Day One: November 28th
Death
swept up the mountain and across the frigid snow, giving no warning, no
threatening growl, just spreading tendrils, searching for a victim while Stone
Mountain Resort buzzed with energy, unaware of the impending doom.
Kalin
Thompson gunned the engine of her snowmobile, forced its skis over a mogul, and
sped toward the summit of the Alpine Tracks run. The Holden ski team owned the
race course for next twenty minutes, and when the local team finished, Kalin
planned to ski the gates, just for one run, just for the adrenaline rush.
Her
sled hit a patch of ice and slid toward a chairlift tower. She gripped the
handlebar and leaned left, edging around the structure, brushing the metal side
with her ski pants. Damaging equipment five days into being the director of
security at the resort would not impress her boss. She regained control and
drove toward the summit. Exhilarated by the ride, she skidded to a stop beside
Ben Timlin and let out a whoop.
Giving
her a wink that could seduce even the coldest of hearts, Ben said, “Enjoying
yourself?”
Kalin
glanced around and checked no one was looking in their direction. She leaned
over the handlebar, their ski helmets thudded, and she kissed Ben. “I am now.”
At
the starting gates, a super-G racer sliced his skis backward and forward,
leaning hard on his poles in an aggressive stance, anticipating the signal to
launch onto the course. Frozen breath exploded from his lungs as he waited for
the skier ahead of him to clear the course.
Kalin
undid her helmet’s strap and pulled her neck tube over her chin. “How’s the
training going?”
“Not
great. I’m surprised Coach Jenkinson hasn’t cancelled the session.”
“Why?”
“More
than half the racers either slid off the course or fell. One sprained his ankle.”
“Snow
injection?”
“Yup,
the course is a skating rink.”
Stone
Mountain’s one hundred and fifty-six-person chairlift covered five meters per
second from the bottom of the Alpine Tracks ski run to the summit, and the lift
clanged around the unloading station, dropping skiers and their gear several
meters from where Ben and Kalin waited. Kalin counted the last of the team
members arriving at the summit. Six skiers still had runs to conquer before she
could ski.
DESCENT
BLURB
When Kalin Thompson is promoted to
Director of Security at Stone Mountain Resort, she soon becomes entangled
in the high-profile murder investigation of an up-and-coming
Olympic-caliber skier. There are more suspects with motives than there are
gates on the super-G course, and danger mounts with every turn.
Kalin’s boss orders her to investigate. Her boyfriend wants
her to stay safe and let the cops do their job. Torn between loyalty to friends
and professional duty, Kalin must look within her isolated community to unearth
the killer’s identity.
KRISTINA BIO
Kristina Stanley is the best-selling author of the Stone
Mountain Mystery Series. Her first two novels garnered the attention of
prestigious crime writing organizations in Canada and England. Crime Writers of
Canada nominated DESCENT for the Unhanged Arthur award. The Crime Writers’
Association nominated BLAZE for the Debut Dagger. Her short stories have been
published in the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and The Voices From the Valleys
anthology. She is also the author of THE AUTHOR’S GUIDE TO SELLING BOOKS TO
NON-BOOKSTORES.
LINKS
I’ve put
the booklinker link first, but not sure if it will work for you. If not, use
the second link.
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