High Water

I was initially disappointed to find that I had not purchased a Sonora Blair novel, but immediately was taken in by the easy writing style of Lynn Hightower. I love her short chapters, twists and turns, and interesting characters. Miss Hightower never lets you down at the end of her books and I was shocked as I read the last chapter. WOW.

I love Lynn Hightower's writing. She is one of my most favorite writers. After reading Debt Collector I couldn't wait for another "Senora" book but I really liked High Water. High Water is high-grade entertainment from beginning to the end. Another great story from Ms. Hightower!

Excuse me, but aren't most all families somewhat dysfunctional? That's what makes Southern writers so intriguing and all of us Southerners so fascinating....our shameless ability to admit to and share our dysfunction with the world.I loved this bittersweet, melancholy tale of a family in crisis. Hightower has the basics of family dynamics down to an art in this tale of three siblings who have to deal with the apparent suicide of their mother and the murder of their mean, controlling, ex-military father. I read this one in a day and loved the surprise ending. I highly recommend all of Hightower's books!

Don't read this book if you're looking for a cheer-up. Hightower writes about yet another dysfunctional southern family. The heroine, Georgie, has escaped to her own antique shop; her sister is charmingly in her own world; her brother is gay. Georgie had a baby at the age of sixteen, a son who is now sixteen himself, and who has disappeared for the last two years.The family comes together after their mother dies under mysterious circumstances and Georgie suspects their father was responsible. Their father, while not typically abusive, could be cruel; his life has been directed by a stint in the Marine Corps, where he met men who would influence the rest of his life. Although the story is a suspenseful page-turner, we don't learn the story until the last few pages, when everything comes together. We get a sense of "Yes, now it all makes sense." Yet in the end three people are dead and two were innocent of anything except getting caught up too deeply in the family struggles. One was implicated, falsely, in a murder.Among novels of dysfunctional families and psychological suspense, High Water ranks as one of the best. Unfortunately, I had just picked up Sacrament of Lies by Elizabeth Dewberry, which has a similar theme -- heroine wondering if father killed mother -- but is not as plausible, deep or well-written. After reading the two in sequence, I began to wonder if this isn't some new sub-genre, just as child and wife abuse was a theme a few years ago. If you have to choose, read this one.

I'm a big fan of the Sonora Blair books, and I live in Cincinnati where they are set, so I was doubly concerned that Lynn Hightower's newest book was not a Sonora Blair book.Wow, were my socks knocked off by this book! A dysfunctional Southern family could be such a cliche or very trite, but Hightower pulls it off without going either way. Her characters have depth and humanity -- and you find yourself really rooting for them. Even when that means for them to do something really messed up .High Water takes Hightower from a formidable mystery author to a serious character-driven author with a mystery involved (think James Lee Burke). If you're hesitant because you love the Blair books, go ahead and read High Water. If you haven't read any of Hightower's previous books, this one will hook you on her writing, and you can go back and read the Sonora Blair books.