Rating: 
Summary: Excellent follow up to The Wonder Worker
Review: After the sheer and absolute brilliance of 'The Wonder Worker', Howatch had her work cut out for her, and The High Flyer is a respectable novel follow on. With any other author, this probably would have garnered a 5-star rating from me...In The High Flyer, Howatch tells the story all from one view-point - that of Carter, a high-flying lawyer in London who has just met Kim Betz in time to keep her 'Life-Plan' on track. The only fly in the ointment seems to be Betz's ex-wife who is quite 'nutterguff.' However, despite some brittle moments where Carter saves herself from some nasty shocks in the early stages of their marriage, nothing prepares her for Kim's reaction when she announces she will eventually desire a child or 2 in accordance with her life plan. From here on, it is vintage Susan Howatch with some deep pshycological probing and assistance for this provided by Nicholas and Lewis from the small St-Benet Church. I don't know how to tell people that you just shouldn't be put off by the underlying Church of England theme in Howatch's Church of England series - these are by far amongst the best books on the market and The High Flyer is no exception!
Rating: 
Summary: Lighter fare than Howatch's usual but still fantastic
Review: Even though it is not the first book in the series, this is probably the perfect place for readers new to or uncertain about delving into Susan Howatch's Starbridge novels to start out. The story is as engrossing as any of others but more linear, and the involvement of the Starbridge characters comes about from plot circumstances, rather than supplying the main impetus of the book. I loved this book and felt Carter had a lot to say to me as a person both exploring her work interactions and uncovering her own deep rooted spirituality. I wish I'd had some of her pithy precepts guiding me when I worked in a male-dominated profession. I'm always sad to finish a Howatch book because it means returning to real life where there is very little means or time for grappling with ones own spiritual beliefs. One aspect of the story I found less convincing was Kim's occult involvements - the motivations for him to succumb were never compelling nor completely spelled out; the sexual compulsion component escaped me. If you crave great characters, good plotting, and intense theological musings, then any of the Starbridge series will luxuriously satisfy these urges, especially this one. If you are otherwise leery of the theological aspects, then you owe it to yourself to expose yourself once to the gentle sampling in the "High Flyer," just to be sure it's an honest aversion rather than reactionary prejudice. By the way, another writer superb at combining Anglican theology and great mystery is Sara Maitland - check out her book "Ancestral Truths."
Rating:
Summary: The best "read" this year.
Review: High Flyer is Susan Howach at her best and beyond. The first half of this novel is so fast paced it's a roller coaster ride of surprise after surprise as the drama unfolds. Just when you think you've figured out the story's direction, it turns on a dime and takes a whole new twist. You won't be able to anticipate this compelling tale. It's a contemporary, psychological thriller, a romance, and a mystery involving the supernatural, the church, sex and big business in a brilliant mix that grips the reader right from the start. The second half of the book is paced just a bit slower holding the reader captive in a reflective study that brings unexpected clarity to what you think you already understood. A compelling read! Old familiar characters and fascinating new ones keeps your interest from start to finish.
Rating: 
Summary: Starts off great, but becomes the book that never ends
Review: Howatch tackles a very diffcult problem, an understanding of the depths and devestations wrought by evil people. She does so by developing a very interesting character (evil personified) and another, a young female English barrister, who bears the brunt of the evil. Involved are some of her other characters from the Church of England series, e.g., Nick Darrow, a depiction of someone who is very human but trying hard and often successfully to help people. Harsher reading than most of Howatch' works, but fascinating stuff.
Rating:
Summary: EVIL
Review: Howatch tackles a very diffcult problem, an understanding of the depths and devestations wrought by evil people. She does so by developing a very interesting character (evil personified) and another, a young female English barrister, who bears the brunt of the evil. Involved are some of her other characters from the Church of England series, e.g., Nick Darrow, a depiction of someone who is very human but trying hard and often successfully to help people. Harsher reading than most of Howatch' works, but fascinating stuff.
