Black Ice

August 11, 2014
High school senior Britt Pheiffer plans to spend spring break backpacking in the Grand Tetons before a blizzard strands her, and two strangers take her hostage. Forced to feign wilderness expertise, she promises to guide them to the highway so they’ll spare her life. An abrupt and disturbingly graphic opener sets the tone for Fitzpatrick’s (the Hush, Hush Series) staccato storytelling and barrage of deadly complications. Britt is smart and resourceful, untangling mixed signals from mysterious captor Mason (who helps her lie to his partner-in-crime, Shaun, to save her friend Korbie), plotting her escape, and navigating the brutal elements—blinding snowfalls, frigid temperatures, and grizzly bears. As Britt narrates the tale, she flits between naïve damsel in distress, desperately hoping her outdoorsy ex, Calvin, will come to her rescue and quick-witted young woman who shows resiliency after making the sickening discovery that her captors have killed before. In the vein of Marcus Sedgwick’s Revolver, Fitzpatrick’s novel is rife with psychological twists exploring themes of revenge, misogyny, and familial duty. Ages 14–up. Agent: Catherine Drayton, Inkwell Management.

September 1, 2014
This wannabe romance remains a thriller at heart.Britt wants to go hiking in the Tetons as she tries to recover from the end of her romance with Calvin Versteeg. She and Calvin's sister, her best friend, Korbie, set out for the Versteegs' palatial cabin but break down in the middle of an unexpected blizzard. They trudge through the snow and find a cabin occupied by Mason and Shaun, who reluctantly take them in. Soon, however, the girls learn that the young men are on the run from the police and intend either to kill them or take them hostage. Britt talks them into leaving Korbie behind while she accompanies them as their guide in a hike toward the highway, where Mason and Shaun plan to steal a car and escape. While in the cabin, however, Britt discovered a long-dead body that she believes is a missing girl. Events spiral out of control when Calvin shows up. It's clear that someone is a murderer, perhaps even a serial killer, but which one? Fitzpatrick keeps the focus more on suspense than on the underlying romance, pitching the book to two complementary audiences. Although some of Britt's reasoning comes across as rather tortured, the story still works as a good thriller. Except for Korbie, effectively drawn as a self-centered, spoiled brat, the characterizations are fairly shallow. Plenty of thrills and some kissing too. (Thriller. 14-18)

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August 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-After a horrifying prologue depicting a young girl's kidnapping and murder near Jackson Hole, Wyoming, this thriller commences one year later, when 17-year-old Britt and her best friend Korbie head out for a hiking trip in the Tetons. When Britt finds out that Korbie's older brother, her ex, will be at their family cabin too, she's torn between trying to win him back and trying to get over him. A freak storm makes the friends lose their way. When the teens knock on the door of a cabin looking for assistance, they unwittingly become part of a plan that its handsome occupants are in the midst of concocting. Britt finds evidence that the two men may have been involved in the disappearance of several women. Convincing them to leave Korbie behind and to take her with them as a guide, the heroine tries keep them all alive during the storm, while also plotting her escape and piecing together the clues to what happened to the missing women. After the heart-poundingly realistic prologue, the rest of the book is a bit frothy, with typical romance plot points. However, the mystery builds with each chapter and the writing is good enough to sustain a sense of foreboding with each page. Despite the unrealistic and saccharine story of the protagonist falling in love with one of her captors, this is a book with inarguable appeal. Britt has realistically complex feelings towards her parents, best friend, and ex-boyfriend, and many teens will enjoy the mix of horror, mystery, and chick lit.-Sunnie Lovelace, Wallingford Public Library, CT

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2014
Grades 9-12 Fitzpatrick's romantic survival thriller starts with a graphic murder in Wyoming and then picks up a year later when teenager Britt and her friend Korbie head into the Tetons for spring break. A sudden blizzard turns their backpacking trip into a life-or-death trial when they take shelter in a cabin with two strangerswho pull guns on the girls. Not content with merely stealing their gear, the men also need a guide, and to save pampered Korbie, Britt pretends to be an expert mountaineer. However, Britt is more capable than she realizes, using an annotated map to navigate in secret and stirring up tension between the men. Britt gains dimension as she wavers between hoping that her ex will rescue her and having the resourcefulness to rescue herself. While the romance between Britt and one of her captors is soapy, it dovetails nicely with the murder mystery. With an action-packed conclusion, capped off with a fairy-tale ending, this finds a good intersection between romance and suspense.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)