! You're never told. A week's worth of lunch breaks wasted on this schlocky garbage.
August 1, 2021
Charming, intelligent, good-looking tutor Mr Lucy will come to a small town and educate, academically improve and brainwash a bunch of students who will do whatever the tutor tells. Mr Lucky is a complete mystery and a master manipulator and blood will be splattered.
March 20, 2023
“Everyone’s a stranger, even people you’ve known all your life…especially people you’ve known all your life.”
A tutor is someone supposed to be trusted my parents and teachers alike, somebody driven to provide only the best education enrichment and assistance possible. But what happens when that tutor has darker, more ulterior motives and uses the easy to mold minds of children's to do the sadistic biddings? Adam Lucy was a man surrounded by mystery and charisma that won over Principle Bil Carman first, before turning his sights on four children; Johnny Masterson, Shelia Cohen, Sandy Dickens and Gary. Each child suffering from personal struggles at home, easily yearned for the wisdom and comfort from a man who seemed to understand their every emotion flawlessly. With each kid's grades improving drastically, it rather quickly spread before many students were using him for help. Yet that would quickly sour when word of mouth bleeds together in a small town. Teacher Stephen Zola was a younger man, yet he challenged the teachers of Mr. Lucy as he bore witness to the radical changes in the four students he tutored. A cockiness they never possessed previously and an almost vicious obsession with Mr. Lucy lead to the students turning on him. With Gary coming to the principal with claims of sexual abuse, and while Johnny walked out naked from Zola's bedroom, it wasn't a long time before his career was in shambles from the disgraceful accusations. As the four grew increasingly closer, they saw a sick friendship with Mr. Lucy that would lead to their worst deviation yet. Fellow student Richard Slattery was becoming suspicious, and with that made him a target of Mr. Lucy. Believing the words of disgraced teacher Stephen Zola, he made it known he planned on proving his true innocence which would ruin the credibility of Gary and Johnny. As they confused these findings in Mr. Lucy the plan was set in motion, one ending in four children tried for the murder of their own peer. Using his innocent attraction to Sandy to their advantage, they used her to get him to Gary's father's lumberyard where the murder would take place. Armed with claw hammers that mauled him to death before wrapping his body in a tarp and dropping him into the crawlspace. Returning the following night, they were captured by police where Sheila confessed to the murder.
“I’ve been watching you; I’ve seen the way you look at things; I can practically hear your thoughts. I was the same way so I know what it is to be imprisoned within yourself, to have all these perceptions and feelings, to have all these unsaid words dying in echoes, to be unable to share any real discoveries and interesting thoughts. You live in the world of the deaf and the dumb and you see and hear.”
In the same neighborhood, bored housewife, Ellen Lorner, begins fantasizing of an affair with gorgeous new neighbor, Adam Lucy. Drawn in deeper everyday, she would finally succumb to her desires and have the most memorable sexual encounter of her life. Right afterwards he seems to vanish into thin air to the extreme she hardly got the chance to lay eyes on him. Feeling obsessive she spent countless hours staring from her windows dying to catch a glance of him. Straying further from her husband, she's horrified to discover herself pregnant, knowing in her heart who's baby it was. When husband Barton finds her irrational before passing out, he's panicked and uses the help of Adam Lucy to load his wife into the car. Accused of an overdose by suicide, she confused in her husband about the pregnancy, which he accepts with open arms hiding the affair from him, she bites her tongue when he makes mention of Adam Lucy leaving town. Determined to put the past behind her, the two seem ready to reinvest in their marriage.
I didn't betray him. He betrayed us.
