An enthralling novel of two intertwining stories based on real events in 19th century Ireland and the Canadian Arctic. Two ships Arctic-bound, HMS Erebus and Terror, leave London in 1845, captained by the aging Sir John Franklin. How long they'll be gone depends on the ice. Meanwhile, second-in-command, Francis Crozier, worries about their inexperienced crew. In Derry, little Weesy Coppin dies of a fever but, as far as her sister Ann and brother William are concerned, her spirit returns to haunt them. While an anxious world waits for news of the Artic explorers, the Coppin family try to understand what is going in their home. But, then, one night, all is revealed when the truth literally steps out of the shadows.
"eerily brilliant … vivid and gripping … engrossing … mesmerising … compelling … reading experience that mixes fact and fiction to shattering effect"
Young Post/South China Morning Post
"a gripping new tale by Nicola Pierce that follows two series of true events that unfolded thousands of miles apart yet are inextricably linked … Pierce creates a truly atmospheric depiction of Northern Ireland in the 1840s and the unforgiving, harsh emptiness of the freezing cold Arctic, deftly balancing the gravity of the sailors' situation with scenes of childhood innocence and mischief. Throug
