Into the Water

March 20, 2017
Jules Abbott, the heroine of bestseller Hawkins’s twisty second psychological thriller, vowed never to return to the sleepy English town of Beckford after an incident when she was a teenager drove a wedge between her and her older sister, Nel. But now Nel, a writer and photographer, is the latest in a long string of women found dead in a part of the local river known as the Drowning Pool. As Nel put it, “Beckford is not a suicide spot. Beckford is a place to get rid of troublesome women.” Before Nel’s death, the best friend of her surly 15-year-old daughter, Lena, drowned herself, an act that had a profound effect on both Nel and Lena. Beckford history is dripping with women who’ve thrown themselves—or been pushed?—off the cliffs into the Drowning Pool, and everyone—from the police detective, plagued by his own demons, working the case to the new cop in town with something to prove—knows more than they’re letting on. Hawkins (The Girl on the Train) may be juggling a few too many story lines for comfort, but the payoff packs a satisfying punch. Author tour. Agent: Lizzy Kremer, David Higham Associates (U.K.).

The river has claimed many lives over the years, and in the span of less than one year, two more women have been claimed. One woman had been researching the river and its victims; the other was a teenager who had no known motive to kill herself. Five narrators tell the story from the points of view of more than 15 characters. Each character's voice is unique, but the multitude of changing perspectives can be difficult to follow at times. Paula Hawkins's second novel, like her first, THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN, creates a world in which the listener isn't sure which narrator to trust. Though not quite as strong as her debut, this new audiobook weaves a curious mystery that listeners will find intriguing. A.G.M. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine