Boy in the Water

Another bucolic fall in northern New Hampshire, and the semester is under way at Bishops Hill Academy. But this year the start of school has been less than tranquil. The new headmaster, Jim Hawthorne, has liberal ideas that the staff find far from welcome. Hes also determined to do something about the long "tradition" of permanent loans to faculty of shovels, saws, even cars, from the schools supplies. Eloquent as he is on the subject of honor, rumor has it hes only taken this job to escape his past. And Hawthorne isnt the only uneasy newcomer. Theres Jessica, a former stripper at fifteen, and Frank LeBrun, a replacement cook whos a bit too quick with a dirty joke. All three have secrets to conceal, memories to suppress.Serene on the surface, the ivy-clad, tree-lined campus gives few clues to the schools history of special privileges, petty corruptions, and hidden allegiances. But as autumn advances, the affable smiles and pretenses of virtue wear thin. And as winter closes in, students, teachers, and staff get an education in savagery and murder.

Categories: History