RCMP Sergeant Booker Kennison is reassigned to Yellowknife,
Northwest Territories from Ottawa where he conducted a review of
corrupt RCMP officers. Shortly after arriving, he is put on a plane
and sent to Victory Point, even further north and even more
desolate, to solve two murders.
Victory Point is the site of an archeological dig site trying to
find proof that Franklin and British nationals sailed through the
Northwest Passage. Such findings could compromise Canadian arctic
sovereignty, which is why ex-FBI agent Ruby Cruz is sent up there.
Cruz's employers believe that their sponsored scientist, who is now
dead, found a journal to prove this fact. In a desolate, dark,
frigid environment Kennison must determine what exactly
happened.
This book is very relevant, as Canadians have concerns about arctic
sovereignty, which has been questioned by other nations in the not
too distant past. It's also incredibly rare for mysteries to be
written in Canada, let alone in our territories. I really enjoyed
how the landscape became a character in the novel. There are some
things in this novel that only Canadians will get (Tim Hortons
addiction, Canadian Tire vs. Wal Mart).
The plot, however, deserves some criticism. Parts of it were
completely unnecessary and were left unresolved at the end of the
book. Kennison is targeted because of the work he did previously in
Ottawa, exposing corrupt RCMP officials. Once he is targeted,
that's all we heard about this plot line. Where is the resolution?
I also think there would have been enough mystery without the
involvement of the rebel Inuit group the Turqavik.
Finally, it would have been nice if included at the front of the
book was a map of Franklin's arctic expedition. I'm sure many
readers won't have an in-depth understanding of the geography of
the Canadian north, so this would help them picture how remote the
area is.