This is a tough one for me to review. I'm still pondering what I think of it. I can't say that I really liked it, but I didn't really dislike it either. I'm a fan of Highsmith's writing from the Ripley books, and the quality of prose was certainly here as well. My main problem with this story is that I didn't find any of the characters redeemable in the sense that I cared what happened to them. Well, I did care about Trixie, her being an innocent 6-year old who had to live among the insane of her home and her town. And, I kept hoping for Melinda to get the sound ass-whupping she deserved. Other than that, I didn't have much to root for. I'm fairly certain that Miss Highsmith intended for the entire town to be an insane, dysfunctional mess, and she delivered, but it just felt too overdone and unreal for me to relate. ( )

This is the first book I have read of this author, and I was fascinated and liked it a lot. It is a murder mystery in which we learn pretty quickly "who done it," and the question is will that person be found out. It is very well-written. ( )

Vintage Highsmith. Unlikable couples in a small New England town, stay silent while a toxic couple hate each other. For Highsmith fans, this is a good read. ( )

Pretty much great. Wife flaunts her affairs in front of husband and he acquiesces mildly - or does he? The book charts this undercurrent of resentment/anger building up to violent encounters. Author does a neat trick of presenting the husband as sympathetically as possible for almost the entire book, but then causing the reader to wonder if we are sympathizing with a psychotic figure. Great. ( )

Vic gilt als etwas merkwürdig, aber auch als freundlich und tolerant. Etwas zu tolerant ist er (so finden jedenfalls seine Freunde) gegenüber seiner jungen Frau Melinda, die immer wieder neue Liebhaber ins Haus bringt. Nur die Tatsache, dass diese Männer ihm nicht das Wasser reichen können, scheint ihn zu irritieren. Doch stille Wasser gründen tief.