The story begins with the devastating death of Tamara Drayton, a troubled seventeen-year-old who drowned in the glittering pool of her family’s French estate. Her twin brother Blake is left reeling, and her little sister Nina—just six years old at the time—becomes the youngest person to testify in a French murder trial, after claiming she saw the babysitter push Tamara under the water. But two decades later, Nina isn’t so sure of what she saw that night. As a new true-crime documentary digs into the past, long-buried secrets resurface, and Nina is forced to confront both her fractured memories and the possibility that she may have been wrong all along.
Katie Bishop builds an atmosphere that is both intoxicating and unsettling. The lush South of France setting contrasts brilliantly with the darkness of the story, creating a sense of beauty laced with menace. The pacing is razor sharp, shifting between past and present, keeping me desperate to piece together what really happened.
What makes this novel stand out is the emotional depth behind the mystery. It’s not just about uncovering the truth of Tamara’s death—it’s about family trauma, memory, and the way we carry the weight of our past. Nina’s journey is heartbreaking yet compelling, and I found myself completely invested in her search for answers.

3.75/5 stars, rounded up

Thank you St. Martin's Press for the advanced reading copy!

We love a British mystery over here, and this had the perfect vibes -- especially on audio! I would describe this book as totally solid: a great mystery with lots of history behind it, a few good surprises and satisfying resolution. I did predict a few things, which can be a let down, and I thought some of this book dragged in the middle. However, when I took a few days off while on vacation, I was super eager to pick this back up, so it definitely had my attention! Overall, solid and entertaining, but not groundbreaking!

The present: In 2024 the maker of a True Crime Documentary decides that the case needs to be re-examined because how accurate could a 5-year-old's testimony be? This opens up (WIDE) a whole new can of worms for the victim's family, for the convicted murderer who is now out of jail, trying to rebuild a life, and many other people, remotely connected.

THE GOOD
1. Very intricate and well thought out plot.
2. The two main characters, Nina (the child witness) and Josie (the convicted murderer) are realistically well developed. They are both suffering trauma because of the past.
3. Not surprisingly, (considering the plot) there are secrets and lies.
4. I found it interesting how the “ordinary” people perceived the “privileged.” Or, using different wording, the Insiders vs. the Outsiders. The quotation marks are meant as Air Quotes.
5. The ending is VERY convoluted. But, it is satisfying.

THE BAD:
1. It was a hard story to get into. During the first 25 percent, it seemed like new characters were constantly being introduced, and I had trouble keeping them straight.
2. The maker of the documentary kept using the word “unalived” instead killed or murdered. And, because she considered herself going down a rabbit hole in her research, she called her audience “true little crime bunnies”. Both phrases grated on my nerves.
3. The characters seemed flat to me, very one-dimensional until the book was wrapping up. The two exceptions were the convicted murderer and the only eyewitness.
4. At almost 400 pages, the book is a bit too long.

I had to think about how to rate this book. If it had been easier to get into, I think it would have been 5 stars. The last 25% of the book was the best part, unravelling a lot of truths. But, there was too much evil for my comfort level. That might be a plus for some people. This is partly overturned by the fact that the last few pages showed hope and redemption.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for my gifted copy.

This is a perfect end of summer book. The setting was perfect and I loved this one. I definitely recommend bringing this one on vacation with you.

I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ARC provided by St. Martin's Press.

Never speak of that summer.

On a beautiful summer’s night twenty years ago, troubled seventeen-year-old Tamara Drayton was found floating face-down in the pool of her family’s idyllic mansion in the south of France, leaving her twin brother, golden-boy Blake, to pick up the pieces of their shattered family.

Also left behind was their sister Nina who, at six years old, became the youngest person ever to testify in a French murder trial. Because she is the only one who saw what happened—who watched as her babysitter, Josie Jackson, pushed Tamara under the water, and held her there until she stopped breathing.

Did not she? Twenty years later, Nina's memories have faded, leaving her with no idea of what really transpired that night. When a new true crime documentary about her sister’s murder is announced, Nina thinks this might be her chance to finally find out.

But the truth always comes at a cost. Who will pay the price?

High Season is a dark, tense exploration of the nature of memory, the enduring power of truth, and all the gray areas in between. As a reader drawn to murder investigations, I was immediately intrigued by its premise. The novel’s destination setting and focus on the complexities of wealthy family drama provided a strong foundation, and the writing itself is elegant and engaging. The cast of characters is varied and compelling, though at times their sheer number made it difficult to keep track of everyone.

