First Tracks

This uneven series launch from O’Connell (The Last Night Out) introduces Greta Westerlind, of the Aspen, Colo., ski patrol. Greta, who has survived an avalanche that killed a friend, wakes up in the hospital with no memory of the accident. She no sooner arrives home than what appears to be a furnace malfunction fills her house with carbon monoxide. She escapes, but ends up once again in the hospital being treated by handsome physician Duane Larsen. Greta’s world is further complicated when someone close to her comes under suspicion for the murder of a young local woman. She readily accepts an all-expense paid trip to St. Moritz, Switzerland, from a grateful billionaire whose child she rescued on the slopes, believing that it will allow her to leave her worries behind. Instead, she uncovers evidence that the world’s great ski slopes have become the hunting ground of a serial killer. Her detective skills are paltry at best, with clues arising from chance meetings and impetuous travel plans. Still, the descriptions of skiing and cold-weather survival skills grip. Those who enjoy reading about the lifestyles of the horribly rich will be most rewarded. Agent: Helen Breitwieser, Cornerstone Literary. (July)