A Haunting in the Arctic: The brand new 2023 chilling gothic thriller from the bestselling author of The Lighthouse Witches and The Ghost Woods
£5.70
Something has walked the floors of the Ormen for almost a century.
Something that craves revenge…
1901. On board the Ormen, a whaling ship battling through the unforgiving North Sea, Nicky Duthie awakes. Attacked and dragged there against her will, it’s just her and the crew – and they’re all owed something only she can give them.
1973. Decades later, when the ship is found still drifting across the ocean, it’s deserted. Just one body is left on board, his face and feet mutilated, his cabin locked from the inside. Everyone else has vanished.
Now, as urban explorer Dominique travels into the near-permanent darkness of the northernmost tip of Iceland, to the final resting place of the Ormen’s wreck, she’s determined to uncover the ship’s secrets.
But she’s not alone. Something is here with her. And it’s seeking revenge…
‘Rich, chilling and gorgeously gothic. A Haunting in the Arctic is the kind of enchanting, terrifying mystery I just adore’ Chris Whitaker
’Cooke delivers yet another spine-chilling treat in this lushly imagined, terrifying novel. The characters will haunt you long after the final page is turned’ Emilia Hart, bestselling author of Weyward
‘Mesmerising and terrifying, this is a powerful story lovingly told . . . with characters that remain with me. Highly recommended’ Lisa Ballantyne
‘Evocative and chilling, an addictive piece of polar gothic’ Anna Bailey
‘A Haunting in the Arctic is a story of a woman haunted in every way. An eerie, atmospheric novel that is full of tension and suspense, this is a beautiful gothic chiller of a book’ Elizabeth Lee
Praise for C.J. Cooke
‘This ghost story is a perfect mix of propulsive plot and shivers-up-the-spine spookiness’ Good Housekeeping
‘An original and haunting thriller, filled with secrets, ghosts, and Norse folk tales. The Nesting is an evocative and chilling tale that will keep you guessing, and is best read with the lights on’ Alice Feeney
‘It’s been such a tonic – chilling, totally engrossing and full of intrigue. The pages just whizzed by while I ignored everyone! It’s marvellous’ Katherine May
‘Like a lighthouse roving atmospheric waters, its secrets are revealed glimpse by tantalising glimpse’ Cari Thomas
‘Norwegian Fjords and folktales are beautifully evoked in this vivid and compelling novel’ Rosamund Lupton
‘Gothic and suspenseful’ Woman and Home
‘The story is peppered with well-researched folklore and startling tenderness…a winner’ The Daily Mail
‘Nordic folklore, snowy landscapes, and an ever-turning screw of tension – a fun, gothic treat’ Kirsty Logan
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Additional information
| Publisher | HarperCollins (12 Oct. 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| File size | 3899 KB |
| Text-to-Speech | Enabled |
| Screen Reader | Supported |
| Enhanced typesetting | Enabled |
| X-Ray | Not Enabled |
| Word Wise | Enabled |
| Sticky notes | On Kindle Scribe |
| Print length | 376 pages |
| Page numbers source ISBN | 0008515956 |
by Anna Fisher
C.J Cooke is fast becoming one of my favourite authors, loved a haunting in the artic – could not put it down
by Nicole (The Bibliophile Chronicles)
A badly edited mess, full of gratuitous sexual violence, grating anachronisms and purple prose. The ‘twist’ is signposted very early on and the rest is a real trudge to get through.
by tonythereader
A Haunting in the Arctic is the newest dark and engrossing tale from C J Cooke. The story follows two women in different times – in 1901 Nicky wakes to find herself aboard one of her father’s whaling ships – The Ormen. Attacked in a park and taken aboard while she was unconscious, Nicky has no choice but to join the crew on their perilous journey to Iceland, but at what cost? Meanwhile, in present-day Dominique is an urban explorer, looking to explore and document the last days of the Ormen before it is sunk. The ship has drifted across the sea, empty and full of secrets. Will Dominique be able to uncover what happened on the ship and will she survive the strange things happening aboard?
This is my third book from C J Cooke and I think this one might just be my favourite yet. All of Cooke’s books have really intriguing premises but a ghost story in the remote Arctic? I knew this one would be hard to put down. I really enjoy Cooke’s writing style and this fast-paced, gripping tale kept me glued to the book right until the very last page. The short chapters had me saying ‘oh just one more chapter’ and had me up long past my bedtime. The story has plenty of twists and turns – some I saw coming and some I definitely did not. I really liked the way the story ended, it was incredibly well executed and came to a really satisfying conclusion. Be warned though – there are plenty of dark, haunting moments along the way that are bound to send a shiver up your spine.
Nicky and Dominique are fascinating characters, each dealing with a great deal of trauma and grief. I found myself really captivated by these characters and all that they go through in this story. A Haunting in the Arctic is the perfect read for a dark winter night and one you aren’t going to be able to put down. This book has definitely solidified C J Cooke as one of my favourite horror writers and I can’t wait to see what she does next.
by Amazon Customer
I would give this book more than 5 stars if I could it was brilliant. I loved every page, finding it hard to put down. Read it in two days. If you like a good story you will like this and if you like a good ghost story you will like this. A fantastic book that takes on so many different journeys and has so many twists you just have to keep reading. Best thing I have read this year. Amazing!
by MITCH COTTON
I’m only about a third into this book but thoroughly enjoying it.
I only discovered this author earlier this year and actually pre-ordered this one. Must go, I’ve got some reading to do!!
by Amazon Customer
I got half way through but couldn’t read anymore. Not as good as Lighthouse Witches in my opinion.
by Anna Fisher
I love love love CJCooke’s novels I devour each one and this one is no exception it was fantastic from beginning to end. I was pulled into the story from page one! I only have ghost woods to read out of her books and It’s going straight into my basket!
by Alice White
1901. 𝘋𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘦, 𝘚𝘤𝘰𝘵𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥. 𝘕𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘯, 𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱, 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭. 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺, 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘸, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘺. 𝘚𝘬ú𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘰𝘵, 𝘐𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘴, 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥, 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘶𝘯𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘶𝘳𝘣𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘳 𝘋𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘚𝘬ú𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘰𝘵, 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘦. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘯.
I loved this book. It had an incredible multi-layered plot and well-written characters, and the atmosphere was very cold and creepy from the start. The story is told, predominantly, in two timelines; Nicky in 1901 and Dominique in 2023. I definitely engaged more with Nicky’s chapters, purely due to the fact I felt that there was more mystery surrounding her, though I thoroughly enjoyed Dominique’s chapters as well.
I did not feel warm at any point reading this. It was written so well that I felt as though I was on that freezing ship with Nicky and Dominique.
I will say that this book is not easy to read. At times it is dark, harsh and brutal.
Rating: 4.5 stars