Two childhood friends are reunited under the worst possible circumstances in this unique snowbound thriller by novelist Ralph Reynolds, who draws on his experience living in the American West.

The novel opens on neophyte meteorologist Samantha, who is fretting over the ominous intersection of three dangerous weather fronts over Utah’s mountainous Wasatch Range. She warns her supervisors that this explosive weather front could drop a foot an hour over one of the country’s most popular resort destinations, possibly for days.

Next we meet petroleum engineer Matthew, who has been called away from his overwhelming job to meet his old friend Jason, a snow ranger for the forest service near the world-famous Lucite Ski Resort. Lucite lies under the Killvein Basin, a long-renowned threat for avalanches. “According to the law of averages we don’t have to worry much about Killvein,” Jason tells Matthew. “The miners were plenty scared of it, though. I guess with good reason. That big one killed a lot of ‘em.”

Naturally, the worst comes to pass. An avalanche comes crashing down the mountain, killing Jason’s wife and son instantly and trapping 6,000 people under the looming threat of Killvein Basin. Reynolds layers what is already a tense story with a remarkable array of complications, including suspicions that Jason brought the avalanche down on purpose to thwart a thug and his gang.

The Killvein White provides a thrilling, well-crafted adventure with solid yet straightforward explanations of avalanche defense techniques and graphic scenes of nature’s ferocity that highlight a cast of very believable, human characters. Anyone who enjoys wintry thrillers such as Matthew Reilly’s Ice Station or Greg Rucka’s Whiteout should find Reynolds’ disaster novel highly appealing.

Highly recommended for fans of Greg Rucka or Matthew Reilly.