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Kate Delafield #9
High Desert
In this long-awaited new installment of the legendary Kate Delafield mystery series, Kate is forced to confront her most formidable opponent: herself.
Five months into mandated retirement from LAPD, her long term on-again off-again relationship with Aimee Grant off again, hopelessly dependent on the only substance that can drown her pain over Aimee and the illness of her best friend, lost without her police career, beset by terrifying dreams, Kate Delafield is in a world of trouble.
Into this world walks Captain Carolina Walcott of the LAPD, with a request that Kate quietly and secretly try to locate Kate’s former police partner, Joe Cameron, who has vanished. She also offers Kate a business card—the name on it a woman from Kate’s past who may be able offer a lifeline back to the self Kate once was.
Even as she deals with a shocking and inexplicable homicide, Kate simultaneously pursues a trail of evidence toward Cameron that leads her into the high desert. Here in the high desert she will find challenges to the truth of everything she ever believed in as a principled police officer. Here in the high desert she must decide what it is she still believes: about her past, her present, her future.
Five months into mandated retirement from LAPD, her long term on-again off-again relationship with Aimee Grant off again, hopelessly dependent on the only substance that can drown her pain over Aimee and the illness of her best friend, lost without her police career, beset by terrifying dreams, Kate Delafield is in a world of trouble.
Into this world walks Captain Carolina Walcott of the LAPD, with a request that Kate quietly and secretly try to locate Kate’s former police partner, Joe Cameron, who has vanished. She also offers Kate a business card—the name on it a woman from Kate’s past who may be able offer a lifeline back to the self Kate once was.
Even as she deals with a shocking and inexplicable homicide, Kate simultaneously pursues a trail of evidence toward Cameron that leads her into the high desert. Here in the high desert she will find challenges to the truth of everything she ever believed in as a principled police officer. Here in the high desert she must decide what it is she still believes: about her past, her present, her future.
232 pages, Paperback
First published December 16, 2013
16 people are currently reading
306 people want to read
About the author
Katherine V. Forrest
44 books323 followersKatherine V. Forrest is a Canadian-born American writer, best known for her novels about lesbian police detective Kate Delafield. Her books have won and been finalists for Lambda Literary Award twelve times, as well as other awards. She has been referred to by some "a founding mother of lesbian fiction writing."
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January 22, 2014
High Desert, Katherine V. Forrest
High Desert is the ninth in the Kate Delafield detective series and once again plunges us into a combination of crime and personal crisis. Nearly ten years after the last instalment Kate has retired and now faces an empty world without ‘the job’ which has filled her world for 25 years and the love of her despairing partner, Aimee. She even has to cope with the imminent prospect of losing her best friend, Maggie Schaeffer.
Kate has always struggled with her own demons, and in this book they provide the biggest battle. She can still front aggressive bikers, sweet-talk nutty neighbours, out-think pyromaniac murderers and out-run a ring of fire. But she has yet to deal with her own internal issues.
The plot finds Kate helping her old lieutenant, now Captain Walcott, who is concerned that Kate’s ex-partner has vanished while on enforced leave. Kate soon discovers that he has disappeared on purpose and carefully covered his traces. As her off-the-record investigations develop she tracks down his sister and finds the reason for both his long-term reticence to share his family background and his current precarious hideout, where he is waiting for his vengeful brother to appear.
Of much more importance to long-term Detective Delafield fans are the personal stories threaded around and through the ‘detective’ novel. First Maggie Schaeffer, owner of the Nightwood Bar and Kate’s closest friend, confidante and rock, is dying of lung cancer in a hospice, and pleading with Kate to help her end her life with dignity. Second, Kate’s forced retirement has left not just a void, but a vacuum in her life. She was ‘the job’ and without it she is lost. But even more than that, the horrors of a life filled with death can no longer be buried by the next case and the next crisis, and so they come back to haunt Kate in blood-drenched dreams.
Kate’s reaction to a lifetime of loss, a lifetime of suppressing her feelings and protecting those around her, both physically and emotionally, is to drink until she can no longer feel. And so the adorable and long-suffering Aimee, on-again, off-again partner of 19 years, has gone as well – relegated to a cold and empty rented cottage, living out of boxes and reading magazines while she waits for Kate to sort out her life.
For those who just read this book as a one-off crime novel this may all come as a revelation. But for those of us who have been reading Forrest’s books for 30 years, Kate and Aimee, Maggie, Joe and all the rest are old friends. They have lives and histories and have been part of our psyche since the first novel, Amateur City, was published in 1984. Revisiting their lives, remembering the earlier stories and re-engaging with them 10 years on is like going to a school reunion with a bunch of people you had forgotten, but never stopped loving.
Forrest’s brilliance is in the depth of her characters and the honesty and integrity of her story lines. Both her main players and the minor characters are very real. Kate has always touched the lives of many during her investigations; indeed, it is her interactions with the people she meets which make her more than just a detective – from women at the Nightwood Bar who became her family to the Hollywood has-beens of the Beverly Malibu. High Desert reminds us of them and introduces new faces. The lightest of touches brings back Patton and her yachting cap, Taylor’s retirement to grow avocados in Fallbrook, Tori and the friendly fire.
We have a myriad of lesbian crime and lesbian romance novels these days, in no small part thanks to the pioneering work and leadership of Forrest herself. What sets the Kate Delafield novels apart is that they are painful for their characters, they are not easy rollercoasters to follow and they don’t have happy emotional endings. The characters have matured as the series has progressed, as have we, the readers. The only person who hasn’t developed is Kate herself, because she has refused to face the biggest truth: that ‘protecting’ those closest to her has allowed her to hide from herself.
The importance of Katherine V. Forrest in modern lesbian literature cannot be overstated. Curious Wine was the first unabashed, modern and full-on lesbian romance written by a woman for women. While today it may strike some as tame and dated, at the time it was groundbreaking in its honesty. Before Curious Wine we had the depressing melodrama of Radclyffe Hall’s Well of Loneliness and the pulp fiction novels of the 1950s and ’60s that felt more like male porn than something women could relate to. Forrest gave us something romantic and soppy, unrealistic in its simplicity, but real in terms of how we felt and how we loved. Then she introduced a whole new genre – the lesbian detective novel. Before the hugely successful Val McDermid, before Claire McNab, Radclyffe and all the others who have followed, there was Katherine V. Forrest’s Kate Delafield.
