‘Death on Ice’ by R.O.Thorp

Published by Faber & Faber Ltd,
13 February 2025.  
ISBN: 978-0-57138659-8  

Death on Ice begins as the luxury cruise ship Dauphin departs from an English port bound for the Arctic.  The vessel provides an opulent setting for the wealthy holiday makers who have paid a small fortune for this journey of a lifetime.  As well as the promise of fine wines and cuisine, the passengers also have the option to attend lectures given by a team of five scientists and to observe their cutting-edge research.  The Dauphin was designed to enable such joint ventures.  It boasts two modern laboratories and a small round submersible, the Mouette, which can be operated remotely or by a crew of two.  

 When the ship reaches the icy northern waters, marine biologists twins Finn and Rose Blanchard make the first dive in the tiny sub.  They want to discover more about the shy Greenland shark, but whilst they are underwater one of their fellow passengers is murdered.  The body is discovered on the merciless ice above them, and the twins are recalled to the floating palace where they are now the only members of the party who have a credible alibi.  The sister and brother who had sought an underwater predator must now turn their attention to an equally elusive killer.

Meanwhile, Detective Inspector Tom Heissen and his sergeant, Titus Williams are in Svalbard on the trail of a smuggling gang.  When their Norwegian counterparts request assistance with an incident involving some English people in the area, they find themselves being flown to the Dauphin where they join forces with the twins to solve the watery ‘locked room’ mystery.   

The characters in this unusual novel reveal a variety of comical and eccentric personalities.  Themes of selfishness and generosity, loathing and love, cruelty and kindness are explored through the relationships of those on board the ship.  Rose quickly establishes herself as the central protagonist who fearlessly seeks out the villain, or villains, whilst being equally determined to protect the sensitive Finn who is getting over a bad relationship.  Almost everyone on board is hiding a secret; this thwarts the investigators as they try to tease out the truth from entitled passengers who are not used to being interrogated.  As the search for the killer intensifies, so does the scrutiny that threatens to expose past misdemeanours and mistakes.

Death on Ice is well-researched and beautifully written.  Sumptuous and evocative descriptions of nature’s glory and terrifying power create the perfect backdrop for a mystery that is intricate, witty, entertaining and heart-warming.  But beware, a devastating twist close to the end of the novel provides a real ‘Oh no!’ moment.

A great read and highly recommended.
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Reviewer: Dot Marshall-Gent

R. O. Thorp is an Australian living in Cork, Ireland, where she writes lyrics and herds cats. She was one of the Observer's top 10 debut novelists of 2021, and her writing has won the London Short Story Award and been shortlisted for the BBC Opening Lines Prize. Death on Ice is her first foray into murder mysteries.  

Dot Marshall-Gent worked in the emergency services for twenty years first as a police officer, then as a paramedic and finally as a fire control officer before graduating from King’s College, London as a teacher of English in her mid-forties.  She completed a M.A. in Special and Inclusive Education at the Institute of Education, London and now teaches part-time and writes mainly about educational issues.  Dot sings jazz and country music and plays guitar, banjo and piano as well as being addicted to reading mystery and crime fiction.