In the suspense novel Blood and Ice by Robert Masello, the most thrilling and unique element is the unusual setting of Antarctica. Not many books or movies are set on that continent.
Blood and Ice tells the tale of the lovers, Eleanor and Sinclair, in mid-nineteenth century England; she is a nurse and he is a soldier who is preparing for deployment to the Crimean war front. These star crossed lovers eventually find each other again in the midst of the bloody business of war. Ultimately, a mysterious and cruel malady befalls them and as a result an even more horrifying fate awaits them. The tale of Eleanor and Sinclair alternates with the tale of freelance journalist, Michael, who is recovering from a brutal, personal tragedy of his own. Michael is offered an opportunity to spend a month at an antarctic research station and report on his experiences there. Little does he know what adventure and danger he will encounter once he arrives and how his story will intertwine with that of Eleanor and Sinclair.
Masello excels at revving up the suspense; unfortunately, the suspense doesn't really go anywhere and the reader waits for something to happen in the story that never really does. While Masello hints at how Sinclair and Eleanor contract their mysterious malady and hints at the origins, he never really fully addresses the origins to my satisfaction. In the end maybe the point of the story is Michael's journey and struggle to move past his own tragedy.
This book is available at Matthews Public Library and upon request from Palmyra Public Library.
--Reviewed by Ms. Angie
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