A month after a woman is murdered in New Hampshire's White Mountains, Will Buchanan, a search and rescue expert and high-school teacher, is helping look for a lost child. Others find the child, but Will finds a body. During the investigation, Laurie Eberly, Will's girlfriend and the village police chief, is wounded in a robbery-ambush; then the murder suspect pays Will a late-night visit. To forestall further danger, Will starts sleuthing. Eslick's characters are not quite as appealing as those in a few other outdoor mysteries series, such as Dana Stabenow's Kate Shugak novels or Joe Heywood's Woods Cop series. Nevertheless, Eslick's fourth Will Buchanan novel sets a suspenseful, nail-biting pace, and his story is filled with plot twists and surprises. He vividly describes the beauty of the White Mountains and New England in autumn, and he offers many fascinating details about search-and-rescue work, hiking, and ice climbing.

The fourth in Eslick's gutsy White Mountains mystery series (after 2003's Deadly Kin) pits teacher and search-and-rescue volunteer Will Buchanan against a serial killer who leaves dismembered bodies along remote New Hampshire trails. Two female hikers are found slain during a search operation for a small boy, and soon afterward an unknown assailant in a convenience store shoots Will's girlfriend, Saxton Mills police chief Laurie Eberly, while Will waits in the car. Suspense builds as Will struggles to identify the location and significance of cryptic photos of forest scenes taken by Samantha Rayley, the killer's first victim. Neglecting his duties at a local prep school, Will finds himself an unpaid adviser to Sgt. Art Macomber's plodding investigation that incidentally uncovers drug selling at Will's school. Boorish Nelson Carpenter, Samantha's former lover, comes under strong suspicion when a large stash of marijuana is found under the floorboards of his cabin. Eslick knows this rugged terrain well and depicts its many perils without a veneer of rustic charm. Those who enjoy backpacking and mountain climbing will particularly enjoy this thriller. Agent, Alison Picard.

While searching for a missing boy on New Hampshire's Mt. Washington, science teacher/series protagonist Will Buchanan (Deadly Kin) discovers the body of a murdered woman-the second victim within a month. He and girlfriend Laurie, the local police chief, investigate. Lively, outdoors action. Eslick lives in Andover, NH.

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