FADE TO WHITE
by Wendy Clinch
A skier’s big-city ex-boyfriend forces her into another mystery when all she wants to do is catch fresh powder.
When fading actor Harper Stone comes to the Vermont mountains to tackle his latest project, a mouthwash commercial, he brings with him a bunch of industry wannabes. The hangers-on include Stacey Curtis’s former fiancé, Brian Russell, who’s trying to worm his way back into her life. Although things aren’t steady with her ski buddy/maybe boyfriend Chip, the last thing Stacey wants to do is get dragged into Brian’s life again. This is harder than Stacey thinks it should be. It’s easy enough to ignore Brian when he’s talking Hollywood with his pals as Stacey tends bar at the Broken Binding, but it’s impossible to ignore him when he becomes the last person who saw Harper Stone alive after Stacey finds the corpse buried in the snow. Now Stacey’s got the inside scoop, especially because she’s still renting a room at the sheriff’s house. Does Stacey want to help her ex by digging around to find the truth, or would she rather leave him hung out to dry as she skis off into the sunset? A subplot about a possible drug-smuggling ring and a confusing twist will leave readers guessing which turns the trail will take.
A bunny slope with less suspense but more surprises than Double Black (2010).