I’ve read several wonderful books this summer. I’m sure at least one of these will have some appeal for the readers of this column.

The Mountain Between Us

By Charles Martin

Broadway Books, 2010, $21

Martin is the author of “Where the River Ends,” a book I thoroughly loved. He says in the acknowledgements that he had written one book between the publication of that book and this one, only to have it rejected.

I don’t know what the problem was with the rejected manuscript, but I’m here to tell you that Martin has written a compelling story that grabbed me from the first page. It’s a story of love, survival and learning what’s really important.

Journalist Ashley Knox and Dr. Ben Payne meet while waiting for their flight back to Atlanta. When all flights are canceled due to a snowstorm, Ben decides to hire a private pilot to fly him to Denver, where he hopes to get a connecting flight.

There’s room for one more, so he asks Ashley, who is trying to get home for her upcoming rehearsal and wedding, if she wants to ride. The two head off in a plane with Grover and his dog, Tank. Things take a bad turn when Grover has a heart attack, the plane crashes in the mountains and Ashley and Ben are both injured. From that point on, every decision made could mean life or death.

Death Echo

By Elizabeth Lowell

William Morrow, 2010, $24.99

Lowell continues her series featuring the employees of St. Kilda’s Consulting, a firm that doesn’t mind getting its hands dirty. Emma Cross, a former CIA agent now working for St. Kilda’s, is sent to Alaska to track down a yacht that has disappeared. Word has it that the yacht’s twin is hiding a weapon that could take out an entire city.

Mackenzie Durand has been hired to deliver the yacht to its new owner. Mac is a former special ops member, and he soon realizes that Emma is on his trail. Eventually Mac agrees to work with her and St. Kilda in order to find the bad guys.

Ice Cold

By Tess Gerritsen

Ballantine, 2010, $26

If I see Gerritsen’s name on the cover, I know I am guaranteed a good read. I’ve followed her since her first book, “Harvest.”

This book features medical examiner Maura Isles and detective Jane Rizzoli, of Boston.

Maura has been attending a convention where she runs into a former medical school friend. He convinces her to come with him, his daughter and a couple of friends for a couple of days at a nearby lodge.When their SUV gets stuck in snow on an obviously unused road, the little group finds a cluster of 12 homes in their quest for shelter. What they’ve found makes Maura uneasy. She believes a crime has been committed.

When Maura doesn’t come back home as scheduled, Jane and her husband head for Wyoming to assist in the investigation. Lots of twists and turns and action.