Rating:
Summary: A Moderate Let-Down
Review: I agree with the reviews by Episcocrank and Diane Davis. I was enthralled with the Starbridge Series (six books) even to the point of planning to read them again one day. However, Wonder Worker was a trifle disappointing and The High Flyer more so. The latter is far too long, and all of the "counseling" sessions were too prolonged and repetitive, as was Carter's dilemma itself following Sophie's demise. I won't give this author up, though, and I'll soon begin The Heartbreaker.
Rating:
Summary: Another page-turner, but the message is getting stale.
Review: I am a long time reader of Susan Howatch since her Penmarric days. I was thrilled with her Starbridge series, which showed her maturation as an author with her subject matter but which left in place her wonderful plots and characterizations. A Howatch book is still, even in this less than stellar attempt, an invitation to late nights and stalled plans. However her last 3 or 4 books (including the last 2 in the Starbridge series) are starting to get stale. How many times will Ms. Howatch present us with demonic possession, with psychic powers, with people endlessly crying over their past? Yes, yes, by now we know that psychological disintegration and spiritual crises are but two sides of the same coin. We know that exorcism is the flip side of psychoanalysis. And we know that showing the cross and loudly saying the name of Jesus Christ will banish any demons. But do we need to read this over and over again? Isn't Ms. Howatch a little bit tired of all this? Ms. Howatch has so much talent as a writer that I hope she moves on and gives us a book (or set of books) with the freshness and brilliance of Glittering Images or Glamorous Powers.
Rating:
Summary: Mary Higgins Clark Meets Iris Murdoch
Review: I am always looking for and rarely ever find a novel that I truly can't put down. "The High Flyer" is one of these rare birds. It's a profound novel about a woman's quest for faith and Christianity-- yet it's also a strongly-plotted novel with ghosts, sex clubs, stalkers, Nazis-- you name it, this novel has it! A friend of mine bought 10 copies of Howatch's "Glittering Images" and gave them as gifts. I may do the same with "The High Flyer." It is a fabulous book! It's entertaining yet profound. Absolutely a marvel!
Rating:
Summary: Author Totally Different From Cashelmara Days!
Review: I have not read Howatch for several decades, since her "Cashelmara" and "Penmarric" days. I really loved those two novels, which were historical novels with strong romantic elements. Ordinarily I would not expect to like a novel where the author had "found religion" because such a book is usually preachy and proselytizing or, at least as written by Americans, it usually is. I can accuse Howatch of neither flaw and perhaps it is her being English that gives her a wholly unique point of view regarding faith and religion. She has most intelligently plumbed the depths of the English Anglican faith and applied it to a contemporary novel with romantic, suspense and paranormal genre elements. By rights, such a combination should be a complete mess. However, she pulls it off, which takes enormous skill by an author. It probably could be classed as the thinking person's "Exorcist." The heroine, Carter, is a high flying London lawyer who marries the same only to discover that he has deceived her on many levels. Foremost among his deceptions is that he is involved with Mrs. Mayfield, a woman with esp powers who pulls him into occult practices. Carter's personal legal assistant is a man and through him she meets ministers of the Anglican faith who counsel and protect those who are victims of such practices. The only facet of this novel that some readers may not like is the actual counseling sessions Carter has with these ministers. They unfold just as real time counseling sessions might unfold and are primarily rendered in dialogue. I found the subject matter so fascinating that reading all of this dialogue did not bother me. However, those who are not interested in the religious elements of this story may find those slow going. Much to my delight, I found that Howatch wrote six other novels in this vein prior to this one so last night I began reading the first, "Glittering Images."
Rating:
Summary: The High Flyer
Review: I just finished reading The High Flyer and, as my husband will attest, no housework got done during the two days I immersed myself in this wonderful novel. As much as I wanted to go on reading non-stop, there were times when I simply had to put the book down to deal with my own beliefs and value system. The blend of our current addiction to become workaholics at all costs and our ultimate need for spirutal sustenance makes this a most thought evoking novel. Having read and enjoyed Susan Howatch's Church of England series of novels as they were published over the years, I expected a great novel when I picked up The High Flyer and I was not let down. Truly a wonderful book by a very talented author. I am already looking forward to reading The Wonder Worker.
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