The resolution ties up every loose end, though perhaps a little too neatly. My main critique lies with the pacing. The narrative often feels prolonged—easily fifty pages longer than necessary—with dialogue and scenes that become repetitive and slow the momentum. I frequently found myself waiting for a dramatic twist or shift in action that never quite materialized. The alternating past and present timelines, while ambitious, occasionally blurred together and interrupted the flow of the story.

Ultimately, High Season delivers an intriguing premise and a well-developed storyline, but would have benefited from tighter editing, a brisker pace, and more narrative tension to fully sustain the reader’s engagement.

Good thriller, kept me on my toes. I did however find it a bit slow at times and I didn’t find myself eagerly wanting to finish it .

An interesting mystery concept. The beginning and the ending are both really good. The middle is a bit slow but worth it for the ending. Fun to try to guess along the way. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

It's been twenty years since Nina, at age 6, witnessed the death of her older sister. The family had moved on, but now a podcast and upcoming documentary is shining a light again on the murder. Nina returns home to face her family and the memories. Did the night in question happen they way she remembered?

I really enjoyed Katie Bishop's sophomore novel. Bishop's writing style is fantastic. I love the nuanced way she brings to life characters that are flawed and complex. There is an intricacy to the plot that isn't too common in a lot of psychological thriller/mysteries that can be found in High Season. At least that I am familiar with. Bishop takes time to develop her characters, giving them a voice and agency that is more common in literary novels. Add in a mystery based plot, and you get a great novel.

If you're still choosing your summer books, make sure High Season is on your tbr. It is a great option for a book club as well. High Season will give you lots to talk about.

Whoa! This book was so good! This might be my favorite book of the year! (Trigger warnings: drug/alcohol use, sexual assault/rape)

Tamara Drayton was found dead, floating in the family pool by her 5 year old sister, Nina. Twenty years later, Nina is studying to become a child psychologist and is grappling with trying to understand what she really saw that day she found her sister. Did she put an innocent person behind bars? Was her confession coached? Did Tamara take her own life? Did Nina really see what she thinks she did, or has her memory changed to fit all of the stories she has heard the last twenty years?

This book was a roller coaster. I thought for sure I knew what happened to Tamara, and then Bishop threw in a new piece of "evidence" and I changed my mind. Ultimately, I did have it figured out, but not the reason behind Tamara's death.

This story really covered some hard topics, so check the trigger warnings before you start this one. I found this book to be focused on a lot of contradictions: good vs evil, innocent vs guilty, reality vs illusion, justice vs wrongful conviction, love vs infatuation... I could go on, but you get the idea. The contradictions in this book had me debating whether I liked and trusted certain characters, had me wondering about my own mental stability (just kidding, but it was a ride!), and reflecting on past teenage and young adult relationships that were perhaps more toxic than I realized at the time.

Overall this book had me from the start and I loved every second. I never like endings of books, like, ever, but this one had a satisfying ending for how this story played out. 5 stars!

Twenty years ago, a six-year-old girl witnessed her teenaged sister being killed. She testified and someone went to prison. Now two decades on, the now grown woman starts having doubts and dives into the deep end to prove her memory - one way or another!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC!

📚: High Season by Katie Bishop
⭐️: 3/5

The summer of 2004 at Evelyn Drayton's birthday party. It's always a scene every summer, but this one, 20 years ago, ends tragically when her 17 year old daughter Tamara is found in the pool by the night's end.

Now it's 2024, and everyone involved (including who paid the price of a decade long prison sentence) find themselves back in the south of France, with the truth ready to finally come out.

This was dark. This was unsettling. This was heartbreaking. This was also awkwardly paced at moments, with an ending that was clearly coming from the start. Trigger warnings abound; please take care while reading this one.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press via @netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. High Season is out now.

I loved this book!

A dual timeline mystery that mostly takes place on the gorgeous French Cote du Azure, we, along with the major players in the story, are trying to figure out if Josie Jakes really killed Tamara Drayton one hot night during a rip-roaring party for her mother.

Testimony by Tamara's younger sister, Nina, only 5 at the time, put Josie away, but something always bothered Nina. Did she really remember what happened that fateful night? Enough to condemn someone to prison?

Despite her brother, boyfriend, and mother going against her, Nina is determined to figure out the truth, no matter where it takes her.

I loved how Katie Bishop characterized everyone. Even though there were some "bad" and "good" guys, there were excellent shades of grey that kept me guessing the entire time. Plot points were dropped at the exact right times, and the pacing was perfection. This would be an excellent summer read for any thriller/mystery lover.

