The High Tide Club: A Novel

By Mary Kay Andrews

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Weekenders comes a delightful new novel about new love, old secrets, and the kind of friendship that transcends generations.

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.

The High Tide Club is Mary Kay Andrews at her Queen of the Beach Reads best, a compelling and witty tale of romance thwarted, friendships renewed, justice delivered, and true love found.

Praise for The Weekenders:

“This book has all the makings of a beach read...The perfect blend of drama, humor, intrigue, and just a touch of murder.” —Bustle

“Andrews has this ‘perfect beach read’ label down pat—and then some. The Weekenders is not just good, it is beyond good… Summer doesn’t truly begin without a Mary Kay Andrews book in your beach bag,so here is another winner and Top Pick just for you.” —RT Book Reviews (Top Pick)

“Andrews’ novels...are the epitome of relaxing yet involving summer reads, and her latest is no exception.” —Booklist

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
• Release date: May 8, 2018
• ISBN: 9781250126092

Mary Kay Andrews

Mary Kay Andrews is the New York Times bestselling author of 30 novels and The Beach House Cookbook. A former reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, she lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Reviews for The High Tide Club

[alphawoman_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I truly enjoyed this book.

[mchwest · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Of course this book didn't take me 6 days to read it, I just totally forgot to post my review. Once again MKA doesn't disappoint when you wait for her book every summer to read. I felt like I had visited this island before and I could understand what the old lady was going thru trying to make good with the world before her life ended. Twists and turns keep the plot thickening and the end finishes with that feeling that you wanted to book to go on for a couple hundred more pages. Thank you again MKA and keep writing!!

[gpangel_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The High Tide Club by Mary Kay Andrews is a 2018 St. Martin’s Press publication. A Southern style beach read-When ninety-nine- year old Josephine Bettendorf Warrick commissions Brooke Trappnell to gather her old friends from the ‘High Tide Club’ together before she passes away, Brooke is taken aback by her request. Josephine wants to make amends with her old friends and intends to bequeath them her estate on Talisa Island. Brooke is stunned to discover her own grandmother had once been a charter member of Josephine’s club, which could also present a conflict of interest on her part. However, she immediately begins to search for the ladies who will inherit the island, bringing together an eclectic group of women all harboring an explosive secret. Meanwhile, Brooke asks an old colleague to help with the Josephine’s estate, bringing up a few unrequited feelings, while she also struggles to raise her three- year old son on her own. Once all the ladies are gathered on the island, mostly descendants of the original High Tide Club, Josephine loosens up enough to begin weaving tale of intrigue and mystery directly involving Brooke’s grandmother. The revelations continue to pile up, one on top of another as more people come forward claiming to be relatives of Josephine, all wanting a piece of the pie. Is it possible for Brooke to determine who the rightful heirs are? Could a long- ago mystery have any bearing on the case? Believe it or not, this is my first Mary Kay Andrews novel. I’ve been dying to sample her work for a long time and am so glad I finally took the plunge. I see why this author is so popular and will certainly be adding more of her books to my TBR pile. I love southern fiction and beach reads and find the two often make a terrific combo. I also love old secrets and mysteries, and especially love it when a group of ladies all work in tandem to get something accomplished.There is a large cast of characters, which usually causes problems for me, but I didn’t have a bit of trouble keeping up with who was who, and never got confused at any time along the way. The pacing is just a tiny bit slow at times, but I never got bored or tempted to skip ahead. There are some reveals I saw coming, while others completely blindsided me. While the mystery is quite compelling, it is the friendship and bonding of strong female characters, some quirky, some hard to like, some difficult to figure out, but all united in a common cause, that is what makes this story special. The last few chapters, which wrapped up some personal issues Brooke was dealing with was a little bit rushed through, but the epilogue was simply outstanding! This is my last ‘beach read’ of the summer. I don’t think I could have chosen a better story than this one to close out my summer reading season. 4 stars

[jbarr5 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The High Tide Club by Andrews_ Mary Kay Enjoyed other works by this author. This one starts with the young girls and they've formed a club on the full king moon when they go skinnydipping on the island.Story goes back in time to update you on the events of the past and how they pertain to the latest present day.Brooke a lawyer hopes to help the old woman, Josephine who's dying and wants to pass on her portion of the island, rather than giving it to the state for hardly anything.Brookes job will be to find the others in the club-if they are still alive. Older days speak of luxusious living, money is no option, so many details.Verina, Millie, Ruth and one is Brookes grandmother and she learns many things about her. The had extravagant pins made that meant a lot to the 4 of them and Josephine explains about the wedding-not to Russell...They were closer than sisters and Brooke knows how hard it is to keep friends over a slight argument.They all gather and the truth is revealed although there is nothing they can do about it. Other mysteries arise... I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

[lhaines56 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My first 5 star review (since I have been posting I think!) A real page turner which keeps you guessing about who will inherit until the end.

