Jeff High Books In Order

Publication Order of Watervalley Books

Jeff High
Jeff High, after he grew up in rural Tennessee on a dairy farm, attained degrees in nursing and literature. He is a three time published winner, in fiction and poetry, of a yearly writing contest held by Vanderbilt Medical Center.

Jeff lived in Nashville for many years, and throughout the country as a travel, before he returned to his original hometown of Columbia, Tennessee, close to where he works as an operating room RN in cardiac surgery.

“More Things in Heaven and Earth” is the first novel in the “Watervalley Days” series and was released in 2013. Tucked away in the rolling Tennessee countryside is the rather charming community of Watervalley, whose inhabitants are captivating and quirky, and much more surprising than you may expect.

Luke Bradford, as an ambitious young doctor with a penchant for research, never wanted to set up his practice in a remote rural town. However to pay off his student loans and fulfill a promise from his past, he heads for Watervalley, Tennessee. And he instantly stumbles into a disaster after another. Is he going to be labeled as town idiot before he even gets introduced as the new doctor?

Pretty soon, he faces some major challenges, from not getting shot by a local misanthrope for trespassing to resuscitating a three hundred pound farmer that goes into cardiac arrest. Luke expects the folks of Watervalley to be simple, however he finds that his relationships with them are complex, whether he is interacting with the attractive schoolteacher he consistently alienates, his bossy yet devout housekeeper, or the mysterious kid next door that climbs trees while wearing a bike helmet.

Luke is faced with his ultimate test, when this baffling flu epidemic hits Watervalley. Whether the community embraces him or not, it is his responsibility to save all of them. And he will soon learn that while living in a small town might not really be what he wants, it might just be what he truly needs.

“Each Shining Hour” is the second novel in the “Watervalley Days” series and was released in 2014. Welcome to the timeless charms of Watervalley, where Dr. Luke is finally starting to feel at home.

When Luke comes to a woman’s aid at the grocery store, he is fascinated to discover that she’s Estelle Pillow, the cheery sister of Connie, his prickly housekeeper. Estelle would like to open up a bakery in the town, and Connie’s disapproval of this venture stirs up a whirlwind of emotions between these two siblings. However Luke’s attention soon gets diverted when he hears of a long-ago double murder.

An unknown traveler arrived in town back during the Second World War, and before the day was even over, he and the local baker lay dead close to the bandstand at the local lake. The incident has since gotten exaggerated into Watervalley lore, with the newcomer being rumored to have been a German spy. While Luke pieces together what happened exactly, he realizes that the consequences of this event have rippled painfully into the lives of the townsfolk that he has come to know.

Luke, while winter gives way to spring, stays busy at the medical clinic and enters into an exhilarating and tentative romance. And when his support of Estelle’s new bakery collides with some new revelations about this old murder, Luke sees the true power of reconciliation working in the hearts of those that he holds dear. It is a revelation that is going to change his life.

“The Splendor of Ordinary Days” is the third novel in the “Watervalley Days” series and was released in 2015. The pastoral charm of small town Water Valley, Tennessee, can be deceptive, which young Dr. Luke Bradford learns when he is caught up in the fallout from a decades old conflict.

Luke, after a rocky start as Watervalley’s one and only doctor, has decided he’ll remain in town, honoring the three year commitment that he made to pay his medical school debt off. However even while his friendships with all of the quirky townsfolk deepen, and he pursues romance with Christine Chambers (the lovely schoolteacher), several military veterans’ emotional wounds trigger unrest and anger in Watervalley.

At the center of this clash is Luther Whitmore, the curmudgeonly publisher of the local newspaper. Luther grew up in Watervalley, however he came back from combat in Vietnam a changed man. He fenced in beautiful Moon Lake, and posted his “Keep Out” notices at the beloved spot, and he provokes the rest of the townsfolk with his incendiary paper.

While Luke struggles to better understand Luther’s past, and restore some harmony in Watervalley, one unforeseen crisis ruins a relationship that he values dearly. All of a sudden, Luke has to answer life’s most difficult questions about sacrifice, service, love, and courage.

“The Fullness of Time” is the fourth novel in the “Watervalley Days” series and was released in 2019. Luke is at peace at last with his new life as the only physician in Watervalley, after a turbulent eighteen months. It is now Christmastime, the town absolutely loves him, and his marriage to beloved Christine is only a few months away. But then, one unexpected turn of finances and events changes it all for Luke, allowing his all-but-forgotten dream about doing medical research to be within reach. It means he’ll have to decide between the obligations of his heart and his ambitions for his career.

At the same time, the new owner of the only bed and breakfast in town arrives under rather mysterious circumstances, reviving some decades-old rumors about the B&B mansion’s cryptic past and stirring up all of the locals into a whispering, suspicious frenzy. With help from Luke, the town warmly engages this newcomer, however Luke soon notices that this new friend is actually a man of many secrets that has arrived in Watervalley with a desperate agenda. His two beautiful kids have an otherworldly gift as well.

While spring looms, long hours of patient care, the indecision about pursuing his dream, and the stress from bottling his emotions up takes its toll, poisoning him with brooding resentment. The formerly stable elements of his world spin out of control, all culminating into a crisis of choice which will have devastating effects on his impending marriage, career, and friendships. However within the curious world of Watervalley, the past has got a transcendent effect on the presence. The fullness of time, events from many years ago might come together to make his world whole yet again.

One Response to “Jeff High”

1. Susanne Derby: 5 months ago

   I loved reading the Watervalley series. I was wondering if there were any more books by Jeff High. He is a really good author. He could write another series about the Black lady who cleaned the young doctor’s house and gave him motherly advice.

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