Forrest has won multiple Lambda Literary Awards, a Golden Crown and the Lambda Literary Foundation’s Pioneer Award. She was senior editor at Naiad for 10 years, and supervising editor at Spinsters Ink during the critical blooming of lesbian fiction. She has edited hundreds of women’s works and dozens of anthologies, and has written book reviews and articles for many major publications. She served on the Lambda Literary Foundation board as president for many years and was instrumental in founding the LGBT Writers’ Retreat.
For many writers and readers Forrest is not only a groundbreaking leading light who opened up lesbian literature for new authors and audiences; she is one of the cornerstones who has supported, improved and developed the whole genre. Perhaps now she has retired from her key roles her fans can look forward to a flurry of books to make up for the long silence. Roll on the next Kate Delafield story – I can’t wait.
High Desert is the ninth in the Kate Delafield detective series and once again plunges us into a combination of crime and personal crisis. Nearly ten years after the last instalment Kate has retired and now faces an empty world without ‘the job’ which has filled her world for 25 years and the love of her despairing partner, Aimee. She even has to cope with the imminent prospect of losing her best friend, Maggie Schaeffer.
Kate has always struggled with her own demons, and in this book they provide the biggest battle. She can still front aggressive bikers, sweet-talk nutty neighbours, out-think pyromaniac murderers and out-run a ring of fire. But she has yet to deal with her own internal issues.
The plot finds Kate helping her old lieutenant, now Captain Walcott, who is concerned that Kate’s ex-partner has vanished while on enforced leave. Kate soon discovers that he has disappeared on purpose and carefully covered his traces. As her off-the-record investigations develop she tracks down his sister and finds the reason for both his long-term reticence to share his family background and his current precarious hideout, where he is waiting for his vengeful brother to appear.
Of much more importance to long-term Detective Delafield fans are the personal stories threaded around and through the ‘detective’ novel. First Maggie Schaeffer, owner of the Nightwood Bar and Kate’s closest friend, confidante and rock, is dying of lung cancer in a hospice, and pleading with Kate to help her end her life with dignity. Second, Kate’s forced retirement has left not just a void, but a vacuum in her life. She was ‘the job’ and without it she is lost. But even more than that, the horrors of a life filled with death can no longer be buried by the next case and the next crisis, and so they come back to haunt Kate in blood-drenched dreams.
Kate’s reaction to a lifetime of loss, a lifetime of suppressing her feelings and protecting those around her, both physically and emotionally, is to drink until she can no longer feel. And so the adorable and long-suffering Aimee, on-again, off-again partner of 19 years, has gone as well – relegated to a cold and empty rented cottage, living out of boxes and reading magazines while she waits for Kate to sort out her life.
For those who just read this book as a one-off crime novel this may all come as a revelation. But for those of us who have been reading Forrest’s books for 30 years, Kate and Aimee, Maggie, Joe and all the rest are old friends. They have lives and histories and have been part of our psyche since the first novel, Amateur City, was published in 1984. Revisiting their lives, remembering the earlier stories and re-engaging with them 10 years on is like going to a school reunion with a bunch of people you had forgotten, but never stopped loving.
Forrest’s brilliance is in the depth of her characters and the honesty and integrity of her story lines. Both her main players and the minor characters are very real. Kate has always touched the lives of many during her investigations; indeed, it is her interactions with the people she meets which make her more than just a detective – from women at the Nightwood Bar who became her family to the Hollywood has-beens of the Beverly Malibu. High Desert reminds us of them and introduces new faces. The lightest of touches brings back Patton and her yachting cap, Taylor’s retirement to grow avocados in Fallbrook, Tori and the friendly fire.
We have a myriad of lesbian crime and lesbian romance novels these days, in no small part thanks to the pioneering work and leadership of Forrest herself. What sets the Kate Delafield novels apart is that they are painful for their characters, they are not easy rollercoasters to follow and they don’t have happy emotional endings. The characters have matured as the series has progressed, as have we, the readers. The only person who hasn’t developed is Kate herself, because she has refused to face the biggest truth: that ‘protecting’ those closest to her has allowed her to hide from herself.
The importance of Katherine V. Forrest in modern lesbian literature cannot be overstated. Curious Wine was the first unabashed, modern and full-on lesbian romance written by a woman for women. While today it may strike some as tame and dated, at the time it was groundbreaking in its honesty. Before Curious Wine we had the depressing melodrama of Radclyffe Hall’s Well of Loneliness and the pulp fiction novels of the 1950s and ’60s that felt more like male porn than something women could relate to. Forrest gave us something romantic and soppy, unrealistic in its simplicity, but real in terms of how we felt and how we loved. Then she introduced a whole new genre – the lesbian detective novel. Before the hugely successful Val McDermid, before Claire McNab, Radclyffe and all the others who have followed, there was Katherine V. Forrest’s Kate Delafield.
Forrest has won multiple Lambda Literary Awards, a Golden Crown and the Lambda Literary Foundation’s Pioneer Award. She was senior editor at Naiad for 10 years, and supervising editor at Spinsters Ink during the critical blooming of lesbian fiction. She has edited hundreds of women’s works and dozens of anthologies, and has written book reviews and articles for many major publications. She served on the Lambda Literary Foundation board as president for many years and was instrumental in founding the LGBT Writers’ Retreat.
For many writers and readers Forrest is not only a groundbreaking leading light who opened up lesbian literature for new authors and audiences; she is one of the cornerstones who has supported, improved and developed the whole genre. Perhaps now she has retired from her key roles her fans can look forward to a flurry of books to make up for the long silence. Roll on the next Kate Delafield story – I can’t wait.
June 3, 2015
I haven't read any of the other books in this series with character Kate Delafield, and this is the last one that was written.
