“The tension, the atmosphere, the dread . . . This is a book that sticks in your head long after the last page.” —Lisa Jewell

The heart-stopping second novel from the author of Nightwatching, in which a father-son ski weekend becomes a desperate fight for survival.

At twelve years old, Zach admires his father almost as much as he fears him. When Bram takes him on a father-son ski trip in the Colorado backcountry with a few select others, Zach feels brave and cautiously optimistic—his mother taught him the ways of the mountain, and the hushed whiteness should quieten Bram’s temper.

But Zach knows his father well enough to always be on high alert: to the shifting dynamics inside the cabin, to his father’s every move, to what lies beyond the warmth of the fireplace. Because something is out there, on the mountain. Something that’s killing animals and picking them clean.

When the trip takes a turn for the worse, Zach fears he’s in more danger than he realized. He’ll have to rely on his own survival skills if he hopes to make it home alive—but will that be enough?

Sometimes it’s smart to be afraid.