SEVEN ALL ALONE

In a shockingly unlucky turn of events, a group of teens in Scotland who as children were abducted by their bus driver again face danger in this thriller.

Maggie Atkins and her fellow survivors find themselves bound for Enrichment Week, a required school hiking trip led by Maggie’s father, Mungo, on Cairn Gealach, a mountain in the Scottish Highlands. Troubling history haunts the survivors, including betrayal by Maggie’s former boyfriend, Ben, who’s now dating Chinese Scottish Stephanie; Stephanie seems to be the sole student who’s not white, and she endures racist jabs from miserable bully Seb. Seb’s twin brother, Lawrence, might be the only person besides Mungo who really wants to be there. Pouring rain and a challenging river crossing set them on course for a crisis almost immediately when Mungo and Maggie’s exuberant friend Ant, who’s nonbinary, becomes separated from the others. The group, rounded out by affable, supportive Cass, a transfer student from London and the lone newcomer, must dig deep to rise to the challenges they face. A gripping blend of action-laden natural disasters and eerie suggestions of paranormal possibility will keep readers on tenterhooks as conditions on the mountain worsen and the seven fight for their lives, all the while contending with the deep rifts that divide them.

An engrossing thriller and propulsive survival story rolled into one.