It’s 1914, and fear and paranoia rule the high seas.
Iain Cosgrove is newly married to Jennifer Manson, daughter of a wealthy Scottish merchant. But Iain must soon leave for a research trip aboard the Lady Balgay, last of Dundee’s once-grand sealing fleet. Fueled by rum and the tales of John Pratt, the crew obsess over ancient superstitions; ones Iain casually dismisses as simple lore... until they reach the frigid Artic seas.
When a string of accidents coincide with the recurring appearance of a female apparition, Iain’s beliefs are shaken. Then the ship discovers two castaways — one of them a woman — and events take a sinister turn.
Inspired by historical accounts, Dark Voyage is a compelling and horrifying tale set in the icy waters of the north.
Strong sales record, well-known author.
CHAPTER ONE
SEPTEMBER
NORTH SEA
The wonder is always new that any sane man can be a sailor
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Pregnant with violence, dark with menace, the squall slid over the northern horizon like the anger of a Nordic god.
‘That looks ugly,’ Lauren nodded urgently toward the storm and nearly smiled at the expression on Kenny’s face. ‘I hope you don’t get seasick!’
‘Where the hell did that come from?’ Kenny clutched at the side of the boat, staring at the black clouds that piled one on another in a multi-layered promise of gales and rain. He saw lightning flicker within the darkness, reflecting from the intervening sea, and he narrowed thoughtful eyes. Around them the waves rose in a sullen swell, ominously smooth, nearly oily but each one larger than its predecessor. ‘It wasn’t there a moment ago!’
Twenty two foot long and open save for the tiny wheelhouse in the bow, the fishing boat offered little protection against the weather. Already water was slopping inboard, splashing around their ankles in a cold foretaste of what was to come. In the past few minutes the movement increased from a slow, regular rise and fall to an irregular, plunging jerk.
‘It looks like a bad one,’ Lauren only had to glance at the approaching storm one more time; ‘I think we’d best return.’
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Italian
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Already translated.
Translated by Ersilia Serri
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