Book Review: Shiver

Fans of locked-room mysteries rejoice! Former snowboarder turned author Allie Reynolds delivers a thoroughly satisfying and consistently surprising mystery in her chilling, propulsive debut Shiver. Five friends — Curtis, Milla, Brent, Dale, and Heather — gather for a reunion at a deserted French Alps resort 10 years after the tragic events that led to the disappearance of Saskia, Curtis's younger sister, putting a premature end to their promising snowboarding careers. But as it turns out, not only is it unclear as to who set up the get-together, they find themselves isolated and cut off from the rest of the world when their phones and laptops are snatched away, leading them to suspect that they have been deliberately lured into the cold for a sinister purpose. Recalling a setup that's evocative of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None and Murder on the Orient Express, Reynolds alternates the narrative back and forth between the past and the present, while simultaneouly dialing up the tension, as the trapped friends find it increasingly harder to trust one another, with old resentments and misgivings turning everyone into a potential suspect. Reynolds, to her credit, also renders the claustrophobic Alpine landscape a vividness that's complemented by fresh insights into the hyper-competitive sport of snowboarding. An atmospheric winter ride that sweeps along a twisty, winding path of deception and secrets.