Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick - ESSENTIAL

Fitzpatrick, Becca  Black Ice, 400 pgs.  Simon and Schuster, 2014.  $18.99  Content:  Language: PG-13 (30 swears); Mature Content: PG-13; Violence: PG-13.  

Britt convinces her best friend Korbie to hike the Teton Range for their senior year spring break, but she is disappointed to find out that Korbie’s brother Calvin is chaperoning them.  Calvin broke up with Britt in the fall without any explanation and although Britt is hoping he sees her and changes his mind, she worries that he will ruin her spring break.  As Korbie and Britt travel the winding road to Korbie’s remote cabin, the weather traps them on the hillside.  They leave the safety of their car in the hopes of finding shelter and they come across two older boys in a run-down cabin.  Korbie and Britt soon find themselves in a hostage situation and their only hope is Calvin finding them.  

This is an intense read.  I couldn’t put it down and I loved the suspenseful plot line.  The constant guessing of who Britt could trust made me second guess myself.  The violence is upsetting-a murdered girl, a hanging and a person gets shot in the head-but it isn’t graphic.  The mature content is a make out session.  

MS-OPTIONAL, HS-ESSENTIAL.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.