Dead Mountain

Nora Kelly #4

by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child

#1 New York Times bestselling authors Preston & Child return in the latest installment of the bestselling series featuring renowned archaeologist Nora Kelly and FBI Agent Corrie Swanson, who investigate a mystery so enigmatic it may have no solution.
 
In 2008, nine mountaineers failed to return from a winter backpacking trip in the New Mexico mountains. At their final campsite, searchers found a bizarre something had appeared at the door of their tent so terrifying that it impelled them to slash their way out and flee barefoot to certain death in a blizzard. Despite a diligent search, only six bodies were found, two violently crushed and inexplicably missing their eyes. The case, given the code name “Dead Mountain” by the FBI, was never solved.

Now, two more bodies from the lost expedition are unexpectedly discovered in a cave, one a grisly suicide. Young FBI Agent Corrie Swanson teams up with archaeologist Nora Kelly to investigate what really happened on that fateful trip fifteen years ago—and to find the ninth victim. But their search awakens a long-slumbering evil, which pursues Corrie and Nora with a vengeance, determined to prevent the final missing corpse from ever coming to light.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Suspense, Crime

389 pages, Paperback

First published August 22, 2023

About the author

Douglas Preston was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1956, and grew up in the deadly boring suburb of Wellesley. Following a distinguished career at a private nursery school--he was almost immediately expelled--he attended public schools and the Cambridge School of Weston. Notable events in his early life included the loss of a fingertip at the age of three to a bicycle; the loss of his two front teeth to his brother Richard's fist; and various broken bones, also incurred in dust-ups with Richard. (Richard went on to write The Hot Zone and The Cobra Event, which tells you all you need to know about what it was like to grow up with him as a brother.)

As they grew up, Doug, Richard, and their little brother David roamed the quiet suburbs of Wellesley, terrorizing the natives with home-made rockets and incendiary devices mail-ordered from the backs of comic books or concocted from chemistry sets. With a friend they once attempted to fly a rocket into Wellesley Square; the rocket malfunctioned and nearly killed a man mowing his lawn. They were local celebrities, often appearing in the "Police Notes" section of The Wellesley Townsman. It is a miracle they survived childhood intact.

After unaccountably being rejected by Stanford University (a pox on it), Preston attended Pomona College in Claremont, California, where he studied mathematics, biology, physics, anthropology, chemistry, geology, and astronomy before settling down to English literature. After graduating, Preston began his career at the American Museum of Natural History in New York as an editor, writer, and eventually manager of publications. (Preston also taught writing at Princeton University and was managing editor of Curator.) His eight-year stint at the Museum resulted in the non-fiction book, Dinosaurs in the Attic, edited by a rising young star at St. Martin's Press, a polymath by the name of Lincoln Child. During this period, Preston gave Child a midnight tour of the museum, and in the darkened Hall of Late Dinosaurs, under a looming T. Rex, Child turned to Preston and said: "This would make the perfect setting for a thriller!" That thriller would, of course, be Relic.

In 1986, Douglas Preston piled everything he owned into the back of a Subaru and moved from New York City to Santa Fe to write full time, following the advice of S. J. Perelman that "the dubious privilege of a freelance writer is he's given the freedom to starve anywhere." After the requisite period of penury, Preston achieved a small success with the publication of Cities of Gold, a non-fiction book about Coronado's search for the legendary Seven Cities of Cibola. To research the book, Preston and a friend retraced on horseback 1,000 miles of Coronado's route across Arizona and New Mexico, packing their supplies and sleeping under the stars--nearly killing themselves in the process. Since then he has published several more non-fiction books on the history of the American Southwest, Talking to the Ground and The Royal Road, as well as a novel entitled Jennie. In the early 1990s Preston and Child teamed up to write suspense novels; Relic was the first, followed by several others, including Riptide and Thunderhead. Relic was released as a motion picture by Paramount in 1997. Other films are under development at Hollywood studios. Preston and Child live 500 miles apart and write their books together via telephone, fax, and the Internet.

Preston and his brother Richard are currently producing a television miniseries for ABC and Mandalay Entertainment, to be aired in the spring of 2000, if all goes well, which in Hollywood is rarely the case.

