This was a tough read — the abduction, the violence, and the relentless descriptions of the days in captivity were hard to take. It was almost too much detail. I am glad to be done and take a deep, cleansing breath. I’m giving it 3.5 stars and rounding up. But be forewarned, it’s harrowing.
This is another book by the author that draws on a true story but is mostly fiction. In 1984, a 24-year old athlete, Kari Swenson, was abducted by two men in Montana. The story in this book is not that story.
Miley Petrowski is a biathlete who suffered injuries that kept her off the Olympic podium but she hasn’t given up. Even though she’s taken a summer job as a kitchen worker at the Hidden Springs Resort in the Frank Church Wilderness in Idaho, she still manages to find time to run and train for her comeback. Her best friend and fellow team member, Brent, stayed behind but will be getting in shape as well for their next attempt. Fortunately Miley has found a great trail for her workouts. Unfortunately, she’s abducted from an icy alpine lake where she swam. A father and son living off the grid in their mountain cabin have taken her captive as part of their plan for when SHTF. They need to tame her so she doesn’t escape. She thinks she’s found an unlikely ally, but no one can be trusted when these two brutal maniacs are in control.
I know I would have lasted about 10 minutes tops in that cabin with those men. The level of trauma Miley experienced was tremendous and it was hard to keep reading about what she was subjected to in her prison.
I was able to listen to the audiobook while also following along in the e-book. The two narrators, Megan Tusing and Will Dameon, did a fantastic job of voicing the characters and making the book come alive even more so than plain text alone. Their dramatic flair definitely enhanced the story as it was an excellent production.
PS at the end of the book, there is the opportunity to download a very short chapter that tells more about Rayna. It’s called After the Dark. It’s free.
This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Genre tags - abduction, violence against women, athletes, captivity, prepper types