Into the Water

A Novel

By: Paula Hawkins

Narrated by: Laura Aikman, Daniel Weyman, Imogen Church, Rachel Bavidge, Sophie Aldred, Laura Aikman

Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

The author of the number-one New York Times best seller and global phenomenon The Girl on the Train returns with Into the Water, her addictive new novel of psychological suspense.

A single mother turns up dead at the bottom of the river that runs through town. Earlier in the summer, a vulnerable teenage girl met the same fate. They are not the first women lost to these dark waters, but their deaths disturb the river and its history, dredging up secrets long submerged.

Left behind is a lonely 15-year-old girl. Parentless and friendless, she now finds herself in the care of her mother's sister, a fearful stranger who has been dragged back to the place she deliberately ran from - a place to which she vowed she'd never return.

With the same propulsive writing and acute understanding of human instincts that captivated millions of readers around the world in her explosive debut thriller, The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins delivers an urgent, twisting, deeply satisfying listen that hinges on the deceptiveness of emotion and memory as well as the devastating ways that the past can reach a long arm into the present.

Beware a calm surface - you never know what lies beneath.

©2017 Paula Hawkins (P)2017 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“A captivating contemporary whodunit...suspense churns and the plot keeps you guessing.” (People Magazine)

“Highly suspenseful...all these intrigues are teased out with impressive skill by Ms. Hawkins, who tells a complex narrative...in a chronicle whose final pages yield startling revelations." (The Wall Street Journal)

"[A] succulent new mystery.... Hawkins, influenced by Hitchcock, has a cinematic eye and an ear for eerie, evocative language.... So do dive in. The payoff is a socko ending. And a noirish beach read that might make you think twice about dipping a toe in those dark, chilly waters.” (USA Today)

Tana French or Paula Hawkins?

This work demonstrates that Paula Hawkins can do more than Gone Girl Lit. If you didn't know the author, this work could easily pass for Tana French.
Rich character development and a super original plot line. I very much enjoyed it !

Leaves some loose ends

Narrative a bit confusing because of number of characters voices presenting the narrative. Still the suspense carries the listener along. One per Terri narrative threads are left unresolved.

Into the Water

Loved it!!! I'm a big fan of different actors for different voices. Well written and kept me coming back for more!!!

Sophomore effort stands up

If you could sum up Into the Water in three words, what would they be?

Well, I can't, so I won't. Given the story unravels through the unique perspectives of 11 (yes, 11) characters, it's not hard to get tangled up the Rashomon effect. The same event is given contradictory interpretations by different individuals involved -- and it's a dark guessing game to figure out what the real truth is.

What did you like best about this story?

I particularly like the way author Paula Hawkins weaves a tale that mirrors her book title. With The Girl On The Train, for example, she started off slow... then the speed picked up ... then there were some twists, turns, and a switchback before the story concluded by gliding into the station. With Into the Water, she dove right in. Jumped in, feet first. And actually, several people jumped. We get tangled up in trying to figure out how they all relate, and if you can put aside how frustrating that can get, you can enjoy the fun of it.

Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

There were six narrators for this book. The performances were just fine, but truthfully, it was hard to keep track of all the different voices and perspectives as the timeframes jumped from the 17th century to 1980-something to 1990-something to 2015.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Honestly, I enjoyed the book a lot even though it's a dark, confusing, story. I couldn't help but throw myself into it, and I couldn't put it down. The story kept me guessing; I couldn't figure out how it was all going to come together at the end ... and then each piece fit together like a brilliant puzzle. Masterful.

Any additional comments?

Trigger warnings: Suicide, rape, domestic violence, murder

Great book!

Lots of twists and turns to keep you coming back for moore! Great book and highly recommended.

Great second book!!

This book was very good!! I was captivated throughout and I really enjoyed the book! Highly recommend!!

disappointing

I was not surprised by the ending but still disappointed. You get through it and thinking back you ask well that wasn't an effective use of my time. I agree, too many characters to keep track of. I had the audiobook with different voices for different characters. That helped a lot when I first started the book but with a few days break in between I was lost with who was who. I made a list of the names and characters and that helped. I'd recommend doing that if you purchase this book. However, I don't think I'd recommend this one with so many other better options out there. But the narrators were very good.

Too many characters

This story has way to manhunt characters to follow and understand when listening to it. It was just too hard to keep tabs on who everyone was.

Recommended read

Good book, with interesting twists and turns. Pick it up, Turn the pages and enjoy.

This story was intoxicating to listen to.

I loved this story. It was beautifully read and a perfect story to listen to in the car.