I’ve learned an important lesson upon finishing A Haunting in the Arctic, my second C.J. Cooke novel - if you think you’ve spotted the plot twist, you’re probably still wrong! I thoroughly enjoyed horror mystery for it’s brilliant setting and imaginative plot, leading to a well-executed conclusion that revealed layers I’d not spotted while reading.

The story has two main narratives; one set back in 1901 on the decks of the Ormen, a whaling vessel due to set sail from Dundee. The second is a present-day narrative of urban explorer Dominique, as she explores and documents the washed-up wreck of the Ormen off the coast of Iceland, days before the wreck is due to be sunk in deeper waters. Both stories are compelling and well written with their own mysteries and unanswered questions. Jumping between the two stories felt like rotating a couple of puzzle pieces, waiting for that satisfying moment when the two would suddenly click together.

The imagery is wonderful throughout the book, but particular praise needs to go the way of the present-day timeline. The ancient wreck sat upon the black sand of the Icelandic beach, surrounded by beautiful wilderness and bitterly cold storms – the setting is created in such a beautiful and vivid way as to really capture my imagination.

Similar to the final few chapters of The Lighthouse Witches (no spoilers ahead for either book), you are treated to an impressive plot revelation that is testament to the careful planning and preparation set up by the rest of the book. I’m usually quite poor at spotting plot twists in crime and thriller novels, but I still revel at the little details that are dangled in front of the reader throughout the book, making the conclusion all the more satisfying. To have the answer in front of you the whole time and not spot it is one of the real joys of reading mystery novels for me – in my opinion, A Haunting in the Arctic absolutely hits the nail on the head here.

I am writing an honest review in return for a free digital copy of this book.

When I first started to read this book, I had just finished a very long series of detective thrillers and this seemed a very different type of book. It was quite slow and I wasn’t sure about it, but as I read it, I started to really get into the story. It’s written so well, I would say that you will not regret reading this. It’s very thought-provoking. I think anyone can enjoy this book. Thank you.

#NetGalley #AHauntingInTheArctic

Tense and evocative. My first book by this author and I will read others - the intertwined time periods were cleverly done and added layers to the mystery.

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.

Having really enjoyed several of C J Cooke's previous novels, I really wanted to love The Haunting in the Arctic. The isolation and harshness of the Arctic setting and the ghostly overtones sounded perfect and I went in expecting this to give me the same vibes as Michelle Faber's marvellous Dark Matter or Hannah Kent's Burial Rites.

Maybe my expectations were too high but sadly, this book just didn't work for me and I'm still not wholly sure why. The premise is absolutely excellent. In 2023, explorer Dominique is determined to investigate the wreck of the Ormen: a whaling-ship turned research vessel with a tragic past. In 1901, shipbuilder's daughter Nicky is wakes up on board her father's whaling ship, the Ormen, having been randomly attacked whilst walking home. Connecting the two stories is a tragic, surprisingly graphic tale of male violence and female rage that intertwines with local folklore about mermaid and selkies.

Whilst the novel is blurbed as if its a classic ghost story, Cooke uses hauntings to explore the legacies of violence against women and, at times, A Haunting in the Arctic is quite graphic in its depictions of trauma, both physical and psychological. Whilst I think the subject matter is really important - and that Cooke handles it very well - it wasn't what I was expecting from the book going in, and I think this divide between expectations and reality might lie at the root of my disconnection with this novel. I was expecting a gothic ghost story in the Woman in Black vein, whereas this is providing a psychological exploration of trauma more akin to The Last House on Needless Street. Both excellent novels - and both haunting in their way - but with very different feels.

I did also find some of the 1901 sections a little anachronistic. Nicky felt far too modern in more than just her name and, whilst I could understand the reasoning for this by the end of the novel, it made her character seem somewhat contrived. I also found the interweaving of the various narrative strands confusing in places, without a sufficient alteration in tone between the various characters and time periods.

I'm sure a lot of readers are going to love this novel - and maybe, if I'd gone in with different expectations, I might have as well. Cooke's use of haunting and folklore to explore trauma is really interesting but it just wasn't what I was expecting from the blurb and the cover. As it was, this was a case of 'possibly right book but definitely wrong time for me' and the novel ended up falling rather flat as a result.

