Thunder Snow is a harrowing story that will keep you reading to find out if 28-year-old Brandon Chase lives or dies.
This is Monmouth resident Thomas Torrington’s third novel, and it is a terrific tale. Chase snowshoes up the back side of Saddleback Mountain to tent out and ski down one of the trails the next day. Saddleback has been closed for years so no one else was there.
And Chase was shocked by the historic snowstorm which hit him before he got to the top of the mountain. He managed to get his tent up and by the next day it was totally covered in snow. He had to cut his way out of the tent and he lost his skis.
And then the story goes from bad to worse. Chase is severely injured and, what’s worse, no one knows where he is. He told his girlfriend that he was going to have this adventure on a mountain but he didn’t tell her which mountain. The initial search for Chase focused on Sugarloaf and not Saddleback.
I don’t want to give away the ending but I can tell you that Torrington’s characters are very real and he’s exceptionally good at writing dialogue. From Chase’s girlfriend to the lady who delivers weather reports on TV 6, this book moves you very quickly forward.
I had to hustle to finish it on Friday night before our son, daughter-in-law, and two young granddaughters arrived for the weekend. I knew the granddaughters would keep me busy and I had to know how the book ended before they arrived. Luckily I did.
I guarantee you will enjoy this book. And you will race through it, as I did.
You can learn more at www.thomasjtorrington.com.