Apparently there is such a thing called “Research Station Noir”.
According to Paul French via CrimeReads, this is a major sub-genre of both Arctic and Antarctic crime writing that features “research stations, invariably with their communication down and cut off”.
Indeed, with approximately 5000 people living and working in the frozen continent during the summer months and only about 1000 people in winter, primarily at research stations, it makes sense that any crime in Antarctica is worth writing about.
The most interesting part of a research station mystery is the people, which include not just scientists and researchers but also technicians and support staff of diverse backgrounds, skills and competencies.
The group dynamics is the focus, which can change dramatically in extraordinary circumstances. (That is, if freezing cold and extreme isolation is not extraordinary enough.)
And this is what Australian author Riley James intends to explore in her debut novel The Chilling, which is set in the fictional McPherson Station in East Antarctica.
The protagonist, Kit, is a forensic dentist helping to monitor the health of wild seals.
She also assists the station’s medical practitioner, Dustin, with various duties.
On their way to the station, Kit and her fellow scientists receive a distress call from a nearby ship.
They subsequently find the ship on fire and its crew missing, apart from a lone survivor named Nick, who suffers head injuries and cannot remember who he is or what has happened.
Kit becomes increasingly suspicious about Nick’s amnesia.
Meanwhile, with the winter darkness and endless blizzards setting in, life on the station takes a drastic turn, starting with Dustin’s death in mysterious circumstances. Kit’s colleagues are acting strangely, her best friend has gone missing, and the surviving crew of the aforementioned ship – if any – urgently need rescue.
As the plot thickens, we cannot help but wonder whether Kit is a reliable character.
Considering her mother’s warning about good-looking men at the start of the story, some of Kit’s decisions about Nick seem particularly absurd.
Is she suffering from paranoia and anxiety due to prolonged isolation?
What, exactly, are the “whisperings” in her head?
There is a noticeable lack of in-depth character development throughout the book.
Instead, the author relies on the activities and actions of various major characters, as well as their reflections on those events around them, to keep the plot moving.
Not only does this help to create a fast-paced story, but some readers may find it frustratingly challenging to find clues that may help them solve the story’s many mysteries.
As a result, the story is full of twists and turns, possibilities and surprises that keep readers turning the pages.
Thanks to the author’s meticulous research and vivid description of the White Continent, this is an atmospheric thriller full of tension and suspense, and the “trust no one” feeling and the sense of isolation bordering claustrophobia is almost tangible.
Highly recommended.