Preston continues a magazine writing career by contributing regularly to The New Yorker magazine. He has also written for National Geographic, Natural History, Smithsonisan, Harper's,and Travel & Leisure,among others.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/dougla...

Reviews

[Ginger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!! 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Another excellent addition to the Nora Kelly series!

Preston & Child wrote about the Dyatlov Pass incident and put their own spin on the mystery. They took information that's similar such as number of hikers, similar trauma to bodies, set in the mountains, and then turned it on its head!

Dead Mountain is the 4th book in the Nora Kelly series and takes place in the mountains of New Mexico.
On Halloween, nine mountaineers fail to return to college. A search is started, and searchers find their last campsite.

At the campsite, they find the tent slashed open, lots of winter clothing still there, and not one missing camper.
Searchers keep looking and they eventually come across six bodies. Three hikers are still missing.

The strange case is given to the FBI but after 15 years, there’s no answers on the deaths or where the last three mountaineers turned up.

Until now in 2023…

Two bodies are found in a cave and FBI Agent Corrie Swanson must team up with archaeologist Nora Kelly to figure out the identities of the bodies, and if they are related to the 2008 “Dead Mountain” case.

What happened that night when Halloween turned into a deadly massacre for 9 college students?!

Dead Mountain has great characters, tension, writing, and pulls you right into the mystery. I had a blast reading this one and could not put it down.

If you enjoy mystery, action and great plots, look no further than checking out this series. I don’t think you’ll regret it!

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

How do Preston & Child come up with these great ideas for their novel? Love this series!

Dead Mountain started with two frat boys in the Manzano mountains. They were drunk and stoned when their Jeep skid off the path and when it started to snow, they set off on foot for shelter inside a cave. As it turns out, this wasn't just any cave, but one with skeletons, and lots of it!

Special Agent Corrie Swanson is a trainee at the Albuquerque FBI field office. She has a new supervisor Special Agent Clay Sharp. Together they head to the cave to investigate the bones and see petroglyphs on the wall. Corrie immediately contacted Dr. Nora Kelly, Chief of Archaeology at Santa Fe Archaeological Institute.

The cave findings also led to another event on Halloween day in 2008 where nine hikers from the New Mexico Institute of Technology went on an expedition and NONE returned.

I loved it! A good mix of spooky, conspiracy theories and archaeology. The mysterious incident is likely inspired by Russia's Dyatlov Pass incident. The authors did a fine job of weaving it with their theory and made it sound plausible.

It's always entertaining to see your favorite characters again. I think there's a lot of FBI Corrie in this one and wonder if the series name will be changed to reflect her as well as Nora. I still miss some characters that perished prior to this one. Although this is book #4, you can jump in and enjoy the story here as well. 4.5⭐

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I prefer the authors’ Pendergast series, but this series is not bad. It features archeologist Nora Kelly and FBI agent Corrie Swanson. In this book, a group of 9 campers experienced a mysterious and fatal event 15 years ago. Six of their bodies were discovered at that time, but no conclusions were reached about the event. That has led to a lot of conspiracy theories involving yetis, avalanches, aliens, government coverups, etc. Those theories resurface, and the FBI investigation reopens, when 2 more bodies are discovered in a cave. Since the cave also contains Native American artifacts and remains, Corrie enlists Nora’s help in the investigation. I prefer Nora. First, archeology is not as common as FBI investigations in books, so it’s more interesting to read about. Second, the authors seem determined to not let Corrie mature. She might age, but she is a permanent novice. Nora is both more experienced and smarter. Unfortunately for me, this book is mostly about the FBI.

This was fast paced and had an original plot. There was an unnecessary side plot involving Nora’s brother. It didn’t feel realistic unless New Mexico has the speediest criminal justice system in the nation. 3,5 stars

[Blaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Corrie pondered this. It was indeed a crazy story—so unusual she was surprised she hadn’t heard it before. “Based on the evidence you’ve described, I would guess something appeared that so terrified the hikers they slashed their way out the side of the tent and fled to certain death in the storm rather than confront it.”

