The Killing Ship

The eight members of a scientific expedition run into trouble on Livingston Island off Antarctica in this engrossing thriller from Beaufort (The Murder House). When marine biologist Andrew Berrister and five other researchers return to their campsite on barren Hannah Point, they can’t find the remaining team members, field hand Malcolm “Freddy” Fredericks and botanist Dan Wells. That Freddy left his lucky hat behind doesn’t bode well. The subsequent discovery of human tracks, a pool of blood, and a cigarette butt on the nearby beach suggests the presence of another scientific team to Berrister. John Graham, the group’s second field hand, worries that criminals have landed on the island. Berrister tries to reassure Graham: “There’ll be a rational and innocent explanation for all these things, you’ll see.” Of course, he’s wrong. Beaufort (the joint pen name of Susanna Gregory and Beau Riffenburgh) carefully crafts the personality of each team member, while the action-packed plot builds to a shocking crescendo. [em](Nov.) [/em]