The High Flyer: Number 2 in series

St. Benet's #2

by Susan Howatch

Successful London lawyer Carter Graham has power, sex appeal, and a well-ordered life. Everything has gone according to plan, including her recent marriage to Kim Betz, an investment banker with the right combination of looks and position. On the surface it appears to be a match made in heaven. The only problem is Kim’s ex-wife. Sophie begins to follow Carter like a shadow, making outrageous claims about Kim’s involvement in the occult.

Convincing herself that Sophie is mad, Carter moves ahead with her life. But something is amiss–and as Sophie’s stories are corroborated by other unwelcome disclosures from Kim’s past, Carter is thrown into a terrifying web of suspicion and betrayal, pushing her sanity to the edge. In desperation, Carter seeks help from Nicholas Darrow, the charismatic priest of St. Benet’s Healing Center. Though a religious skeptic, Carter hopes to stem the tide of darkness that threatens to envelop her life–and begins a compelling journey into the very nature of good and evil, wisdom and redemption. . . .

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Novels, London, Romance, Religion, 20th Century

Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Susan Howatch (b. 1940) is a British novelist who has penned bestselling mysteries, family sagas, and other novels. Howatch was born in Surrey, England. She began writing as a teen and published her first book when she moved to the United States in 1964. Howatch found global success first with her five sagas and then with her novels about the Church of England in the twentieth century. She has now returned to live in Surrey.

Reviews

[Yvonne G · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you live the dream you live the consequences…

I was looking forward to reading this book, as I had first read Susan Howatch many years ago and could recall enjoying her novels immensely.

The Susan Howatch I remember however, is the one before her religious transformation. When I recall some of the titles of those previously enjoyed novels: Penmarric, Sins Of The Fathers and The Rich Are Different, to name but a few, they are all traditional family sagas with a romantic edge and totally unrecognizable in writing style to The High Flyer.

The High Flyer left me somewhat perplexed and I am still a little unsure of my feelings towards it. It started off as I had expected, with the suspense building nicely from the very first page, hinting at the promise of a really intense psychological drama….

Carter Graham was bombarded by just about every dark thought and revelation possible; from Neo-Nazism, sexual deviance, murder and suicide; to jealousy, malicious harassment and poltergeist movements and sightings.

All this however was tempered evenly with the false love of a demon in disguise, who played with her emotions, then ripped them to shreds in a callous and calculating way, in his dark and disturbing dealings with the occult and the powers of evil, leaving Carter an emotionally drained wreck, on the path to self destruction.

….The second half of the book then switches to Carter’s journey of redemption, cleansing and healing, as she struggles to deal with the feelings of self loathing, despair, hatred, fear and disgust, that are the legacy from this chapter in her life and, as it transpires, going all the way back to her troubled childhood.

Her ‘guardian angel’, who we first meet right at the start of the book, re-appears to show her the way of salvation, which she finds within the unorthodox walls of an inner city church network.

Very unorthodox priests, apply some very unorthodox thoughts and actions, to help Carter understand and come to terms with the healing process that she needs to go through, before she can get her life back on track, maybe even a different and more fulfilling track than she was pursuing before her disastrous encounter with her personal devil incarnate.

These men of the cloth appear to operate just within the boundaries of the church and the ‘blind eye’ of the Diocese officials, performing exorcisms and the ‘laying on of hands’ at regular healing services, but for Carter they are her salvation and a way back from the depths of despair, to a life where the true meaning of love waits for her, when she is ready to open her heart and mind to it.

I am not sure that I ever totally understood the many nuances and undertones of the book. Is it a romance, a suspense thriller, a mystery, a novel about the occult, or a lesson in spiritual and religious belief, or maybe a little of each?

I must admit, that I did find the prolonged religious references not within my usual sphere of reading and not particularly to my liking, however, it is definitely a very well written, perceptive piece of work, which deals with the inner emotions in a sensitive and deeply moving way, whilst providing a strong and emotional plot as a precursor to this journey of what I would describe as ‘self-healing’.