[ethel55_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Summer always brings a crop of beachy looking books to tote around. This was long, and took a while to get into. I spent a lot of time wondering what Josephine knew and when she knew it. She hires a new lawyer, Brooke Trappnell, to help her find her old friends and make out a new will benefitting them. As she's in her 90's, time is of the essence. I never fully understood the fallout between the girls, but the present day puzzles kept my interest. I don't mind reading dual timelines, and like the information from the past that we slowly became privy to.

[tuf25995 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As always, thank you to the author and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book in advance.WARNING: THIS IS VERY LONG AND I GO ON AND ON AND ON.I loved this! It's a massive book (nearly 500 pages) of pure, compulsively readable storytelling. Did I think it was perfect? No. But I thought it was wonderful enough to give five stars and I will detail what I thought wasn't perfect about it, but first what I loved:I loved the sweet Southern setting of Georgia. I loved that Brooke was a female lawyer with her own struggling practice, that she was a single mother and that she was not reliant upon anybody for her and her son's survival, not even her family and especially not upon a man. I loved the history of the old women, of their debutante Southern belle lives in the 1940s. I loved the mystery of the secrets they left behind that Mary Kay Andrews masterfully unraveled to the reader in surprising ways. Ms. Andrews weaved such a complicated, fantastic story that I would be happy to keep reading on and on about. The ending was a little cliche, but you know, I was okay with it.What I feel was not five-star worthy: I am struggling with white women writing about black characters and writing them in the first-person (the latter of which I think is worse than the former.) I do not believe anyone means any harm in doing this. However, It is one thing when Fannie Flagg did it in the 1970s, when the unhinged, horrific, it's-okay-because-the-"president"-agrees-with-me!, in your face racism was less balked at (which doesn't make it okay, but makes it less perverse, in a way.) But it's 2018. Black people are being killed for merely existing today and no white person can speak to that. Not a single one. Not even those whose spouses are black or whose children are black. If you are not black, you cannot pretend to know their daily struggles with stepping out the door and hoping today they don't get killed for stopping to tie their shoe-laces or something equally as mundane. In the same light, although fiction, I do not think it can be taken for granted any longer that a white author can write about black people in the stereotypical sense. A white author cannot write dialogue in which they think is an accurate depiction of how black people speak either to white people or to black people. Even if it is accurate, it is not a white person's place to write for them or about them in that way. However good the intentions, there is very little chance it will not come off as stereotypical and racist. I appreciate that Ms. Andrews gave the characters of color in her novel depth and strength and heart. To a man/woman, all the people of color in The High Tide Club were respectable, hard-working, caring people and were given the time of day, in my opinion. Felicia, especially, was given better credentials and a more prestigious background than many of her white counterparts. It remains, however, that the people of color were working for a white, elderly woman. Josephine held the key to their livelihoods and while she didn't deny them anything (other than the ownership of Oyster Bluff...), they were still at her will. As a white woman, I will continue to struggle with white authors who try to write about the experiences and lives of black people and other people of color. I'm not sure it something that can or should be done any longer. Let us move out of the way of people of color so that they may write their own stories and we can read them and listen to them. Let us not write for them.