What I liked: It's written so that I didn't feel lost or that I had missed a huge chunk of Kate's history by not having read the previous books. There was just enough back story to get where Kate's been, who she is, and where she's coming from.
She's mature character. Don't know if that's the case through the series or if she ages substantially over the course of the series, but it's nice to read about mature characters once in a while.
It's a good story with nice pacing. There's probably more in this book about what's going on with Kate personally vs an actual mystery, but can't say. I thought it's a good balance of mystery and personal issues Kate is dealing with.
I think the narrator was fairly good. She read it in a sort of perfunctory way, but I think that added to that feel of Kate being rather cool and damaged and having a been a cop.
I can't think of anything negative to say.
What I liked: It's written so that I didn't feel lost or that I had missed a huge chunk of Kate's history by not having read the previous books. There was just enough back story to get where Kate's been, who she is, and where she's coming from.
She's mature character. Don't know if that's the case through the series or if she ages substantially over the course of the series, but it's nice to read about mature characters once in a while.
It's a good story with nice pacing. There's probably more in this book about what's going on with Kate personally vs an actual mystery, but can't say. I thought it's a good balance of mystery and personal issues Kate is dealing with.
I think the narrator was fairly good. She read it in a sort of perfunctory way, but I think that added to that feel of Kate being rather cool and damaged and having a been a cop.
I can't think of anything negative to say.
February 2, 2014
I am not even quite done with this book but I love it. I am SOOOO glad Katherine Forrest wrote another "Kate"! I seriously have a crush on this fictional character. It's not very rational, but I so completely relate to her. This book is a lot about how Kate confronts her inner demons, and I am so happy that these ends are being addressed and tied up. Don't want to write any spoilers, but I'm secretly hoping there will be yet another one because one more thing needs to be resolved to my satisfaction. I love this series because it illustrates so much about lesbian life and culture, and that makes it very real. The book is suspenseful, romantic and emotionally stirring. It made me cry and that always makes a book a good one for me.
June 19, 2020
Ever wonder why I give so few 5-star ratings? It is because of books like High Desert, which raise the bar on excellence in writing. This isn’t Forrest’s first excellent mystery by any means. In fact, most of the books in the Kate Delafield series are better than any lesbian mystery by any other author in any other series. Kate Delafield herself is a true literary icon, referenced in dozens of other books.
What sets Forrest’s books apart is not her stylistic brilliance or her clever conversations—she generally eschews both—but her realistic portrayal of real people in tense (but never ridiculous) situations. And she always has an agenda that leads to a hidden literary essay on an important subject. In High Desert, she has two: friendship and caregiving.
Briefly, Kate has been retired from the LAPD for several months and the separation from the job she has done for so many years is causing her drinking problems to increase. She has no idea what she is to do with the rest of her life. Her domestic partner of many years, Aimee Grant, has left her. And to make things worse, her best friend Maggie Schaeffer, who previously owned the Nightwood Bar, is in hospice with terminal cancer. So when she learns that Joe Cameron, her ex-partner on the force and another good friend, is missing, she is determined to find him. The reader gets the feeling that she is doing it not only to help a friend, but to save her sanity.
This is not as much of a detective story as most of the other books, although Kate does use her considerable ability to find Joe at last. And writers take note—although she gets herself in a dangerous situation at the end, she doesn’t stumble into it unaware or make a blindly stupid decision. She walks into it fully armed, fully prepared, and fully cognizant of the danger to help a friend that badly needs it.
And as I mentioned earlier, friendship is a key motif in High Desert. It drives her relationship with Maggie and prods her to help protect Joe . But her foray into helping Joe is not a solution for her malaise; it is just a temporary reprieve.
In the end, Kate’s worry about what she will do now that she has come to the end of her career pales into insignificance beside those who have come to the end of their lives. Friendship, then, if it lasts long enough, may evolve into caregiving and it is the juxtaposition of these two ideas that fuels the book.
So yes, this book is heads and shoulders above the run-of-the-mill lesbian mystery or “romantic suspense” novel. Does that mean that 3-star authors should blame Forrest for their comparatively low ratings. Not at all. They should blame themselves for their penchant for clichéd relationships and easy characterizations, for unbelievable plotlines and mangled points of view. For not reading—and studying—authors like Katherine V. Forrest.
Note: I read what appears to be the first printing of the Spinster's Ink edition of this book.
Another Note: This review is included in my book The Art of the Lesbian Mystery Novel, along with information on over 930 other lesbian mysteries by over 310 authors.
What sets Forrest’s books apart is not her stylistic brilliance or her clever conversations—she generally eschews both—but her realistic portrayal of real people in tense (but never ridiculous) situations. And she always has an agenda that leads to a hidden literary essay on an important subject. In High Desert, she has two: friendship and caregiving.
Briefly, Kate has been retired from the LAPD for several months and the separation from the job she has done for so many years is causing her drinking problems to increase. She has no idea what she is to do with the rest of her life. Her domestic partner of many years, Aimee Grant, has left her. And to make things worse, her best friend Maggie Schaeffer, who previously owned the Nightwood Bar, is in hospice with terminal cancer. So when she learns that Joe Cameron, her ex-partner on the force and another good friend, is missing, she is determined to find him. The reader gets the feeling that she is doing it not only to help a friend, but to save her sanity.
This is not as much of a detective story as most of the other books, although Kate does use her considerable ability to find Joe at last. And writers take note—although she gets herself in a dangerous situation at the end, she doesn’t stumble into it unaware or make a blindly stupid decision. She walks into it fully armed, fully prepared, and fully cognizant of the danger to help a friend that badly needs it.
And as I mentioned earlier, friendship is a key motif in High Desert. It drives her relationship with Maggie and prods her to help protect Joe . But her foray into helping Joe is not a solution for her malaise; it is just a temporary reprieve.
In the end, Kate’s worry about what she will do now that she has come to the end of her career pales into insignificance beside those who have come to the end of their lives. Friendship, then, if it lasts long enough, may evolve into caregiving and it is the juxtaposition of these two ideas that fuels the book.
