The High Tide Club
Fiction
St. Martin's Press
May 8, 2018
Hardcover
480
Free from publisher
When ninety-nine-year-old heiress Josephine Bettendorf Warrick summons Brooke Trappnell to Talisa Island, her 20,000 acre remote barrier island home, Brooke is puzzled. Everybody in the South has heard about the eccentric millionaire mistress of Talisa, but Brooke has never met her. Josephine’s cryptic note says she wants to discuss an important legal matter with Brooke, who is an attorney, but Brooke knows that Mrs. Warrick has long been a client of a prestigious Atlanta law firm.
Over a few meetings, the ailing Josephine spins a tale of old friendships, secrets, betrayal and a long-unsolved murder. She tells Brooke she is hiring her for two reasons: to protect her island and legacy from those who would despoil her land, and secondly, to help her make amends with the heirs of the long dead women who were her closest friends, the girls of The High Tide Club—so named because of their youthful skinny dipping escapades—Millie, Ruth and Varina. When Josephine dies with her secrets intact, Brooke is charged with contacting Josephine’s friends’ descendants and bringing them together on Talisa for a reunion of women who’ve actually never met.
My review:
First let's take a moment and enjoy this cover! If you are a huge summer beach reading enthusiast like me, I'm sure this cover will pull you in! The content of this one was a bit of a surprise for me. I'm a big fan of MKA (as her fans refer to her), because her books are my gateway to summer. While there are some beach references, in general this is more about a dying woman wanting to make amends for things she's done in the past to her best friends (members of The High Tide Club). The other thing I always love about MKA is her sense of humor. I always get a few chuckles out of the situations her characters find themselves in, or their banter and witty remarks. I have seen Ms. Andrews many times on tour, and if you follow her on social media, you know she has a wicked sense of humor. That didn't come through in this book for me, and it made me a bit sad. Not that this is not a compelling book, it just wasn't what I expected. For the most part the book takes place in present time, although we do have some flashbacks to what occurred when the four women were much younger, and the club was formed. There are a number of characters to keep track of, because in the present day the story primarily focuses on the descendants of the original club. The main character who is a lawyer trying to bring together these descendants before her client dies, is an interesting character bringing baggage of her own to the plot (many will remember her as the bride in Save the Date).
This is a solid novel, with an intriguing plot. While I missed the usual style of the author, I commend her for going in a different direction. Those who have not read all her previous work, will not have any preconceived notions, and will enjoy this one for its entertainment and engaging writing.
I'm always a little more forgiving of the light summer reads, but I can certainly understand being disappointed if your expectations weren't met. I'm really excited for all the great summer reading books this year!
I was expecting a summer read, but this falls into another category. Still worth reading, but just different.