Midnight by Amy McCulloch

Midnight by Amy McCulloch

First Paragraph(s):

I watch as he scampers down the gangway, his fists clenched by his side.  He avoids catching the eye of the distracted officer at the door to the ship, racing past the long line of passengers waiting to check in for their voyage of a lifetime.

He looks so small through my binoculars.  A tiny slip of a man.  I wait, but the woman doesn't come after him.  No matter.  I had planned for that.  Besides, this way is easier.

I've been watching them, waiting, biding my time.  Every moment confirms what I already knew: these two deserve everything that's coming at them.

My Thoughts:

I love books set in unusual locations, especially places that I know I'll likely not ever visit.  Antarctica is one of these and I've read several books set there.  I think this might be the first one I've read that uses a voyage to Antarctica in the storyline though.  Wow!  I'm not a cruise-taking person and won't ever be.  I have bad motion sickness tendencies and, in order to not have that, I would have to be drugged to the point of sleeping all the time.  Doesn't sound fun.  I do like to read about ocean voyages and, as I said, Antarctica.  

I've read the previous book by Amy McCulloch, Breathless, and it was set in the Himalayas and dealt with mountain climbing and murder.  Same goes here.  The murder part.  Olivia was raised by a father who was a gifted sailor and learned how to take care of herself on the water.  Her father died accidentally when she was in her teens and now Olivia is an almost-actuary who gets a chance to accompany her boyfriend, an art dealer, on a trip to Antarctica.  The setting will be key to showing and selling the art of a man who used this continent for inspiration in creating his pieces.  They get on the ship and then things start happening - bad things.  Olivia feels like she's being watched.  And she is.  There are a lot of descriptions of the environment and what is happening to the icebergs.  Very interesting indeed.  The thrills were many, though I did get a little irritated with some of Olivia's decisions (or non-decisions).  An enjoyable book.  I'll be watching for Amy McCulloch's next book and curious about where she will take us.     

Blurb:

THE SUN NEVER SETS AND THIS KILLER NEVER SLEEPS

Olivia Campbell has always dreamed of spending a sunlit night on the frigid Antarctic continent. But as an actuary who assesses risk for a living, she never imagined she would have the chance. So when her career takes an unexpected detour, and her boyfriend—a high-powered art dealer with a taste for the finer things in life—decides to stage an ostentatious, career-making auction on a luxury liner to Antarctica, Olivia is thrilled. That is, until things start to feel a bit strange. In addition to the scores of wealthy patrons and potential buyers, they'll also be traveling alongside a small group of beleaguered employees of Pioneer Adventures—the company responsible for managing the ship—and their charismatic, divisive CEO.

When the first bodies are discovered, it's easy enough for Olivia to write it off as a terrible accident. But as the situation heats up and the temperatures continue to plummet, she begins to wonder whether she might have booked a one-way ticket to her own demise.