Jonathan Vail's novel made him famous. His disappearance made him a legend. Thirty-five years ago, the young writer embarked on a camping trip in Utah's Slickrock Canyon, never to be seen again. His journal vanished with him. Now, archivist Claire Reynier, preserver of Vail's legacy, finds herself drawn into literature's most elusive mystery. But separating fact from fiction proves to be a dangerous proposition. The search for the missing diary has led Claire to a case of cold-blooded murder committed in the shadow of Vail family secrets-and linked to a devoted fan determined to keep the mystery of Jonathan Vail's vanishing buried forever.