The High Flyer

"The High Flyer" is like an old-fashioned Alfred Hitchcock thriller. It involves the occult and a psychic, lies and deception, and one woman’s descent into a state of mental chaos. Taking place in the early 1990s it is the story of Carter Graham, a very successful business woman. She’s an attorney for a prestigious law firm in London... one of the few females to achieve a high level of success in this time of a male chauvinistic hierarchy in business.

Her ladder to success, thus far, was navigated with hard work, discipline, sacrifice, and an uncompromising life-plan. Carter is in her mid 30s and every decision she makes is in step with her life goals. As the tale begins her only remaining goal in life is a happy marriage and show more children. She meticulously chooses a husband based on a specific list of criteria all designed to complement her career goals and expected lifestyle.

But Carter is in for a rude awakening. Her life starts to spiral out of control when her new husband's ex-wife starts stalking her. And as the story continues Carter's life descends into a black horrifying nightmare as she ultimately discovers her husband is hiding some deep dark secrets.

Susan Howatch is a wonderful storyteller. Told in the first person, Carter becomes a very real, vulnerable woman. The plot is suspenseful and frightening. In fact, half way through the drama I actually became nauseous with palpable fear. As Carter searches for the truth, every chapter ends with a cliff-hanger. I would have rated "The High Flyer" five stars for the scare factor, and the over-all plot, but the last quarter of the book delves a little too heavily into theology and the doctrine of forgiveness and redemption.

"The High Flyer" is actually book 2 of a trilogy titled "St. Benet’s". The common thread of the three books is St Benet’s Anglican Church in London. All three books of the trilogy share common characters involved with the church. However, Carter Graham’s life was not part of book 1 and "The High Flyer" stands alone as a complete novel. show less

Carter Graham is a high-flying city lawyer, convinced that if she follows her 'life plan' she will achieve happiness. A suspenseful book with some shocking moments. Fast-paced, action packed and very well-written. Quite a battle of good vs evil, and some psychology/spirituality.

Not too bad toward the beginning, when channeling Charles Williams, but degenerates into long lectures masquerading as dialogue, in the manner of Atlas Shrugged.

The tone of Howatch's novels have changed since Absolute Truths. The first six novels thrust us into the Church of England, its arguments and developments through the 20th century. Perhaps it is indicative of the culture we live in, but now her novels document life outside the church with greater veracity, and shows us the interaction between "secular" people and the church. Here we find a driven executive and her husband, neither of whom have any time for the Church, but both of whom are on a spiritual quest. In a way this mirrors Mystical Paths, in that much centers around a murder, but this time the protagonist is not a budding priest, but a "high flyer" business executive who learns, the hard way, that flying did Icarus little good, show more and is not doing her much good either. show less

Bad, bad, scary bad husband.

A disappointing read.

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