"The High Season" by Katie Bishop transports the reader to the south of France in this multi-timeline high/low mystery. The story orbits around the death of a wealthy teenager found face-down in her family’s pool. Any witnesses you ask? Well yes, the victim's five-year-old sister, who identifies her babysitter as the killer...But did the witness get it right? Told through alternating summers, one twenty years ago and the other present day, as the tangled lives of locals and wealthy summer visitors gradually expose just how intertwined upstairs and downstairs truly were.

Reading "The High Season" feels like being on vacation along the French coast while secretly eavesdropping on the social strata. Bishop captures both sides of the divide: the jet-set crowd who descend for the summer with little regard for the locals, and the residents forced to tolerate, serve, and depend on them. It’s voyeurism, but from a sharp sociological lens: topical, biting, and hard to look away from.

I devoured every page, certain I had solved the central mystery early on. Spoiler: I hadn’t. When my theory unraveled late in the game (womp, womp), the suspense only intensified. The final act plunges headfirst into darker territory before cresting into a shocking, unforgettable conclusion.

"The High Season" is Downtown Abbey meets Amanda Knox where memory and truth are put on trial and the reader has a front row seat. Who's side are you on?

Thank you to Katie Bishop, St. Martin's Press, & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my authentic review.

High Season is a slower paced thriller with lots of suspense, family drama and teenage angst. The true crime social media influencer portions reminded me of the increase in popularity with cases like the Menendez brothers and JonBenét Ramsey- all the internet sleuths of today. While I had an idea of the larger twist in this story, there were several smaller ones that I didn’t predict and the journey to the end was a thrilling ride regardless.

I have shared this review on Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Storygraph

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Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7814813905

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High Season takes you on a summer mystery ramping the suspense while not looking too deeply into the idea of a six-year-old testifying in court.
Twenty years ago, seventeen-year-old Tamara Drayton was found dead in her family’s pool during her mother’s well-attended birthday party. Local Josie Jackson was arrested and convicted based on the testimony of Tamara’s six-year-old sister, Nina. Now Nina and Tamara’s twin, Blake, has returned back to the vacation house where their sister died for one last birthday party for their mother. What they don’t know is that Josie Jackson is back because a documentary is being filmed ¬ one that will prove Josie’s innocence.
Kate Bishop builds tension in a story that depends on a six-year-old’s memory. And anyone who knows anything about memory and witness testimony knows this is a fraught premise and that we will be on a hell of a ride. And Bishope gives a great ride. Very early on, I was able to figure out who the killer was, but that didn’t ruin the book at all. Because the book is more than just the whodunit. The characters and their story are just as important.
Bishop fills out each character, looking at each of them in their youth as well as adults, reeling from the events of their youth. Switching between past and present, the story unfolds slowly, building tension and giving readers different scenarios about who the killer is. There are arguments for Josie. There is an argument for Hannah. And as you read, you weren’t to know how to get to where they are today. How do online influences spark a documentary about the murder, and why haven’t they spoken to Hannah? Why does Josie not want to speak to them? The story just keeps giving.
The ending was a little too saccharine and left a bad taste in my mouth. After a book that was full of complex, grey characters, the simplicity of their decisions betrayed the growth they had faced through their situations and in becoming adults. I lost any suspension of disbelief in Part 4. I also wish there was more about not pushing things on children in a court, instead of the moral push against online true crime fans. Yes, some are sensationalists, but some truly care and want to try to actually help get the case cracked.
Overall, High Season is an interpersonal look at what it’s like to grow up as part of an infamous crime. Tense and suspenseful, this will keep you on your toes.

Publication Date: August 12
I received an ARC from the publisher; all opinions are my own.

High Season was a really enjoyable read, and kept me engaged. The story centers around two timelines - in 2004, 17-year old Tamara Drayton was murdered and the only witness was her 5-year old sister, Nina. Flash forward to 2024, the family returns to their family estate for their mother’s birthday, and Nina grapples with the guilt about being the sole witness to the crime, sending Josie Jackson to jail, while she struggles with recollection of the incident now in her mid-twenties.

What I liked about it:
- The series of flash backs and forwards across two timelines that revealed information from several POVs.
- The relationship dynamics between the characters was rich and fraught with baggage.
- The setting in the French Riviera was well developed and beautiful.
- The pacing was really nice, and felt natural.

What I didn’t love:
- The plot twist was really obvious, and hence, it lacked the real “thriller” energy. I’d say this book is much more of a mystery than a thriller.
- The true-crime podcast angle felt under-developed and more of a plot device than really part of the story.

