Black Ice

Like Dickinson's previous novels, this is a thriller of real distinction, with the mountain settings that are his natural domain changed for the Antarctic ice cap - so extreme temperatures are still the order of the day, as, of course, are the pulse-pounding thrills that were the hallmark of The Death Zone and High Risk. Once again, it's the strong air of plausibility that keeps things humming, and the various heights and troughs of the thriller trajectory are negotiated with considerable panache. As she is about to make a remarkable discovery in the frozen wastes of Antarctica, top-flight scientist Laureen Burgess finds that she must respond to an urgent distress call. Two men are trapped on the ice. As Laureen undertakes to lead a mission to rescue the men, she little realizes that one of them, the celebrated explorer Julian Fitzgerald, has massive professional difficulties to match the danger he is in, and his problems are soon firmly in the path of Laureen's discoveries. The deadly winter beckons, and as the months of black night begin to descend, the horrors of isolation cause a seismic shift in Fitzgerald's manner, and the dark heart of his personality begins to assert itself. The evocation of the frigid locale will have the reader shivering, but the real triumph here is the unflinching picture of men and women under the most extreme pressure; in that territory, Dickinson is without equal. (Kirkus UK)