A shocking crime...an innocent man accused...a young girl's betrayal...

Fourteen-year-old Kat longs for the adventurous summer she had spent in the Adirondack wilderness with her horse, Stormwind, and best friend, Randy. But now, home at her family's remote farmhouse, she never imagined that danger lurked in the woods she always loved.

When her rock singer father goes on tour, Kat is dismayed to find her rich and snobby Aunt Betsy arriving to supervise her and her brother, Dave. Things get worse when Dave and Randy find Jake, a kindhearted drifter, wounded in the forest and accused of a terrible crime. Despite Kat's doubts about Jake's innocence, she helps the boys hide him from the police as she struggles with her choice between loyalty and betrayal.

As a powerful blizzard hits, Kat and Jake are forced to flee to an abandoned cabin on Stormwind. With a corrupt cop on their trail, they form an unlikely partnership. But can Kat uncover the truth and clear Jake's name before they both become victims of a killer?

CAST OF CHARACTERS:

Jacob Drake: “Jake,” age 52. A kindhearted drifter who is accused of a violent crime he didn’t commit.  He’s Randy’s best friend, whom he considers his father, who had raised him for five years. 

Katherine “Kat” Normith:  age 14, narrator of the story. She is unsure of Jake's innocence and wonders if Randy and Dave were doing the right thing by hiding him.

Randy Stillwater:  age 15.  Kat’s best friend. 

Emily:  age 14.  Kat’s former best friend.

Dave:  age 11.  Kat’s brother.

Luke:  early 30’s.  Kat and Dave’s father, and Randy’s legal guardian.  An auto mechanic and lead singer in his local band, “The Unchained Sons.”

Aunt Betsy:  mid-40’s.  Kat’s overbearing, wealthy aunt, Luke’s older sister, who comes to stay when Luke is out of town for a month. 

Pierre:  Aunt Betsy’s handsome but gruff French chauffeur.   

Carson: A corrupt police officer who is determined to find the suspect. Cruel, arrogant, and conniving, with a mustache and a bad temper.

Dr. Strats: An unassuming but cunning court-appointed psychiatrist.

Sarah Brock:  age 18.  Kat's friend, an assault and robbery victim whom Jake finds in the woods.

Matthew Bence:  Sarah Brock’s former boyfriend and attacker.