The Tutor

by Kathryn Mattingly

Natalie flees San Francisco with her son, Matti, whom she suspects was traumatized by witnessing his father do something unthinkable. The socially challenged adolescent becomes mute. Escaping to the island of Roatan, Honduras, with a former student of Natalie’s allows her and Matti to start a new life. The boy slowly learns the ways of the island and begins to heal. Natalie becomes passionate about empowering island women through her tutoring and falls in love with a man hiding his true identity—until one day Matti’s father discovers where they are and the truth comes spilling out.

250 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 15, 2018

About the author

Kat Mattingly is an award winning author, public speaker, and college educator. She has taught numerous writing courses at several private colleges. Her debut novel, Benjamin (2013) was a New Century Publishing finalist and her short story collection, Fractured Hearts (2014) includes five award winning stories. Here newest release, Finley's Song, (2025) and her fifth novel, Katya (2023) are award winning novels. Other titles include Journey (2015) Olivia's Ghost (2016) and The Tutor (2018) Kat lives on the high desert in Central Oregon with her husband, Dennis, and a Maine Coon cat named Atticus.

Reviews

[Chuck Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Tutor contains all the suspense a reader can hope for, and with a Caribbean flair. From San Francisco to Roatan, Honduras, Mattingly takes you on quite an adventure. Don't miss this must read from an exciting author.

[Amy Rivers · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Tutor offers thrilling suspense in a seemingly unlikely setting, a beautiful island community off the coast of Honduras. Natalie escapes an abusive marriage to reinvent herself and help heal her son. In the process, she advocates for and educates the women of the island, hoping to give them a chance at a better life. She experiences new friendship, a rediscovered sense of purpose and a chance at real love.

[S.E. Reichert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mattingly is an amazing writer and her new book explores the horrifying international baby-trade business and the unscrupulous men who profit from it. This page-turning thriller captivates readers as it follows the story of one woman’s desperate escape from her controlling husband to save their traumatized son from being locked away.


Following Natalie Giovanni’s flight with her troubled and beloved only son, Matti, Mattingly takes us across the globe, in the lush world of Roatan, Honduras and paints a striking difference between the world that Natalie is accustom to and her new life in hiding.


In her trademark descriptive style, Mattingly creates a world of crystalline beaches, vibrant reefs, colorful people, and a vivacious culture. The reader is offered an inside perspective from the men and women living on the island and becomes part of their day to day lives.


Mattingly explores both the differences of life in the United States and life on the island and also the similarities in their systemic patriarchal controls. This contributes to the complex plot and journey Natalie takes in finding herself and in helping her son recover from the shock and trauma of witnessing his father’s unspeakable act of cruelty.


The dynamic between characters is complex and engaging and begs the reader’s investment in what will come with every turn of the page. Her dynamic heroine remains relatable and captivates the audience with the trials and transformations she faces on her path to self-reliance and helping Matti to heal.


As always, Mattingly is an artist at character development and gives the reader a thrilling adventure that offers a deeper theme of the heartening bravery it takes to do what is right and protect the ones we love.

[Gabriel Valjan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part mystery and suspense and with a dash of romance mixed in with the exotic, Kathryn Mattingly introduces us to mother and son, Natalie and Matti, on the lam from an abusive spouse. Natalie appears to have enjoyed a life of leisure as an artist and as a tutor to students of English as Second Language. One of her former students is from Honduras. Hence the foreign locale later in the story. As other reviewers have noted, Matti witnesses a terrible crime and Natalie is spurred into action when her husband intends to commit their son to a mental health facility. The story gains momentum when mother and child take flight. Mattingly excels at lyrical descriptions of emotional and psychological states as well as the physical, the lush island landscape of Roatan, Honduras. Anxiety, fear, and dread are difficult emotional states to describe and sustain, and the author acquits herself in conveying both adult and Natalie and Matti’s experiences. Mother and son forge a deeper, more meaningful relationship with each other and with those around them in their new home. There is the glimmer and real possibility of love and peace. However, it is only logical that with an obsessive spouse there is an inevitable confrontation. Mattingly ratchets up that suspense and the finale was something unexpected, but satisfying. Not discussed here – and I save it for the reader to discover on their own – is how the author weaves in the relevant and heartbreaking subplot about human trafficking. A recommended read.

[Kelsi Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t put it down.

[Mark Sylvester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully written. Another winner from Kathryn Mattingly!