The High Flyer is part of The St. Benet’s trilogy, which takes place in London of the 1980's and 1990's and illustrates the changes which took place in the Anglican Church in those years However, whilst the Church is still at the heart of the books, there is an increased emphasis on characters who are not members of the clergy. Each book in the trilogy is written in the first person by a different narrator and all are stand alone stories.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm hooked. I've read two of her books and enjoyed them both.
She seems to have a system: gripping and gritty mystery involving lots of sex followed by lots of spiritual therapy that goes a little long, and then everything is figured out. She also has some common themes. So now I have to read another to see if this continues :)
I don't agree with every bit of her theology but I really like the main theme of repentance, forgiveness and redemption.
Discussing a cathedral "...overpowering in its magnificence, and for a moment, as I glimpsed ahead the huge mosaic showing Christ as ruler of the world, I wondered what the carpenter from Nazareth would have thought of such lavish grandeur. But I did not wonder for long. I knew now that the Cathedral was representing the richness of life, and I knew too that in the heart of that life Christ would be there... triumphing..." was a good thought as I am one who had grappled with the thought of God of the OT temple, Jesus, heaven and what the church should be like today.

[Yrinsyde · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far, this is reminding me of a book I read ages ago called 'The Victorian Album' by Evelyn Berckman ...

Well, I've finished now and I have to say that it was a very gripping story of warring personalities, cults, egotism and emotional domination. It could have been cut down in length - it was overly long with too much conversational filler. Another gripe I had with this book was the insistent use of Christian theology and I wondered about the author's intent. Is she trying to convert readers? The main character is an atheist, but her beliefs are almost treated with contempt and her reasonings as simple. Has the author been recently converted or had she once been an atheist? I'm curious as I am an atheist and found some of this puzzling.

[Deana ❤️’s Reading]

⭐⭐⭐💫

This probably deserves a higher rating but it was just way too long. Too much unnecessary detail in chapters. A lot of characters and banter to follow along with. But the story itself was intriguing and it kept my interest. Murder, Lies, Secrets, Occult and religious redemption - it had a lot of moving parts. I would recommend this one if you are looking for a long commitment but a cool read nonetheless.

[Ariella · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm giving it 2.5 stars. The mystery part of the book was great(- hence the .5). It was both a murder mystery and a psychological thriller. And it had me riveted. I was never sure who the 'bad guy' was if there even was a 'bad guy' and I really enjoyed that part of the read. For that it was worth reading. But the book goes downhill 3/4 of the way in when the mystery is mostly solved with the help of the clergy of a certain church known as a Healing Center. The author gets preachy and the main character get whiney and I found myself skimming the last part of the book. A real disappointment considering how involved I was in the first part of the story. The author is obviously a big believer in that type of church and her dedication shows in her books. But not in a good way. It was boring reading all the preachy stuff, there was no real tension created even though the main character kept insisting she was "not a believer". It was so obviously a meaningless construction to preach her "truth" to the world. I don't like to be hit over the head with fake philosophy when I am reading a novel. Philosophy is good, belief systems great, but don't smash me over the head with it - give it some bit of subtlety. I just kept thinking: what is this? what is the author talking about? what happened to the psychological thriller/ murder mystery? Oh well, onto the next book!

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was morbidly fascinated by the Mrs. Mayfield character, and her manipulative sociopathy! This book was very thought-provoking for me, especially regarding themes of evil, forgiveness, redemption, and spirituality. The author also explores notions of romantic love, particularly the pitfalls of projecting onto a partner what you want them to be, rather than recognizing who they really are. This is the second in the St. Benet's series, I thought the third one (The Heartbreaker) was maybe a tiny bit better than this one. Looking forward to reading the first in the series, The Wonder Worker.

[P.R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although now slightly dated, and despite the Carter Graham character being so annoying (private opinion), I still find this book a worthy successor to all Susan Howatch's wonderful books. I'm still giving it 5 stars, and I will read again in the future... more than once!

