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Boy in the Water (Mass Market Paperback)

by Stephen Dobyns (Author) "Burnt flesh newly whole, pink skin puckered on the back of the hand, a moonscape of scar tissue extending from the sleeve of a gray..." (more)
Key Phrases: dormitory cottages, hanged cat, faculty mailboxes, Bishop's Hill, Roger Bennett, Alice Beech (more...)

3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (44 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Although not as complex or as haunting as his 1997 novel Church of Dead Girls, Stephen Dobyns has produced a first-rate psychological thriller with Boy in the Water.

Bishop's Hill Academy in rural New Hampshire is a school in crisis. Once a highly regarded preparatory school for the rich and elite, it is now a dumping ground for troubled teens. The teachers are unqualified, unenthusiastic, and spend more time hitting the students than educating them. A new headmaster, Jim Hawthorne, enters the chaotic scene, but is immediately outcast from the tight-knit faculty. Hawthorne is obsessed with the idea of turning the school around--and we soon find out why. His family died in a fire purportedly set by a disturbed teenager back in San Diego. Mentally and physically scarred, Hawthorne sees Bishop's Hill as an opportunity to get back to "physical reality," and save some adolescent psyches. But it is his own mental state that is soon put to the test as he becomes the nucleus of a hate campaign and is forced to relive the terrible memories of the fire.

It seems that everyone in the school has a secret to hide--from the cook Frank LeBrun who enjoys placing sharp tacks in his recipes to Chip Campbell, a history teacher who has taken one too many liberties with the school's funds.

Dobyns paints a foreboding landscape of dilapidated buildings and neglected children--a place where a 15-year-old girl plots to kill her father, a place where teachers abuse students, a place where a young boy is found dead in a swimming pool. As a snowstorm cuts off the isolated community, the exiled headmaster is forced into a final showdown with the school's omnipotent evil.

Boy in the Water is an entertaining but ultimately disturbing read. --Naomi Gesinger --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
Set in the New Hampshire mountains at remote Bishop's Hill Academy, Dobyns's new novel succeeds, though it still does not top The Church of Dead Girls (LJ 5/1/97). As usual, Dobyns fleshes out mundane, real-world characters. Bishop's Hill is a financially shaky institution known as a dumping ground for troubled teenagers. New headmaster Jim Hawthorne carries a motherlode of guilt and conflict from the past: detained by a tryst at his previous prestigious post, he failed to save his wife and daughter from a fire set by a student jealous for his attention. Friend Kevin Kreuger tries to convince Hawthorne that he is punishing himself by taking the job, but Hawthorne perseveres. Deliberate attempts to undermine Hawthorne's success at Bishop's Hill, followed by a series of murders, overshadow his improvements to the school. In time, he discovers his enemies and unravels a trail of corruption while doing his utmost to save lost souls like Jessica Weaver, a former stripper at 15. Recommended for all mystery collections.
-AMichelle Foyt, Fairfield P.L., CT
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (July 15, 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312975228
ISBN-13: 978-0312975227
Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces

Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (44 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,455,219 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
Burnt flesh newly whole, pink skin puckered on the back of the hand, a moonscape of scar tissue extending from the sleeve of a gray sport coat. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
dormitory cottages, hanged cat, faculty mailboxes, new headmaster, faculty houses, pool office

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Bishop's Hill, Roger Bennett, Alice Beech, Chip Campbell, Bill Dolittle, Chief Moulton, Emerson Hall, San Diego, Fritz Skander, Ambrose Stark, Leo Flynn, Reverend Bennett, New Hampshire, Jessica Weaver, Ruth Standish, Hamilton Burke, Herb Frankfurter, Clifford Evings, Adams Hall, Larry Gaudette, Ted Wrigley, Betty Sherman, Bobby Newland, Jim Hawthorne, Kevin Krueger

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 26 books:

The Church of Dead Girls: A Novel by Stephen Dobyns in Front Matter (1), Front Matter (2), and Back Matter
Boy in the Water by Stephen Dobyns in Front Matter (1), and Front Matter (2)
Saratoga Headhunter (Charlie Bradshaw Mystery) by Stephen Dobyns in Front Matter
Cemetery Nights (Poets, Penguin) by Stephen Dobyns in Front Matter
New and Selected Poems (Modern and contemporary poetry of the West) by Penny Church in Front Matter

See all 26 books this book cites

5 books cite this book:

The Church of Dead Girls: A Novel by Stephen Dobyns in Front Matter (1), Front Matter (2), and Front Matter (3)
Pallbearers Envying the One Who Rides (Poets, Penguin) by Stephen Dobyns in Front Matter, and Back Matter
Mystery, So Long (Poets, Penguin) by Stephen Dobyns in Front Matter
The Body Eclectic: An Anthology of Poems by Patrice Vecchione on page 148
The Aerialist by Richard Schmitt in Front Matter

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Customer Reviews

44 Reviews

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

Average Customer Review

3.7 out of 5 stars (44 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A psychological thriller oozing in gossip and paranoia, August 11, 2000

By	Ricky Hunter (New York City, NY United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

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.

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars ENTERTAINING, BUT A LETDOWN AFTER "THE CHURCH OF DEAD GIRLS", December 23, 1999

By	Lauryn Angel-cann (Frisco, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Boy in the Water (Paperback)

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.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well-written, excellent characters, a bit predictable, June 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Boy in the Water (Paperback)

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?

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars very well written. keep you on the toe
i like the ending and the characters. i wont say much to kill the suspense. it is a good book. i recommend it

Published 1 month ago by I. Wong

3.0 out of 5 stars An Average Thriller
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... Read more

Published on March 19, 2007 by acwrite

5.0 out of 5 stars A thriller that leaves the rest of the thrillers in the waiting room
Dobyns manages to write a thriller that engages the reader in ways that put most thrillers to shame. Read more

Published on June 5, 2006 by Tim Lieder

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Thriller
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. Read more

Published on July 17, 2005 by John R. Lindermuth

1.0 out of 5 stars Floater
I wonder why people who really want to write screenplays try to disguise them as novels. "Boy in the Water" is a "novel" to be read by airplane passengers who have already seen... Read more

Published on November 16, 2004 by Dwight E. Weber

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Book A Must Read A+!!!
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. Read more

Published on July 10, 2004 by John Geissinger

5.0 out of 5 stars Talk About a Page Turner
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... Read more

Published on June 8, 2003 by Jason Muckley

3.0 out of 5 stars Starts Off Beautifully, But Ends Like A Scooby-Doo Episode
I love the first couple of chapters in this book-- the writing is incredible in these chapters. I could visualize everything perfectly. Read more

Published on March 6, 2003 by amanda

4.0 out of 5 stars good prose, good characterization, contrived plot
As is customary in Dobyns'work, it is the characters who capture your imagination. That is true in this volume as well, however, there are also uncommon devices in the... Read more

Published on September 9, 2002 by M. J. Smith

3.0 out of 5 stars All Wet
Boy in the Water is more a psychological thriller than an action thriller, which may well account for the number of reviews here complaining of its slow pacing. Read more

Published on May 1, 2002 by Dr. Christopher Coleman

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