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High Stand
When Tom Halliday--the playboy owner of an invaluable stand of red cedar timber--changes his will and suddenly disappears, Philip Redfern, Halliday's English solicitor, sets off for the Pacific Northwest to investigate the estate
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
2 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
About the author
Hammond Innes
104 books107 followersRalph Hammond Innes was an English novelist who wrote over 30 novels, as well as children's and travel books.He was awarded a C.B.E. (Commander, Order of the British Empire) in 1978. The World Mystery Convention honoured Innes with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Bouchercon XXIV awards in Omaha, Nebraska, Oct, 1993.
Innes was born in Horsham, Sussex, and educated at the Cranbrook School in Kent. He left in 1931 to work as a journalist, initially with the Financial Times (at the time called the Financial News). The Doppelganger, his first novel, was published in 1937. In WWII he served in the Royal Artillery, eventually rising to the rank of Major. During the war, a number of his books were published, including Wreckers Must Breathe (1940), The Trojan Horse (1941) and Attack Alarm (1941); the last of which was based on his experiences as an anti-aircraft gunner during the Battle of Britain at RAF Kenley. After being discharged in 1946, he worked full-time as a writer, achieving a number of early successes.
His novels are notable for a fine attention to accurate detail in descriptions of places, such as in Air Bridge (1951), set partially at RAF Gatow, RAF Membury after its closure and RAF Wunstorf during the Berlin Airlift.
Innes went on to produce books in a regular sequence, with six months of travel and research followed by six months of writing. Many of his works featured events at sea. His output decreased in the 1960s, but was still substantial. He became interested in ecological themes. He continued writing until just before his death. His last novel was Delta Connection (1996).
Unusually for the thriller genre, Innes' protagonists were often not "heroes" in the typical sense, but ordinary men suddenly thrust into extreme situations by circumstance. Often, this involved being placed in a hostile environment (the Arctic, the open sea, deserts), or unwittingly becoming involved in a larger conflict or conspiracy. The protagonist generally is forced to rely on his own wits and making best use of limited resources, rather than the weapons and gadgetry commonly used by thriller writers.
Four of his early novels were made into films: Snowbound (1948)from The Lonely Skier (1947), Hell Below Zero (1954) from The White South (1949), Campbell's Kingdom (1957), and The Wreck of the Mary Deare (1959). His 1973 novel Golden Soak was adapted into a six-part television series in 1979.
Innes was born in Horsham, Sussex, and educated at the Cranbrook School in Kent. He left in 1931 to work as a journalist, initially with the Financial Times (at the time called the Financial News). The Doppelganger, his first novel, was published in 1937. In WWII he served in the Royal Artillery, eventually rising to the rank of Major. During the war, a number of his books were published, including Wreckers Must Breathe (1940), The Trojan Horse (1941) and Attack Alarm (1941); the last of which was based on his experiences as an anti-aircraft gunner during the Battle of Britain at RAF Kenley. After being discharged in 1946, he worked full-time as a writer, achieving a number of early successes.
His novels are notable for a fine attention to accurate detail in descriptions of places, such as in Air Bridge (1951), set partially at RAF Gatow, RAF Membury after its closure and RAF Wunstorf during the Berlin Airlift.
Innes went on to produce books in a regular sequence, with six months of travel and research followed by six months of writing. Many of his works featured events at sea. His output decreased in the 1960s, but was still substantial. He became interested in ecological themes. He continued writing until just before his death. His last novel was Delta Connection (1996).
Unusually for the thriller genre, Innes' protagonists were often not "heroes" in the typical sense, but ordinary men suddenly thrust into extreme situations by circumstance. Often, this involved being placed in a hostile environment (the Arctic, the open sea, deserts), or unwittingly becoming involved in a larger conflict or conspiracy. The protagonist generally is forced to rely on his own wits and making best use of limited resources, rather than the weapons and gadgetry commonly used by thriller writers.