Totally different read to my normal choice but hey, variety is the spice, isn't it? Excellent, suspenseful...and simply spooky read. What a great book! Many thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review!

In A Haunting in the Arctic we have two timelines, In 1901, Nicky awakens onboard her fathers whaling ship headed for the Arctic, unsure of why she was attacked and dumped onboard. In 2023 Dominique has travelled to Iceland to document the shipwreck before it is sunk. But all is not as it seems and something is stirring and wants revenge.

I adore C.J. Cooke's style of writing and she beautifully captures the chilling atmosphere in this story, perfect for spooky Winter nights.

I enjoy curling up with an eerily spooky tale on Halloween and my chosen book this year certainly brings an ice cold chill. The ghostly appearance of the book’s ice blue cover appealed to me and whilst A Haunting in the Arctic isn’t your typical Halloween story it certainly has enough creepy elements to have you jumping at shadows especially as it focuses on the ethereal nature of a ghost ship beached in the frozen waters of the Arctic.

In combining a dark mystery with elements of folk lore, this multi timeline story soon had an ice cold grip upon my imagination. The stark and unforgiving landscape of Iceland is very much part of the narrative as is life aboard the whaling ship in 1901 when we experience the brutality of life on the Ormen. The modern day sections of the story, set in 2023, are equally chilling especially as we meet Dominique, an urban explorer, who has travelled to Skúmaskot, in Iceland, to record the final days of the Ormen before it is destroyed forever.

There’s an undeniable tension to the story which is hard to explain without giving details of the plot away, so I won’t even try except to say I was completely hooked from the start. It’s certainly a harsh read, filled with horror and a sense of despair with the haunting nature of the folklore elements adding a very different sort of dynamic to the story.

A Haunting in the Arctic blends history, folklore and the supernatural into a vengeful and atmosphere story.

A haunting, and at times quite disturbing, narrative that had me captivated, from start to finish.
A Haunting in the Artic is an authentic ghost story, filled with eerie and chilling moments, The interwoven timelines and vivid descriptions made for a truly superb spine-tingling read.
I definitely plan to explore more of C. J. Cooke's books in the future!

This is a good scary novel with a spooky, atmospheric setting on a shipwrecked boat that is about to be sunk. It follows Dominique, an explorer who wants to capture the boat one last time before it is gone forever and from there the spooky things begin to happen when 3 other explorers also turn up. The book is also split into two timelines; the first in 1901 when a woman named Nicky was forced onto the ship and 2023 with Dom.
This is an eerie novel that had me hooked from the start and I couldn't wait to get to the end.

Loved loved loved this book. I will one Hundred percent read anything written by C. J. Cooke! Always fantastic and atmospheric.

“All depicted the same scene: a figure on the upper deck of the ship. … a woman who grew gradually closer to the wreck, her face always turned away, until the last image. … a woman with seaweed for hair and white, sightless eyes. And the chilling words on that last image, devoured now by flame: She is on board”

My thanks to HarperCollins U.K. for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘A Haunting in the Arctic’ by C.J. Cooke.

Having enjoyed C.J. Cooke’s previous three Gothic novels, I was interested to read her latest even though during the colder months I tend to avoid reading novels set in the Arctic and Antarctic. All that snow and ice - brrrr!

It has quite a complex plot mainly set in two timelines: 1901 and late 2023. There are also occasional chapters set in other years between these two that provide background.

In 1901 Nicky Duthie, daughter of shipowner, George Abney, is married to Private Allan Duthie, who is away fighting in the Transvaal. She is walking home alone across a park when she is attacked. She wakes to find herself captive on the Ormen, a barque-rigged steam whaling ship belonging to her father’s company. What happens to her while on board is brutal and shocking.

Years later the Ormen has been repurposed as a research vessel. In 1973 contact with its crew is lost and a week later the Ormen is found drifting a thousand kilometres from its base. Only one mutilated body is found on board in a locked room. The whereabouts of its other crew members is never discovered. Pirates are suspected.

