Incredible amount of research . Great story telling

9 hikers rush into negative twenty degree temperatures with no shoes, no coats, and no hope of survival. What possessed them to flee? This was a SUPER interesting incident and fascinating to learn more about. The content was worth 5 stars, but I was honestly a bit taken out by the author’s recounting of his own trip to Dyatlov Pass, and often skimmed those chapters to get back to the focal point. Includes photos, testimony, and theory debunking. The authors own theory is masterfully woven at the end. A must read.

It feels like the answers the author was seeking didn’t materialize leading to what amounts to another speculative theory about a mystery that remains intact. If the sonic effects were powerful enough to cause simultaneous psychosis in 9 individuals why not document it, and why only search the area in winter?

Reading this book, I was struck by how dedicated the author was to his quest: to find out how nine, highly skilled Russian mountaineers, all but one students at an engineering school, in peak condition, could have died in the Ural Mountains of Siberia under bizarre, previously inexplicable circumstances having fled their tent in a frenzy. Though it happened in 1959, and investigated for months, the investigators, the hikers’ families, and friends never had a good answer to that question. He researched, traveled and sought scientific explanations when there seemed to be none. The author did an excellent job of uniting the hikers’ stories with the search, rescue and investigators’ stories, and his own search for answers into a rather suspenseful narrative. It reminded me of two books: Slavomir Rawicz’ The Long Walk: The True Story Of A Trek To Freedom, and Finding Everett Ruess by David Roberts. While the former was told by the survivor who escaped from a Siberian gulag (similar backdrop and survival hardships) and the latter by a National Geographic writer/editor who had hoped to solve the mysterious disappearance of a young artist who wandered in the desert Southwest through research and retracing his footsteps. (Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild might also be comparable.) If you enjoy exploring this sort of mystery from the comfort and safety of your home, this is a good choice of books, as are the others mentioned. Even though this tragic even took place long ago, in a distant land, to people we do not know, the author provides reasons for you care and an adventure in problem solving with a garnish of science.

This book is well written, and something that I found unique is the alternation of the chapters.

I flew through this book in two nights. Very interesting story told in a way that is easy to follow. Only complaint would be how easily he dismisses all other theories and how sure he is of his own. His theory is good though.

Very well written. I could not put this book down. Some very interesting and plausible theories regarding this great mystery.

Dead Mountain was a highly entertaining book. I read it continuously evening after evening though I was sleepy. Yet I was able to stay alert enough to reach the end of a chapter. Because of the human interest of this tragic adventure as well as its international interest on a historical scale, the book moved the reader through eagerly to get to the end to discover what happened to this young group of friends. The author has done an excellent job of research to discover, what I believe to be the most plausible theory of what really happened to this group.

This is a well researched and fascinating account of a tragic Mystery. Well written and was interesting to the very last page.

Started reading at 10pm and finished at 4:30am. Couldn't stop. I love the lay out of the chapters. His, theirs, investigators... Loved it. Best conclusion I've ever heard for what happened. Scientific. Not just speculation. Love the parallel in the journeys... Loved it. Goodnight!