Don’t miss The Tutor, an utterly gripping psychological thriller with a heart-stopping twist, perfect for fans of Valerie Keogh and Daniel Hurst.
Intrigued? Well read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Courtney Psak’s The Tutor, which is out August 7th 2025 on eBook and November 11th in print.
Letting her into your home was your first mistake…
Rose is a dedicated wife and mother to her husband Grant and her son James. Having recently moved to a grand mansion in Florida, Rose is keen for James to fit in with his new life and hires a tutor.
Isabel is young, smart and beautiful, and not only gets along with James, but she gets results.
But when Isabel starts to get too close for comfort, Rose can’t help but think that Isabel is looking for more than just tutoring.
Can Rose uncover who exactly she has let into her house, or will this lesson be deadly?
Evelyn
As Evelyn sits on the kitchen banquette waiting for the others, her eye catches on a garter snake, slithering across the hedges outside her window. Its yellow underbelly is a stark contrast to its tar-colored top half with a yellow stripe across the middle. Evelyn smiles at it as it picks its head up. Its long skinny tongue sticks out before retreating into its mouth. Evelyn isn’t scared of snakes, especially garter snakes. While they can appear menacing as they slither through your property, they are, in fact, a landscaper’s best friend. They eat all the pests like slugs and rodents. Evelyn might even dare compare herself to a garter snake. She may look threatening but really, she’s doing everyone a favor. Evelyn knows what’s best for Grant, better than he knows for himself, and she will stop any intruders that threaten everything she has worked so hard to protect.
The kitchen door swings, and Grant turns his head around the kitchen before spotting her. He nods at Martha before directing his attention to her.
“How are you feeling, Mom?”
Evelyn makes a show of struggling to open up a pill box, extracting a cream-colored gel capsule that she pops in her mouth and washes down with water. “I’m doing just fine,” she says in a sarcastic tone.
A clang of dishes startles Evelyn, who glares at Martha for fussing about.
“There’s quite a spread for everyone to enjoy, if they actually make it down here.” Evelyn points at the various types of sandwiches, roasted vegetables and an antipasto salad, displayed across the white marble countertop.
“They’ll be down in a minute. Can I bring you something?”
“Just a salad . . . please.”
Grant pulls a bowl from the glass cabinet and scoops a handful of leafy greens into it.
“Are you sure you still think this is a good idea?” Evelyn cocks an eyebrow at Grant.
“We’ve discussed this, Mom.” Grant puts the bowl in front of her.
“I just don’t understand the urgency you had for this m-marriage. If anything, intense emotions like that need to simmer. A break from one another would’ve been a healthier option instead of moving everyone here.”
“She’s more like me than anyone I’ve ever met.” Grant narrows his eyes at Evelyn.
“Two wounded birds don’t make the nest stronger. In fact,
they do just the opposite.”
“I am stronger, Mother.” He tilts his head and smiles.“Thanks to you.”
Evelyn sucks in a breath and averts her eyes around the room. With all the necessities needed for a modern-day kitchen, it was the one part of the estate that they’d needed to renovate. The wooden beams on the ceiling got to stay, but otherwise, they had a state-of-the-art full-size fridge and matching freezer. Despite putting dark wood paneling over it to match the rest of the cabinets, it didn’t feel as glamorous.
Evelyn would have thought that Grant would want to eat in the dining room with its carved wood ceiling and two cut-marble fireplaces. They had originated from other European castles and palaces. She knew it was Grant’s favorite fact to tell guests. The Vanderbilts had done something similar in Rhode Island.
There is a long rectangular wooden dining table that seats ten. It rests on a blue and yellow area rug with matching wooden chairs. Evelyn wanted to see James and Rose’s faces as they dined in front of the oversized windows, rounded at the top, providing spectacular views of the outstretched ocean and beach below. When standing close to the windows, one can see the Olympic-sized swimming pool tiered above the lawn on a stone patio. The pool has sun loungers dotting the edges, while the other seated area is tucked under a loggia.
The wrought-iron furniture has cushions in orange and white stripes, with an outdoor fireplace. Catty-cornered to that is a cut-marble bar with metal stools off to the left, looking over the tops of palm trees and hedges that edge the lawn below before spilling onto the beach. Once the weather clears, she hopes they can sit outside for a drink.
“Sweetie, are you sure you don’t want to go to the dining room?” Evelyn places her hand on his.
“This is fine, Mom,” Grant says.
She can sense then that he’s doing this for Rose’s sake. He’s trying to show her that he too can be casual and laid-back. But Evelyn knows that’s not who he really is.
He clears his throat and Evelyn watches as his irritation grows, waiting for everyone else. He grips his knife a little too tight and begins to cut his vegetables, his utensils scraping loudly against the china plate.
Evelyn tries not to wince.
“I’m glad you’re here, Grant.”
“After everything you’ve done for me, how could I not be?”
Evelyn smiles. Yes, being here is a much more suitable place for him. She only wishes it was just the two of them.
The door swings forcefully as James walks in, his laptop in his hand. He places it on the table before slinking down into Mone of the wooden chairs, its legs scratching against the tiled floor. “Mom will be down in a minute,” he announces.
Evelyn resists the urge to tell him to sit up straight and explain how much more respectable he would look, but she realizes she’d rather save that comment for when Rose is present to hear it.
“Please, James, help yourself.” Evelyn gestures to the spread at the same time that James takes note of the food on the counter and stands back up to do so.
“Thank you, Evelyn.”
Evelyn is pleased to see he has manners. “So, are you excited to . . . start school tomorrow?”
He nods. “I’m a little nervous, but I think it will be okay. More nervous about soccer tryouts.”
“Yes, I hear you are quite the athlete.”.
