The Ice
An electrifying story of friendship, power and betrayal by the bestselling, Baileys-prize shortlisted author of The Bees.
‘A memorable eco-thriller. This is a world of arms dealers, heroic arctic adventurers and power crazed captains of industry. And that’s just the ladies’ The Times
A frozen corpse emerges from a melting glacier and after three years of uncertainty, Sean Cawson can finally put the past behind him. Tom Harding, Sean’s friend of thirty years was lost in an accident and Sean was the last person to see him alive.
Tom’s body is not the only secret hidden in the ice. As global businesses and global powers jostle for territory in this new, lawless frontier there are big opportunities for those with the courage – or mendacity – to seize them. And equally big risks.
For years Sean has navigated these dangerous waters, loving the glamour and influence they bring. But as the inquest into Tom’s death begins, the choices made by both men – in love and in life – are put on the stand. Soon everything Sean has believed about his friends, his position and himself is thrown into question.
Just how deep do the lies go?
”'An important and powerful novel… strikingly prescient” - Independent
”'No other recent novel I’ve read has such fully realised female characters, even ones who shout their feminist credentials from the rooftops…This is a world of arms dealers, heroic arctic adventurers and power crazed captains of industry. And that’s just the ladies. It’s a business thriller with an eco-edge… Could The Ice be the surprise hit of summer 2017? Thanks to just the right amount of aspirational scene-setting and more holiday porn than a year’s worth of Conde Nast Traveller, this memorable eco-chiller allows you to dream about luxury wood cabins while cursing the evils of capitalism” - The Times
'A chilling tale for our times … Fascinating. The chilly environment adds a strange, magical quality - and it will not be lost on readers that, as with her first book, Paull makes some interesting and urgent arguments about the way we treat our planet' The National -
'By embedding a mystery in layers of melting Arctic ice, Paull brings narrative tension to a phenomenon readers typically encounter only in environmental or scientific reporting … the final pages are a triumph' Guardian -
”'It’s just gripping … It’s great. The cover is beautiful and the inside is beautiful” - Marianne Keyes
'It is a rare treat to find oneself reading a new book with real delight, admiring the prose style and getting caught up in the story. I experienced all of this while reading this fascinating novel set in the near future … what makes The Ice unforgettable is Laline Paull’s well-informed description of the setting and, above all, her outstandingly good writing' Literary Review -
”'A gripping, brilliantly textured climate thriller. Its timeliness is chilling. A stunning read” - Liz Jensen, author of The Rapture
”'This is a real page turner” - Observer
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