Since then the Ormen has been beached by an old shark fishing village on the northern tip of Iceland, twenty-five miles from the Arctic Circle. In four week’s time the Icelandic government is planning to drag the Ormen out to open sea and let her sink.

Before that happens urban explorer Dominique is determined to uncover the ship’s secrets and film content for her TikTok account. Yet almost from the start of her stay she feels that something is wrong. She even has glimpses of a woman on the ice wearing what appears to be a dress, unthinkable in this harsh climate. Dominique discovers that she’s not the only one interested in the Ormen. No further details to avoid spoilers.

This proved another atmospheric read from Cooke. However, early on I was somewhat distracted by the mention of penguins as part of the Ormen’s previous cargo. Quite a blooper as penguins are found in Antarctica rather than the Arctic.

In addition, in the 1901 chapters people address Nicky by this diminutive name, which is completely at odds with the social etiquette of the period for a woman of her class. When a young boy at her husband’s former place of employment greets her as “Hey Nicky!” it was distracting given the period setting.

Also, in the 2023 chapters Dominique appears to have used Hermione Granger’s Undetectable Extension Charm on her rucksack given the amount of equipment she has with her!

However, I recognise these as niggles that may not be as distracting to other readers. As I continued to read, I found myself more immersed in the novel’s narrative. Cooke definitely did well in creating a sense of the isolation, darkness and the harsh weather that surrounded the wreck. I soon needed an extra jumper while reading.

Overall, I enjoyed ‘A Haunting in the Arctic’ finding it a chilling tale on a number of levels and an effective haunting in the Arctic. Dominique might not believe in ghosts or Icelandic mermaids but like many protagonists in such tales, her scepticism is no barrier to her being terrorised.

As a side note, given the disturbing nature of Nicky’s experiences I would advise caution if readers feel that they are likely to be triggered by such content.

I loved this book, a proper ghost story which was haunting and spooky and drew me right in to those icy waters. I enjoyed the different timelines and there was a plenty of historical detail, clearly well researched, which really gave depth and background. The environments and settings of Dundee, Iceland, Greenland etc were beautifully described as was the weather, it being on a ship at sea, like a character of its own. The folklore elements were brilliant, tied in with Nicky's story, a wonderful blend of gothic drama and properly chilling. I have loved CJ Cooke's previous books and this is no exception. Highly recommend.

A well paced and at times, disturbing, story. I found Nicky's story the most terrible. The appearances of the ghost were chilling. I was left a little disappointed that one character, who deserved a damn good haunting, escaped it.

No sense of time or voice in this two timeline Polar Gothic 2.5 rating raised

This has been such a huge disappointment. I realise that my bar was set impossibly high by other writers who have written marvellous chilly spooky thrillers set in icy isolations, including historical settings. Michelle Paver’s Dark Matter, Georgina Harding’s The Solitude of Thomas Cave, Hannah Kent’s Burial Rites all inhabit a cold and isolated territory, and have a definite setting within their period.

Unfortunately this Gothic Polar supernatural comes nowhere even close

Set in a dual time line which briefly becomes a triple time line, the differentiation of voice is insufficient. The 1901 section seems ridiculously modern. Inconceivable, for example, that young children (in no way related, or even particularly well known to her) are going to address the young married woman as ‘Nicky’. Her ‘voice’ seems indeterminately any time in the last twenty years.

There is too much ‘teasing’ of the reader with various characters heavily hinting horrors to come.

Ultimately, I felt this was far too driven by overdone and graphic blow by blow violence.

I gained more understanding of what I felt were its errors from the author’s afterword, but this didn’t really rescue what at times seemed overdone dissection of some pretty graphic and unpleasant detail.

For what it’s worth, I had predicted what were meant to be the chilly revelations fairly early. Because I was not taken into the reality of character, I had too much ability to work out where the plot might be heading, rather than being within character, hairs up on the back of my neck, reading from the inside.

All I could say after reading the final sentence of the book was WOW! I couldn’t stop reading, the housework is completely neglected and I even forgot to eat lunch! Yes, I read this in 24 hours. This is the absolute best of her novels and I’ve enjoyed them all.