Nora Kelly, archaeologist at the Santa Fe Archeological Institute, and FBI Special Agent Corrie Swanson are back together for a fourth novel, Dead Mountain. The story takes place four months after the events of Diablo Mesa, and Corrie is finally given a new assignment and a new mentor, Supervisory Special Agent Clay Sharp. When that assignment uncovers two prehistoric burials found in mountain cave, Corrie calls in Nora. Soon, however, two additional bodies are found in what looks like a murder-suicide tied to a famous unsolved case from fifteen years earlier known in New Mexico as “Dead Mountain”: nine experienced mountaineers disappeared during a winter backpacking trip, and six were later found dead, after seemingly experiencing something so terrifying that they cut their way out of their tent rather than leaving through the open door. With Nora’s help, Corrie and Clay race to solve the mystery before it ends their careers—or even their lives.

Dead Mountain is a solid blend of earth-bound mysteries and potentially stranger things. Why were the remains radioactive? Why did everyone run due north rather than to a lower elevation? Why was the original investigation so poorly done? What really happened all those years on Dead Mountain? The answers, when revealed, come together nicely. It’s not impossible, but it’s not likely that you’ll guess what happened to the Dead Mountain hikers. I liked Corrie’s new mentor Sharp, who has a bit of a Pendergast vibe. The whole subplot with Nora’s brother Skip felt like filler. Perhaps the coolest part of the book was the author’s note at the end, where they reveal that the story was inspired by two very real events. Another solid entry in the series. Recommended. 3.5 stars out of 4.

[John (JC) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now this is a great book! There are about three plots going on at once and that makes my deducing mind spin … and that is the way I like it. Just when I thought I had a good idea of what happened Preston and Child would throw another curve in the literature. The characters are wonderful for the most part. I wanted someone to slap Skip at some point. Agent Sharp, Nora Kelly and Corrie Swanson carried the intensity to the end. I am so impressed with the writing of Preston and Child. To get five stars from me is a strong reason for others to investigate this novel.

[Tim · Rating 2 out of 5]

An okay story, but with too much filler for my taste. 4 of 10 stars

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

In this 4th book in the 'Nora Kelly' series, archaeologist Nora Kelly repatriates Indian remains and works with FBI Agent Corrie Swanson to solve an old mystery.

The book works fine as a standalone.

*****

Fifteen years ago, in 2008, nine young hikers - seven men and two women - didn't return from a winter expedition in the snow-covered Manzano mountains of New Mexico.



When search parties were sent out, the rescuers found the mountaineers' tent - containing their backpacks, outerwear, equipment, and other belongings - with no one inside. Oddly, the back of the tent had been sliced open from the inside, like an escape hatch.



A search of the area turned up the dispersed bodies of six hikers, four men and two women, who'd (apparently) fled the tent barefoot or in socks, wearing very little clothing.



The unfortunate adventurers suffered terribly: some were burned, some were missing body parts, some had broken bones, and they'd all been exposed to mild radiation. It appears the hikers fled the tent in a panic, and no one could explain why. Theories included space aliens; bigfoot; bears; foreigners; and so on. To add to the intrigue, three of the mountaineers weren't found at all, and their fate remained a mystery. Until now.....



In the present, two rowdy frat boys are careening through the New Mexico mountains in a blizzard; they crash their vehicle and hole up in a cave.



The boys get drunk and high, and when they lie down to go to sleep, the woozy guys find they're lying on top of two sets of human remains.



To investigate the cave and the remains, the FBI sends a new(ish) agent called Corinne Swanson (Corrie)......



......who's being mentored by Special Agent Clay Sharp.



The cave is near the home of an Indian tribe called the Pueblo of Isleta, which leads Corrie to wonder about the bones in the cave.



In fact, Corrie "could see right away, from the deep mahogany color of the bones, that they were old - almost certainly prehistoric." Suspecting the bones are Native American, Corrie calls her friend, Santa Fe archaeologist Nora Kelly, to examine the skeletons.