A tutor is someone supposed to be trusted my parents and teachers alike, somebody driven to provide only the best education enrichment and assistance possible. But what happens when that tutor has darker, more ulterior motives and uses the easy to mold minds of children's to do the sadistic biddings? Adam Lucy was a man surrounded by mystery and charisma that won over Principle Bil Carman first, before turning his sights on four children; Johnny Masterson, Shelia Cohen, Sandy Dickens and Gary. Each child suffering from personal struggles at home, easily yearned for the wisdom and comfort from a man who seemed to understand their every emotion flawlessly. With each kid's grades improving drastically, it rather quickly spread before many students were using him for help. Yet that would quickly sour when word of mouth bleeds together in a small town. Teacher Stephen Zola was a younger man, yet he challenged the teachers of Mr. Lucy as he bore witness to the radical changes in the four students he tutored. A cockiness they never possessed previously and an almost vicious obsession with Mr. Lucy lead to the students turning on him. With Gary coming to the principal with claims of sexual abuse, and while Johnny walked out naked from Zola's bedroom, it wasn't a long time before his career was in shambles from the disgraceful accusations. As the four grew increasingly closer, they saw a sick friendship with Mr. Lucy that would lead to their worst deviation yet. Fellow student Richard Slattery was becoming suspicious, and with that made him a target of Mr. Lucy. Believing the words of disgraced teacher Stephen Zola, he made it known he planned on proving his true innocence which would ruin the credibility of Gary and Johnny. As they confused these findings in Mr. Lucy the plan was set in motion, one ending in four children tried for the murder of their own peer. Using his innocent attraction to Sandy to their advantage, they used her to get him to Gary's father's lumberyard where the murder would take place. Armed with claw hammers that mauled him to death before wrapping his body in a tarp and dropping him into the crawlspace. Returning the following night, they were captured by police where Sheila confessed to the murder.
“I’ve been watching you; I’ve seen the way you look at things; I can practically hear your thoughts. I was the same way so I know what it is to be imprisoned within yourself, to have all these perceptions and feelings, to have all these unsaid words dying in echoes, to be unable to share any real discoveries and interesting thoughts. You live in the world of the deaf and the dumb and you see and hear.”
In the same neighborhood, bored housewife, Ellen Lorner, begins fantasizing of an affair with gorgeous new neighbor, Adam Lucy. Drawn in deeper everyday, she would finally succumb to her desires and have the most memorable sexual encounter of her life. Right afterwards he seems to vanish into thin air to the extreme she hardly got the chance to lay eyes on him. Feeling obsessive she spent countless hours staring from her windows dying to catch a glance of him. Straying further from her husband, she's horrified to discover herself pregnant, knowing in her heart who's baby it was. When husband Barton finds her irrational before passing out, he's panicked and uses the help of Adam Lucy to load his wife into the car. Accused of an overdose by suicide, she confused in her husband about the pregnancy, which he accepts with open arms hiding the affair from him, she bites her tongue when he makes mention of Adam Lucy leaving town. Determined to put the past behind her, the two seem ready to reinvest in their marriage.
I didn't betray him. He betrayed us.
July 20, 2018
I read this sometime as a teenager in the 80's. Probably bought it at B. Dalton along with a few Sweet Valley High books. I must have like it well enough to keep it around in with my books all these years. However, I remember nothing about it except the front cover and that fact that I did read it. Unmemorable. This bit of fluff is headed to a little free library, may some other teenager read it and pass it on.
June 11, 2024
Not sure what the cover of this book has to do with the story within. Not much. Great Paperbacks from Hell cover. And terrible story. Starts perhaps okay, a tutor arrives in town and starts to stir up mischief amongst the children of the community and the stay-at-home mothers. He becomes a sort of cult leader, but the story is so disjointed and the characters actions do not make any sense for the most part. Thought it would be very entertaining and ended up just trying to finish it.
January 22, 2020
Love these 80's Zebra Horror books. Wouldn't actually call this horror, but still a good read.
January 7, 2022
Quite different from what I was expecting
October 27, 2016
Do not let the cover, jacket text, and the inside teaser fool you. Because they will. Naturally, there is no little girl playing with a beach ball imprinted with a skull at any point in the story. This was not a huge surprise. What was surprising was that the back spoke about the "teacher" Mr. Lucy - who was not, in fact, a teacher, but a tutor. The rest of the back copy was about Mr. Lucy, who we learn very little about throughout the book.
The inside teaser was an even bigger lie.
The scene teased here is not exactly the same as what actually happens in the book. The sentence "The first child raised his hammer..." makes it sound like we've got a crew of murderous elementary school students. The story is about a group of four high school students, 16- and 17-year-olds. Not exactly "children." The teaser also made a bigger deal out of Sheila's resistance to helping in the murder.