Update 2025:
Whilst I still agree with my 2017 comments, this time around I found the final chapters dragged a little. The author was clearly determined to examine every single facet of what had happened to Carter, and at times this became tedious. However, I cannot change my rating because it is an extraordinary read, and I would continue to recommend it.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been a fan of Susan Howatch since I read her Gothic novels, Penmarric and Cashelmara many years ago. But it was with the series Starbridge series that centered on members of the Anglican clergy. In High Fllyer, the second in the St. Benet's series she deals with persons buffeted by the forces of the the ultra competitive and agnostic society much in need of spiritual healing. I am definitely going to read the other books in this series: The Wonder Worker (#1) and The Heartbreaker (#3).

[Holly · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hate getting duped by Christian lit. Honestly I should have realized when despite huge parts of the plot centering on the sex lives of the characters, it was completely G rated. Full of religious psycho-babble. I was banjaxed by all the nutterguff, and I'll now know if I ever read either of those two terms again, used ad nauseum by the main character in this terrible novel, I won't run and jump off the balcony myself, but I'll toss the book over.

[Ruthiella · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second in Howatch’s St. Benet’s trilogy which centers on a fictional Anglican healing ministry in the middle of London. If anyone could make me keen to read about modern Anglican exorcists casting out daemons in late 20th century London, it is Howatch. Once I polish of this trilogy and complete my re-read of her Starbridge novels, I will most definitely read her earlier historical novels.


The titular high flyer of the book is Carter Graham (nee Catriona). She has successfully reinvented herself from her humble, Glasgow beginnings and at 35 is a high powered solicitor in the dog-eat-dog environment of London corporate finance. Carter has a life plan and everything is ticking off nicely. She just has to maintain her white knuckle, iron grip on every detail in her life and deny her past and her true nature…piece of cake, right? When she marries Kim Betz, a barrister for a powerful international banking conglomerate, it is just another box checked off her list. Next up is to have a child, raise it for the requisite two or three years and then return to the rat race… Only Kim’s ex-wife Sophie, is the wooden shoe in the machinery of Carter’s well-oiled plans. Sophie is desperate to warn Carter of Kim’s involvement in the occult, but Carter brushes this off as the ravings of a scorned and discarded spouse. However, as events prove, Kim hasn’t been forthcoming about his past to Carter and her world start unraveling. As a confirmed atheist, she would never turn to a priest for assistance, would she?

[Lori Baldi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly fantastic book. Not to be missed. I gained so much from this book and that is a big factor for me. I've always been troubled by the line drawn between emotional problems and the help provided by the medical establishment versus the clergy's answers. The High Flyer merged the 2 in such a way that I've found answers to some troubling issues I've faced in my world.

I'm certain that poltergeists haven't been described in popular fiction in the way that it is presented here. I think that should be the title of the review. Poltergeists vs the Churches. And that issue is only one that is found and dealt with in the book but may be the more dramatic.

I've read this book at least twice and will continue to go back to it as I have with all the books by Howatch. I wish she would write more.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. The plot is compelling, the characters are believable, and the setting is so detailed you feel as if you are there. The plot involves the struggle between good and evil. The main character, Carter, finds herself literally in a fight for her life against the forces of evil and must find her true self in order to triumph.

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Riveting enough story of shattered trust in a new marriage to keep me reading the 500 pgs in one day. But the endless talk of the dark side, demons, the Powers, and second guessing the path to redemption seemed like just endless layers of "nutterguff" or "clergyguff." (my new favorite words).

[CLM · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the most ludicrous and unbelievable plot but while one is reading it is impossible to stop and acknowledge it.

[Sue Fletcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Way too heavy on religious symbolism for me and poorly edited, which was distracting. The psychological thriller read much more like a religious primer.

[Gary Branson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Howatch will always be my most favorite writer. Complex, dark, humorous, entertaining stories.

