When zoology professor Cordi O’Callaghan reluctantly accepts an invitation to be a lecturer aboard the Susanna Moodie, a vessel ferrying tourists through Canada’s Arctic, she figures it will be a breeze. Seasickness aside, Cordi becomes entangled in the deaths of two of her fellow passengers, both members of a close-knit fiction-writing group. The fatalities are ruled accidental, but Cordi suspects they’re anything but. However, she lacks evidence and credibility, according to Martha Bathgate and Duncan McPherson, her sometimes reluctant sidekicks who try to keep her grounded.

After Cordi returns to her home in the Ottawa Valley, she hits the trail and stirs up a hornets nest of lies, intrigue, jealousy, and greed as she grills potential murderers, one of whom takes offense and stalks her. Getting marooned on pack ice, a harrowing trip in an airplane and a hot air balloon, and a mysterious fire all add to the menace that threatens Cordi as she attempts to nail down a killer.

Suzanne F. Kingsmill has a B.A. in English literature, a B.Sc. in biology, and a M.Sc. in zoology. She is the author of numerous magazine articles, Forever Dead, Innocent Murderer, and four non-fiction books, Beyond the Call of Duty, Vanishing Wildlife, Endangered Species of the World, Breaking up Solvent and The Family Squeeze. She lives in Toronto.

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The vitality, intrigue and complex relationships compel readers to turn the pages as fast as possible.

The Record

Nicely done, and Cordi uses her scientific knowledge well.

The Globe & Mail

The action is non-stop and the setting is incredible.The plot is complex with twists and turns that keep Cordi and the reader on their toes.

Mystery Maven Canada