Whiteout

An avalanche in the Colorado mountains propels this uneven pair of mystery novellas from Pettrey (Blind Spot) and Eason (Target Acquired). In Pettrey’s “Buried in Shadows,” autopsy assistant Cassie Parker returns to the same ski resort where, one year ago, she was blackmailed by a stalker into leaving her best friend Izzy’s brother, Joel, at the altar. Now reunited at Izzy’s wedding, Cassie and Joel have time to talk things out, especially after an avalanche forces them to shelter at the ski lodge. Just as they start confronting their unresolved feelings, Cassie’s stalker resurfaces, determined to keep the pair apart at any cost. In Eason’s “Snowbound Secrets,” trauma surgeon Maya Sullivan is on a much deserved getaway when the same avalanche strands her at a ski resort without cell service. Things start looking up when she runs into her teenage crush, Gideon Price, but then a series of mysterious “accidents” befall her, and it becomes evident Maya is the target of a sinister plot. As their chemistry builds, Maya and Gideon harness their faith to uncover who has it in for Maya—and why—before it’s too late. Unfortunately, the latter third of Pettrey’s novella feels rushed, while Eason undercuts her narrative tension with long blocks of exposition-heavy dialogue. These wintry thrillers fail to deliver the chills. (Feb.)