Nora determines the bones are indeed the remains of Pueblo Indians, and by law, the skeletons belong to the tribe. Nora makes it her business to repatriate the remains, against the express orders of the obnoxious, publicity-hungry local sheriff, and this causes all manner of trouble.



Meanwhile, a whole other mystery emerges. In the back of the cave, beyond the Indian bones, Nora found the bodies of two of the male hikers who disappeared in 2008. One young man seems to have viciously stabbed his companion, then killed himself. This leads to the re-opening of the 2008 case, with Corrie as lead investigator, guided by her mentor.



Of course one hiker is still missing, the one who had the diary and camera, and Corrie makes it her number one priority to find him.

In the meantime, the families of the nine dead hikers have a support group, and they've convinced themselves there's been a cover up. The group demonstrates and agitates to be told 'the truth', and in fact they're not entirely wrong.



It seems 'higher ups' are trying to quash Corrie's current investigation, perhaps because Kirtland Air Force Base - which is the largest storage facility for nuclear weapons in the world - occupies the entire northern part of the Manzano mountains.

In any case, Corrie ignores the order to stop investigating, and she and Nora proceed on their own.



This leads to an exciting, action-packed climax, and to the truth about what really happened. I found the novel engaging, though one important plot point is too unrealistic in my view. Still, this is fiction, and I'll acknowledge author's license.

In the afterword, the authors explain that this story was inspired by a REAL LIFE occurrence called the Dyatlov Pass Incident, in which nine Soviet hikers died in the northern Ural Mountains in early February 1959. The Soviet occurrence was very like the plot of this book, and though professional and amateur sleuths investigated the Dyatlov case ad infinitum - and had many theories - the tragedy has never been satisfactorily elucidated. An American documentary filmmaker, Donnie Eichar, wrote a book about the Dyatlov Pass Incident, called Dead Mountain.


Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident

You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️

I really enjoy this series by this author duo, but this was my least favorite book in the Nora Kelly series. The pacing felt off throughout and while I was interested in the plot and the outcome, I felt like it needed to be trimmed back. The entire Skip/Nora/Sheriff side plot was unnecessary, I kept waiting for it to tie into something but it never did. I was also distracted by the emphasis of Special Agent Sharp’s features - sleepy eyes, hooded eyes, heavy lids, etc. are used almost every time any character talks about or looks at him. Here again I figured to focus on it THAT much it had to be important… but nope. They just really wanted to emphasize it apparently for unknown reasons.🤷🏼‍♀️

It’s a fascinating idea based on a true story and will keep you guessing. I loved the explanation in the author’s note on how the story came about, but wish they had not sent this information out to readers in a promo email about the book because it did give away a lot of the plot. It’s a really interesting article, but I would recommend you don’t read it until after you finish the book.

Thanks Novel Suspects and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC!

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well I did pre-order a copy but after getting an email that told me they expected delivery somewhere around the 24th of April 2024 I decided to order it at my local bookstore and they took a week to get me a copy.

So finally I got to read thuis mew installeert of Corrie Swanson who gets the job to look into the matter of vandalism by two drunk men. She finds remnants of an indian grave, for which she calls in her friend Nora Kelly. They then find two more bodies connected with a cold case 15 years before called the mystery of Dead Mountain.
Nine People went up a Mountain 6 were foundation frozen over the Mountain, and now two more have been found and one is still missing. And there is still no explanation what has happened aftershave all this time.
Corrie gets a New mentor Who is perhaps as strange as Pendergast but very interesting.
Nora Kelly and her brother Skip run into trouble with the local copper whobruns his own fiefdom and does not suffer outsiders gladly.
Corrie and Nora try their best to find the Ninth body the logbook and the camera that might prove what happened thuis faithful night 15 years ago.

Preston & Child onze again deliver a multilayered thriller with all the usual characters and some New faces. They deliver a well paced thrillers thst stays exciting untill the last page.
If You want to spoil the mystery then do not read the afterword by the writers.
Looking forward to the next Nora Kelly novel they become a very good series on their own without Pendergast.
A book read in 24 hours Just because it was difficult to put away.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for gifting me an early copy. Below you'll find my honest review.

