Sunday, January 25, 2009

Out of Circulation




Hitting The Books

Miss Helma Zukas is reluctant to go hiking on the Cascade mountains, but her friend Ruth is insistent. When she agrees to go, Helma, ever the librarian, does her research, reading up on survival techniques, packing like a pro, and making up a list for her irresponsible friend. As usual, Ruth comes unprepared, having neglected to read Helma's list. But even Helma's careful preparation couldn't have anticipated the discovery of a dead body high in the rocky wilderness.

SURVIVING THE TRAIL

Since it appears unlikely that the hole in the hiker's chest was caused by a fall, Helma suspects foul play. When the victim is airlifted off the mountain, Ruth is ready to accept a ride back to civilization, but Helma insists they stay and search for the hiker's missing companion. Being good samaritans is one thing, but getting stranded in a blinding snowstorm is quite another. Especially when escaping Nature's deadly fury means holing up in a little cabin with some motley strangers who may be planning a murderous adventure for a couple of dangerously inquisitive women...

For her 40Th birthday, Helma's friend Ruth decides she wants to go on a hike. Reluctantly Helma agrees and in true Helma fashion does all the appropriate research. She also buys all the right gear while leaving a list for Ruth so she can do the same. When Ruth mentions this is going to be a 3 day hike, Helma is not pleased, but still goes along. The discovery of a dead man in the woods turns their "time to get healthy" hike into the search for a killer. Unfortunately they get caught in a blizzard, and due to Helma's preparedness find their way to a blizzard cabin. What they didn't expect was to find several other people there. Is one of them the murderer? How far will they go to survive? While I like how the author took this book "out of"the library setting, I don't think it was my favorite of the series so far. I will definitely continue on with this series to see what other types of trouble Helma will find herself in.

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