A remote back-to-basics mountaintop retreat in the French Alps turns deadly as a widowed Oxford fellow finds herself in the crosshairs of her late husband's dangerous secrets.
The Chalet des Anglais should be the ideal locale for Oxford fellow Emily to cut through the fog of her grief over the loss of her husband. With no electricity, running water, or access by car, the rustic chalet nestled at the foot of the verdant, snow-topped Alps should afford Emily both time and space to heal. Joining her will be a collection of friends from the university, as well as other fellows, graduates, and undergraduates.
But before she even makes it to the airport, Emily interrupts a break-in at her home. Upon her arrival, she detects tension among the assembled group of undergrads, graduate students, and fellow academics. The first night there, Emily unwittingly discovers an inappropriate sexual liaison between an undergrad and a colleague, and following a sleepless night, Emily determines that someone has been searching through her things here, too. When the student disappears, and Emily notices her late husband's number in the girl's call history, she realizes that she'd better separate friend from foe and fast-or the next disappearance may be her own. Lexie Elliott grew up in Scotland, at the foot of the Highlands. She graduated from Oxford University, where she obtained a doctorate in theoretical physics. A keen sportswoman, she works in fund management in London, where she lives with her husband and two sons. The rest of her time is spent writing, or thinking about writing, and juggling family life and sport.
