Captivating novel set in the Canadian north during a few days of an
arctic summer.
RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) Sergeant Booker Kennison has
recently been posted to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Whether
it is punishment for uncovering shady dealing within the RCMP or to
protect him from criminal elements from his previous post in
Ottawa, we don't know. He is soon sent to investigate the deaths of
two researchers at Victory Point, King William Island,
Nunavut.
From the moment Kennison steps foot on Victory Point the drama
intensifies till the climax in the final pages.
We quickly find out that an unknown diary from the Franklin
Expedition of 1845 has surfaced and that it might contain evidence
of the truth of what happened to the crews of the Terror and Erebus
and whether they actually traversed the North West Passage. Also
seeking this diary is Ruby Cruz from the Arctic Exploration
Institute in Mount Winans, Maryland.
To further complicate matters, a violent group known as Turqavik
have travelled to Victory Point to seize the diary at any
cost.
Within pages of meeting Kennison I knew that he was a character
that I wanted to see more of. Unfortunately this will be his only
story, the author, Dennis Richard Murphy passed away shortly after
he finished writing this novel. Mr. Murphy easily conveyed the
difficulties of working in a northern climate and had me pulling
another quilt over myself to ward off any shivers. I could imagine
pulling on layers of clothing and creeping outside into the wind to
go to the rescue of the missing scientist (you'll have to read the
book to find out which one).
This book was a terrific follow-up to my recent read of "Wanting"
by Richard Flanagan. We learn about the Franklin Expedition via the
diary written by William George Bearman of Kent, England. Evidence
does support that the crew suffered from scurvy, lethal levels of
lead poisoning and that there was clear evidence of much
cannibalism. While I could not find a list of the crews of either
ship, I did enjoy the mix of fact and fiction.
This book should have a wide appeal to people who read history,
politics, love adventure, police stories and even a bit of romance
was thrown in. I could imagine that had there been a further novel,
there would have been 'something' between Kennison and Ruby
Cruz.
With the current thoughts on global warming, its possible that more
evidence of the Franklin Expedition will be found and that the use
of the NWP could become a more regular event.