So yes, this book is heads and shoulders above the run-of-the-mill lesbian mystery or “romantic suspense” novel. Does that mean that 3-star authors should blame Forrest for their comparatively low ratings. Not at all. They should blame themselves for their penchant for clichéd relationships and easy characterizations, for unbelievable plotlines and mangled points of view. For not reading—and studying—authors like Katherine V. Forrest.
Note: I read what appears to be the first printing of the Spinster's Ink edition of this book.
Another Note: This review is included in my book The Art of the Lesbian Mystery Novel, along with information on over 930 other lesbian mysteries by over 310 authors.
September 3, 2014
Painful realities of a generation that hid in bars & seedy clubs dominate this book. I loved the early Kate Delafield books and it hurt to see her struggle with alcoholism & emotional intimacy. She's still a hero in my eyes & Katherine Forrest has made a powerful contribution to the Women's community with this series.
July 15, 2016
This is just a note, not a review: One of the things I keep coming across in the Delafield series, at least in the later books, is the idea that Kate knows that she needs to work on her relationship with Aimee, keeps hinting at this knowledge in the book and then . . . . oh look, books over, let's now repeat this in the next book while at the same time undoing what little had been promised in previous books.
If I remembered how to make spoiler tags, ah, it's in formatting tips. Note: not sure if this will work.
It's an interesting series in one specific way. The first book came out in 1984. And a few came out that decade, the '90s, one in the '00s, and then this one in the '10s. 29 years. Some series allow their characters to age and the like. Most, though, tend to stick to a certain range. Like, if a series started with a character at a specific age, somewhere along the line, they just become "an adult" without spending too much time indicating that the character started at roughly 29, and is now 58. Just keeping it at "youngish, middle-agish, still alive" type.
I mention all that because Kate does age. The book is filled with remembrances of her past. The various cases, various locations of her life. Buildings that meant a lot to her which are completely gone now. The book is deeply tied to past and its impact on the present.
If I remembered how to make spoiler tags, ah, it's in formatting tips. Note: not sure if this will work.
It's an interesting series in one specific way. The first book came out in 1984. And a few came out that decade, the '90s, one in the '00s, and then this one in the '10s. 29 years. Some series allow their characters to age and the like. Most, though, tend to stick to a certain range. Like, if a series started with a character at a specific age, somewhere along the line, they just become "an adult" without spending too much time indicating that the character started at roughly 29, and is now 58. Just keeping it at "youngish, middle-agish, still alive" type.
I mention all that because Kate does age. The book is filled with remembrances of her past. The various cases, various locations of her life. Buildings that meant a lot to her which are completely gone now. The book is deeply tied to past and its impact on the present.
January 1, 2017
I really, really enjoyed this one, much more than I expected.
Two reasons: I had read at least one book in the last years that was edited by KVF, and it was bad. I remember hoping her name made it in the book by mistake. The other: the underwhelming experience the last Micky Knight novel was. I realize they're not related at all, but they are among the first two characters I came across in lesbian novels as a teen and they do occupy a special place in my heart.
So you cannot imagine how happy I was to find myself in a fast-paced, well-plotted mystery novel that also included emotional depths.
I don't really remember the later Kate Delafield novels (I have read them, but for some reason only the first four stuck with me), but this one does a nice job in filling some gaps, hopefully not too many for people that do remember all of them.
The best bit: The open ending. Hopeful, yes, but open nonetheless. My deepest thanks to anyone responsible for not tagging on an epilogue here.
Two reasons: I had read at least one book in the last years that was edited by KVF, and it was bad. I remember hoping her name made it in the book by mistake. The other: the underwhelming experience the last Micky Knight novel was. I realize they're not related at all, but they are among the first two characters I came across in lesbian novels as a teen and they do occupy a special place in my heart.
So you cannot imagine how happy I was to find myself in a fast-paced, well-plotted mystery novel that also included emotional depths.
I don't really remember the later Kate Delafield novels (I have read them, but for some reason only the first four stuck with me), but this one does a nice job in filling some gaps, hopefully not too many for people that do remember all of them.
The best bit: The open ending. Hopeful, yes, but open nonetheless. My deepest thanks to anyone responsible for not tagging on an epilogue here.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 4, 2016
Former LAPD Detective Kate Delafield returns in a tightly wrought story of recovery and revenge. Forced to retire from the LAPD and estranged from her lover, Kate has been wallowing in an internal bath of Cutty Sark when her former boss asks her to find Kate’s former police partner. Kate’s search leads her to the high, dry, desert country east of LA where the heat of the day will sap you dry and the chill nights can freeze your bones. It’s here that Kate discovers why Joe Cameron disappeared and faces down her own demons.
I devoured Katherine V. Forrest’s Kate Delafield series years ago and was disappointed when the series ended. I’m glad Kate’s returned and hope there’s more waiting on the wind.
I devoured Katherine V. Forrest’s Kate Delafield series years ago and was disappointed when the series ended. I’m glad Kate’s returned and hope there’s more waiting on the wind.
November 8, 2024
Okay, I wanted to give this book a 4-star rating because of the somber maturity of the writing and Kate doing some actual detective work, but it still repeats some of the same patterns that have bugged me in this series. Some may say: "It's not a bug, it's a feature!" Well, your mileage may vary.
In any case, the books tend to end on a hopeful note, but then the follow up book ignores it and, for the last couple of books, regresses it.
Last Book Ends: "Kate is going to get therapy, work on her alcoholism, and she has mended things with Aimee." This Book Begins: "Kate is drunk. Therapy is spotty. Aimee has left her."
Now, this probably feels true to life for couples where one is a substance abuser, and that person is unwilling to truly commit to help and break down her walls. Should a novel be as frustrating as real life and take a literal lifetime of the author to resolve? Maybe it's a noble endeavor but giving reader's the "not this crap again" feeling sounds like a bad idea.
Another bug/feature is that interesting (perhaps more interesting?) and relevant things happen between books or off page--including meaningful character development--and Forrest acts like the reader was there for it. This includes that arrest of the killer/nutjob, which after a whole book, a reader might want to "see". Hey, in this book, you don't even get to see or hear the villain.
