High Water by Lynn Hightower

by Lynn Hightower

"When Georgie Smallwood's mother dies suddenly and of mysterious causes, it isn't long before Georgie's suspicions turn to her father. Fielding Smallwood, an ex-marine, was involved in a notorious scandal when Georgie was a small child; that scandal ended his career and cast a shadow over the Smallwood name and their hometown of Beaufort, South Carolina. A difficult man with complicated personal standards, Fielding had not enjoyed a happy relationship with his wife in the wake of his discharge from the marines, and he has long struggled with his dissapointment in Georgie's siblings, Ashby and Claire, and an ever-growing estrangement from the headstrong Georgie." But family ties are hard to sever, and Ashby and Claire remain vulnerable and devoted to their father, refusing to believe he could have had a hand in their mother's death. Then Fielding is murdered and Claire is implicated. As surely as the death of their mother united the Smallwood siblings, the death of their father rips them apart. When Georgie attempts to piece together her personal and family life, she finds that the evidence of her father's betrayal and the secrets of his past threaten the very survival of what family she has left, and give her insight into the complex motivations of a father who lived by a code that destroyed him from the inside out.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Lynn Hightower grew up in Kentucky, and graduated from the University of Kentucky, where she studied creative writing with Wendell Berry and earned a degree in Journalism. She also teaches novel writing in the Writer’s Program at UCLA. Survival jobs include writing television commercials, catering waitress, and bartender for one day.

Her books have been included in the New York Times List of Notable Books, the London Times Bestseller List, and the W.H. Smith Fresh Talent Awards. She has received the Shamus Award, and been nominated for the Kentucky Literary Award, the Kentucky Librarians First Choice Award, and the Mary Higgins Clark Award. Hightower’s books have been published in numerous foreign countries, including Great Britain, Australia, Japan, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Israel and The Netherlands.

Hightower spends ridiculous amounts of time curled up reading, but also enjoys small sports cars and tame horses. She is married to The Frenchman, writes full time, shares an office with her Belgian Shepherd, Leo the Lion, plays bad but fierce tennis, loves to dance and is learning to Tango.

Hightower enjoys canoeing and is witty after two glasses of wine. She has studied French and Italian, but is only fluent in Southern.

Hightower is a Kentucky native, and lives in a small Victorian cottage with a writing parlor.

Reviews

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

easy to read, fun mystery full of family drama—UK graduate who studied under Wendell Berry; has written many others, 302 pgs., hardback, purchased at Friends Book Sale, 2002,

[the reading teacup | ~☕️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

~2.5 🌟

[Lisa Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not connect with the main character - didn’t really like her much. The story engaged me enough to make me skim to the end to see how the mystery unfolds. But even that was dissatisfying. Just didn’t resonate.

[Taleese Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent writing. Want to read more of her books. Wish she'd realize the fame of some other less good authors. She deserves money and riches!

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great murder mystery with brilliant, unexpected plot twists.
Unfortunately, I often found myself wishing that the main character would stop rambling on about her past and just get on with the story.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A stand-alone, quite intense; some of the situations reminded me of Pat Conroy's work which is set in the same region. The ending was a real surprise to me and I enjoyed getting there. Highly recommended.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found my copy in a beloved bookstore and I still find myself thinking about this book every now and then. I remember it being a good read and how much of a slow burn the story was! Touched on the complexities of a dysfunctional family, had LGBTQIA+ themes, and I loved the suspense!

[Sandra R · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well Bless Her Heart

This book is like sweet tea made with salt instead of sugar. If it had been a paperback, I would have thrown it in the fireplace and watched it burn. Seemed promising at the beginning…

[Dark-Draco · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had no idea what this book would be like, as have never heard of it or the author. But thriller/mystery/crime novels are usually right up my street!!

This was ok in a vaguely entertaining sort of way - nothing too difficult to get your head round and a relaxed writing style that made it very easy to read. I can't say that I was completely taken in by the story - in some places it seemed a bit contrived and in others unnecessarily complicated. I was really annoyed by one of the main characters constantly being referred to by his full name - you might as well put a flashing neon sign on his head saying 'suspect'! And while the ending was a nice twist, I felt that it didn't actually fit in that well with what had gone on before.

But, overall, this was a good read and I'm glad I spent a few days in its company.

[Lorri · Rating 4 out of 5]

lovely southern gothic

[Helena · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book whilst in Venice .I really enjoyed it but the latter part of it did not impress me as much as the first part . A good relaxing read after hours of sightseeing .

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

kept me reading. Story ??? but it was an interesting read on family dynamics

[Jamie Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, a little angsty with all the family stuff, but worth reading.

[Elizabeth]

Enjoyed the book but was a little disappointed with the ending- I felt it was a little rushed and didn't get the whole story fleshed out. Overall though I liked the storyline and the good writing.

[Lilli · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed by the end of the mystery. The answer changed my perceptions and understanding of a certain character. The compassion quickly turned to annoyance for the behavior throughout the book when I looked back knowing at the end what really happened.