The Ice cover art

The Ice

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The Ice

By: Laline Paull
Narrated by: Samuel West
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About this listen

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?

Crime Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Political Spies & Politics Thriller & Suspense Fiction Polar Region Espionage Suspense Crime

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Critic reviews

An important and powerful novel… strikingly prescientIndependent

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

All stars
Most relevant
The interspersing of quotes from Arctic explorers with this gripping tale set in Svalbard really brings the Arctic environment to life. I throughly enjoyed the narration and the mix of business, exploration and ecocrime really moved the story on. The ending was a wee bit contrived thus the four rather than five stars but a very good listen nonetheless.

Gripping

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loved everything about The Bees and this is different but very very good although the wordsmithery is just as brilliant

Amazingly different 2nd novel from her first

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A brilliantly written, environmental adventure/love story. I bought it because i had enjoyed The Bees so much. This was totally different but I loved it too.

Gripping.

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I really enjoyed this story, a bit like a good Clare Francis. It moves in worlds I know little about but was convincing in relationships and proposition. I found this by searching for anything narrated by Samuel West as one of my favourite voices to listen to. It’s a tactic that has broadened my subject range quite a bit.

Very enjoyable and well read.

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I liked the overall story, it's just a few things here and there which were typically male centric behaviours that annoyed. Like all good wives who have been discarded for younger models simply wait around for the man in question to came to his senses and she will always remain available to him no matter what. Yuk! Oh, and of course he has time to buy incredibly expensive watches, and if I hear one more story of frozen poo being made into things!

Entertaining, but too many stories of frozen poo

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