Dominique is making her way through Iceland to an old whaling ship called the Ormen. Stranded in a bay, the ship is going to be sunk out at sea and Dom wants to document it before it disappears from view together. Ormen was an unusual whaling ship being a sail and steam hybrid that became beached in the early days of the 20th Century near the small village of turf houses called Skúmaskot. When she reaches the ship she sets about turning the cabin into a base to explore from and puts up her tent. There’s one door in the ship that she wonders about, it’s made of carved oak and when she touched the handle it emitted such a feeling of evil she was taken aback. As she settles, she hears someone walking about on deck and she realises she’s not alone. Three more explorers join her - Jens, Samara and Leo. They have more up to date equipment and soon the four are documenting the ship and their discoveries as well as Leo’s parkour sessions. The questions start to mount though, is she wrong or are the other three suspicious or even slightly scared of her? What are the strange noises she can hear - banging could be gunfire or chains banging against the ship? There’s also a strange mix of footsteps and dragging something heavy in a steady rhythm. Who is the woman in the dress that she’s seen standing in the shallows? This is a strange place where light is limited, the village is deserted and there is a strange stone throne by the beach, said to be a Mermaid’s Throne. These are not Disney mermaids though, these mermaids have teeth and a song that will lure a man to his death.

We are then taken back to the early 20th Century and the Ormen in it’s heyday. Nicky wakes up in agony with a damaged ankle that she can’t move. She is on board a ship, possibly one of her father’s fleet, but the last thing she remembers is being in the park and being attacked. The ship’s captain refers to her as a stowaway and bids the ship’s doctor to look after her ankle. However, there is a terribly sinister and disturbing reason for her presence on board. The crew refer to her as a ‘Selkie wife’, often a prostitute or captured woman from the area they’re exploring. When one of the crew breaks into Nicky’s room and violates her, it opens the door for the other crew members. A Selkie wife is the ship’s entertainment, a repository for their sexual urges and it’s a truly upsetting and disturbing thing to witness. Will Nicky be able to keep a sense of who she is as she loses her agency and is dehumanised by the men’s treatment of her? My heart broke for this woman who has done nothing to deserve this treatment but is caught between the crew members and their dislike for her father. It’s as if she is her father’s possession. There are yet more disturbing secrets to be unearthed though, about how Nicky ended up on the boat and who knew about the plot.

There are different types of haunting in this tale. I could see examples of my own theory of hauntings in the woman seen by the edge of the sea. She feels like an imprint on the landscape. A place where heightened emotion and terrible events have left such a strong imprint that defies time. The sounds also seem to come from another place, a repetitive echo from time past. This is what I call a proper ghost story. It isn’t gory or a slasher’s tale, it’s old-fashioned creepy and blended beautifully with local folklore. The ship is from Scotland and this is where the folklore of selkies comes from, a race of seal women who have a dual nature. They can be nurturing and helpful, such as saving a child who’s in trouble in the sea. They can communicate with other aquatic creatures and assume a human form when on land. However, selkies can also be seductive luring men to her and often having hybrid children. At their worst Selkies can be violent and vengeful, but their need for revenge gives us a clue about why; people seeking revenge have usually been wronged in some way. Mermaids are also depicted as sirens, luring ships and men with their singing and often thought to lure ships onto the rocks. However, there is also a terrible element of coercion in their mythology, stories where a man steals an item from the mermaid and while he has that item in his possession she belongs to him and lives as his wife. If she finds the object the spell is broken and she can return to the sea. Of course in the fairy tale we have a mermaid who has to choose between her land and sea lives, she can have love but to have legs she must suffer excruciating pain and she can never use her voice. It’s a hard price to pay. Icelandic mermaids have all these qualities, but use their seductive charms to lure sailors to their deaths - a nice reversal of their capture by human men. The author describes Icelandic mermaids as having rows of pointed teeth too. There’s a sense of devouring their enemies, particularly those who have wronged them. Is this Nicky’s end?

