DAMAGED delivers the fast-paced, all too real-life suspense Tyler Zahn fans await, in Cam Torrens’ fourth novel in his popular Colorado-based series.
Cam Torrens' latest Tyler Zahn suspense thriller, DAMAGED, takes us to the edge—literally—of a Colorado dam about to give way, and the beginnings of his flawed character’s transformation to reluctant detective and SAR hero.
DAMAGED features the series' relatable main character, Tyler Zahn, who like the author, lives in the vicinity of the former Colorado mining town, Silverthorne. The town is seated below the sparkling waters of the massive Dillon Reservoir. When Tyler Zahn passes by, he thinks: “You couldn’t pay me to own a house at the bottom of a pile of earth holding back five square miles of water.”
And so thought author Cam Torrens. “Every time I drive by that dam on I-70 it scares me to death, thinking about all that water. That’s what gave me the idea [for DAMAGED],” he explained. His imagination was jazzed by an article he read about the Roberts Tunnel. Torrens “was fascinated by the idea of water going under the Continental Divide,” as I was upon learning the 1960s-era origins of the Dillon Reservoir, contained by an earth-fill dam. The Dillon Dam diverts water from the Blue River Basin through a tunnel under the Continental Divide into the South Platte River Basin to supply the Dever area.
“You couldn’t pay me to own a house at the bottom of a pile of earth holding back five square miles of water” —Author Cam Torrens on Silverthorne, Colorado
In the wake of 9/11, Denver Water announced the dam's abrupt closure, citing “the potential for catastrophic consequences downstream,” while stressing there was no imminent threat. But the utility deemed the risk to downstream Silverthorne too great to leave the dam road open. Since then Denver Water has spent millions to beef up security.
But perhaps not enough to satisfy Tyler Zahn. With as many twists and turns as Zahn faces in a mountainous Search And Rescue operation, DAMAGED imagines a worst-case scenario for historic Silverthorne, seated below the massive reservoir. Torrens' suspense-mystery prequel, involving missing persons, kidnappings, and drug deals, digs deeper — into the opioid crisis, real-estate development wars, and a region facing environmental disaster.
As Zahn struggles to unmask the ruthless forces behind it all, readers will revel in his metamorphosis from pudgy, insecure but once daring Air Force pilot, now retired, to the determined and gutsy guy whose heroics surprise even himself. In his prequel, Torrens has given us a fitting backstory for the beloved character in the Tyler Zahn novels, who never runs from danger, and lives a life not so different from the author himself.
Cam Torrens, a self-described writer, reader, runner, ruminator, writes a lively blog HERE. DAMAGED releases February 27, 2025. PreOrder Now
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