Four of his early novels were made into films: Snowbound (1948)from The Lonely Skier (1947), Hell Below Zero (1954) from The White South (1949), Campbell's Kingdom (1957), and The Wreck of the Mary Deare (1959). His 1973 novel Golden Soak was adapted into a six-part television series in 1979.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 6, 2019
Reading High Stand right after finishing Golden Soak, I can't help but compare these two stories rooted in gold mining, although High Stand also spends half its pages dealing with the timber industry and drug smuggling. Golden Soak took place in the desolate Australian outback, its story told through a maddeningly stupid narrator and protagonist. High Stand is the exact opposite, unfolding in the frozen, wet Yukon and British Columbia. Its narrator, Philip Redfern, is a more neutral as well as nuanced character. In fact, I doubt that his name is mentioned more than four or five times in the novel. And his participation in the action is gradual, too. Only in the end does the reader realize the length of the trail traveled and eye opening reality about corruption, violence, and greed the heretofore naive Philip had never experienced.
The first half of the book takes the reader to Ice Cold, the worked out gold mine Philip's client is desperately trying to turn into a new opportunity. That part of the book is vivid, detailed. Redfern's trip from England to Western Canada becomes something that is a shared revelation with the reader.
The second half of the novel moves from the gold mine to a stand of red cedars that the grandfather of Tom Halliday, Redfern's client, had planted seventy years before. Forget their role in the plot. What is remarkable is that the distinct vividness of the earlier passages disappears into a description of rivers, forests, and waterfalls that are a blur across the landscape and seem to go on forever. Innes' focus replaces scenery with action. The tale shifts into high gear, integrating a vast drug smuggling ring into the story. None of this is as preposterous as it sounds in describing it. Innes actually makes it all work.
Finally, a note about conservation. I don't think Innes was anything like an environmentalist in today's sense of the word. He was more of a conservationist. And the fact is that he makes a strong case for conservation in this work. Only once does it seem didactic and hamfisted--with the story about Canadian beavers' near extinction bringing on an environmental catastrophe. For the most part, Innes is still too good of a storyteller even at this late stage of his career to indulge in being preachy at the expense of the overall story.
The first half of the book takes the reader to Ice Cold, the worked out gold mine Philip's client is desperately trying to turn into a new opportunity. That part of the book is vivid, detailed. Redfern's trip from England to Western Canada becomes something that is a shared revelation with the reader.
The second half of the novel moves from the gold mine to a stand of red cedars that the grandfather of Tom Halliday, Redfern's client, had planted seventy years before. Forget their role in the plot. What is remarkable is that the distinct vividness of the earlier passages disappears into a description of rivers, forests, and waterfalls that are a blur across the landscape and seem to go on forever. Innes' focus replaces scenery with action. The tale shifts into high gear, integrating a vast drug smuggling ring into the story. None of this is as preposterous as it sounds in describing it. Innes actually makes it all work.
Finally, a note about conservation. I don't think Innes was anything like an environmentalist in today's sense of the word. He was more of a conservationist. And the fact is that he makes a strong case for conservation in this work. Only once does it seem didactic and hamfisted--with the story about Canadian beavers' near extinction bringing on an environmental catastrophe. For the most part, Innes is still too good of a storyteller even at this late stage of his career to indulge in being preachy at the expense of the overall story.
July 16, 2025
This felt like it could have been a great 90s action film (maybe it even is), but as a book, I found myself a bit lost in all the forestry and boat jargon. Still, the scenic descriptions are genuinely stunning, and I found myself lazily curious to see how it would all play out. I have to admit, I guessed a lot of the plot early on - but like any good 90s action movie, that didn’t really matter too much.
May 16, 2012
Descriptions of the frozen wasteland were so effective as to rule large sections unreadable without a hot drink in my hand! Effective characters well written. Protagonist well developed.
August 7, 2015
Gold mining, forestry and drug smuggling in Western Canada.
February 14, 2016
Although the beginning of the book was enticing, I found it a bit long winded, and was pleased when I had finally finished.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews