In elementary school, I absolutely loved the Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan. Thus my expectations were high for his new, more adult-oriented series. Unfortunately, Storm Peak did not live up to this high standard. Storm Peak follows the story of fictional detective, Jesse Parker, in his pursuit of a serial killer in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Skiers are being brutally murdered on the slopes of a famous ski resort, and the town is losing visitors left-and-right. Parker teams up with sheriff Lee Torrens to catch the killer. One of the disappointing aspects of the novel was despite having many leads throughout the first two-thirds of the story, Parker and Torrens never gave the killer any close calls. Instead they arrested two others who ended up not being related to the murder. Readers never got the feeling the investigators were anywhere close to capturing the murderer until the final fifty pages of the book. This made the majority of the book boring. In addition, when Parker and Torrens finally located the killer and became trapped in a standoff, I never feared for their lives. In my opinion, there was this sense of confidence in the "good-guys" that left not doubt in readers minds that anything would occur other than a successful capture. The entire story just wasn't very believable, and I don't plan on reading the second book of the series. This is an intriguing murder mystery set at Steamboat Springs, Colorado, featuring a serial killer who takes pleasure in killing right under the noses of the local police. Lee Torrens, the sheriff of Steamboat Springs, asks her old friend and ex-lover Jesse Parker to help her, for he was used to work as a detective in Denver, having given up police work with the death of his partner. Matters are complicated by the arrival of Jesse’s ex-wife and the fanning of the embers of old feelings between Lee and Jesse.
What do You think about Storm Peak (2000)?
This was such a fun book to read. I will be waiting for the next thriller from Mr Flanagan.
—shokolo
I enjoyed the book - particularly since it takes place in Steamboat Springs where I live.
—scarlet