[beckyhaase · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

THE HIGH TIDE CLUB by Mary Kay AndrewsAndrews is one of my favorite “women’s lit” authors. Her characters speak and act like real people. Her plots are intricate and satisfying. Her settings are richly described. The tempo is fast enough to keep up interest and yet slow enough for a well-paced read. HIGH TIDE CLUB does not fail!Murder, illegitimate babies, broken engagements, crotchety old ladies, absent boyfriends, a private island, a mean sexual predator, a vast fortune, a dying heiress and skinny dipping under a full moon -- what more could one want in the ultimate beach read. This one is fun and will keep you guessing till the last pages, although one of the many mysteries I was able to figure out early on.5 of 5 stars

[janjanfreeman · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

DNF at 33%.I have lost any interest in going any further. It is incredibly heavy with legal jargon and excessive detail. Furthermore, I did not care for the significant difference in class between Josephine and her legal team versus Josephine's employees. It was only interesting when it flashed back to the 1940s when all of the action took place.So far, I noticed the following triggers: sexual harassment and foul language. Please note: An electronic copy of this ARC was generously provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[ivydtruitt · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I know I’m in for a good time whenever I crack the cover of a Mary Kay Andrews book, and THE HIGH TIDE CLUB is no exception. Reader’s are introduced to Josephine, Millie, Ruth, and Varina in the past, and the survivors or their descendants in the future sections.With more twists and turns than a Southern back road, the past comes roaring into the future in ways the friends could never have envisioned.Can you ever make amends for some trespasses? What’s unforgivable and why is forgiveness so hard sometimes? Join Brooke, Liz, Marie, Felicia, Varina, and the indomitable Josephine as they stir up a hornets nest, forever changing their lives and the lives of those around them. THE HIGH TIDE CLUB is as satisfying as a tall glass of sweet iced tea on a hot Georgia summer day.Reviewed for Miss Ivy's Book Nook Take II

[charlotte_lynn-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My first book of summer and I loved it. Mary Kay Andrews stepped out of her normal writing style and did an amazing job. The mystery, the family, the friendships, and the Southern Charm are all amazing. The dual timelines of 1941 and the present time come together perfectly. The two different eras tell the story of amazing characters learning about their history and of their future while making friendships that will last forever. The story is narrated by many different characters, which could cause some confusion, but Mary Kay Andrews did an amazing job in keeping the reader in line and aware of who was telling the story. I enjoyed knowing the different perspectives of the characters. This allowed me to get the true feelings and emotions of those who are telling the story, those who are living the events, and those who are hearing the story for the first time. While Josephine is the character that starts this story it is truly The High Tide Club members that bring the story to life. As with most groups, there is one person who seems more in charge, in the know than the rest of the group. Josephine is that person. With her all-knowing personality came so many secrets of her own and others that she kept for her entire life that as her life was coming to an end (she is 99) she knew she needed to share the secrets with those who deserve to know them. I felt like the fact that she kept the secrets for so long proved what a good friend she was.This is an amazing book. Everything about it was written in a way to pull the reader in and never let them go. From the first page to the last I could not stop reading. If you are new to Mary Kay Andrews or a long time fan this is a book of hers that you cannot pass up.

[twink_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Oh, it's not summer without a new book from Mary Kay Andrews. The High Tide Club releases today - and it's so very, very good! You're going to want to add The High Tide Club to your summer beach reads list. Andrews hooks the reader from the first pages with a prologue from 1941. Four young women have just buried a body. I know - not what I expected either! I wanted to know more - who and why? The narrative then flips to present day. Lawyer Brooke Tappenall is called to the island of Talisa. Ninety nine year old Josephine is the last of her family. She owns the majority of the island and has been fighting both developers and the state for years to keep her land. She also wants Brooke to find the heirs of her three childhood friends - all members of the self named High Tide Club. She needs to make amends.There's the starting point and I'm not going to reveal any more. There are so many wonderful pieces to this story - friendship, loss, love, secrets and more. And of course the mystery of who was buried back in 1941. A back and forth narrative slowly reveals the past. And over the course of 480 delicious pages the past and present meet. Andrews provides some unexpected turns along the way. Some were a surprise. And some were darker than I could have predicted. But my hopes for a happy ending were met by the final pages.The High Tide Club is told with both humour, warmth and pathos. Andrew's prose are easy and engaging. Mary Kay does 'southern' fiction so well. I loved her descriptions of the island, the ocean and the people. Her characters are always clearly drawn and the reader has no problem knowing who they're cheering on.I really enjoyed this latest from Mary Kay Andrews. Now to begin the long wait for next year's book!

