THE SURVIVAL of strangers in a frigid mountain wilderness is the theme of Charles Martin's new novel, "The Mountain Between Us."

Readers will be immediately caught up in the story of Dr. Ben Payne, who, when stranded due to inclement weather at Salt Lake City, hires a private plane to fly him over the Rockies to Denver in order to make a connecting flight home to Florida in time for scheduled surgeries the next day.

The charter has an extra seat, and Ben invites an attractive reporter he met in the terminal to come along; her wedding is impending and she needs to get back to Atlanta as soon as possible.

Racing against the approaching snowstorm, the seasoned pilot--and his Jack Russell terrier--pack some emergency gear and the plane takes off.

Ben notices the grizzled pilot's odd cough while the three chat as the small plane flies at low altitude, and advises him to have it checked when he returns to Salt Lake City.

But minutes later the pilot suffers a massive heart attack, and the plane goes down in the desolate High Uintas Wilderness. The pilot is dead; Ashley, the reporter, is seriously injured with multiple broken bones; and Ben, with broken ribs and a shaking dog, must take stock of their desperate condition.

So begins the book with its tale of Ben and Ashley's harrowing mission to survive. Facing icy temperatures, deep snow, darkness and the threat of wild animals, Ben's medical background and inner strength are critical to their survival.

Adding to the physical disaster are Ben's and Ashley's emotional states. She begins to get to know Ben better as she watches him cope with their desperate situation. More importantly, she listens to messages he periodically speaks into a voice recorder as he "talks" to his absent wife, Rachel, throughout the crisis. Ashley begins to realize her relationship with her fiance is missing the depth of connection she hears in Ben's as he expresses his thoughts and feelings to his wife.

The story of their fight to survive in the frigid mountain setting is riveting. But the conclusion is even more of a surprise.

Charles Martin has skillfully crafted a story about love that goes beyond the predictable, and culminates with a twist that will leave the reader shocked and affected.

"The Mountain Between Us" is a suspenseful, touching novel that reflects the author's deft hand at storytelling.

Beverly Meyer is a copy editor at The Free Lance-Star.