The action/mystery part of the plot revolves around Joe going missing and his wacky family. If there had been more than a couple of lines of dialogue where Joe discussed his family, I might feel something. No, I didn't know his brother was a sociopath. No, I didn't know Joe and his sister went to all his parole hearings to vote against it. How could I? Hey, but Kate didn't know either because neither of them talked about anything of substance with one another.
A good time for it might have been when Joe discovered his wife was engaged in a long-term affair and he went on a drinking bender with Kate--except that all happened in the purgatory between published works. This leads to scenes that read pretty much like this: Character: "Remember when Joe left his wife." Me: "No, I don't remember that. How could I remember that? Why are critical things happening to characters off page??"
High Desert does do something radically different from most of the entries in this series by having the aforementioned main plot sound like pure fiction. Hunkering down in the high desert to wait for my crazy brother who just got out of prison and wants revenge is just ludicrous--made worse by not having built a foundation for this even in any of the other books. That it took this to make Kate and Joe behave like true partners is kind of sad.
Conversely, the Maggie storyline was painfully realistic, and I have to think the author has drawn from a deeply personal well for this part. I mean, sure, that's what authors do but the depiction was on point.
As with the previous book, this one ends with Kate and Aimee coming together with the hope that this time--you know what, just forget it. I know where this is going.
In any case, the books tend to end on a hopeful note, but then the follow up book ignores it and, for the last couple of books, regresses it.
Last Book Ends: "Kate is going to get therapy, work on her alcoholism, and she has mended things with Aimee." This Book Begins: "Kate is drunk. Therapy is spotty. Aimee has left her."
Now, this probably feels true to life for couples where one is a substance abuser, and that person is unwilling to truly commit to help and break down her walls. Should a novel be as frustrating as real life and take a literal lifetime of the author to resolve? Maybe it's a noble endeavor but giving reader's the "not this crap again" feeling sounds like a bad idea.
Another bug/feature is that interesting (perhaps more interesting?) and relevant things happen between books or off page--including meaningful character development--and Forrest acts like the reader was there for it. This includes that arrest of the killer/nutjob, which after a whole book, a reader might want to "see". Hey, in this book, you don't even get to see or hear the villain.
The action/mystery part of the plot revolves around Joe going missing and his wacky family. If there had been more than a couple of lines of dialogue where Joe discussed his family, I might feel something. No, I didn't know his brother was a sociopath. No, I didn't know Joe and his sister went to all his parole hearings to vote against it. How could I? Hey, but Kate didn't know either because neither of them talked about anything of substance with one another.
A good time for it might have been when Joe discovered his wife was engaged in a long-term affair and he went on a drinking bender with Kate--except that all happened in the purgatory between published works. This leads to scenes that read pretty much like this: Character: "Remember when Joe left his wife." Me: "No, I don't remember that. How could I remember that? Why are critical things happening to characters off page??"
High Desert does do something radically different from most of the entries in this series by having the aforementioned main plot sound like pure fiction. Hunkering down in the high desert to wait for my crazy brother who just got out of prison and wants revenge is just ludicrous--made worse by not having built a foundation for this even in any of the other books. That it took this to make Kate and Joe behave like true partners is kind of sad.
Conversely, the Maggie storyline was painfully realistic, and I have to think the author has drawn from a deeply personal well for this part. I mean, sure, that's what authors do but the depiction was on point.
As with the previous book, this one ends with Kate and Aimee coming together with the hope that this time--you know what, just forget it. I know where this is going.
January 26, 2018
So, I just finished reading High Desert, the ninth Kate Delafield mystery by the wonderful and totally awesomesauce Katherine V Forrest.
I've loved the character of Kate Delafield for a couple of decades now and to be honest that's a great opener to how this book made me feel, just like Kate I am more than 2 decades older from when I read her first case and we’ve shared a lot of history in that time through the books charting her life and work in the LAPD and her relationships with friends and lovers.
The thing I always loved about Kate was how real she is, far from two dimensional, she has flaws, some serious such as alcoholism, but is not completely lost or beyond living her life the best way she can manage, and definitely not a saint or a martyr (well not much of one, maybe more of a saviour complex going on). That’s what I particularly like, we see her struggle and win some and lose some and get up and try again and just muddle on through, just like we do every day. I’d like to think if I’d met Kate in her circle of friends that I could have joined their ranks and been accepted.
This book, heralding a new phase of Kate’s life was liberally sprinkled with nostalgia, done in a completely natural way without use of flashback sections or too extensive explanation. It is definitely a book for fans of the series and while it could technically be read as a first time or stand alone novel, it would lose some of its visceral power for those not in the know about the back story.
I cried, a lot in this one, there was a lot of saying goodbye, to old friends and the past, but leaving on an open ended hopeful note and point. It was as real and difficult as all the Dellafield books and I loved it just as much, The realism extended to the non-pat ending that certainly allowed closure but didn’t tie everything up in a neat bow of rainbow and unicorn happily ever after, but did proved the possibility for that outcome in the future. You may guess I’m trying to keep this as spoiler free regarding detail as possible. LOL
One of the things I particularly cheered about with regard to realism was the mention of other lesfic authors and their work within the context of the story, because quite frankly that’s who these characters would be reading at the time of the story setting. No faffing about with making up titles or writers to fill the details out, just honest and accurate mention of real works. I’m assuming the choice of author and books reflect Katherine’s preference, but they are also accurate for general popularity of those writers within the community.
I don’t know if the Great Katherine (as opposed to Katherine the great, lol) intends to do any more Dllafield mysteries or not, but if it’s not, then this is a fitting wrap up to an awesome series of adventures and the tale of a truly interesting and compelling life. So cheers to Katherine and to Kate.
I've loved the character of Kate Delafield for a couple of decades now and to be honest that's a great opener to how this book made me feel, just like Kate I am more than 2 decades older from when I read her first case and we’ve shared a lot of history in that time through the books charting her life and work in the LAPD and her relationships with friends and lovers.
