Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Deadly Waters by Dot Hutchison

Written in response to the MeToo movement, Deadly Waters by Dot Hutchison (Thomas & Mercer, 2020) captures the routine incursions that women face at work, school, or anywhere they choose to go. The polemics in the book describe the no-win conundrums surrounding women’s clothing, speech, dating, and freedom of movement. “She was smart, she was careful, she was sober, and none of it made any difference when a man decided he was entitled to her time and attention.”

The party hearty frat boys at the University of Florida in Gainesville are known for their rapacious approach to the female students, who have learned they must be vigilant at all times to avoid assault. Even so, some of the male students leave a trail of injured and often drugged girls in their wake. Occasionally one ends up hospitalized. Such was the case with Kasey, whose asthma was triggered by a drunken attack at a party. The lack of oxygen left her in a coma that is likely permanent. Her dorm suitemates are devastated, especially Ellie, who tends to challenge would-be predators head on. She’s overwhelmed with guilt that she was not at the party to protect Kasey. Gainesville police take a blame-the-victim stance so punishment for confrontations lands squarely on Ellie, not the aggressive young man or men. Ellie and her friends have been thrown out of countless bars and parties because of Ellie’s take-no-guff response.

Someone is tired of the pervasive assumption that women are the male students’ for the taking and has begun feeding the worst offenders to the local alligators, who are especially active during spring mating season. After the second incident, the female students realize what is happening even though the Gainesville police chief, Southern good old boy to the core, insists they are accidents. Suitemates Rebecca and Hafsah are terrified that Ellie is behind it.

While Ellie’s over-the-top style is hard to take, her friends love her and do not want to see her in trouble. And there is strong sympathy for the executioner. There is a growing degree of satisfaction among the women that someone has begun standing up to these vicious thugs hiding behind Greek letters and family money. Open messages of thanks are posted around campus with recommendations for the killer’s next victim. When the police finally acknowledge the deaths as murders, the trails are long cold.

The tight-knit relationships of the seven suitemates illustrate beautifully the close friendships that develop during college among the most unlikely of people. The revelation of the killer at the end was not much of a surprise. I found this book to be a highly satisfying, if somewhat startling, read. Recommended.

 

·         Publisher: ‎Thomas & Mercer (September 1, 2020)

·         Language: ‎English

·         Paperback: ‎301 pages

·         ISBN-10: ‎1542005574

·         ISBN-13: ‎978-1542005579

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2023

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.