I loved the tension between the group of four on the Ormen. Samara seems fine with Dom, but then she overhears a conversation with Leo where Samara seems terrified of her. She talks about ‘this time’ being different, but Dom can’t remember meeting them before. I loved this mix of psychological tension, the real dangers of the landscape around them and then the truth of what has happened to the previous crew of the ship and previous explorers who’ve also left their echoes here. I sensed a possible kinship between Jens and Dom, almost as if he already knew her. I was scared of Leo. There’s so much nervous energy in him, a rage running just under the surface that I feared might ignite at any point. Yet they’re also dependent on each other for their survival creating what feels like a truce between them, but how can a truce exist if they’ve never met? There are so many strange happenings, such as Dom’s dream of ponies running off a cliff followed by finding the skeletons of Icelandic ponies in a deep cave. I loved the bits of magic realism, such as Nicky’s leg. Everything about the voyage from Scotland is historically accurate and gives us such an incredible sense of place I can see it. However, Nicky’s broken ankle and wound start to heal in an usual way. She notices the grey colour of her newly healing skin and thinks she has an infection. The sensation is altered too, feeling rubbery and a little cold. As time goes on this patch of skin grows and she’s aware that the gap between her legs is becoming webbed. Could her legs be joining together? This could be a magical sort of protection against the assaults she suffers on a daily basis. It could also be a transformation. As the past starts to inform Dominique’s present I couldn’t leave the story and I was left with the worst kind of book hangover where I was stuck in the world and the feeling of the ending. It’s taken me two days to start another book but I can’t stop thinking about this one. In fact I’m already thinking about reading it again, a bit like watching The Sixth Sense again once you know the twist. This is a dark, disturbing ghost story of hauntings but also about the worst things human beings can do to one another, particularly men against women and the extraordinary ways they exact their revenge.

A perfect gothic piece of historical fiction set in atmospheric Iceland - a perfect Autumn/Winter read!

The historical detail in this novel is so rich and interesting, Cooke's research is perfectly balanced by immersing the reader in the 1901 period without ever overwhelming the narrative with extraneous facts or detail.

I love the depth of the characterisation and how trauma is explored both literally and metaphorically in this vook. As well as being a thoroughly good edge of your seat read this book has deeper meaning and explores psychological and sociological issues sensitively and intelligently.

The sense of time and place were exquisite in both timelines with the dark underbelly of the whaling ship juxtaposed with the modern exploration team trying to survive the harsh Icelandic conditions.

All of which contribute to a deliciously gothic, spooky atmospheric tension throughout culminating in a completely knockout.

I went in thinking this book would just be a fun October read... And it is! But it's so much more besides! A real treat with a great trick of a twist!

This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

A haunting ghost story about a former whaling ship wrecked on the coast of Iceland. The story is chilling in more ways than one, and often quite upsetting. An engrossing read and another great novel from C.J. Cooke.

This didn’t work too well for me. The timelines were confusing at times and the ending was odd. I particularly did not enjoy Nicky’s story and the strange distancing between her and the events that happened to her. There seemed to be several plot points that didn’t make sense. Thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

I wanted something spooky to read as we sink into Halloween season and A Haunting in the Arctic by C J Cooke definitely fits the bill perfectly.

The story is set over three timelines which weave together to tell the history of an old whaling ship called the Ormen. The ship has a dark past and is said to be haunted after it was discovered drifting in the Barents Sea with all but one of its crew mysteriously missing. Now it rests at the tip of Iceland near an abandoned fishing village. Urban explorer Dominique sets out the explore the vessel and uncover it's secrets.

This is a dark and spine chilling tale that has the perfect blend of history, folklore and the supernatural. It had me gripped from the first page and I enjoyed reading about seafaring superstitions and watery mythology.

This author creates a strong sense of place which is so immersive, from the desolate Icelandic landscape to the claustrophobic atmosphere aboard the Ormen.

This is definitely one I would recommend reading for the spooky season but it's not for the faint hearted.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for proving me with a review copy, and for giving me the opportunity to try out a new author (to me). I will certainly be checking out more books by C J Cooke in the future