Jud Connors was a man with secrets, and after his murder in an isolated lakeside cabin in the Oregon Cascades, it's up to his daughter Abby to learn what they were in order to discover who killed him. The bestselling novelist left clues in his unfinished work, the final book in a trilogy, but first Abby must decipher them, translate her father's cryptic retelling of events that occurred in Southeast Asia long before she was born, and separate fact from fiction. Abby was grateful for Felicia's matter-of-factness, her steadiness; she had read the entire novel, she knew exactly what Willa and Abby were going through now, and she was the calm storm center that was holding them both together, keeping them from dissolving into tears. Hesitantly Abby asked, "Did the girl, Sammy, did she die that day?"

"I don't know," Felicia said. "For Link the war ended that day; he never referred to her again. I just don't know...." With the help of Willa, Jud's lover, and Felicia, his closest friend, Abby learns that danger is closer to home than she'd imagined, a truth that's been telegraphed so far in advance that the reader is several steps ahead of the heroine. But the plot's rarely the thing in Kate Wilhelm's fine psychological thrillers. What counts is the lyrical writing, the decency of the protagonists, and the abiding affection Wilhelm feels for her lovingly described Northwest landscape. A welcome addition to her long list of titles, including the popular Barbara Holloway thrillers, The Deepest Water may not be Wilhelm's strongest to date, but is nonetheless a well-written, nicely paced outing. --Jane Adams

From Publishers Weekly
Set in and around her own Eugene, Ore., prolific Wilhelm's latest tale (after The Good Children) of psychological suspense reinforces the solid reputation she's earned for her 40-odd books published since 1963. Abby Connors is mourning the death of her father, bestselling novelist Jud Vickers, at the age of 48. Jud was a womanizing former ne'er-do-well who had recently found success, only to be murdered at his remote lakefront cabin. The local police baffled, Abby soon finds herself doing her own sleuthing, much to the dismay of her husband, Brice, a financial planner who was always jealous of Jud's primary place in Abby's heart. As Abby investigates further, she discovers secrets in Jud's past as well as an unfinished novel. Aware that Jud always based characters and events on people he actually knew, Abby begins to wonder: does the identity of the murderer and the motive lie within those unpublished pages? The brief forays into Jud's novel within the novel are sometimes over-the-top, and some readers may feel cheated by the subtle, nonconfrontational climax. The star of the book, strangely, is the cabin itself, a perversely menacing version of a Thomas Kincade painting and a deliciously eerie setting for the mystery and murder, beckoning the reader to step inside. Then, too, Abby is a plucky heroine whose steely patience serves her well even amid grief and bewilderment. Meanwhile, the ever-present specter of the murdererAcasting doubt on the behavior of everyone Abby has contact withAkeeps the edginess quotient high. (Oct.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Abby Conners's father, Jud, a successful novelist and her personal hero, is found murdered in his cabin on a remote Oregon lake. As the police pursue their usual avenues, Abby searches his manuscripts and papers for answers of her own. Jud's neighbors often said they saw themselves in his novels. Could he have portrayed one of them too clearly? As she digs for clues, her husband, Brice, voices concern that she's ignoring him and his reversals of fortune as an investment broker. Abby is about to inherit big money from her father's latest best seller and the subsequent movie rights. Could Brice be the killer? Her research reveals not only the recipient of Jud's unexplained cashier's checks but the real reason for his repeated trips to San Francisco. As her questions about Jud are answered, much bigger concerns about her husband and his possible motives for murder arise. Wilhelm (No Defense) is a first-rate novelist. Her characters are well drawn, the setting is real, and the pace keeps the reader raptly involved to the last page. Fans will love this, and readers who have enountered Wilhelm's previous works are in for a real treat. Highly recommended.DSusan Clifford Braun, Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, CA Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
The murder of a parent is not easy to deal with. When your father is a novelist and you believe that the murder was not a random act but tied somehow to his current work in progress, what choice do you have but to dig into the manuscript to figure it out? Marguerite Gavin sets a brisk pace with her no-nonsense narrative style. Although Gavin does not develop unique voices for her characters for the most part, she differentiates them enough to make the dialogue easy to follow. Using a CD player on the computer with the free download MP3 software is not ideal, but it gets the job done and helps to make this format accessible to a wider range of listeners. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Book Description
Considered "one of the masters of psychological fiction in America" (San Francisco Chronicle), Kate Wilhelm serves up an irresistably chilling puzzle that will keep readers captivated until the very end. When Jud Connors, a successful writer, is found murdered in his isolated cabin in the woods of Oregon, his daughter Abby's world starts to fall apart. Who wanted her father dead and why? More puzzling is how anyone could have gotten to the cabin undetected. Was the murderer someone Jud knew? As Abby embarks on her own investigation, she soon realizes that the clue to the murderer's identity is buried in her father's latest novel, finished just weeks before his death. But will she be able to see through the fiction in time -- before the killer comes after her?

Download Description
When her novelist father is murdered in his Oregon lakefront cabin, Abby Connors must examine her own life in search of the killer.

FROM OUR EDITORS

Our Review
Reading Between the Lines
At the center of Kate Wilhelm's beguiling new mystery, The Deepest Water, is a novel. Abby Connors's father, Jud, was a successful writer who preferred the remote tranquility of the wilderness to the hubbub of the city and the company of his dogs to the company of people. When he is murdered in his isolated lakeside cabin in Oregon, Abby is initially confused and paralyzed by grief. Who would want to kill her father and, still more perplexing, why? Frustrated by the police's thorough but slow efforts to track down the killer, Abby embarks on her own investigation, uncovering deeply buried secrets in the process and learning more about her father, herself, and the people around them than she ever knew before.

