high water heavy

HIGH WATER HEAVY begins with Buck realizing he’s made a mistake. The case seemed simple enough—some white-collar pencil-pusher called Eli Whitmore found dead on Skid Row with a needle sticking out of his arm—but no sooner has Buck agreed to work the thing than he learns he’ll have to do it alongside Frank Takahashi. Now, Frank’s got two things working against him. First, he’s a man of scruples in a town that has none, and second, but more importantly, he’s a Japanese kid in a town where the war might be over, but the anti-Japanese it left behind is as strong as ever. Buck tries to cut the kid out, but Whitmore’s socially ambitious sister threatens to withdraw the hefty bonus she’s promised the two if they can’t work together to disprove the existence of a junkie in her family, dead or otherwise.

Corbin Muck’s debut novel, HIGH WATER HEAVY, is a hard-boiled mystery set during 1948 in Portland, Oregon. Inspired by true events, the novel follows private eye Buck Bordell as he races to investigate the supposedly accidental death of a city safety inspector as a flood threatens to destroy Vanport—Portland’s poorest and most racially diverse enclave. The novel sheds light on a little-known but deeply consequential disaster that reshaped the region, while also exploring how the post-war promise of a better America was swept away by the currents of racism, corruption, and greed.

As a lover of history and as someone who grew up in the Portland area, the story of HIGH WATER HEAVY is the story of Corbin’s own family. His grandfather’s childhood home was one of those destroyed in the Vanport Flood, and would often talk about the vibrant and hopeful community that, in a single day, was swallowed whole by the rising waters of the Columbia.

Corbin is currently seeking representation for HIGH WATER HEAVY. If you would like to work with Corbin or review a full manuscript, reach out at CorbinGMWriter@gmail.com or click the button below.