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C.J. Cooke’s latest chilling tale, a Radio 2 Book Club Pick, The Book of Witching, is available to buy now!

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Something has walked the floors of the Ormen for over a century.

Something that craves revenge…

*Longlisted for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize*

1901. On board the Ormen, a whaling ship battling through the unforgiving North Sea, a woman awakes. Attacked and dragged there against her will, it’s just her and the crew – and they’re all owed something only she can give them.

Decades later, the Ormen is found drifting across the ocean, deserted. Just one body is left on board, his face and feet mutilated, his cabin locked from the inside. Everyone else has vanished.

Now. Urban explorer Dominique travels into the near-permanent darkness of the northernmost tip of Iceland. She’s searching for the final resting place of the Ormen’s wreck, and she’s determined to uncover its secrets.

But she’s not alone. Something is here with her. And it’s seeking revenge…

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‘Rich, chilling and gorgeously gothic. A Haunting in the Arctic is the kind of enchanting, terrifying mystery I just adore’ Chris Whitaker

‘Cooke delivers yet another spine-chilling treat in this lushly imagined, terrifying novel’ Emilia Hart, bestselling author of Weyward

‘Mesmerising and terrifying, this is a powerful story lovingly told … Highly recommended’ Lisa Ballantyne

Publisher Review

More praise for C.J. Cooke 'This claustrophobic, cloying read with Gothic undertones was so eerie I wanted to sleep with the light on' Prima 'Right from the start, I was hooked on this eerie, cryptic novel' Samantha Downing 'An intricate story about women and witch trials but with a delightful timeslip element that really works. It's a compelling story and very satisfying how the threads are woven together' Kate Sawyer 'With characters that feel like they live and breathe, an atmospheric setting and a plot that kept me guessing, all delivered in luminous prose, this is a flawless read. Underpinned by a story of the Scottish witch hunts, the themes remain starkly relevant today' Elizabeth Lee 'Seething with gothic menace ... interweaves myth, superstition and history in a way which feels strikingly relevant and gripping' Caroline Lea 'Wonderful writing with a beautifully haunting tone. Gothic at its best' Rhiannon Ward 'Beautifully crafted' Constance Sayers 'Cooke manages to set a compelling timeshift mystery in a very real world, where believable people navigate authentic problems ... surprising and inventive' Sarah Burton 'A gripping meditation on terror and superstition' Sara Sheridan 'A complex and haunting story, beautifully told ... Tense, unsettling and ultimately incredibly moving' Amanda Mason 'Utterly enthralling, original and atmospheric' N.J. Simmonds 'An atmospheric beauty of a book, with a feminist voice that rang clear from every page' Anna Day 'A taut, scary thriller that winds the suspense so tightly you can barely breathe' Simone St. James