The Challenge

A small community is put to the test in this gripping book by #1 New York Times bestselling author Danielle Steel when their kids vanish while exploring a treacherous local peak, compelling them to stick together through the crisis.

Anne and Pitt Pollock, the owners of the prosperous Pollock ranch and local royalty, were high school sweethearts and still reside in Fishtail, Montana. The hamlet is surrounded by the expansive foothills of the Beartooth Mountains, which provide a view of the Pollocks' land and Bill and Pattie Brown's neighboring ranch. Since their early years, the two couples have known one another.

Peter Pollock and Matt Brown, their kids, are also the closest of friends. The five of them become best friends and spend their summer days swimming, horseback riding, hiking, and fishing after they and two other neighborhood children meet Juliet Marshall, who recently moved to the area following her parents' acrimonious divorce.

But when they find themselves stranded on Granite Peak one August afternoon, their most recent adventure takes a perilous turn and swiftly turns into a struggle for survival. As their parents become more and more frantic to learn that their children have been found, fear echoes throughout the community. They had to set aside their personal struggles in the midst of a big search and rescue effort. A media frenzy breaks out as they start to rely on one another for support, which exacerbates tensions and puts some already shaky relationships to the test.

Devastating secrets come to light, a new love emerges, and families are compelled to reevaluate their once-held beliefs in the wake of this one tragic occurrence. Danielle Steel skillfully crafts a story in The Challenge that is both a powerful account of the ties that bind family and love and a portrayal of courage.