“I was more of a lacrosse player myself,” Grant says before putting a roasted pepper in his mouth. “You were very t-talented.” Evelyn pats Grant’s hand reassuringly. At least he would’ve been if he had put any effort into it.
It’s all about keeping up appearances, she hears her husband Harrison’s voice say in her head.
“Sorry, everyone.” Rose comes in, looking flustered and unnerved. “This is wonderful, thank you,” she says to both Martha and Evelyn as she notices the spread.
“Getting settled in okay?” Evelyn asks, wondering just what Rose has been up to that has her looking jittery.
“Everything’s great,” Rose says too quickly. “Thank you so much.” She selects a sandwich and puts some salad on a plate.
“Oh, by the way,” James says, shoving his fist into his pocket. “I found this in my room in one of the desk drawers. I wondered if someone might be looking for it.” He pulls the object out and drops it. It clinks against the wood of the table.
Grant and Evelyn peer at the round piece of copper-colored metal, looking at it curiously.
Evelyn scrunches her brows. “Goodness.” She picks it up to examine it, the weight feeling heavier than she remembers. “This is Harrison’s wedding ring.”
“Who’s Harrison?” James asks.
“Grant’s f-father,” Evelyn says, peering at Grant. “I thought he was buried with this.” Evelyn holds it up for Grant to see. Grant averts his eyes and wipes his mouth with a napkin.
“Where did you say you found this?”
James looks around as if he might get into trouble somehow. “In the desk drawer in my room?” he says now, like it’s a question.
Evelyn looks back at Grant. “Your old room.”
Grant scratches his jawline. “Not sure how it got there, Mom.” He stands up with his plate.
She feels a shudder run through her. Grant puts his dish by the sink. “I have to make a call for work,” he announces before leaving the room.
The temperature feels like it has dropped ten degrees. A chill runs up Evelyn’s spine.
Rose wipes her mouth with a napkin, then settles it on her lap.
“How did he die?” James asks before taking another bite of his sandwich.
“James!” Rose’s eyes widen, mortified. Evelyn picks at her salad, hands shaking as she considers how to answer the question while at the same time trying to wrap her head around how Harrison’s wedding ring was in that drawer. She reflects on the funeral. Harrison looked gaunt and paler than he normally was, his dark hair appearing stiff and stringy compared to his normal soft side part, very similar to Grant’s. It was odd seeing him lying in a shiny brown mahogany coffin, lined with white silk.
Evelyn felt so many emotions the day of the funeral, but every fiber of her being screamed with fear, preventing her from finding the courage to move forward. The reality is that even after twenty years, she’s still as fearful as she was the day she buried him.
After all, it’s because of her that he is dead. Once more, she sees Harrison lying in his coffin, his hands folded across his middle. That ring, she could’ve sworn, was
on him. Evelyn remembers back when Grant was a child. Maybe six years old. On a trip to Palm Beach, Harrison drove them out to Wellington. It was particularly muggy that day after a rainstorm, and Harrison insisted on having the windows down in his convertible as they drove out from Southern Boulevard.
The air held a thick moisture that felt damp on Evelyn’s skin, despite the wind from the drive.
Grant sat in the back quietly, not bothering to ask where they were going. Rather, he just looked out the window observantly, as if playing a game against himself, trying to guess on his own.
“What are we doing all the way out here?” Evelyn finally asked him.
“You’ll see.” Harrison’s dark hair was blowing in the wind but sweat was causing some of it to stick to his forehead. He was wearing a white polo shirt and khaki pants from just getting off the golf course.
Evelyn, already in a bad mood, crossed her arms when they pulled onto a long dirt path leading down towards a horse farm.
“Woah,” Grant said in awe from the backseat. Evelyn glared at Harrison, but he ignored her. A short man in a pair of riding pants and a polo met them
by the stables.
“Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell, welcome” His voice was thick with a British accent. “If you will follow me.”
Evelyn trailed behind reluctantly, her heels sinking into the dirt, still moist from the early rainstorm.
Grant followed along behind Harrison like a puppy dog, pawing at his leg for attention. Harrison, in turn, swooped him up onto his hip, leaning over at one of the stables, where a brown chestnut horse with a sleek coat huffed at them.
“What do you think of him?” Harrison asked.
“Woah. Can we keep him?”
“I just bought him for you. What do you want to name him?”
Evelyn’s face hardened, but Harrison and Grant ignored her once more as they decided on a name.
“Jordan.”
“As in Michael Jordan?” Harrison laughed as Grant nodded his head.
“Okay. Well, Jordan it is. Do you want to take him for a ride?”
“Yeah!” Grant smiled.
“Charles, can you get him all set up?” Harrison turned his attention to the polo player who had brought them in. “Right away, Mr. Caldwell.”
Finally, Harrison turned to Evelyn. “So?”
“A horse, really?”
“Yes, really.”
“What is he going to do with a horse?”
“Ride it?” He looked at her dumbly.
“We live in New York City, and we most certainly will not drive all the way out here when we are in Palm Beach to ride a horse.”
“Why are you on me about this? What’s wrong with buying my son a present?”
“Because you bought him a horse. Which is the definition of spoiling.”
“I can’t spoil my son?”
“Not to make up for your absence.”
“Seems to work well for you,” he said, more coldly now.
“I do what I have to do,” she replied, her voice low.
“Yes, Evelyn, I know. You do what you have to do, because you wouldn’t survive without my money.”
He walked out of the stable then, leaving Evelyn with the stale smell of hay and manure lodged in her throat. Evelyn shakes her head thinking about how Harrison always tried to buy their love, as if it would make up for all the terrible things he’d done. She releases her fork and lets it drop onto the plate with a loud clanking noise that makes both Rose and James jump slightly.
“I’m sorry, everyone, but it appears I have lost my appetite.”