[Richard Schwindt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can think of all kinds of critiques for the wordy, pretentious potboilers that make up the Starbridge and St. Benets series. I also read them over and over again and once started can't put them down. I also try to talk my friends into reading them; most recently succeeding in persuading my daughter to read this one. Susan Howatch brings a manic sincerity and winning complexity to these stories. They create a unique recipe and succeed in the whole. In this episode high flying lawyer, Cartriona (Carter) Graham is succeeding in her life plan. Like all of Howatch's protagonists her high flight is just a set up for the eventual fall (and the possiblity of this being literal is quite real here). Worldly things are acceptable in Howatch's universe but only so long as they are back by attentiveness to Gods divinity. Most of the wealthy in her books are indifferent to their loot and focused on God's plan. The High Flyer introduces us to the most chilling of antagonists, the deeply malign Mrs Elizabeth Mayfield. She is worth the price of admission alone; perhaps the scariest character in all her fiction. Add the usual cast of priests, spouses, acolytes and even a ghost, but the tragic heart of the story turns around Carter and her marriage to the mysterious Kim Betz. Worth reading late at night with Bovril or Scotch.

[Susan Liston · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved Susan Howatch's family sagas, but I never got into her series about the Anglican church. I spotted this one at the library and decided, without doing any research, that it must be a later stand-alone. So as I read I became quite confused. Now I will say, her books do not lag, I was turning the pages but just what was this book, anyway? A corporate potboiler? A romantic drama? Wait, it's a thriller! A murder mystery? No, a paranormal thriller! Oh no, is it a tale of Christian redemption? No, it'a thriller for sure...then suddenly, bam, the climax comes, story pretty much over, but there are 100 pages left to go. A twist coming? No. It's our narrator going from character to character psychoanalyzing what has happened followed with a Christian-y re-analyzation by the clergymen...I was zoning out by this point. And NOW you tell me that it's the second of three books about a Christian healing center. So all those characters who come into it halfway are actually the main characters. Sigh. This had it's moments, but overall, it was just too bizarre to recommend.

[Vicky · Rating 1 out of 5]

[spoiler alert] Christianity, pop psychology, a touch of the supernatural, and a hearty dollop of sexism -- if that sounds like a yummy mix to you, you might enjoy this creepy, cliche-ridden yarn about a "high-flying" career woman who gets shot down to earth by an evil psychic, is rescued by a gang of Anglican clerics, and finds true love, her buried femininity, and God by abandoning her pseudo-"masculine" lifestyle and bowing to the cosmic patriarchy. Be warned, though: in addition to its other defects, this novel is just plain dull. The second half of it is basically a handful of lurid episodes separated by huge, plodding swaths of didactic commentary from our heroine's spiritual mentors. None of this material is electrifying enough to hold our attention, and it is highly repetitious. If you have a taste for Christian fantasy, I'd say don't waste your time on this one; try a really good story teller like C.S. Lewis.

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can depend on Susan Howatch to write an intriguing, multi-layered book. I just enjoy her writing. The reviews indicated a strong tale of good vs evil, with a spiritual side to the story so I knew there would be more to it than the high powered, gripping, and hedonistic plot of the first half of the book.

The focus then switches to The Healing Center at St. Benet where I found some of the events unbelievable. There are also long pages of theological exposition that got a bit draggy although the plot remained exciting.

Nevertheless, by the end of the book, I really appreciated how the author gave closure to Carter’s experiences and how the healers helped her find peace and understanding. I was actually quite moved by the powerful Christian statements of love and belonging which really resonated with me.

I will read the other books in the St. Benet group.

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

My boyfriend picked this up for me in a charity shop. He thought it was about someone I a cult. Nevertheless I found this interesting. Living in London in 2022, it was really cool to read about London and its culture in 1990. It prompted me to talk to my parents about how much had changed - not least being able to drive to Surrey in under an hour.
I found the characters really believable (although the dialogue a little forced). I also liked how there was a balanced view on every individual, and a consideration to what they'd gone through in their childhoods to cause their current problems.
However, i do think it was quite bloated, repetitive in certain events and writing style. By the end I also did feel like this particular brand of christianity was being advertised to me. Overall I enjoyed the book though, it was super immersive if extremely strange.

