It's been 18 years since John Smolens gave us COLD, and introduced us to Del Maki, the dogged and resourceful sheriff of a small township near Marquette in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. In COLD, Smolens' third book, Maki was just one of a fascinating cast of characters, but he was the unifying element of the chilling suspense novel that left many of his readers, I am sure, wishing for more of Maki's story. Well now, in OUT, Smolens' eleventh book, look out, old Maki's back. And Smolens once again sets his story deep in a dangerous and obliterating blizzard of a UP winter, making the weather almost an additional character, much like the river was in James Dickey's DELIVERANCE so many years ago.

This latest offering finds a 70-ish Maki, retired, widowed, and recovering from a second hip replacement. He lives alone, deep in the woods, or "out," as Yoopers call living off the grid, or nearly so, as Maki does. Still grieving the loss of his wife, Del has been gloomily contemplating his future, "waiting" for something, perhaps "impossible to determine." This quiet existence is unexpectedly shattered when his young, very pregnant, visiting physical therapist is stranded by the storm at his place. They are soon joined by her two boyfriends, Connor and Barr. This love triangle had already been upended by a savage beating Connor had given Barr, leaving him for dead in the snow of the approaching storm. Now all three are uneasily reunited at Del's place, with a pistol-packing Barr holding the other two hostage, and Del is forced to act as an intermediary, trying to protect the pregnant girl. Another character, known only as Essi, a kind of aging woods spirit, is also part of the cast. Her past remains mysterious and shrouded, and I wondered if her character had something to do with the concept of reincarnation, mentioned earlier in the story.

There is violence, there is blood. The storm itself joins the cast when a giant tree crashes through the roof, letting in wind and cold, and pinning people down, necessitating axes, saws and ingenuity. Maki's role here, because of his age and infirmity, brought to mind the protagonist of Hitchcock's "Rear Window," confined to a wheelchair. And indeed, Del spends most of his time sitting on a couch or stool, or hobbling precariously about with a cane. So. A hero? Damn straight, a hero, albeit an unlikely one.

But you'll get no spoilers from me. OUT is pure vintage Smolens, who knows how to create suspense and build to a chilling climax. And the characters. All of them (except perhaps the mysterious and elusive 'Esssi') are fleshed out, given backstories, motives, brought to life. Even the villain, Barr. But especially Del Maki, that hero from COLD. Now we know, as Paul Harvey used to say, "the rest of the story." Thanks, John. To all of Smolens' many fans, especially those who've wondered for years what happened next with Del Maki, I say, READ THIS BOOK. I will recommend it highly.

- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER ( )