Everyone who follows my reviews know that I am *huge* Preston & Child fans - their individual books and their co-written ones. Pendergast is one of the series I have followed the longest, and this is the fourth book in a spinoff of the Pendergast series starring two breakout characters who have played key roles in Special Agent Pendergast's cases, Nora Kelly and Corrie Swanson.

These two are a fantastic duo. They have their areas of expertise, and they mesh them together really well to solve cases. They always have some tension, as they have certain areas of their jobs that require following certain protocols, and that can be frustrating to the other party. Corrie has grown so much since we first met her in Still Life with Crows, and Nora's introduction in non-Pendergast (but Smithback-including) "stand-alone" Thunderhead seems ages ago in her development as well. They've both come so far, personally and professionally, and been through so much. I love watching them work together to solve cases.

I also really enjoy the secondary characters in this spin-off series. Agent Sharp, introduced in this book, is a fresh new face with a lifetime of experiences that really drive his character. Nora's brother Skip is present, of course, and always finding himself getting into hot water somehow. Homer Watts makes an appearance again, and I really adore the growing relationship he has with Corrie. Some other characters are mentioned, along with events of both prior Nora/Corrie books AND some of their histories (like Still Life with Crows and Thunderhead). I really loved that their pasts are mentioned, as long-time followers of the Preston & Child "Pendergast-verse" will appreciate the references and feel nostalgic, like I did.

All in all, a strong entry in the series, though I felt a little like the Sheriff Hawley/Skip situation felt like it was tacked on and not necessarily vital to the story, other than to just provide a storyline for Skip... but to be fair, that could also be setting up for future confrontations, so might just be some extra world building.

I'd give it a 4.5 out of 5, rounded up to 5.

Highly recommended, but with the caveat - start where you want, but you will be spoiled on a dozen books' worth of character development and a MAJOR event from the Pendergast series if you start here. I'd suggest reading every single one of them! They're worth your time and money.

[Scottsdale Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dead Mountain is the latest of the author’s thirty-year history dating back to the first book, Relic. The eerie near science undertow gleans from the book’s beginning when nine scientists mysteriously rip a whole in the back of their tent to escape....what, no one knows. All die and biologist Nora Kelly and youthful FBI agent Corrine Swanson team up to discover the reason for such bizarre behavior from a group of people that should be anything but bizarre.

Bad sheriffs, good FBI mentors, and a good brother in trouble stipple the path to success and, wonderfully, the culprit is the last person one might guess, and it’s not the abominable snowman.

The book is great fun and a delightful read. -Tom L.

[Judy Bolitho · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another excellent book from these talented and exciting authors. What starts as a spooky, and inexplicable mystery, ends in a most satisfactory way.

[CYIReadBooks (Claire) · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite authors did it again! Preston & Child’s latest Nora Kelly mystery, Dead Mountain did not disappoint. It is the fourth novel in the series, but it is possible to read as a standalone. However, I do think that more enjoyment could be had if the characters were followed from the beginning (Pendergast series.) Because I’ve followed both Nora and Corrie since the start, I’ve watched them grow into the characters that they’ve become. Although Corrie is still a little “wet” behind the ears, she has certainly come around from being a delinquent to a special FBI agent.

The main characters of Nora and Corrie are the staples in the novel. They have worked together on a number of cases and have developed that rapport that comes from knowing how each one “ticks.” Their steadfastness and stubborness are evident when conducting investigations. The other characters in the novel added depth to the storyline. And like most of the authors’ other works, the characters are adeptly developed to get a sense of their stature, appearance, as well as personality. You’ll get the picture when you come across that nasty town sheriff in the novel.

Although Dead Mountain is a Nora Kelly mystery, this particular novel highlighted Corrie Swanson and her involvement in the investigation of a 15-year old cold case. That still didn’t thwart the suspense and drama that the authors are known for.

The story follows a whodunit theme. But there’s also a sidebar story involving Nora’s brother Skip’s run in with the law that really added a lot of drama to the narrative. I really liked how it got incorporated and how well it played into the finale.

Overall, Dead Mountain is yet another hit deserving of five stars.

