Customer Reviews

High on a Hill (Chivers Sound Library American Collections)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Dorothy Garlock crafts an exquisite period mystery. Before the days of antibiotics and birth control, as mules and horses were slowly being replaced by automobiles, the winds of prohibition raced through this country and lives were changed forever.
Mixing poetry and passion, Ms. Garlock does an elegant job of showing the dynamics of small town life juxtaposed against the illegalities and moral fuzziness of years of prohibition. The characters spring right out of the pages, and finding a few old friends from THE EDGE OF TOWN was exciting too. I would not label this as a sequel, but rather like running into an old acquaintance in an unexpected place. Excellently researched and emotionally rooted, the fine shades of gray emerge to tell a story of the heart. While old fashioned values prevail, the author does include some lusty passages and explicitly gory scenes of violence.

Readers looking for something of a similar genre might try Grace Roberts Wood's books (The Train to Estelline, Grace, A Place Called Sweet Shrub, Dance a Little Longer) and Sandra Dallas'
tales (The Persian Pickle Club, The Diary of Mattie Spenser).

Prohibition, bootleggers, gangisters, lawmen, romance and suspense on the Mississippi River. HIGH ON A HILL is the second book in a trilogy set in 1920s rural Missouri. Although HIGH ON A HILL is a stand alone book, THE EDGE OF TOWN also set in 20s Missouri, has related characters. I love how Dorothy Garlock weaves her stories with such rich historical detail. I can almost imagine my grandparents in small town Missouri from this book. The characters of Annabel Lee, a bootlegger's daughter, and Corbin, a lawman, and the subplot of Boone, a bootlegger, and Tess, a hill girl with a shameful past, find each other despite the odds.

The Jazz Age was a time of change even in outstate Missouri. HIGH ON THE HILL reflected these changes subtly without banging the reader over the head. Religion, immigrants melding into society, women's dress, Prohibition, weapons, law enforcement were changing during this time in history and are included in the book if you catch it. I really appreciated this book for its romance, suspense (I never out DG's villians until the end) and wonderful atmosphere. My only compliant is that I have to wait until next year for another Dorothy Garlock read!

Dorothy Garlock does it again with this excellent historical romance, set in the 1920's. For those of us that read "The Edge of Town," you'll be delighted to read Corbin Appleby's story, along with Jack Jones!! If you have not read "The Edge of Town," you won't miss a beat, as this story takes place in another Missouri city called Henderson (not Fertile). The characters from The Edge of Town are mentioned, but only to please those Garlock fans that never miss a word of her writings. This story has it all, mystery, intrigue, danger, deception, love and romance, close friendly relationship, and more! There is enough information in the description that tells what this book is about, and if I stated anything more, I'd give the surprises away. Sit back and enjoy this one! It's great!

In 1925 bootlegger Murphy Donovan moves his operation to Henderson, Missouri. Accompanying him on his latest midnight move is his daughter Annabel Lee and his two employees Spooner and Boone. Though she knows better, Annabel hopes this is their last move as she would like to settle down anywhere.

Annabel helps ailing youngster Jack Jones, who was hoping to become a baseball star, with a hot meal and a bed. Through Jack and Boone she meets former law enforcement official Corbin Appleby, who has a message for Jack from his older sister. As Corbin and Annabel fall in love, he realizes that her father runs an illegal operation in Missouri and Illinois. What will happen to his chance for a loving relationship with Annabel if he turns in his future father-in-law. Adding to his ethical dilemma, he owes Boone for saving his life?

Award winning Dorothy Garlock shows why she is so highly regarded by readers and reviewers with her latest tale, HIGH ON A HILL. The story line is imbued with 1920s atmosphere that historical readers will enjoy very much. The lead couple is a delightful pair who provides the romantic elements. The support cast provides the historical feel that makes the plot a cut above the norm. Fans of 1920s novels will enjoy Ms. Garlock who will gain many new accolades.

Harriet Klausner

The prohibition brings big business to bootleggers, speakeasies and gangsters. For years Annabel Lee Donovan, daughter of a bootlegger, has endured frequent upheaval and promises that her father will soon leave the business behind. Their latest move brings them to Henderson, Missouri to a house on a hill. Annabel worries over her father's frequent absences, but tries to make their new home comfortable. Her father leaves behind two men to look to her safety and take turns guarding their stash, Boone and Spinner.

