Jeremiah Cuthbert (JC) and Susan, the Shelby amateur sleuth couple, are at it again in the high mountains of Colorado. JC, mustered back into the Navy and given a commission, along with his very talented and charming wife, have been sent there as they journey back from their hair-raising adventures in Fiji by JC’s boss, the four-star admiral in Hawaii. Only they haven’t been told exactly what the problem is. But the opportunity to take up skiing in the spring of the year at what must be the most beautiful location on earth is irresistible. They are urged, nay, ordered to take a vacation at a new small ski resort near Aspen, Colorado, being run by an old colleague of the admiral’s. There is a mystery surrounding an old abandoned mining camp that goes by the name of Molly high above the tree line near the Ruby Mountains. To add to the mystery there is a dangerous man-made scar on the mountain, named for very good reasons, the Crack O’Doom, that has left this camp in isolation for nearly a century. Susan has been warned to stay away from the area from in her inevitable explorations of the mountain while JC is being briefed in Washington, DC. JC finds in his briefing at the highest levels of government that this ski resort and the old camp of Molly are embroiled in an international tangle that threatens the very security of the United States. As expected Susan finds trouble on the mountain and eventually finds the key that untangles Molly’s mysterious puzzle.
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