I received a finished copy of the book from Grand Central Publishing. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very entertaining read for the next book in the Nora Kelly series. Our favorite characters are back, and just as great as always, and the mystery is superb, taking a real world mystery and turning it on its head. It remained unresolved in my mind until the end, and was satisfying as usual. This one fits nicely in the series, and I definitely hope there will be more to come. 5/5 stars for me.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A couple of frat boys decided it would be fun to head off into New Mexico's Manzano mountains with a bottle of Captain Morgan Spiced Rum and a couple of joints in late October. That doesn't work out well for them and their Jeep went off the road. They are stuck when it starts to snow. Luckily for them they find a cave where they can shelter. And then one of the frat boys finds a skull. Definitely a bad trip.

There are actually two bodies. Native American remains. Because the cave is on federal land FBI Agent Corrie Swanson is sent in to investigate. The investigation reveals two more bodies. More recent. In 2008, nine mountaineers failed to return from a winter backpacking trip in the Manzano mountains. Only six bodies were found. The two additional bodies found in the cave were members of the missing backpackers. The case, given the code name “Dead Mountain” by the FBI, has just be reopened.

When the nine backpapers disappeared there was no shortage of theories. Aliens, Yeti, the Russians, and our own government. Helping to fuel our goveernments involvement is a secretive Air Force base that stores old nukes. Corrie believes the answer lies with finding the ninth backpacker. No easy task. It has been fifteen years. And there are those who appear to block her investigation.

Corrie is determined to learn the truth about what happened on Dead Mountain on Halloween 2008 and bring closure for the families of the nine backpackers. This book is listed as the fourth installment but can be read as a standalone. I look forward to reading the other books in the series.

[Bam cooks the books · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4-4.5 stars. Another exciting and intriguing thriller from Preston & Childs! In October, 2008, nine grad students, experienced mountaineers, go missing in the Manzanos in NM during a blizzard. Six of their bodies are eventually found but three have remained unrecovered for 15 years. When two of those bodies are found in a cave, FBI agents Sharp and Corrie Swanson are assigned to this unsolved and rather bizarre case. A real page-turner.

Thank you to my local library for providing me with a free copy of this new thriller. :-)

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Abandoned at 40% due to boredom. Very disappointing.

[Stewart Tame · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually finished the book a few days ago, but have been struggling to write the review.

As I've said before, I'm a huge fan of Preston and Child, both collectively and individually. I discovered the Relic shortly before the movie came out, and have been a fan ever since.

This means that I barely even read the jacket descriptions. It's enough simply for me to know that it's a Preston and/or Child book. If they released a collection of their old shopping lists–not that they would, but you know what I mean-I'd probably buy it. Probably the sequel as well. Just take the number of stars and gushing praise with a grain of salt–that's all I'm saying.

Anyway, such abject fandom makes writing a review difficult. Typing "I ♡ P&C" over and over again, in review after review, may be fun for me, but no one's going to want to read it. No one sane, anyway.

So Dead Mountain is based on the Dyatlov Pass incident. A quick Google search will turn up all the details you need. Suffice to say that the basic concept of a group of experienced campers exiting their tent in below zero weather and subsequently perishing of exposure is grounded in a bizarre, yet true story. Doug wrote an article about it recently for the New Yorker. By changing the setting to the mountains of New Mexico, and coming up with their own unique take on the story, Preston and Child have come up with a mystery worthy of Corrie and Nora's talents.

Yes, this is the fourth book of the series, but don't let that stop you from reading it. There are minor continuity points that might be spoiled from reading out of order, but nothing worth stressing over. Beginning at the beginning is all well and good, but you shouldn't let a lack of familiarity with previous installments put you off of starting here if it's the first one you've encountered. Dive in. You'll be fine.

