Danger -- Falling Rocks

A wealthy financier insists that his family join him on the yearly backpacking trip he takes through the Sierra Nevada, and several of his children are far from pleased about it. Their reluctance soon becomes the least of their worries, because people in the group begin to die. Ranger Dan Courtwright is the first officer to reach the scene. He works the case alongside his friend, Sheriff Cal Healey, and the investigation carries them to a frightening and tense conclusion.

The story is set in the high country of the Sierra, where the wilderness is both a backdrop and a source of danger. It is the first of the Dan Courtwright mysteries, so readers meet the ranger here before he appears in later books.

The author spent his earliest summers in the Sierra, where his father worked as a ranger, and he has since hiked thousands of miles through those mountains. His website, www.backpackthesierra.com, is used as a reference by outdoor enthusiasts. He has won international awards for his non-fiction books.