The thing I always loved about Kate was how real she is, far from two dimensional, she has flaws, some serious such as alcoholism, but is not completely lost or beyond living her life the best way she can manage, and definitely not a saint or a martyr (well not much of one, maybe more of a saviour complex going on). That’s what I particularly like, we see her struggle and win some and lose some and get up and try again and just muddle on through, just like we do every day. I’d like to think if I’d met Kate in her circle of friends that I could have joined their ranks and been accepted.
This book, heralding a new phase of Kate’s life was liberally sprinkled with nostalgia, done in a completely natural way without use of flashback sections or too extensive explanation. It is definitely a book for fans of the series and while it could technically be read as a first time or stand alone novel, it would lose some of its visceral power for those not in the know about the back story.
I cried, a lot in this one, there was a lot of saying goodbye, to old friends and the past, but leaving on an open ended hopeful note and point. It was as real and difficult as all the Dellafield books and I loved it just as much, The realism extended to the non-pat ending that certainly allowed closure but didn’t tie everything up in a neat bow of rainbow and unicorn happily ever after, but did proved the possibility for that outcome in the future. You may guess I’m trying to keep this as spoiler free regarding detail as possible. LOL
One of the things I particularly cheered about with regard to realism was the mention of other lesfic authors and their work within the context of the story, because quite frankly that’s who these characters would be reading at the time of the story setting. No faffing about with making up titles or writers to fill the details out, just honest and accurate mention of real works. I’m assuming the choice of author and books reflect Katherine’s preference, but they are also accurate for general popularity of those writers within the community.
I don’t know if the Great Katherine (as opposed to Katherine the great, lol) intends to do any more Dllafield mysteries or not, but if it’s not, then this is a fitting wrap up to an awesome series of adventures and the tale of a truly interesting and compelling life. So cheers to Katherine and to Kate.
June 13, 2025
It's 6/10. I started this a few days ago but then switched back to books in Libby b4 they needed to be returned (this is in BARD). No luck w any of them so landed back here when I needed something to listen to. I was only 11 mins in when I picked it back up early this morning.
Huh it looks like even tho I deleted it Goodreads hung onto my original start date? 6/6. Cool.
UPDATE @ END - finished this AM. SO GOOD!!!!! Love that it was *mainly* a story about Kate's relationship w/ her therapist. Not sure the depiction of alcoholism was accurate? I mean - can you start an antidepressant and hope it kicks in enough that it can replace alcohol? Other parts abt alcoholism seemed spot on; e.g., Kate tells Amy she's 3 days sober and seeing a therapist and Amy is unmoved b/c, the narrator tells us, she's heard it before. The trying to find her partner - meh. I guess there had to be a mystery / detective piece. Wevs. Loved the hospice scenes, too. Saying goodbye to Maggie. Such good writing and such good character development. Love it.
PS - some passages I bookmarked:
3h49 (ch9) - "OK, he was right. I mean, what could we do? Bad guys don't have rules. We do." [emphasis mine. I forget who said this but it was def a man cop. I forget what he was referring to as well]
4h40:30 (ch11) - Murdering someone is so much more than murder. It's a devastating assault on the survivors, too. Death by heart attack or cancer - or even an auto accident - families and friends get to bury that person, and assimilate the loss as best they can, and get on with their lives. A murder? It goes on and on. Years. Forever. Survivors relive and relive all those images all thru the investigation, and afterward, whether we catch someone or we don't. [emphasis mine; Kate talking to her therapist]
4h46 (ch11) - You made a choice. You paid, and are paying a terrible price for everything about yourself that you chose to submerge. That's not what *I'm* telling you. That's what your dreams are telling you. [emphasis mine. Therapist is responding to Kate's explanation for why she didn't share her work w/ her friends (the ppl who loved her and wanted to support her) - b/c she needed to PROTECT them from the horrors Kate witnessed.]
Huh it looks like even tho I deleted it Goodreads hung onto my original start date? 6/6. Cool.
UPDATE @ END - finished this AM. SO GOOD!!!!! Love that it was *mainly* a story about Kate's relationship w/ her therapist. Not sure the depiction of alcoholism was accurate? I mean - can you start an antidepressant and hope it kicks in enough that it can replace alcohol? Other parts abt alcoholism seemed spot on; e.g., Kate tells Amy she's 3 days sober and seeing a therapist and Amy is unmoved b/c, the narrator tells us, she's heard it before. The trying to find her partner - meh. I guess there had to be a mystery / detective piece. Wevs. Loved the hospice scenes, too. Saying goodbye to Maggie. Such good writing and such good character development. Love it.
PS - some passages I bookmarked:
3h49 (ch9) - "OK, he was right. I mean, what could we do? Bad guys don't have rules. We do." [emphasis mine. I forget who said this but it was def a man cop. I forget what he was referring to as well]
4h40:30 (ch11) - Murdering someone is so much more than murder. It's a devastating assault on the survivors, too. Death by heart attack or cancer - or even an auto accident - families and friends get to bury that person, and assimilate the loss as best they can, and get on with their lives. A murder? It goes on and on. Years. Forever. Survivors relive and relive all those images all thru the investigation, and afterward, whether we catch someone or we don't. [emphasis mine; Kate talking to her therapist]
4h46 (ch11) - You made a choice. You paid, and are paying a terrible price for everything about yourself that you chose to submerge. That's not what *I'm* telling you. That's what your dreams are telling you. [emphasis mine. Therapist is responding to Kate's explanation for why she didn't share her work w/ her friends (the ppl who loved her and wanted to support her) - b/c she needed to PROTECT them from the horrors Kate witnessed.]
