Set in Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley of Colorado, this is the tale of a snowbound mountain town with a remarkable secret to protect from outsiders – a secret worth dying for, and perhaps worth killing for.
Dennis Conway, New York criminal lawyer, has moved to Colorado to marry Sophie, the beautiful mayor of the 9,000-feet-high secluded hamlet of Springhill. When his new in-laws are charged with hunting down and murdering two of their close friends, Dennis is shocked, disbelieving, and he defends Sophie’s parents at trial in Aspen.
What he learns in the course of his investigation is a stunning portrait of social contract in the interests of longevity – a love story, a murder story, and a skiing story with the most remarkable avalanche scene ever written.
“An extraordinarily entertaining and thoughtful combination of Lost Horizons and Presumed Innocent. Not only is it a mystery–on at least two levels–but it poses troubling questions concerning prolonged life and its ultimate value. — Booklist
“Irving delivers a parable about aging and euthanasia that’s spare of prose and thoroughly creepy; book discussion groups will love it. Recommended for all libraries.”– Library Journal
“Irving drives his narrative from the fantastic to the realistic and back again, playing a game that’s sure and steady.” — Publishers Weekly