[debkrenzer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ahhh, just finished yet another great MKA book. Looking for a good, fun book? You can't go wrong with MKA!!This one was a little different than her most recent books. If you've been an MKA fan in the past, then you know she started out as a mystery writer and then went onto rom com/women's fiction. In this one, there are several mysteries to be solved. The biggest one being who killed Russell Strickland? Now, while I was very interested in who this could be it certainly wasn't because I felt anything but loathing for this man. I was just curious who on the island could have done it. My favorite part in the whole book? When someone, (oh, your not hearing who from me) showed Russell "what a good shot they were". I LOVED that line. The story starts with four friends right before the start of World War II. It goes back from 1941 and forth to present day. In present day, one of the 4 friends knows that she is dying and wants to look up these women before she passes. Brooke Trappnell is the lawyer she insists must do her biding. What Brook doesn't know is that she is getting more than what she bargained for with this elder, cantankerous woman. Josephine Bettendorf Warrick summons her and without any explanation as to what she is wanting tells her to be at her home on a remote island nearby. This home sets on 12,000 acres and has not had anything done other than minor repairs since 1966. The history in this house is magnificent.While Brooke gets more than she bargained for, the story is very engaging, entertaining and downright laugh out loud funny at times. Also for your added enjoyment is some suspense with a lot of mystery involved.I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and, as usual, sped right through it. Any of MKA's books would make a GREAT beach read.Thanks both to Erica Martirano and Jordon Hanley from St. Martin's Press, as well as the publisher, St. Martin's Press, for providing me an advanced reader in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. I LOVED IT!!!!

[silversreviews · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Finding her childhood friends and making amends was one of Josephine Bettendorf Warrick’s dying wishes. Josephine and her two childhood friends had created THE HIGH TIDE CLUB during one night of fun.The girls were lifelong friends until Josephine had words with them. Brooke Trappnell was hired by Josephine to find these women or their descendants because she wanted to leave her island to them since she had no children of her own. Josephine is an ornery woman who wants what she wants. Brooke desperately needs the money so she takes this job. Brooke wasn’t sure she would legally be able to take on this assignment because she and her mother surprisingly were named in the inheritance that included twenty acres of land and a pink mansion.
 THE HIGH TIDE CLUB is set in Georgia and has eccentric, fun characters. We follow Brooke as she goes on her search for these women and/or family members.
We also get the treat of going back to 1941 and seeing first hand all of the antics and mischief THE HIGH TIDE CLUB girls got into along with secrets kept and heartaches.Ms. Andrews smoothly goes from one time period to another linking both stories and keeping your interest with her marvelous, detailed writing style and story line.The fun of finding these friends and/or family members made this book delightful. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the story line. The story line became better every time I turned the page and especially when secrets were revealed about Josephine’s life and those in it. The characters were the highlight for me as well as the location.The island, its history, and its description made you want to be there with the characters.I enjoyed the lives of the characters in 1941 as well as the present-day family members. This was my first book by Mary Kay Andrews, and it was a very pleasing, entertaining read. If you enjoy family sagas, secrets, and mysteries, you will want to read THE HIGH TIDE CLUB. 5/5This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher and NetGalley in return for an honest review.

[grandmacootie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The High Tide Club by Mary Kay Andrews is a great beach read, but if you plan to spend much time at the beach take more books, because you’re going to plow right through this one. It’s got her usual gorgeous setting and Southern charm, with its unique and sometimes peculiar beliefs and traditions woven into a solid story of family, friendships and love. But there is also a mystery. That was a surprise, but a good surprise, as it kept me guessing right up until the end. Ninety-nine-year-old heiress Josephine Bettendorf Warrick has a terminal illness and wants to protect her island, Talisa Island, from those who would despoil her land after she has died. She also has a lot of secrets from the past and needs to make amends to the heirs of the long dead women who were her closest friends. She unexpectedly selects 30-something lawyer and single mother Brooke Trappnell to help her achieve the two goals.The High Tide Club of the book title was formed in the 1930s and the story alternates between then and the present. It’s a fascinating story of old friendships, secrets, betrayal and a long-unsolved murder. The mystery kind of snuck up on me; I was thoroughly enjoying the story these women of the past and present when I realized there was so much more. There are a lot of unexpected connections between the characters, people are not always who you thought they were, and some of them have so much at stake they will go to any lengths to keep it.The plot is solid and believable, and the story flows so smoothly that it’s hard to put down. And just when I thought I had finally figured out all the connections of who did what and what happened to who, I was surprised to learn I was wrong and there was another twist. The High Tide Club is a thoroughly marvelous story about female friendships, past relationships, dark secrets, and sisterhood with a satisfying ending. I recommend it without hesitation.Thank you to NetGalley for providing the ARC.

