Whenever the Van Allens are invited to the home of one of their neighbours, Melinda usually succeeds in wangling an invitation for her latest man – a fact that Vic finds particularly infuriating, although he is scrupulous in concealing his true feelings from their mutual friends. (Vic rarely dances himself in fact, he actively abstains from the activity, simply because Melinda enjoys it so much.) These soirees often extend late into the night, prompting Vic to stay up as long as possible to keep an eye on Melinda, spoiling the cosy atmosphere she is aiming to create. For the past three or four years, Melinda has been seeing a steady sequence of men, flaunting her conquests in front of Vic, inviting them home in the evenings for copious drinks and some intimate dancing. Right from the start, Highsmith lays the blame for this situation firmly at Melinda’s feet. (Vic no longer shares a bedroom with Melinda, choosing instead to spend his nights in a separate room on the other side of the house.) The Van Allens’ marriage has been toxic for some years there is no real love left in the relationship, only jealousy and sniping whenever the couple are together. They live with their six-year-old daughter, Trixie, in the suburban community of Little Wesley where Vic owns a small publishing business dedicated to the production of high-quality, specialist books. Vic and Melinda Van Allen have been married for around eight years. The way she does this is so clever she knows exactly how her readers will respond to each of her characters, creating a situation where we feel sympathy for a murderer and contempt for the woman who has made his life so difficult.
Once again, Highsmith encourages us to side with an outwardly respectable man who secretly harbours psychopathic tendencies. The book was published in 1957, two years after The Talented Mr Ripley with which it shares a psychological focus – more specifically, the motives that drive certain individuals to behave in sinister ways. It's only a matter of time before Vic really does have blood on his hands.Deep Water is another top-notch novel from Patricia Highsmith, probably on a par with the best of the Ripley series. As rumours spread about Vic's vicious streak, fiction and reality start to converge. When one of her lovers is murdered, Vic hints to her latest conquest that he was responsible. Their love has soured, and Melinda takes pleasure in flaunting her many affairs to her husband. Unfortunately for Vic Van Allen, she is his wife. Melinda Van Allen is beautiful, headstrong and sexy. 'If I really don't like somebody, I kill him.
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