*Originally Published December 2024*

Hello Reader and Merry December to you!

I cannot believe how fast this festive season is whizzing by! Somehow, as I write this it’s only 10 days to Christmas. The gifts I’ve been stockpiling for the past few months are slowly getting gift wrapped and handed over to friends. My to be read and Netflix Watch List are becoming more and more festive in nature and everything feels a little cosier and increasingly cinnamon spiced!

I love a seasonal read. I opt to read books set appropriately to the weather as I find I feel much more immersed as a reader! The next book I’ll be sharing with you today is very seasonal and will be published in the UK shortly. If you’re a thriller fan, read on!

DEATH IN THE ARCTIC BY TOM HINDLE

Genre: Locked Room Thriller/Murder Mystery

Publisher: Century (PR/AD Proof copy was sent to me for early review)

Official Publication date: 16/01/2025

“A frozen wilderness.

A killer in the skies.

When aspiring travel writer Chloé Campbell is invited aboard a luxury airship flying to the North Pole, she thinks she’s bagged the opportunity of a lifetime.

But she hasn’t had long to admire the dazzling icy views before a fellow passenger is found dead in their cabin.

Trapped at the top of the world, the group agrees a tragic accident has occurred. But as the hours tick by, fear turns to doubt.

It seems everyone’s a suspect.

And it isn’t long before the passengers begin to turn on each other . . .“

What a delightfully interesting and unique synopsis!

I previously read and absolutely loved Tom Hindle’s Murder on Lake Garda (review is on the blog), so when I saw proof copies of this book had arrived, I absolutely jumped at the chance to receive one! I really enjoy his writing style and I found that Hindle is excellent at creating a sense of place. He entwines a classic Agatha Christie Locked-Room who done-it vibe with a contemporary modern day twist. This is certainly the first thriller I’ve read set on an airship!

So as we begin, I find one of my favourite book features where one may be of assistance, and that is a character list! This one is cleverly disguised as a passenger manifest for the ‘Osprey’. The Osprey is the airship that provides our murder location – the latest airship vessel and first in luxury travel. It departs on 13th September 2025 and takes its passengers on a luxurious journey to the North Pole. Aboard are 17 guests and crew.

The guests are a mixture of the wealthy, influencers, friends of the business owners and aspiring Travel writer Chloe Campbell, who by chance ends up aboard the airship with photographer Ben. Both Chloe and Ben are working on a feature for a travel magazine, and this is Chloe’s ‘big break’.

The trip sounds like an aspirational once in a lifetime trip for the rich and famous and for influencers to share on their socials. That is of course, until one of the passengers is found dead in the cabin. As the airship slowly moves through the skies, the airship’s residents begin to question if this was a tragic accident? A safety incident? Or something much more sinister..? For the business owners, how to handle the PR nightmare, particularly with journalists and influencers on board? Who can be trusted? Who is to blame? Who has secrets to hide?

More worryingly, who maybe… next?

CAN’T PUT IT DOWN RATING: 5/5

Well, wow!! I absolutely flew through this book!! I must have whizzed through a third of it in the first hour of reading. I was very quickly completely and utterly hooked.

As the story takes place over a matter of a few days, it’s fast paced, addictive and easy to read. It’s the very definition of ‘just one more chapter’!

The structure of the book is easy to digest, with short character POV chapters, and wonderful descriptive language. Considering that most readers will not set foot in the small town of Longyearbyen where part of the novel is set, nor aboard an airship, the author does a stellar job of building the scene and aiding the readers imagination.

The whole time of reading, I was trying to piece together the clues, and whilst I had my suspicions and had identified at least one real motive, the ‘how’ done it was another story altogether!

Like an Agatha Christie the puzzling plot is perfection, believable and so well crafted. Tom is a magician at writing murder mysteries with suspense and thrill, and I can’t wait to see where he sets his next thriller!

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, finding the characters really interesting, the setting remarkable and different, and the murder mystery element was brilliant.

Highly recommend for fans of Sarah Pearse and Ruth Ware.

WASHED DOWN WITH:

Aboard the ship they have a themed drink which they serve to guests, named the ‘Arctic Collins’. It is only right of course that that is the drink to feature today! Here’s what you’d need to make your own, and what fun to sip one as you read this book, or perhaps to enjoy this Christmas Day! 🍸📚

• Gin (I used 0% Gin)
• Soda Water
• Syrup (I put honey in mine!)
• Lemon Juice

Death in the Arctic is expected in the UK on 16th January, and is available to pre-order now!

Do you enjoy locked room thrillers and do you think the setting would appeal to you as a reader? What are some of your favourite locked room thrillers? Comment below!

Until the Next Chapter,

Emma X0

@papryusandpeppermint