Customer Reviews

Boy In the Water

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This book caught hold of me from the beginning. The hero kept sinking deeper and deeper and I wanted to shout at him, "Get out of the school" as this main character failed to see the true nature of the danger building around him. It was frustrating, yet gripping. The reader was shown the danger and the some of the evil schemes swirling around the New Hampshire campus. Gossip was never true or innocent and the paranoia was always well-place. A spooky combination. The usual entrenchmant of bureacracy against any change was presented and it felt real for anyone who has worked in an institution of any kind and then this was nudged forward just a little until it became deadly.

The number of interesting characters, good and bad, was a nice change from some suspense novel that spend their written energy on usually simply the hero or the villain.

It felt nice to settle down with a killer and a New Hampshire snowstorm on a hut, muggy New York day.

I read "The Church of Dead Girls" when it was first released in the summer of '97, and I absolutely loved it. When I heard, then, that Dobyns had a new book out, I knew that I had to have it. When I finished "The Boy in the Water," I felt a little...I guess let down is the best way to put it. It isn't that the book was at all bad; in fact, I enjoyed it. There seemed to be something missing. The plot was a little more transparent than that of "Church." In his previous novel, I didn't know for sure whodunit until Dobyns chose to reveal the murderer to the reader; in "Boy," I had a pretty clear idea of what was going on, and I was right.

Stephen Dobyns has once again proved his versatility with his new book, "Boy in the Water". Fans of his Saratoga series are familiar with his wonderful sense of humor, great characters, and spectacular mishaps, all surrounded by a great deal of local color. This novel, like his "Church of the Dead Girls", is serious, haunting, and mysterious, set in winter in New Hampshire, with predictable villains and a great deal of foreshadowing. This book reminds me a bit of a PD James novel,(the snowy mountains instead of the foggy moors) not quite as thick, and certainly with a New England twist. I enjoyed every minute of it, found the characters likeable, believable, and interesting. I loved the subtle changes in the boarding school which Jim Hawthorne was able to implement during his troubled first semester there, as evidenced by the scenes with the students; Dobyns has an excellent eye and understanding for the behavior patterns of abused kids. This was a great read, and highly recommended. My only criticism is that the foreshadowing is a bit heavy, the "bad guys" are pretty obvious even though our hero seems to be oblivious, and the ending is a bit strange - we see the aftermath of the climax of the novel through the eyes of a very minor and peripheral character and there is no alternative wrap up. An interesting literary device, but I felt a little cheated. Maybe foreshadowing of a sequel, Mr. Dobyns?

This book was intriguing from start to end. It keep throwing loops that were extremely entertaining. Like many have said I just could not put this book down. This is by far one of the most compelling thrillers I have ever read. It's my first Stephen Dobyns books and I can't wait to read more of his masterpieces.

This book is so good I bought it on hardcover at full price to read later. The character development is fabulous. You felt like they are real people and that you could run into Mr. Hawthorne, the new headmaster of a sinking school on the bridge of closing. Its one of those books that keeps you hanging and wanting more. I suggest anyone who likes good murder thrillers to get this book immediately.

Dobyns continues to enchant with his wonderfully descriptive scenery. Likewise, Dobyns's character descriptions are terrific, giving his audience a sense that these characters are involved in every part of our own daily lives. As Dobyns delves into the psychology of grief and guilt felt by those who have lost loved ones he gives the audience for a moment insight into the human heart and soul. The fear felt through the climatic ending to the book is splendid. This book keeps you hanging on every word and urges you to continue reading. Despite, being a little over 400 pages the book seemed like it was finished before it started.

Gullible, naive Clinical Psychologist becomes the new headmaster of a residential school in New Hampshire, and in his efforts to re-invigorate the venerable institution, he encounters some interesting characters: some nice- some not so nice. The requisite New England snow storm is a dramatic backdrop for the ultimate resolution of his problems. A good read.

Stephen Dobyns has done it again..I thought The Church of the Dead Girls was one of the best books I have ever read, but I think Mr Dobyns has surpassed himself with this one. The book is a fast paced edge of your seat read, and the pace doesn't stop for an instant. The characters are totally believable, the plot is just great, and if Hollywood could make this into a movie and not ruin it, I'd be first in line to see it. A tip, don't read it by yourself at night, it's spooky!

Set in rural New Hampshire, Boy In The Water centers around Jim Hawthorne, a respected psychologist with a tragic past, and his attempt to save Bishop's Hill, a rundown private school filled with troubled kids and an even more troubling faculty and staff. The result of Hawthorne's hard work and effort turns out to be murder, mystery, and frustration. Personally, I found the pace of the book to be a little slow, and it took me about 100 pages to really get involved with the characters and the story. By the middle of the book, however, I found myself emotionally drawn into the drama and curious about how the story would end. The outcome, while not bad, was somewhat predictible, and I didn't encounter any sections of the book that I thought were particularly edgy, creepy, or frightening. My biggest complaint was with the epilogue. It concentrated more on one of the minor characters in the story and left you hanging about what happens with several of the main characters. Overall, this was not a bad book, but not one of my favorites either.

Dobyns manages to write a thriller that engages the reader in ways that put most thrillers to shame. From the first moment you see the villain, you know he's bad news but he isn't the only villain and the fact that he's working for someone else makes the whole thing that much more sinister. The teacher is virtuous and he's a little flat, but you still worry about him. Dobyns manages to make the commonplace strange and the strange overly sinister.

Great prose. Intriguing story and well rounded characters make for some very enjoyable reading.

It doesn't quite come up to "The Church of Dead Girls," but Stephen Dobyns has a knack for giving us characterization, description and plot. There's plenty of all three in this novel.

Jim Hawthorne, a famed psychologist who blames himself for the deaths of his wife and daughter in a fire started by an obsessed student, takes the job of headmaster at a failing New England preparatory school that has become the dumping ground for troubled kids. Hawthorne hopes to save the school and students as a redemption for his past failure.

The job isn't made easy when his efforts are met with suspicion and a campaign to undermine his success. The serene, ivy-clad campus conceals a world of secrets, corruption and murderous plots. In addition to Hawthorne, there are some equally intriguing characters including a 15-year-old student who previously was a stripper, a few devious staff members, a cook with a penchant for dirty stories and an old-time Boston cop I felt should have been given more space.