Charly Highsmith has learned to depend on no one from the time she was abandoned by her parents. A Street smart she looks after her autistic brother, Jacob. When her father dies, Charly becomes the heir to his estate, which includes a weather-beaten cabin in the Rocky Mountains. Charly can't wait to visit the cabin, linked to childhood memories, so she invites her cousins, Amanda and Cam, to visit the cabin. Up in the mountain, they find themselves trapped between the claws of a vicious killer and the blizzard. Can they outwit the hunter who is determined to take them down or will this nightmare lead to something more sinister?

This suspenseful novel is a thrilling story that is deft and balanced. It is a mesmerizing story that is firm, featuring writing that is fresh and characters that are elaborately explored. Charly was my favorite character and the author imagines her intelligently, making her genuinely flawed, which makes it hard for readers to not like her. The relationships between the characters are convincingly written. The setting is fully drawn and the author's strong imagery augments the entertainment potential of the well-paced, twisty tale. The Excursion by T.O. Paine is a novel that sure packs a punch for fans of thrillers; it is enduring and written in dazzling prose. T.O. Paine has the gift of creating irresistible characters with vivid inner worlds, a setting that captivates readers, and a plot that moves in unexpected directions. This one was a breezy read!