[bettytaylor56 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the first book I have read by Mary Kay Andrews – and I LOVED it! The problem with newly discovering a “seasoned” author like Ms. Andrews is that now I must go buy all her past books. I have really been missing out on a memorable author. This is a story of the strength of friendships – old friends, new friends. Throw in some romance, some humor, secrets, deception, heartache, an unsolved murder and you have a story that keeps you entranced to the very end. Shut out the world and spend some time on Talisa Island. The story alternates between 1941 and the present. In 1941 Josephine, Millie, Ruth and Varina were the best of friends. Then one fateful night all their lives were changed forever. Now Josephine is 99 years old and is dying of lung cancer. It is time for her to find and make amends to her dear old friends. So she contacts Brooke, a local attorney and single mother of a three-year-old boy, who desperately needs the money this job offers. Josephine, having had no children, needs Brooke to help her find her old friends and/or their heirs, and to prevent her home from being taken by the state upon her death. The writing in this book is superb. I could envision the old rundown ivy-covered mansion among the sweltering heat and towering palm trees. And the description of Josephine Bettendorf Warrick – well, I just have to quote it – “the color photograph of a woman with a mane of wild white hair, standing defiantly in front of what looked like a pink wedding cake of a mansion. The woman wore a full-length fur coat and high-top sneakers and had a double-barreled shotgun tucked in the crook of her right arm”. I knew immediately I was going to like this cantankerous, eccentric old lady. The younger set of characters in the present are just as delightful as the ladies from 1941. I fell in love with them all. There are several past secrets to be unveiled throughout the book. Just as I thought I had a secret figured out there would be a new surprise just waiting to be uncovered. It definitely kept me guessing, and my interest never waned.If you loved Karen White’s “Dreams of Falling”, you will love “The High Tide Club”. I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

[pegmcdaniel · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Thanks to the publisher, St. Martin's Press, via NetGalley, for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.From the cover, the first thing you think of is a summer beach read! I didn't find it to be that but felt it was a novel that could be read anytime, anywhere. The story line was just okay for me. It's about a fictional island off the coast of Georgia owned by a 99-year-old wealthy woman who is dying and wants to leave the island to the descendants of her three best friends. She hires an attorney to take care of this for her but details are complicated. The attorney has many problems of her own plus conflicts of interest in dealing with this case.The novel switches between the present and the 1940's and that may be why the first half moved very slowly for me. By the time the pace picked up, I wasn't very interested in the plot or the long list of characters. It was much too detailed. The subjects included female relationships, tremendous wealth, deception, murder, and some twists and turns.The title is from the young females in the 1940's going skinny-dipping in the moonlight when it was high tide. I enjoyed the island setting since I've spent time on the barrier islands of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. I didn't enjoy any of the characters since they weren't well-developed. Sadly, only 2 Stars.

[darcia_10 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I wish I could tell you I loved this book, but I didn't, and so I'll do my best to explain why.The story is told in two timelines that seem to compete more than to complement each other. All four women from 'The High Tide Club' have narrating parts in the past timeline, and their stories meander, providing so much extraneous detail that it distracts from the present. The present timeline is told mostly from Brooke's perspective, and also gets caught up in the tendency to wander outside the point of it all. The result is a story that lacks cohesion and focus. We have a whole lot of characters, but none of them are particularly well developed or likable. Many feel like stereotypes, and all behave in stereotypical ways.By the time we get to the twists and all is unveiled, I wasn't the least bit surprised. We spend so much time in the past, with so much detail provided, that it's like having neon signs point the way. It's all there if we pay the slightest bit of attention. The content should have been powerful enough to move me to tears, yet I didn't feel any emotion at all. Part of this, I think, is explained by the lack of character development. The characters seem devoid of reaction and emotion, and so, as a reader, it's impossible to feel more deeply than the characters themselves.Overall, the story has the feel of a daytime soap opera. In fact, the characters themselves even make that comparison a few times. The major difference is that daytime soaps are all about drama and emotion, while this story has the drama without the emotional investment. *The publisher provided me with an advance ebook copy, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.*

