Haunting in the Arctic

Something has walked the floors of the Ormen for over a century. Something that craves revenge… 1901. On board the Ormen, a whaling ship battling through the unforgiving North Sea, Nicky Duthie awakes. Attacked and dragged there against her will, it’s just her and the crew – and they’re all owed something only she can give them. 1973. Decades later, when the ship is found still drifting across the ocean, it’s deserted. Just one body is left on board, his face and feet mutilated, his cabin locked from the inside. Everyone else has vanished. Now, as urban explorer Dominique travels into the near-permanent darkness of the northernmost tip of Iceland, to the final resting place of the Ormen’s wreck, she’s determined to uncover the ship’s secrets. But she’s not alone. Something is here with her. And it’s seeking revenge… ’Cooke delivers yet another spine-chilling treat in this lushly imagined, terrifying novel. The characters will haunt you long after the final page is turned’ Emilia Hart, bestselling author of Weyward ‘Mesmerising and terrifying, this is a powerful story lovingly told . . . with characters that remain with me. Highly recommended’ Lisa Ballantyne Praise for C.J. Cooke ‘This ghost story is a perfect mix of propulsive plot and shivers-up-the-spine spookiness’ Good Housekeeping ‘An original and haunting thriller, filled with secrets, ghosts, and Norse folk tales. The Nesting is an evocative and chilling tale that will keep you guessing, and is best read with the lights on’ Alice Feeney ‘It's been such a tonic – chilling, totally engrossing and full of intrigue. The pages just whizzed by while I ignored everyone! It's marvellous’ Katherine May ‘Like a lighthouse roving atmospheric waters, its secrets are revealed glimpse by tantalising glimpse’ Cari Thomas ‘Norwegian Fjords and folktales are beautifully evoked in this vivid and compelling novel’ Rosamund Lupton ‘Gothic and suspenseful’ Woman and Home ‘The story is peppered with well-researched folklore and startling tenderness…a winner’ The Daily Mail ‘Nordic folklore, snowy landscapes, and an ever-turning screw of tension – a fun, gothic treat’ Kirsty Logan

More praise for C.J. Cooke ‘This claustrophobic, cloying read with Gothic undertones was so eerie I wanted to sleep with the light on’ Prima ‘Right from the start, I was hooked on this eerie, cryptic novel’ Samantha Downing ‘An intricate story about women and witch trials but with a delightful timeslip element that really works. It’s a compelling story and very satisfying how the threads are woven together’ Kate Sawyer ‘With characters that feel like they live and breathe, an atmospheric setting and a plot that kept me guessing, all delivered in luminous prose, this is a flawless read. Underpinned by a story of the Scottish witch hunts, the themes remain starkly relevant today’ Elizabeth Lee ‘Seething with gothic menace … interweaves myth, superstition and history in a way which feels strikingly relevant and gripping’ Caroline Lea ‘Wonderful writing with a beautifully haunting tone. Gothic at its best’ Rhiannon Ward ‘Beautifully crafted’ Constance Sayers ‘Cooke manages to set a compelling timeshift mystery in a very real world, where believable people navigate authentic problems … surprising and inventive’ Sarah Burton ‘A gripping meditation on terror and superstition’ Sara Sheridan ‘A complex and haunting story, beautifully told … Tense, unsettling and ultimately incredibly moving’ Amanda Mason ‘Utterly enthralling, original and atmospheric’ N.J. Simmonds ‘An atmospheric beauty of a book, with a feminist voice that rang clear from every page’ Anna Day ‘A taut, scary thriller that winds the suspense so tightly you can barely breathe’ Simone St. James

C.J. Cooke is an acclaimed, award-winning poet, novelist and academic with numerous other publications as Carolyn Jess-Cooke. Her work has been published in twenty-three languages to date. Born in Belfast, C.J. has a PhD in Literature from Queen’s University, Belfast, and is currently Reader in Creative Writing at the University of Glasgow, where she researches creative writing interventions for mental health. C.J. Cooke lives in Glasgow with her husband and four children.