Hole in the Water [Hardcover]

Robert Kearney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 20, 1997

In a novel pulsating with the breathtaking suspense of a thriller and the psychological intensity of our worst nightmares, a woman must decide how far she will go to protect the man she loves in the face of chilling accusations from those who know him best-and her own unsuppressible suspicions.



Chuck, Gretchen, and Gretchen's daughter, Kara, are returning to Chuck's hometown for the reading of his father's will. Recently married, Gretchen convinces herself that her husband's edgy moodiness simply reflects his ambiguous feelings about the father he has been estranged from for years. But the vicious hostility that greets them when they arrive on the desolate island in Lake Superior where Chuck grew up makes Gretchen realize how little she really knows about her husband's past.



The island gossips are quick to fill in some of the gaps, relating tales of Chuck's wild youth, of his confinement in a mental institution, of the ill-gotten money hidden by his father in the family home-and of the mysterious death that drove Chuck from the island so many years ago. Soothed by Chuck's facile explanations of each revelation, Gretchen assures him of her love and loyalty. Then one final crime is revealed-and Gretchen and Kara are propelled on a terrifying flight for their lives."

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Veteran journalist Robert Kearney's fiction debut is a lean and well-crafted psychological thriller that manages to find some new notes in the old theme of "who is this person I've just married?" Back in her new husband's hometown for the reading of his father's will, Gretchen finds out in very short order that Chuck has been married before, he's been in a mental institution, and almost everyone in town hates his guts. Kearney deftly avoids melodrama as he builds believable suspense.

From Booklist

Newlyweds Chuck and Gretchen, as well as Gretchen's teenage daughter, Kara, are traveling to Chuck's hometown on Madeleine Island in northern Wisconsin for the reading of his father's will. Gretchen has picked up on Chuck's edgy shifts in mood, but nothing has prepared her for the outright hatred of the local residents that greets them on arrival. Gretchen slowly learns of her new husband's troubled past, including the mysterious death of his first wife and his father's shady financial dealings. When the longtime housekeeper turns up dead and Kara discovers the corpse of one of Chuck's old flames in the basement, Gretchen begins to have serious doubts about whether she truly knows her husband. Despite some abrupt shifts in point of view and tone, this first novel offers a suitably creepy atmosphere and some deft characterization, especially of rebellious Kara. Joanne Wilkinson

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1st edition (January 20, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385484305
• ISBN-13: 978-0385484305
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,834,769 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Unexpected, but..., August 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Hole in the Water (Hardcover)

As I began to read this one, I felt like groaning aloud: "Oh, not another one about a brave mom having to defend herself and her child against evil!" In the end it is so only to a point, and the book ends up developing in a rather unexpected direction. Its ambiguous story (and dubious morality) would have been the stuff of a very good book, but the characters are flat and never seem to come across as quite alive, except the teenager Kara, who soon steals the protagonist role from her bewildered mother. The book is entertaining enough, however, which is no small feat.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Danger and death awaits a woman on an isolated island, February 1, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Hole in the Water (Hardcover)

Gretchen did not think she had to know about the details from Chuck's past when she dated him or even when they married, since it is the man he is today that matters. She appreciates and likes his concern and protectiveness for her and her sixteen year old daughter Kara and is not all concerned he was a hell raiser in his youth. When the three of them go to Madeline Island off Lake Superior for the reading of the will of Chuck's estranged father, Gretchen wanders if a little foreknowledge might have given her some warning about what awaited them on that isolated area. It is a shock to learn that Chuck escaped the draft by going to Vietnam on a mental disability, that he, in fact, was institutionalized for some months. It is even more unnerving to learn that he was once married and that wife died in a mysterious drowning accident, one that the townsfolk still believe Chuck caused. The more time they spend on the island, the more Chuck changes and though Gretchen tries to believe Chuck's explanation for his odd behavior and illegal activities, there comes a point where she becomes afraid for her and Kara's lives. She makes the decision to cut and run when one final revelation makes her believe that Chuck is capable of anything including murder. This decision throws them into a life and death situation with no place to hide. The inhabitants of the island will remind readers of "The Children of the Corn" all grown up and unfathomable. However it is the anti-hero Chuck, who will mesmerize the audience as he constantly makes the world doubt him and themselves. Robert Kearney has written a spine tingling work of psychological suspense and terror, made all the more frightening because the story line is locked into an all too real world not a make believe imaginary scenario that could never possibly happen. HOLE IN THE WATER makes our worst nightmares feel like children's dreams. For that reason alone, this is one book worth buying at any price. Harriet Klausner -

4.0 out of 5 stars "SIMPLE PLAN" FOR DUMMIES, February 24, 2003

By 

Michael Butts (Berkeley Springs, WV USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hole in the Water (Mass Market Paperback)

Back in the early nineties, Scott Smith wrote the definitive "what one act can lead to" novel, "A Simple Plan." That was a brilliant book and few have been able to come anywhere near it's domino effect crime. However, Kearney tries mightily hard in this thriller, which all occurs in one long day. Chuck Hausmann and his new wife, Gretchen, and step-daughter, Kara, return to an isolated island in the middle of Lake Superior, to attend the reading of his father's will. We soon learn Chuck is hated by pretty much everyone in the little village. We also learn Chuck had been married before and his first wife died under mysterious circumstances; Chuck feigned insanity to keep out of the draft. From the get-go, we know Gretchen and Kara are in for some dark, disturbing moments. The island is populated with stereotypical characters, but still they're interesting antagonists. We do wonder "Is Chuck really the insane killer" the town makes him out to be; was Mary's death really an accident; did the old man really extort money from his church-going parishioners; and is Chuck telling the truth about anything?
The novel spins towards it's unusual climax, and many people suffer because of one lie, one betrayal. Sharp and enthralling, this is no "Simple Plan" but is a fine psychological thriller, with an unexpected ending.
RECOMMENDED.