[susan0316 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a different kind of book for Mary Kay Andrews - her books are usually laugh out loud funny and even though this one has some funny moments, its much more serious and mysterious than her earlier books. That said, I loved this book and highly recommend it. The characters are so well written that we see them as real people - flaws and all. Plus the age of the characters range from mid 30s to 99 so we get to view women's lives through a variety of ages.Josephine, Millie, Ruth and Varina formed the high tide club in the 30s. Three of the women were spoiled rich girls and Varina was a black girl who lived on the island and was younger than the others. The story is told present day with flashbacks to the 30s so that we get the total picture of Josephine and Varina, the only two surviving members of the group. As the story beings, Josephine summons a lawyer, Brooke, to her secluded island home on a barrier island off the Georgia coast, to help her save her island and to make amends to the women of the high tide club. What follows will have the reader turning pages to find out the story behind this group of women and their descendants. It's a book full of twists and turns and just when you think you have it all figured out, things change again and you realize you were wrong. Don't wait to take his book to the beach, read it as soon as you can.Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

[carlathelibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved The High Tide Club by Mary Kay Andrews. I had a hard time classifying this book as it has a bit of so many things. There is friendship, betrayal, greed, lust, some romance, a murder mystery, forgiveness, state vs. resident, and some historical information about "the geechees and the freed slaves in the south as well as the roles and expectations of women in the 1940s . Most of the story is told from the perspective of Brooke Trappnell, a single mother who has hung out her legal shingle in a small coastal town in Georgia. The scenes from the past are from the perspective of the girls in the "High Tide Club", Ruth, Winnie, Varina and Josephine.

Ninety nine year old Josephine Bettendorf Warrick owns most of Talisa Island. The state is trying to purchase the island for a state park. Josephine has been fighting them for years and they are trying to condemn the land so she is forced to sell. She hires Brooke to carry on the fight for her island and home as well as her assistance to do some estate planning. She wants to create a trust and leave it to the members of the High Tide Club or their descendants. Josephine has terminal cancer as well, so is in a bit of a rush for this to be completed before she dies. This is not Brooke's area of expertise, but she wants to meet the old woman who is basically a hermit. When Josephine shares part of her story with Brooke, she has to refuse the estate planning as her mother is one of the intended heirs. She contacts her mentor that she worked for in Savannah and he agrees to take on this part of the case. I do not want to go into anymore detail because of spoilers.

As I read this story, I was immersed in the lives of the women and other characters both in the past and present. I wanted Josephine to make amends, but at other times I was angry with what she had done. The two time periods of the story were woven together so well, that the flow was wonderful. The secrets from the past that are slowly unveiled as the story progressed led the reader on a path with many twists. Reading about the time period of 1939 to 1942 gave me more information of how women were treated as well as African Americans. This book kept me up until after 1:00 in the morning because as I got deeper into the story, I did not want to put it down. A wonderful story written by an author that I have added to my list of those not to be missed. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley.

[maydacat_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Josephine at 99 years of age is terminally ill, and her wish before she dies is to right the wrongs she has done. Long estranged from her girlhood friends, and though most had predeceased her, she wants to make things right with their heirs. Josephine is rich, used to getting her way and manipulating people, and she hires a lawyer to do her bidding. Brooke becomes fond of the old lady, and thus acquiescences to her wishes. And so begins a long, complicated, involved, and compelling plot. Author Mary Kay Andrews has given her readers a tale rich in color with its marvelous setting and peopled with complex and unique characters. The story vascilates between the present day and the past, the two storylines seamlessly woven together and together in a satisfying conclusion. More than just a beach read or chick-lit, this novel explores relationships between friends and between family members and illustrates that it is never too late to be rectify past mistakes.

[thornton37814 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In World War II era coastal Georgia, four women cover up a secret, promising to never divulge it. When Josephine is nearing death, she wants to make amends with her estranged friends or their descendants. She hires Brooke to locate the women and hopes she'll draw up the will. When Brooke realizes her grandmother was one of the women, and she and her mom would be heirs, she realizes a conflict of interest and engages a former colleague who knows a lot about trusts to handle that end after Josephine approves. Lots of twists and turns. The plot is not all that believable, but it still makes a good beach read.

[sbojo32 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In typical Mary Kay Andrews fashion, this is a nice beach read. The characters are well-developed and the story is enjoyable. There is a little bit of romance (not a lot), a little bit of mystery, a little bit of intrigue and a little bit of drama. To me, everything tied together too nicely at the end, but I understand that is how her books usually are. It was a little long (470 pages!) and honestly, could have been cut down quite a bit.
Overall, it was light, but it wasn't a book that I just couldn't put down.

