The blizzard has struck and the roads are impassable. The invited guests at the Briar Ridge Lodge are cut off from the rest of the world when the owner, John Galen, is found dead by the woodshed. Galen had invited all the community leaders of Laurel Springs, Georgia, to stay in his mountainside hotel in order to tell them of its impending sale. Somebody doesn't want the hotel to be sold. Now former homicide detective Reverend Harvey Ashe, the pastor of the local Baptist church, must take charge when a second murder occurs. What secrets do these pillars of the local community hide? Can the reverend protect his wife, Sarah, and the other guests and unmask the murderer before an ingenious killer strikes a third time?

Charles M. Poore is a ministry student and a deacon in his local church. He lives in Dallas, Georgia, with his wife, Debra, his teenage son, Andrew, and three Maine coon cats. In addition to mysteries (Agatha Christie is his favorite author), Charles has also been a devoted fan of science fiction and thrillers since his childhood. He also enjoys playing the guitar, listening to his son play piano, and camping.

Death at Briar Ridge is his first book for Avalon.