Searching for clues, she quickly realizes that the key to finding her father's killer lies in his latest novel, finished just weeks before his death. She knows that Jud's fiction often contains veiled references to real people and events in his own life, and his last work is no exception. As she reads the manuscript, she recognizes the people closest to him, and they all become suspects: his fiancée, his literary agent, his neighbors at the lake, Abby's husband, Abby's ex-husband. And Abby begins to realize that it is only a matter of time before she herself is in danger of becoming the killer's next victim.

But mysteriously, Jud has also been withdrawing a steady stream of cashier's checks for a number of years, puzzling Abby and the police. Why has he been secretly taking out this money? Where does he send it? Does he have another family somewhere that he has been secretly supporting? Is he paying off Abby's ex-husband? Will this trail of checks lead to the murderer? Again, Abby turns to the novel for guidance and stumbles upon a long-forgotten period of Jud's life that may offer clues to both the cashier's checks and his murder: his tour of duty in Vietnam.

As the mystery unfolds, The Deepest Water moves from the serene but haunting backwoods of Oregon to the sticky jungles of the Vietnam War to the city streets of San Francisco, eventually reaching its startling conclusion back in Jud's cabin by the water. Wilhelm skillfully unravels a page-turning plot with emotion and suspense. But as an author, her greatest strength lies in her careful examination of the characters' psychology. Through flashbacks, Wilhelm constructs a touching, realistic father-daughter relationship between Jud and Abby. Likewise, she successfully portrays Abby's anguish as she deals with her father's death and considers some of her most trusted companions as cold-blooded killers. Wilhelm also briefly but convincingly delves into Jud's post-Vietnam struggle to adjust to life back home. Ultimately, though, The Deepest Water is a worthwhile read for both its exciting plot and its thoughtful psychological twists that will keep the reader guessing until the end.

--Stephanie Bowe

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Abby Connors' father, Jud, was a novelist whose career finally took off after three novels and years of hard work. Jud was also the most important man in Abby's life, to the chagrin of her husband, Brice.

When Jud is murdered in his Oregon lakefront cabin, Abby's life is overturned. Was the killer someone she knew?

Fortunately, it seems she has a guide to direct her through themaze that is her life: Jud's last novel. If only she can see through the fiction to perceive the truth.

Outwardly calm yet irresistible, The Deepest Water grows more chilling—and more compelling—as the reader probes deeper into it. This novel is a blockbuster from one of America's best-loved storytellers.

FROM THE CRITICS

Minneapolis Star-Tribune

An outstandingly fluent, sensitive writer, Kate Wilhelm is able to really get inside her characters' heads; she makes those small observations of behavior and emotion that go further toward defining human psychology than all the poetry and virtuosity in the world.

Publishers Weekly

Set in and around her own Eugene, Ore., prolific Wilhelm's latest tale (after The Good Children) of psychological suspense reinforces the solid reputation she's earned for her 40-odd books published since 1963. Abby Connors is mourning the death of her father, bestselling novelist Jud Vickers, at the age of 48. Jud was a womanizing former ne'er-do-well who had recently found success, only to be murdered at his remote lakefront cabin. The local police baffled, Abby soon finds herself doing her own sleuthing, much to the dismay of her husband, Brice, a financial planner who was always jealous of Jud's primary place in Abby's heart. As Abby investigates further, she discovers secrets in Jud's past as well as an unfinished novel. Aware that Jud always based characters and events on people he actually knew, Abby begins to wonder: does the identity of the murderer and the motive lie within those unpublished pages? The brief forays into Jud's novel within the novel are sometimes over-the-top, and some readers may feel cheated by the subtle, nonconfrontational climax. The star of the book, strangely, is the cabin itself, a perversely menacing version of a Thomas Kincade painting and a deliciously eerie setting for the mystery and murder, beckoning the reader to step inside. Then, too, Abby is a plucky heroine whose steely patience serves her well even amid grief and bewilderment. Meanwhile, the ever-present specter of the murderer--casting doubt on the behavior of everyone Abby has contact with--keeps the edginess quotient high. (Oct.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

Library Journal

Abby Conners's father, Jud, a successful novelist and her personal hero, is found murdered in his cabin on a remote Oregon lake. As the police pursue their usual avenues, Abby searches his manuscripts and papers for answers of her own. Jud's neighbors often said they saw themselves in his novels. Could he have portrayed one of them too clearly? As she digs for clues, her husband, Brice, voices concern that she's ignoring him and his reversals of fortune as an investment broker. Abby is about to inherit big money from her father's latest best seller and the subsequent movie rights. Could Brice be the killer? Her research reveals not only the recipient of Jud's unexplained cashier's checks but the real reason for his repeated trips to San Francisco. As her questions about Jud are answered, much bigger concerns about her husband and his possible motives for murder arise. Wilhelm (No Defense) is a first-rate novelist. Her characters are well drawn, the setting is real, and the pace keeps the reader raptly involved to the last page. Fans will love this, and readers who have enountered Wilhelm's previous works are in for a real treat. Highly recommended.--Susan Clifford Braun, Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, CA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\

Kirkus Reviews

SF/fantasist Wilhelm interrupts her series of legal dramas starring Barbara Hollway (Defense for the Devil, 1999, etc.) for a stand-alone whodunit that develops into a did-he-do-it.