But it’s the way it layers up the lies and betrayals and the interesting pace that keeps you on your toes. The Truants is a wonderful homage to Agatha – in ways you are expecting and ways you are not. Christie’s books are full of triangles, of secret loves, of betrayals amongst friends, amongst family, often amongst the sisterhood.

A couple and then the third point, the disruptive force. Agatha’s themes filter through and tie back into Jess’ situation:

So, lots of Agatha’s books and ideas are referenced, along with her quite fascinating real life story. Lorna is writing a book about the famous author and teaches a course about her entitled: Murdered by the Campus. I do love a good Agatha Christie story, so imagine my delight when a little Agatha sub-plot started to weave its way into the story. ‘Who can tell me which of Christie’s mysteries is the hardest to crack?’ And Alec is her best friend Georgie’s boyfriend… You’re among Agatha fans The only issue with that is that Nick is actually her boyfriend. Georgie, Nick and Alec become her close circle, with handsome South African, Alec capturing her heart. She is telling us about her life six years previous, when she was a new uni student, making new friends and getting to know her professor. We are hearing Jess’ story in retrospect. Lorna’s book, The Truants, is all about people who break the rules and live exciting lives ( ‘And those moments of playing truant from their lives – those were the moments the Devil became divine‘), which is what this book The Truants is about too, although not always with the outcomes the characters intend. An enigmatic English professor and published author. Jess Walker applies to a specific university in Norwich, specifically to be taught by Dr. Opening sentence: ‘It’s hard to say who I fell in love with first.’ Jess’ coming of age story I had heard that Kate Weinberg’s debut novel drew comparisons to The Secret History by Donna Tartt – and that’s all I needed to know. Well, isn’t this a dark, twisty and completely captivating tale? I didn’t know much about the plot of The Truants when I started reading.

The truants kate weinberg