Scooby-Dooby-Doo, Where Are You? We got some work to do now. Oh wait, you mean this isn’t a new episode about that meddling gang from Mystery, Inc and their dog? Well damn, I must have been absent the day that memo was handed out because what we have here kiddies is a true-blue suspense story that must have leaked out from the cartoon network. Crazy, supernatural pranks – check. Murder mystery that unravels as the characters literally stumble upon clues –check. Players that have absolutely no common sense, courage, or emotion – check. Hey Mr. Dobyns, Hanna-Barbera called, they want their storyline back. I don't know if it was the author, editor, or some one in the publicity office that came up with the title, but I was pissed as hell that I waited the whole book for a title that had little to nothing to do with the story to explain itself. The outline of the story is a basic who-done-it, which evolves into a redemption mystery that carries a message and a supernatural touch. As it stood the only mystery that existed was the actual point of the story. The arrangement of the events, the clueless players, and the hair-raising predicaments are amateurish at best. The plot is mosaic and redundant from the first chapter to the last. Had it been trimmed and the plot and sub-plots defined it would have turned out to be a different, but much better book. Also, the end debunks any chance that mystery could be involved, which sealed the deal that this tale is a grown-up version of Saturday morning cartoons. Jinkies! Dobyn’s style of writing is tedious, chaotic, and completely devoid of any structure. Instead of focusing on one, maybe two viewpoints, he has decided to use over ten that rotate from the new headmaster, an underage ex-stripper new to the school, a cook with a past, a complete faculty, a few students, and a homicide detective. How’s that feel, does it hurt? Also, he details everything five times over just in case we didn’t get it in the last chapter or he didn’t point it out loud enough. Had he paid half as much attention to the speed as he did to description, it might have at least been quick. He didn’t, and it wasn’t. Drawn out to the point of exhaustion, the pace taxes both your mind and patience. The events are scarce, and the build-up leading up to them is frenzied. Now if that wasn't annoying enough, let's talk about the characters. One-dimensional, emotionally detached, and about as sincere as a used car salesman, Dobyns introduces a large cast for no other reason than to fill space. Take the main character, the new headmaster, Jim Hawthorne. Early on we learn that he lost his wife and daughter in a fire due to a patient’s attachment issues and then we are reminded of said incident in every chapter that follows. Where was he and what was he doing? He was receiving a Lewinsky in the parking lot compliments of an old student. Enter an assumption of guilt, remorse, and the need to be punished. Let me repeat that, he NEVER shows any emotion. Also, in order to atone for his past indiscretions and his failure as both a husband and father he decides a job at a school that is beneath accreditation is just the ticket. As for the atmosphere, I’m still looking for it. My rating? I give it a 1. Get a clue, avoid this book! -As reviewed for Horror-Web.com
I was intrigued, at first. As a former school teacher myself, I could feel that Dobyns has his finger on the pulse of a school,-- in this case, a private one, but not so far-fetched from the politics and antics of most. And the mystery is both haunting and scary, at first. But (yes, the inevitable but) as the mystery develops, bit by bit, I get the sense that the new headmaster, Hawthorne, lacks the sense to understand his own psychological issues. What's worse, he's a famous psychologist. He becomes one of those characters from a low-budget movie that won't leave the house when all sense says to go, which gets frustrating for the reader. And then, when the killer becomes obvious, the entire book becomes one of those made-for-television scripts, with every conceivable conceit thrown in at the end except scraping one's fingernails across a chalkboard. I must say, I was disappointed, in case you haven't noticed.
What do You think about Boy In The Water (2000)?
I really liked Dobyns other 2 books that I read - but I had a difficult time with this one. Hawthorne takes a job as head of a private school with mostly children who have problems. Hawthorne's wife and daughter died several years previously in a tragic fire - and he is trying to start a new life.The teachers at the school want things to stay the same - and Hawthorne is making changes...changes they don't like. Anonymous notes against Hawthorne begin appearing in the teachers mailboxes... someone is trying to cause problems for Hawthorne.Also, one of the students, Jessica, is having problems of her own. She is trying to save herself and her brother from her step-father I was tempted to skip through to the end and just see what happened rather than continue reading... but I stuck with it. The outcome was okay.I really liked Church of Dead Girls, and Burn Palace - this one was just okay
—Linda Branham Greenwell
A satisfactory psychological thriller. The new headmaster doesn't know who to trust. Plenty of bad guys to choose from for the villains. I recently reread The Shining and the final scenes in this book are reminiscent of King's book: snowbound with possible help on the way over unplowed roads.
—Bayneeta
I almost stopped reading near the beginning of the book because there was an unpleasantly graphic scene at a strip club, followed by a scene where one low class thug kills another low class thug with an icepick. Neither seemed to have any connection to the promised locus, a New Hampshire prep school for troubled youth. But I stuck with it and I'm glad I did, since Dobyns' writing is many notches above your average thriller fare. As with The Church of Dead Girls, he creates a very sympathetic protagonist. Jim Hawthorne is a psychologist whose wife and daughter were killed in a fire set by a juvenile delinquent he had been trying to help. He comes east to take a job as headmaster of a boarding school for problem kids, partly because he thinks he can help them, partly to punish himself for not being able to save his family. He begins changing the school for the better, but most faculty and staff are resentful of the changes and begin passive-aggressively plotting against him. The school turns out to be a rather sick nest of vipers. At about the one-quarter point, I couldn't put the book down and read through to the end, stopping only to prepare snacks and admire myself in the mirror, as is my wont.
—Lobstergirl
