Shiver

Milla, the narrator of Reynolds’s exciting if uneven debut, and four other friends travel to an abandoned ski lodge in the French Alps, where they met 10 years earlier, for a reunion. Back then, the five participated in a grueling snowboarding training session, along with another snowboarder, Saskia. Milla had an exceptionally bitter rivalry with Saskia, who vanished without a trace. Soon after their arrival, their cell phones disappear, a snowstorm hits the lodge, and an icebreaker game reveals that one of them may be a murderer. Milla and company discover that their invitations came from a mysterious source, and they also begin to suspect they aren’t alone. The story alternates between the current predicament and the events a decade ago, revealing overlapping conflicts among the characters. Though the action is slow to start, and no one makes a serious effort to escape, Reynolds, a former competitive snowboarder, brings authenticity to her Alpine setting with her detailed descriptions of the sport. Fans of locked-room mysteries will have fun. Agent: Kate Burke, Blake Friedmann Literary (U.K.). (Jan.)