A Haunting in the Arctic

The beginning of C.J. Cooke’s novel, A Haunting in the Arctic, immediately drew me into the story. The author knows how to create an atmosphere of suspense, horror, and drama that doesn’t let go. In 1901, Nicky is attacked and wakes up aboard the Ormen, a whaling ship that has left Dundee, Scotland.

With landfall weeks away and home months away, it’s just her, the ocean, and the crew of twenty who feel they’re owed something only she can give them.

In December, 2023, the wreck of the Ormen is off the coast of northern Iceland at the abandoned ghost town of Skumaskot near the Arctic Circle. It’s scheduled to be destroyed and sunk as an underwater wildlife reef in a couple of weeks. However, explorer and social media influencer hopeful, Dominique, feels the need to document the ship in its last days. Onboard, Dominique will find a past full of lies, betrayal, cruelty, and murder. Soon, she realizes she’s not alone. Something that wants revenge is aboard the ship too.

Told from mainly two perspectives and two time periods with a look at a third time-period in the history of the ship Ormen, this story is atmospheric and dark. The third time-period is 1973 when scientists were using the vessel as an Arctic research vessel.

From the beginning chapter, the author pulls readers into a disturbing and cruel story full of suspense and mystery. What happened to the original whaling crew? What happened to the research crew? Can the answers be found aboard the ship? The author does a great job of bringing the story lines together and making this a cohesive novel.

It was easy to visualize the conditions both Nicky and Dominique faced. Their characters came to life as each faced both personal internal struggles and struggles with others. There are several twists to the story and the conclusion caught me by surprise. Will you see it coming? While multiple timelines are not my favorite plot device, this one kept me engaged throughout. The author does a great job of weaving threads of grief, trust, revenge and its consequences, retribution, violence, guilt, trauma, folklore, and more into the plot.

Overall, this engrossing and suspenseful horror novel is well-done and horrifying at times. Featuring flawed protagonists and a solid plot, the story kept me turning the pages rapidly. C. J. Cooke is a new-to-me author, but I hope to read more books by her. Readers should be aware that there should be several trigger warnings listed for this novel.

I purchased a copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Berkley Publishing Group published this novel on February 27, 2024.