[lbswiener · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The High Tide Club is a fun book to listen to. It is well written with a consistent storyline. The book has a believable story that switched from past memories to present time easily making sense to follow. The characters were easy to like. I highly recommend this book.

[murderbydeath · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Three words: Phoned. it. in. That's what this book appears to be. Something Andrews - an author whose books I've always enjoyed - phone in. Huge continuity errors, like an off-stage character that dies in WWII, first over Iwo Jima, then over Germany. A fragmented sentence ended with a period that is truly a fragment - just cut off half way through; I can't even guess what it was supposed to have conveyed. Monster gaps in the timeline, and I don't just mean time passes, but time passes where plot-important stuff happens and it's just ... gone. Like maybe it used to be there and someone went all highlight-and-delete happy without turning Track Changes on. The first half of the book is like a time warp, without the narrative overlay. There's supposedly a romance in here too, one that gets exactly two scenes. Normally this would be fine; this story isn't about the MC's romantic life. Except the story starts with Brooke being a single mom because she didn't tell the boy's father she got pregnant the night before he left for a 3 year research trip to Alaska, then continued not telling him. During the course of this story he comes back, hoping to start back up, having no idea he's a father. Even after he meets the boy. All of this ... baggage; seems like it would call for more than 2 scenes. The most unfortunate part of this is that The High Tide Club is, at its core, a really great story about extraordinarily strong women, friendships that span a century, and a ripping good murder mystery. It's genuinely lovely; with a lot of heart and, at the same time, a delightfully brilliant mystery. The American South setting is something Andrews excels at, even, apparently, when she's phoning it in, and the characters are all fully realised. If St. Martin's and Andrews hadn't been so short-sighted as to publish the raw manuscript, instead of a finished, edited work, this might have been one of her best. As it is, I think I'll just re-read Hissy Fit.

[bookconcierge · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Book on CD performed by Kathleen McInerney.2** Ninety-nine-year-old Josephine Bettendorf Warrick specifically asks for attorney Brooke Trappnell to draft a new will. But when Brooke goes to Josephine’s private island, she’s in for a few surprises. Josephine wants to make amends AND wants to ensure her estate and island is kept out of the hands of the state of Georgia (who wants the land for a state park). S*L*O*W*L*Y Josephine tells Brooke the story of four friends in 1941. I’ve read other books by Mary Kay Andrews and I usually find them entertaining – a nice relaxing read. But I didn’t think the author had a good handle on this plot. It seemed to go in too many directions (not helped by the dual timelines). Too much effort (IMHO) to include a mystery (or three). Brooke drove me absolutely crazy. I wouldn’t hire this woman to draft an email to a friend, let alone to settle a complicated estate. She completely lacks in any self-confidence and her personal life is a complete mess. I’m not even sure she has a good grasp on legal ethics. Well, it satisfied several challenges and it was a fast read/listen. Kathleen McInerney does a fine job narrating the audio book; she earned an extra star for the rating. Too bad she didn’t have better material to work with.

[alekee_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a story that kept on giving, just when you think you have the plot down and basically know what is going to happen, wham, something else is thrown in.This author kept me page turning and filled this read with all kinds of surprises.We find out who the members of the High Tide club, and then we meet their relatives, as to whom are still remaining, and survivors, well, they soon seem to be coming out of the woodwork.This book has a little bit of everything, from romance to murder, friendship to just plain greed.This is a hard book to put down once you begin!

[purple_pisces22 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I’d actually started this before we went on vacation but it was easy to pick up where I’d stopped. There are a lot of little underlying mysteries which keeps the story intriguing. I’d suspected who the killer was early on, but was definitely not sure. I loved the way that twist was worked in at the end.

[auntieknickers · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I've been reading Mary Kay Andrews since she was publishing mysteries as Kathy Hogan Trocheck. When she switched names, her books became lighter -- often dealing with women facing their problems with the help of friends and interior decorating. (I'm not being snide here, I really enjoyed those books!) With The High Tide Club, she has combined all her strengths with a story of long-lasting female friendships together with a decades-old mystery and some dark secrets from the past. Highly recommended.

[nwieme-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great story. Great setting. Great characters.