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fourth book in the Nora Kelly/Corrie Swanson series by Preston & Child. I had read the first three in the series and found them very compelling and enjoyable so I was definitely looking forward to this one. I was not disappointed. This one had Nora, the archaeologist, agreeing to help Corrie, the FBI agent, in exhuming some Indian remains found in a cave in the mountains of New Mexico. But as the cave is further explored, a couple of more recent bodies are found. These were identified as two bodies that were part of a backpacking trip back in 2008 where for some reason the mountaineers fled from their tent resulting in the deaths of six of the group with three others never found. Well two of the three were found in the cave. So what happened to the backpackers in 2008? Searchers found that the tent they were in had been slashed open on the side because something bizarre scared them and was apparently blocking the front entrance to the tent. The group fled in various stages of dress, some with minimal clothing and no shoes. They fled into a blizzard which was certain death for them. But why? Well, with the discovery of the two bodies, the case is reopened with Corrie as the lead FBI investigator. In the mean time, Nora and her brother Skip returned to the cave to excavate the two Native American bodies to return them to the Isleta Pueblo for burial. But the local sheriff does not agree they are within their rights so tries to stop them. This results in Skip being arrested for assault on the Sheriff. But was he really at fault?

I found this overall to be another engaging thriller in the series. What really happened to the backpackers from 2008 was really a bizarre story and the authors were able to really put some interesting twists to the story. Along with this is the side story of Skip's arrest and his trial with a very hard-nosed Native American as his attorney. The story kept me turning the pages although I did have some other personal matters come up while I was reading this so it took me longer to read than normal. I will be looking forward to the next in the series.

[Andrew Belleci · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow, this is one was bad. A college pharmaceutical engineer decides to test an antidepressant he developed on his unsuspecting friends while caught in a blizzard during a winter backpacking trip which makes them all trip-balls and run out into the storm to their deaths. We don't know this yet so Corrie Swanson must figure it out. As an aside Nora Kelly's dipshit brother Skip gets accused of attempted murder against the Sheriff and goes through a trial and ultimately gets off. Holy crap this was stupid. I died on that mountain.

[Ярослава]

Книжка, начебто створена для духовних потреб тих, хто любить історію про перевал Дятлова, але з очевидних причин не готовий лазити на російські форуми по нову дозу конспірології: це фактично переказ історії про перевал Дятлова, але вже в американському антуражі, з дуже подібними конспірологічними теоріями, тільки адаптованими до американських реалій. Якщо ви, як я, любите цю історію, не сильно зацікавлені в пошуку дефінітивного пояснення (бо ми ніколи не дізнаємося енівей), а цінуєте сам вайб, то це для вас. Але при цьому це, на жаль, книжка, на прикладі якої я зрозуміла концепцію "рожевоволосих дітей" - автори, звісно, двоє чоловіків пенсійного віку, але всі герої у своїй взаємодії з законом і суспільством поводяться так, ніби книжку написали рожевоволосі діти. Давайте викрадемо дещо з місця злочину, щодо якого триває розслідування, бо так морально правильно - а давайте! Давайте нападемо на шерифа і не чекатимемо на наслідки - а давайте! Ядерна зброя це зло бо зло, й ось-ось буде ядерний апокаліпсис (попиздіть тут мені з безпечних США, дебіли блядь)! Дуже химерний ефект.

[Zai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me gustan mucho las novelas de Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child, ésta en concreto está entre las que más me han gustado de la serie de Nora Kelly y Corrie Swanson.

La novela comienza con el descubrimiento por unos jóvenes en una cueva, de los cadáveres de indios pueblo isleta, la investigación corre a cargo de la agente Swanson y su supervisor Sharp, que le piden ayuda a Nora para autentificar los restos.

Pero mientras los autentifican, descubren otros 2 cadáveres más hacia el interior de la cueva, y creen que puedan ser 2 de los estudiantes desaparecidos del antiguo caso de La Montaña Muerta, 15 años antes algunos estudiantes ya habían sido encontrados en la sierra de Manzano....

Me ha gustado mucho esta novela, muy interesante de principio a fin, y tiene el añadido que está basada en hechos reales....

La novela se inspira en una historia real misteriosa, desconocida y apasionante - el incidente del paso Diátlov -, en el que nueve montañeros murieron en circunstancias extrañas en 1959, en la antigua Unión Soviética.

[Valerie Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book by Preston and Child with the Dyatlov Pass Incident vibes? Please do take my money, posthaste.