I found this book at a thift store along with several other totally cheesy-looking horror novels, but this one sounded the best. As you might have guessed, this is a fairly boring story wrapped up in an enticing package that promises much more than it actually contained. The four students, apparently inspired by and/or operating on Mr. Lucy's "suggestions" become a tight group, and the other students begin to pull away from them and even start rumors about Mr. Lucy, until the group decides they need to put a stop to it. I expected a happy hammer murdering spree, but only one person dies, and that was spoiled for me in the teaser (hence why I'm not marking it as a spoiler). There was a plot to accuse another teacher of some kind of sexual misconduct with his male students, which could absolutely never happen today as it did in this book. It made me think of Gone Girl and Amy's plot of accuse an ex-boyfriend of rape and how it destroyed his life, but the accusations here are sort of... brushed under the rug and the teacher quietly dismissed? No charges pressed? Doesn't exactly seem demonic.
At the same time, one of Mr. Lucy's neighbors, a woman named Ellen, becomes obsessed with him. She has wild sexual fantasies about him, and I wasn't exactly sure what the point of her entire storyline was. In fact, it is never especially clear what Mr. Lucy is, if he is in fact anything. I can theorize all I want that "Lucy" is a nickname for "Lucifer" and that Mr. Lucy is really the devil in disguise, entering communities and destroying them, but aside from one quiet rape accusation, one murder, and one woman impregnated, it doesn't exactly seem like Mr. Lucy is "destroying" the community. Never mind that there is really no textual evidence to support this theory. Aside from the students and Ellen feeling like there's something compelling about Mr. Lucy, it could all be in their heads.
Overall, I felt like the characters were very 2-dimensional. I was quite disappointed that the story didn't live up to the hype of the packaging - especially from the ghost writer for V.C. Andrews!
The inside teaser was an even bigger lie.
The scene teased here is not exactly the same as what actually happens in the book. The sentence "The first child raised his hammer..." makes it sound like we've got a crew of murderous elementary school students. The story is about a group of four high school students, 16- and 17-year-olds. Not exactly "children." The teaser also made a bigger deal out of Sheila's resistance to helping in the murder.
I found this book at a thift store along with several other totally cheesy-looking horror novels, but this one sounded the best. As you might have guessed, this is a fairly boring story wrapped up in an enticing package that promises much more than it actually contained. The four students, apparently inspired by and/or operating on Mr. Lucy's "suggestions" become a tight group, and the other students begin to pull away from them and even start rumors about Mr. Lucy, until the group decides they need to put a stop to it. I expected a happy hammer murdering spree, but only one person dies, and that was spoiled for me in the teaser (hence why I'm not marking it as a spoiler). There was a plot to accuse another teacher of some kind of sexual misconduct with his male students, which could absolutely never happen today as it did in this book. It made me think of Gone Girl and Amy's plot of accuse an ex-boyfriend of rape and how it destroyed his life, but the accusations here are sort of... brushed under the rug and the teacher quietly dismissed? No charges pressed? Doesn't exactly seem demonic.
At the same time, one of Mr. Lucy's neighbors, a woman named Ellen, becomes obsessed with him. She has wild sexual fantasies about him, and I wasn't exactly sure what the point of her entire storyline was. In fact, it is never especially clear what Mr. Lucy is, if he is in fact anything. I can theorize all I want that "Lucy" is a nickname for "Lucifer" and that Mr. Lucy is really the devil in disguise, entering communities and destroying them, but aside from one quiet rape accusation, one murder, and one woman impregnated, it doesn't exactly seem like Mr. Lucy is "destroying" the community. Never mind that there is really no textual evidence to support this theory. Aside from the students and Ellen feeling like there's something compelling about Mr. Lucy, it could all be in their heads.
Overall, I felt like the characters were very 2-dimensional. I was quite disappointed that the story didn't live up to the hype of the packaging - especially from the ghost writer for V.C. Andrews!
October 16, 2016
3.5 stars.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews