A daring rescue mission turns into a fight for survival, truth, and justice in this adventurous thriller.
A rescue mission is supposed to end when the person being rescued is finally safe. For Marshall Morris, however, finding a missing teenager in the Rocky Mountains was only the beginning of the trouble. What started as an impulsive attempt to help a young girl in danger eventually becomes the catalyst of an intense psychological struggle, involving survival, friendship, family conflict, and a legal battle that Marshall never expected to face.
Part of the Marshall Morris Is at It Again! series, High in the Rocky Mountains takes readers back a couple years before its predecessor, A Pigeon in the Pen. Here, Marshall is still a high school senior at Justice High, preparing to move to Central Texas University in the fall to play football. Since it’s a prequel, it’s smooth and easy to read as a standalone.
Spring break catches the senior students of Justice High on their way from Texas to Colorado for a fun week of outdoor adventures and beautiful exploration of nature. After arriving at Hidden Valley Ranch, Marshall and his classmates are given a warm welcome and a brief warning about the surrounding wildlife, difficult terrain, and poachers. They are reminded to be careful.
Along with the warnings comes a short announcement about Chrissy Davis, who has recently gone missing after being last seen on a trail. Park Ranger Matt Dillon makes it clear that no one should go looking for her, but everyone should keep an eye out. An official search is expected to begin the following morning.
Marshall, however, has never been good at simply standing by. So, despite the park ranger’s warnings, he decides to search for Chrissy himself, worried the poor girl is frightened and all alone.
But when Marshall finds Chrissy, the rescue does not go quite as expected. After all the concern surrounding her disappearance, Chrissy does not seem like someone who is grateful to have been found. Instead, Marshall soon discovers that getting her safely out of the mountains will be much more difficult than simply finding her. The two encounter several dangers along the way, including a mountain lion, wolves, armed poachers, and a near-death experience in the difficult terrain of the Rocky Mountains.
However, the physical dangers of the mountains are only one part of Marshall’s troubles. The struggle for survival increases months later when a series of accusations leaves Marshall fighting to protect his reputation and his future.
DeLuca brings back a younger, more playful Marshall than we saw in Pigeon in the Pen. Still, his kindhearted nature remains one of his strongest and most admirable qualities, even if sometimes it can also make him seem a little naive. I particularly enjoyed seeing this side of him. He comes across as a true teenager rather than simply the brave young man who is always ready to help others.
High in the Rocky Mountains also introduces a good mix of other characters, some of whom are a delight to get to know, while others are much harder to like.
Graham is one of those delightful characters. In the previous installment, we mainly heard about him as Marshall’s best friend, but he did not have much of a presence in the story. Here, however, their friendship is much more visible. Graham plays an important role when Marshall needs someone who is willing to stand beside him and help uncover the truth. Their friendship feels genuine and offers hope to what is otherwise a stressful time in Marshall’s life.
DeLuca has a strong track record for exploring societal issues throughout the series, and High in the Rocky Mountains is no different. Here, he touches on teenage rebellion, parental overprotection, substance abuse, false accusations, the legal justice system, and the influence of public perception. The conflict between Chrissy and her parents highlights the difficulties that can arise from overprotective and overly strict parenting and how it can sometimes push teenagers away rather than keep them safe. High in the Rocky Mountains also briefly explores the dangers of substance abuse and the serious consequences that can follow when drugs, peer pressure, and poor decisions are involved.
However, the novel does not completely address the seriousness or consequences of Chrissy’s actions. Her manipulation and accusations have the potential to do serious damage to Marshall’s reputation, relationships, and future, but the aftermath feels surprisingly underwhelming given the severity of what occurs. Readers may wish the story explored this more deeply for the sake of Chrissy’s character development.
DeLuca’s writing style is simple, straightforward, and clean. Even with the intricacy of the story and overall tension with family drama and legal conflict, the writing has a natural flow and is never unnecessarily complicated.
High in the Rocky Mountains is a strong addition to the Marshall Morris series, featuring a new side of Marshall, and combining adventure, friendship, family, and societal issues worth talking about.
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