By: Erica Ferencik
Synopsis
Winifred Allen needs a vacation.
Stifled by a soul-crushing job, devastated by the death of her beloved brother, and lonely after the end of a fifteen-year marriage, Wini is feeling vulnerable. So when her three best friends insist on a high-octane getaway for their annual girls’ trip, she signs on despite her misgivings.
What starts out as an invigorating hiking and rafting excursion in the remote Allagash Wilderness soon becomes an all-too-real nightmare: a greek accident leaves the women stranded, separating them from their raft and everything they need to survive. When night descends, a fire on the mountainside lures them to a ramshackle camp that appears to be their lifeline. But as Wini and her friends grasp the true intent of their supposed saviors, long-buried secrets emerge and lifelong allegiances are put to the test. To survive, Wini must reach beyond the world she knows to harness an inner strength she never knew she possessed.
My Thoughts
I was introduced to this author through an email from VJ Books (vjbooks.com) which is where I get some of my autographed first printings that I collect.I enjoyed the book, even if parts of it were a little on the unbelievable side. Mostly I liked the writing which was descriptive without being overly so, allowing me to fully imagine the setting. The characters were likable, for the most part anyway, though I wish we could have gotten to know them a little more fully. The plot moved along decently, slow at first as the trip began and then picking up. While this is not a story about events that I could imagine taking place in real life, it was still suspenseful enough and kept me reading to find out what happened. I do wish we could have seen a little more from the other characters’ points of view instead of just Wini’s. I just think that would have been interesting. It was a good first novel. I liked it enough that I will happily read the other two by this author. What did you think of it?