Trespass

The author of In a Place Dark and Secret returns with an often commonplace tale about death and the other dangers that confront an outdoor survival expedition in Montana's Beartooth Mountains. Three of the nine climbers, including narrator Ray Furlow, are colleagues in a Maryland data-control firm where the boss, Jonas Poague, uses risky trips to screen potentially promotable employees. Also on the trek are Eleanor, whose husband has abandoned her; Donnie, a delinquent teen sentenced to the trip for having stolen a car; Charlie, a young bookworm who won the outing in a short story contest; and Gary and Andrea, the troop's leaders. Finch often loses his foothold when he attempts to capture the agonies of hiking in the snow. However, as various parties begin dying, forcing Ray to tackle life-and-death questions, the novel finally succeeds in bringing the reader's interest in from the cold. 40,000 first printing; $50,000 ad/promo; Reader's Digest Condensed Books selection; film rights to Lorimar. (September 14)