Mountain Peril
Publishers Weekly
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. (Mar. 28)
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Booklist
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. John Rowen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Library Journal
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. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
New Hampshire Books
Welcome to this inaugural column about New Hampshire books and authors. The editor says I may write about anything regarding New Hampshire authors or books.
I thought about author Dan Brown, whose book The Da Vinci Code is still wildly popular and will soon be a major motion picture with Tom Hanks (although I can't quite visualize Mr. Hanks as the Harvard professor Robert Langdon). I considered tell you the anecdote about how Exeter librarian Pam Gjettum became a character in The Da Vinci Code, or exploring the question of why Mr. Brown used my uncommon surname (Ventresca) for a character in Angels and Demons. But you don't need me to tell you that Dan Brown is probably the hottest New Hampshire author at the moment.
Instead, I have decided to write about another New Hampshire author writing exciting mysteries. He hasn't achieved the fame or wealth of Mr. Brown yet, but there is promise. I'm referring to author Tom Eslick, author of four mystery novels set in the mountains of New Hampshire. Mr. Eslick is a teacher at Proctor Academy in Andover, and also an experienced hiker and musician. His many talents and interests are all brought together in his first novel Tracked in the Whites (Write Way Publishing, 1997). Readers are introduced to Will Buchanan, a beloved teacher at a New Hampshire prep school who is an avid hiker and woodsman. When not scaling high peaks or tossing axes at trees, Will is relaxing with a good Scotch, which he shares with his cat Butch. But Will has some unresolved issues from his past, and a few anger management issues, which get him in trouble with his girlfriend Laurie, the local police chief. Will then becomes the chief suspect in the sensational murder of a student he was chaperoning, and he must use all his outdoor skills and wit to prove his innocence and catch the real killer. The mystery is well done, and it's fun to read about hiking in the White Mountains.
Eslick's third novel, Deadly Kin (Viking, 2003) brings back the multi-talented Will Buchanan to solve another murder in the mountains. And his latest book in the series Mountain Peril (Viking, 2005) was recently published.
I look forward to reading the further adventures of New Hampshire hero Will Buchanan, and hopefully author Tom Eslick will find some of the same success that has come to that other New Hampshire author on the seacoast.
Donna Gilbreth. Transcribed from the Center for the Book at the New Hampshire State Library, 20 Park Street, Concord, NH 03301. Spring 2005.