
During a conversation with her boyfriend, Joel Nash, Vic says that he is the man behind the unsolved Malcolm McRae murder. One night at a party at his friend Horace Meller's house, Vic decides to take a different approach to his wife's philandering. He only wishes that Melinda would choose more intelligent and clever lovers. Rather, he believes that Melinda has every right to her freedom and independence. Although his wife Melinda is perpetually unfaithful, Vic never does anything to stop her affairs. Vic Van Allen has a reputation for being a patient and long-suffering husband in his Little Wesley community. The following summary uses the present tense.


The novel is written from the third person point of view and in the past tense. Patricia Highsmith's psychological thriller, Deep Water, is set in Little Wesley, Massachusetts. The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Highsmith, Patricia.