Maybe my favorite Nora Kelly book yet? Preston and Child might have finally figured out how to write women...neither Corrie nor Nora were annoying, and they treated each other with respect. The mystery was a copy and paste of the Dyatlov Pass Incident, but I didn't mind that at all. I loved how it all ended up, and there were some good false solves and twists. Since I refuse to believe it was katabatic wind, I was very satisfied with the ending. Still a few editing things that need worked out, but overall I loved it.

[Bill Riggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find the Dyatlov Pass incident to be a fascinating mystery and was really looking forward to this take on it. However the ultimate reveal, to me, seemed lacking and underwhelming. Maybe I was just expecting too much. Still it was a great read and a definite page turner. If you are familiar am with any of the authors other series you will definitely enjoy this entry into their Nora Kelly line.

[Lukasz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nora Kelly and Corrie Swanson are extremely likable characters. I think it was the best entry in the series so far.

[Jaksen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I read it BEFORE Book #3. Bad me.

Nora Kelly, forensic anthropologist/archaeologist and Corrine Swason, one-time wild party girl but now junior FBI agent, tackle a big one here. It does seem that two quite drunk young men, trapped in a New Mexico snowstorm, have stumbled into a cave for shelter and discovered...

Bodies. First off: two which are prehistoric, of possibly indigenous origin. Then, while investigating these, two more individuals from the modern era are also found. Turns out that this second pair were part of the 'Dead Mountain' event of some years ago. It's all meticulously presented, both the archaeological details and the more modern forensic ones. I love reading this stuff and Preston and Child always do a fantastic, well-researched job with both. Who are these 'older' bodies and who has the rights to them? Should they be studied? Stuck in a lab somewhere? Or returned to the people to whom they belong? (This is an ongoing question and debate IRL, too.)

As for the more modern pair, what about them? It does seem they were part of a nine-person hiking group which got lost in a storm some years ago. Despite being comprised of individuals experienced in hiking and outdoor survival, most succumbed in various ways. As well, a few were unaccounted for until discovery in this cave. (This episode mirrors a similar one which occurred in the Soviet Union even longer ago, and hence, the idea for this book!)

There is a lot going on here! Crooked officials. Investigative authorities battling over jurisdiction, (Again, like IRL) Skip, Nora's brother is present and gets tangled up in things - he's a hot-heated but entirely likeable character. Then there's Corrie, the FBI, and her part in the investigation. IMO Nora, Corrine and Skip are three of the BEST characters Misters Preston and Child have ever created. I hope they've plans to continue this series.

Now, I need to go write my review for Book #3, which I finished shortly after #4.

I own these books.

Five stars on this one.

[Emily Graves · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was..lackluster. There were a lot of things that just didn't make sense, and it felt like it dragged out at times. Also felt repetitive, not only with itself but with the previous books too.

That said, I really like the new FBI agent introduced, and I like the way some character relationships evolved, especially in the epilogue. I've read enough Preston and Child books to know that every now and then there's one that is kind of a dud, and then they come back with renewed vigor. I look forward to seeing where that takes them next.

[Tanja Berg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two frat boys find a skeleton in a cave. FBI agent Corinne Swanson investigates. At first it seems it’s only old Indian bones. However, at the back of the cave two bodies out of nine hikers lost 15 years ago are found. The case of the hikers and what could possibly have happened to them is re-opened. By this time, the archaeologist Nora is on the scene to help with the old bones, along with her trouble finding brother Skip.

There really was a case of nine lost hikers, found with traces of radiation. Two of them crushed, some of them
burned. All of them slashed out of their tents and run half dressed into a blizzard. However, the real case is from the Ural Mountains in 1950’s (?) and our current setting is New Mexico.

The author takes the bones of the story and builds quite another one. There is also a side plot of Skip being tried for attempted murder. It’s all a bit over the top, but I enjoyed it!

[❀⊱RoryReads⊰❀ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars

Enjoyable, but not one of Preston & Child's best. It was great being with Corrie and Nora again.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks Edelweiss for the ARC.
I love Lincoln/Child books and this new Nora Kelly story does not disappoint.
Based on some true events I could not put this one down.