[Tim Almond]

This was my first Susan Howatch book... and I'm not sure I'll be rushing to read any others! There was a real 'what happens next' imperative that keeps you reading... but it became more and more of a struggle as the piece shifted from being a novel to, frankly, notes for a Masters dissertation in Psychology.

The action, ultimately, was driven by the moral and philosophical points the author wants to make. Whilst I believe writing should have a serious dimension - dealing with important themes - the action should be the consequence of the characters - who they are. Sadly, I found the characters to be shallow, cardboard cut-outs - and not evoking empathy.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as the first one in the series, but still a good psychological thriller read standalone. Definitely more sexual matter and not as much of the charactors from the first book. I thought there would be more development of the original charactors, but the development of the charactors in this book was intriguing in its own way. Looking at the reviews for the third book, it sounded like it had more difficult sexual matter than this one even, so I plan on stopping the series here. I would recommend someone to read the first one, but it leaves you on a cliffhanger which isn't ever really satisfied in this book. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this series.

[Leslie Ayala · Rating 5 out of 5]

The character Carter:" I waited my whole being focused on willing Tucker to live, I experienced a feeling of minds all flowing into one another and I knew that somewhere beyond all the fragmentation was an immense, indestructible unity. That was when I realized that the focus on Tucker was a form of prayer. It was if, in the mansion of my consciousness, I had stumbled into a huge hall which connected every room in the house, and in the center of the hall was this white-hot core of energy which seized my agonized thought patterns and transformed them, with a single burst of light, into an irresistible force.

[Christine Doiron · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish. I have previously read other books by this author and enjoyed them (Glittering Images and Absolute Truths), but this one I quit 50 pages in.

It’s written in first person and it’s immediately obvious to me that we aren’t supposed to like nor respect the values and intelligence of the main character. Howatch is going somewhere with this book that I don’t want to follow. Her main character is flippant, cold, militantly atheistic. She only cares about her image and getting the things she wants. She’s obviously destined for enlightenment.

Just gag.

[Anita Ashland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second of the St. Benet trilogy, which I reread every 3-5 years or so. St. Benet's is an Anglican church in London that has psychologists on staff as well as priests that do healing and deliverance. A very compelling blend. Plenty of ecclesial drama.

In this book, Carter is a driven, highly successful lawyer who undergoes profound shifts due to her husband's involvement with the occult. Like with all the books in this trilogy, as well as in Howatch's Starbridge series, the book is hard to put down, and has plenty of drama mixed in with philosophy.

[5greenway · Rating 4 out of 5]

I often start these melodramas/potboilers/clerical bonkbusters (tm) fairly sceptically, and this one did take a few pages to kick in ("Definitely, a harsh three stars for me at the end of this one. Definitely."), but as with all the others, this is a tank of a book that just keeps rolling relentlessly on. The usual mix of theology, philosophy, psychology, wrapped up in the perspectives of engaging people, and a pleasingly lurid storyline. Top villaining too.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one held my attention, but there were chunks of it that were just various characters making speeches about their personal theological takes on various things and it was giving John Galt in Atlas Shrugged--like, just get on with the story, Susan. It wasn't that the speeches were worthless, but they did wax tedious. I didn't like the main character (the narrator) initially, but she grew on me.

[Cynthia Grove · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have read this several times and it improves with each reading. Howatch shows a great depth of understanding of the complexities of psyches and of relationships and proffers up much wisdom. That said there are some scenes which some readers may find hard dealing as they do with the darker elements of the paranormal.

[Lux Cunningham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deeper than I expected and definitely more Christian-inflected than I thought I would get from a Provincetown Little Library...Still, really well paced and interesting and raises lots of good questions about life.