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 15, 2018
It feels so good to read a "new" book from Katherine Forrest, even though this was written in 2013 and takes place in 2008. However, one thing that has always bugged the hell out of me is how over the top she is when it comes to being LGBT politically correct. For instance, she's jumped on the tranny bandwagon by including a niece of Kate's who's in the process of "transitioning" to male. Also, one of the missing characters at the very beginning of the book is a gay man, and Kate murmurs to herself "hello, gay brother" when she sees his photograph. Oh for christ's sakes, if that isn't ridiculous. No one would ever say that, especially not a lesbian. It's like Forrest wants to make sure she covers every base in the LGBT playing field. She's not quite as generous when it comes to heterosexual men, though. Kate's ex-partner Ed Taylor, for instance. She used to write him to be just as stereotypically loathful as a man can be. Fortunately, she doesn't do that with the men in this book, with the slight exception of Jean's boyfriend Brandon. Also, her alcoholism is pretty annoying, although I'm sure it's nowhere near as annoying on the pages of a book as it is in real life. And Kate's insistence on being the strong, silent, manly type is almost cartoonish. Otherwise, this was a pretty decent book. Ms. Forrest is pushing 80 so I wonder if this will be the last in the Delafield series, or if she has one or two left in her. I really hate to see it end.
July 26, 2023
Five months into mandated retirement from LAPD, her long term on-again off-again relationship with Aimee Grant off again, hopelessly dependent on the only substance that can drown her pain over Aimee and the illness of her best friend, lost without her police career, beset by terrifying dreams, Kate Delafield is in a world of trouble.
Into this world walks Captain Carolina Walcott of the LAPD, with a request that Kate quietly and secretly try to locate Kate’s former police partner, Joe Cameron, who has vanished. She also offers Kate a business card—the name on it a woman from Kate’s past who may be able offer a lifeline back to the self Kate once was. Joe was hiding from his murderous brother.
Even as she deals with a shocking and inexplicable homicide, Kate simultaneously pursues a trail of evidence toward Cameron that leads her into the high desert. Here in the high desert she will find challenges to the truth of everything she ever believed in as a principled police officer. Here in the high desert she must decide what it is she still believes: about her past, her present, her future.
Into this world walks Captain Carolina Walcott of the LAPD, with a request that Kate quietly and secretly try to locate Kate’s former police partner, Joe Cameron, who has vanished. She also offers Kate a business card—the name on it a woman from Kate’s past who may be able offer a lifeline back to the self Kate once was. Joe was hiding from his murderous brother.
Even as she deals with a shocking and inexplicable homicide, Kate simultaneously pursues a trail of evidence toward Cameron that leads her into the high desert. Here in the high desert she will find challenges to the truth of everything she ever believed in as a principled police officer. Here in the high desert she must decide what it is she still believes: about her past, her present, her future.
January 31, 2021
I was pleasantly surprised as this was a book that I came across in audible. Its included with my membership and opted to get it, upon doing so I then realized that its part of a series and being OCD my first thought was, I can't do this. I would usually start from the 1st one, to ensure that I understand what's going on by the time I get to this volume #9... but I opted to just read/hear it as I'm in the middle of other things and felt my OCD could handle it?
To my surprise this story is completely independent of any other previous books and I was able to fully get into the story and follow the retire detective, and what a journey - LOVED IT from beginning to end. I liked that it touched on so many different but equally important taboos, such as mental health, assisted suicide and not sure where to catalogue the crazy bother, arsonist, murderer, domestic violence, alcoholism and depression, you name it, its here.
Lets not forget LOVE, for all those in the detective's life (I personally love the cat) :-)
To my surprise this story is completely independent of any other previous books and I was able to fully get into the story and follow the retire detective, and what a journey - LOVED IT from beginning to end. I liked that it touched on so many different but equally important taboos, such as mental health, assisted suicide and not sure where to catalogue the crazy bother, arsonist, murderer, domestic violence, alcoholism and depression, you name it, its here.
Lets not forget LOVE, for all those in the detective's life (I personally love the cat) :-)
May 30, 2024
4 stars. Best one in a while. This was really damn good and high on the emotions. Maggie broke my heart and was so sad. Kate is still just going through it emotionally and mentally. She's retired but her life is in shambles. Aimee has left her because Kate has the tendency to keep everything to herself and not talk to Aimee, and she also drinks too much. I felt so bad Kate here. I'm glad she's still doing therapy but man I really hope she can get it together and that she and Aimee can work things out. I do like them together.
This book was a wild ride. Action packed, emotional, and a great character study. I hope book ten carries on in this direction and is just as great as this one was.
This book was a wild ride. Action packed, emotional, and a great character study. I hope book ten carries on in this direction and is just as great as this one was.
September 21, 2018
Bittersweet
Katherine Forrest hits another home run. Spending time with Kate Delafield is always worthwhile and enjoyable, but in this case it was quite bittersweet. As Kate travels the road of change in her life, she plucked on my heartstrings. Frequent references to previous Delafield stories gave me a sense of comfort and familiarity (and made me want to re-read them) but, as the book progressed I knew it was leading to the goodbye I never wanted to face.
If you have to close a chapter in your life, if you are forced to say farewell to close friends, you will find no sweeter way to do it.
Katherine Forrest hits another home run. Spending time with Kate Delafield is always worthwhile and enjoyable, but in this case it was quite bittersweet. As Kate travels the road of change in her life, she plucked on my heartstrings. Frequent references to previous Delafield stories gave me a sense of comfort and familiarity (and made me want to re-read them) but, as the book progressed I knew it was leading to the goodbye I never wanted to face.
If you have to close a chapter in your life, if you are forced to say farewell to close friends, you will find no sweeter way to do it.
January 10, 2022
I really liked this. Listened to it in the middle of the night because I couldn’t stop listening. Among the mystery there is a poignant depiction of a close knit group of friends who met in a lesbian bar in the late 1980s and bonded to be there for each other in their 60s and 70s.
October 28, 2022
A real page turner
Actually made me want to start with the beginning of the series, such a satisfying read.
Kate Dellafield, the character, has grappled with danger, death, loss, dying, and loyalty and I became engrossed.
Actually made me want to start with the beginning of the series, such a satisfying read.
Kate Dellafield, the character, has grappled with danger, death, loss, dying, and loyalty and I became engrossed.