Overall, I recommend. Thank you St. Martins and NetGalley for an early copy. This review is honest and my own. It’s out now.

High Season was a tense psychological thriller that explored a really interesting question - can we rely on our childhood memories?

Twenty years ago, Nina Drayton became the youngest person to testify in a murder trial as she recounted watching her babysitter push her sister into a pool, causing her death. But now, as an adult who finds herself at the center of a true crime documentary exploring her sister’s case, Nina is questioning if her memories are correct, or if she ever even knew what happened at all.

I loved how this one was written. The story was told from Nina’s and Josie’s (the babysitter) perspectives and the flashbacks were really well constructed. I loved the setting in the south of France and the pacing was great. My only complaint would be that I’m not sure I’m totally satisfied with the ending, however I didn’t see it coming for awhile which is always a bonus!

High Season just came out on August 12, check it out if you’re looking for a summer thriller! Thank you @stmartinspress and @netgalley for sending me an early copy!

“Secrets were a currency, and collecting them conferred a very specific kind of power. If you accessed them at the right time, they could be used to get exactly what you wanted.”

Not only did I absolutely want to live inside this book’s setting on the coast of France, but I also got totally caught up in this story.

The secrets and the lies, the parties and the money, the class divide between the rich and their employees. I loved the way that this story moved between time periods, helping us to see how unreliable memory can be.

I did an immersive read for this one, and the audio was really well done. I loved hearing the voice of young Nina as well as her adult voice as the worked out her memories and the truth.

This one was really well written, and I loved the elements of the story from the angle of the podcast. It definitely made the story feel timely, relatable and relevant.

“Something inside Hannah splits in two then. Relief flooding through her like a wave breaking against the shore. Josie is hugging her, and she still smells the same, like saltwater and summer. Like Hannah’s childhood, and all the best and the worst years of her life. Like coming home. Like high season.”

Do you trust the memories from your childhood or do you think time and retellings have altered their accuracy?

I won’t reveal too much because this one is best experienced with no expectations - just let the slow-burn mystery unfold. If you love atmospheric reads, tangled pasts, unreliable memories, and characters haunted by what they think they remember…this one’s for you.

Tamara Drayton’s death 20 years ago still casts a long shadow. Now, a true crime podcaster starts digging into what really happened, and secrets tied to guilt, privilege, and class start surfacing.

I loved the group of messy teenagers at the heart of the story - now adults, still trapped by the choices they made that summer. It’s about memory, trauma, and the weight of long-buried truths. I didn’t guess the big reveal, but looking back, the breadcrumbs were there! I was so immersed in the family and friend dynamics (read: dysfunction) that I missed them. But mystery-solvers will love the clues.

I also loved the setting - a seaside mansion on the French Riviera - feels like a character of its own. Glamorous and indulgent, but with something darker lurking just below the surface.

🎧 Narration Note: Alix Dunmore is fantastic. She perfectly captures the teens' vulnerability and the adults' guilt-ridden uncertainty. Her handling of multiple voices and accents made it super easy to follow, even with a big cast.

Final Verdict: 👍 A perfect end-of-summer read - compelling, moody, and emotionally layered. I binged it in just a couple of days, about 50/50 between print and audio. Both formats are excellent. 4.5⭐️

Twenty years ago, in 2004, the lives of three girls were forever changed at a glamorous party at a Côte d’Azur mansion: one died, one went to prison for manslaughter, and the other two were left to shoulder their guilty consciences. Fast forward to 2024, with all 3 survivors returning to the area and crossing paths again amid the production of a new true crime documentary that will make them face up to their role in the events of 20 years ago. Nina Drayton was only 5 years old when her sister Tamara died, but she was the key witness against her former babysitter, Josie Jackson. Now a child psychologist, she questions the accuracy of her own testimony as a child and thinks the documentary might somehow be her chance for redemption. A popular podcast has raised the possibility that Josie was innocent, but she just wants to stay out of the spotlight and get on with her life. She isn't sure if she wants to reconnect with her childhood best friend, Hannah, who dropped out of Josie's life after she was charged with killing Tamara. The story alternates between 2024 and 2004 and is told from the perspectives of all 4 girls/women, slowly revealing the undercurrents and events that led to Tamara's death. This is a coming of age story of sorts for the 3 older girls, and an exploration of memory and coming to know and trust oneself for Nina. The girls/women are multifaceted individuals, well meaning but flawed, trying to be their best selves but not always succeeding. The plot is suspenseful, the book well written, and the descriptions of the Côte d’Azur were vivid and brought the locale to life.