The Ascent

July 19, 2010
A challenge to undertake a dangerous climb in the Himalayas in Nepal might help Tim Overleigh salvage his life or lose it in Malfi's harrowing tale of six men following one man's obsession on a nearly impossible quest. Andrew Trumbauer, a rich, eccentric, charismatic daredevil, assembles and outfits the group of men, each chosen by him for a particular reason. Overleigh, once a noted sculptor, descended into alcoholism after his wife, Hannah, left him and was later killed in a car accident. The men's route leads from the Valley of Walls to the Sanctuary of the Gods and the Hall of Mirrors before reaching the never before crossed Canyon of Souls. Intense descriptions of the rigors of the climb alternate with Overleigh's backstory and his growing realization that Trumbauer has more than one agenda. Malfi (Shamrock Alley) delivers a nearly straightforward adventure story of man against the elements with man being the most dangerous element of all.

August 1, 2010
Sculptor Tim Overleigh is still recoveringbut very slowlyfrom the shock of the death of his ex-wife (who had left him for another man). When an old friend asks Tim to join him on a mountaineering expedition in the Himalayas, Tim balks at first but eventually acquiesces. He soon realizes there may be more to this climb than meets the eye. Malfi brings the same feel for character and setting to this novel as he did to Shamrock Alley(2009). Tim Overleighs mental anguish and self-torture after the death of his ex-wife are presented dramatically but not unrealistically, and the events of the ill-fated climbing expedition are related in a straightforward style that, at certain moments, achieves a sort of documentary realism. Malfi, like the great documentarians, really makes us feel as though we are there. Another fine effort from this increasingly interesting writer.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)