One day a seriously injured young man appears on her doorstep seeking help. Annabel welcomes Jack Jones, nursing him back to health and earns his loyalty. Jack does not know a family friend, Corbin Appleby, tracks him. A former police chief, Corbin insists that he is not a Fed, but his interest in her father's business and in the illegal activity in the area leaves both Annabel and Boone suspicious. In addition, Annabel has dangerous neighbors to contend with, especially when one decided that she belongs to him.

As a new comer to Dorothy Garlock's work, I found her choice of setting, the Prohibition, absolutely fascinating, and her writing delightful. Annabel proves to be a delectable combination of contradictions, raised fairly conservatively by a bootlegging father. Her need for permanent roots proves charming from her acquisition of farm animals to garden planting. As her attraction for Corbin slowly blossoms, suspicion of his motives leaves her questioning his trustworthiness. The Secondary plot proves even more delightful, especially as Boone and Tess almost upstage the romance between the main characters. A beautifully realized old fashioned romance with a emphasis on family ties, HIGH ON THE HILL comes highly recommended.

Wow! It was really good. This was my first Dorothy Garlock story. I have since read 3-4 others and am in the middle of another. So yeah, her writing totally impressed me. You can see here that the story is about Bootlegging in Missouri in during Prohibition. But the whole package---what you're getting is not so much your typical romance, where the story focuses on one man and one woman, with subtle humorous secondary characters.
In Garlocks stories, so far that I've noted, she intertwines others stories so theres not just one romance/relationship blossoming. Its not all about the main characters! Woohoo!
The details she provides really impressed me. She'd add little descriptions, or talk about the cars, or how to cook on an old stove, or going and getting ice for the freezer---its amazing to have all the period detail, quality writing and a sweet little romance all wrapped up in one. And I like the fact that some of the resolution ends in DEATH----seems another taboo thing for a romance novel---makes it, to me, stand out as more realistic.
I loved it! I hope you do too.

I didn't like this one as well as "On the Edge of Town". In this story, there are a whole new set of characters. But a few return from the first book, mainly Jack Jones and Corbin, the lawman from the first book. A few other characters are mentioned as well but they don't play as active a role in the book.

Anabelle Lee is the daughter of a bootlegger. They have moved out to a farm in the woods along with Boone and Spinner, her father's helpers. Here they plan on pulling off one last large job before getting out of the business. Settling into the farm Anabelle loves her new home. While her father would prefer she be a society girl and have the life he never had, she enjoys taking care of the chickens and her new cow. She also has eyes for Corbin when they meet.

Unfortunately, everyone is not as happy as they are. A local boy has his eyes set on Anabelle and doesn't want to take no for an answer. In addition, someones taken offense to her father's book legging and wants to run him into the ground, and anyone who gets in the way.

I felt that this story didn't have as much of a plot as the first, hence the short overview of it. While there was supposed to be a lot going on it was more the characters talking than anything happening. I also felt that the characters weren't as nicely developed as the first book. They seemed to lack the warmth and I just couldn't get as into the story as I would have liked.

Another thing I noticed in this book was the author's obsession with breasts. They seemed to be mentioned at least once in every chapter, and not always in the crude way of some of the antagonists. It seemed that she really liked describing them.

With the first book, this one also did not seem as a genuine fit to the time. The character's expressions and some of their actions just didn't fit the 1920's to me. While Garlock's writing is very well put together, I just don't think she represented the time as well.

I know that most of this review sounds negative and I do want to say that if I hadn't have read her first book, I probably would have liked this one better. It had a well thought out plot, it just seemed like more could have been done to enact it better. Its a good read for a lazy Saturday.

High On A Hill
Copyright 2002
385 pages

I read this series out of order accidentally, and this book was not at all what I expected it to be. It was less steamy and suspenseful as #3 and #4. The romance was nice, but slow. This story was more historical than romance. In fact, the whole book seemed as if it was written by somebody else. It wasn't Garlock's usual style. It wasn't bad, it was just different. It was a very sweet story though.

Another very good book by Garlock about a simpler time with a little mystery and a little romance. I will continue with this series.

Some of the characters in this story are the same as in Edge of Town. I liked it because it gave me some insight into country folk, bootlegging and the story line was interesting to me. It showed how sometimes decent people get involved in bad things. The bootlegger's daughter, whose father was trying to get out of the bootlegging business, finds some romance after helping fix up Jack who was beat up on his way home from baseball tryouts one day. I enjoyed reading this very much. It is a fast read and recommend it for light, entertaining reading.