July 30, 2020
Great series
Each of the books in this series pushes you to read the next. I suppose this is the last... but sure wish it wasn’t
Each of the books in this series pushes you to read the next. I suppose this is the last... but sure wish it wasn’t
April 30, 2021
This was the first book I listened to of the series. I missed the development of connections Kate had to people, the sadness of her decisions that are now showing in her life.
September 4, 2022
Easy and enjoyable read
March 10, 2023
I thought this was the best Kate Delafield book yet. I cried it was so good and because other things happened. Never have I felt so connected or relatable to Kate. I would recommend.
June 11, 2023
3.5 Stars
June 22, 2024
'.....her long term on-again off-again relationship with Aimee Grant is off again. ' - I am so over this relationship. There are better companions.
September 22, 2021
a Wonderful novel
A story of pain, love, friendship and loss. A saga of secrets never shared and stories not told. Great narration.
A story of pain, love, friendship and loss. A saga of secrets never shared and stories not told. Great narration.
December 18, 2013
We fans of Kate Delafield have waited nine long years for the next installment in Katherine V. Forrest's acclaimed detective series. It is here. High Desert finds Delafield five months into retirement, alone, and sinking fast. Her life partner of two decades, Aimee, is gone. Her best friend Maggie, is fighting a losing battle against cancer, and her former commander Captain Walcott informs Kate that her former partner on the job, Joe Cameron, is missing.
Captain Walcott offers Kate two things that may right her sinking ship, a business card for a woman from Kate's past who once helped her, and could again, and a job: Find Joe Cameron before officialdom steps in.
Kate takes the job and the card, and begins a desperate race to catch the wind and fill the sails, so to speak: Kate determines to be there for Maggie, she vows to find Joe and get him out of whatever trouble he may face, she also tries again to get the help she needs for herself.
As the facts start coming in about Joe, tension builds. Maggie takes a turn for the worse, and Kate wants to help her, but can't. Joe's situation begins to look like a life and death situation in the desert. Kate somehow manages, with little sleep and almost no time, to squeeze in visits with the woman who once helped her.
Of course, there is the usual Kate-too-stubborn-for-her-own-good, blind to the facts approach Kate takes to personal issues versus the all-seeing range of Kate the professional. But dealing with Joe's disappearance, is that personal, or professional? Those lines cross, and Kate begins to see, in the high desert, in the hospice home, in her visits with the woman from her past, that maybe she used one against the other, professional discretion to protect loved ones from the horrors of her job, leaving no personal outlet for herself to deal with those tragedies that homicide detectives face.
Once again, we have a Kate who is sluggish, if not deliberately resistant, to helping herself, refusing to do anything to improve her life, while putting others first.
The timeline shortens, for Joe's situation, for Maggie, for Kate. The resolution leaves the reader wanting more. Another Delafield book, please.
Captain Walcott offers Kate two things that may right her sinking ship, a business card for a woman from Kate's past who once helped her, and could again, and a job: Find Joe Cameron before officialdom steps in.
Kate takes the job and the card, and begins a desperate race to catch the wind and fill the sails, so to speak: Kate determines to be there for Maggie, she vows to find Joe and get him out of whatever trouble he may face, she also tries again to get the help she needs for herself.
As the facts start coming in about Joe, tension builds. Maggie takes a turn for the worse, and Kate wants to help her, but can't. Joe's situation begins to look like a life and death situation in the desert. Kate somehow manages, with little sleep and almost no time, to squeeze in visits with the woman who once helped her.
Of course, there is the usual Kate-too-stubborn-for-her-own-good, blind to the facts approach Kate takes to personal issues versus the all-seeing range of Kate the professional. But dealing with Joe's disappearance, is that personal, or professional? Those lines cross, and Kate begins to see, in the high desert, in the hospice home, in her visits with the woman from her past, that maybe she used one against the other, professional discretion to protect loved ones from the horrors of her job, leaving no personal outlet for herself to deal with those tragedies that homicide detectives face.
Once again, we have a Kate who is sluggish, if not deliberately resistant, to helping herself, refusing to do anything to improve her life, while putting others first.
The timeline shortens, for Joe's situation, for Maggie, for Kate. The resolution leaves the reader wanting more. Another Delafield book, please.
May 15, 2016
Forrest brings the world of Detective Kate Delafield and the series full circle in this latest and what seems to be final installment. I immediately was thrown back into the second book, Murder at the Nightwood Bar, and love how Forrest pushes Delafield to confront her own worst enemy - herself. But the friends she made in that book are here again, especially Maggie, and new friends emerge in unexpected ways.
It's been a 30-year journey with Detective Delafield and she ages as we do. Despite the long hiatus since the last book, I was immediately caught up in the journey and the characters. Forrest's characters feel real and she puts them in situations, many that are too true to life, that hit our emotional buttons, bringing us on a ride that excites, scares, and even brings joy.
It's been a 30-year journey with Detective Delafield and she ages as we do. Despite the long hiatus since the last book, I was immediately caught up in the journey and the characters. Forrest's characters feel real and she puts them in situations, many that are too true to life, that hit our emotional buttons, bringing us on a ride that excites, scares, and even brings joy.
April 8, 2016
High desert is a riveting fast-paced dark thriller. Retired police detective Kate Delafield is stuck in an alcoholic inertia, her oldest friend is dying and she’s alienated her long-term love, Aimee Grant. Kate fortunately has direction and ambition when her former LAPD captain asks her to covertly locate missing police officer Joe Cameron, Kate’s former partner in the police department. This is one of the best in this mystery series!
February 21, 2014
Very good, glad I read it. There's not much actual mystery here, more just character development, which I was fine with. I don't know if this is intended to be the last Kate Delafield book, but it read as though it might be -- and that's okay. Sad book (made me cry), but lovely all the same, bittersweet.
September 24, 2014
Good, solid continuation of the Kate Delafield series. Continues the overall series continuity, with callbacks all the way back to Nightwood Bar, while carrying the series forward. Deals with aging, Kate's issues and relationships and moving on once you've retired.
My only 'sad' with this book is it has the 'feel' of a concluding novel. I want more Kate!
My only 'sad' with this book is it has the 'feel' of a concluding novel. I want more Kate!
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