Synopses & Reviews
An electrifying new novel of murder and menace from the
New York Times best-selling author of
A Density of Souls.
Atherton University, freshman year. Kathryn, Randall, and Jesse come from different worlds, but find themselves unexpectedly drawn together. For each of them, college promises a bright future and a way to disconnect from a dark, haunted past. But as winter sets in, their secret histories threaten to disrupt the layers of deceit that protect their fragile new lives.
One dark night a professor's wife is drowned in an icy river, and rumors of murder threaten the safe haven of Atherton. Within days, Randall's illicit affair with the professor is about to be revealed in the local press. Then, an old mystery emerges from the shadows as people recall the discovery of a co-ed's corpse in a frozen creek twenty years before. Gradually, the three friends find themselves snared in a web of lies, a web spun long before their days of Atherton. Snowbound on the university campus, they are unwitting captives of a malevolent force that drives them inexorably toward the "snow garden" of the title a place of nightmares that is all too real, and all too near.
Electrifying in its intensity, with a plot that accelerates with every page, The Snow Garden is an unforgettable read a psychological thriller and a modern horror story that probes the terrible weight of the past on the present and the corrosive power of secrets. Christopher Rice proved himself to be a remarkable talent with the best-selling A Density of Souls. His stunning new novel will establish him as a master of his craft.
Review
"The Snow Garden is gothic in content and tone, a dark picture of the lengths people go to so they can hide their true selves....Christopher Rice is a talented, creative, and intellectual writer who knows how to lay bare the truth about human nature." Harriet Klausner, BookBrowser
Synopsis
When a respected professor's wife drives to her death in an icy river, an illicit relationship between a student and his teacher threatens to come to light, and within days Atherton University is the scene of escalating speculation and intrigue. As in "A Density of Souls, " Christopher Rice explores the dynamic within a tightly knit group of young people haunted by sexual memories and fears and driven by obscure desires.