Each winter the crew at the Shackleton South Pole Research Facility faces nine months of isolation, round-the-clock darkness, and one of the most extreme climates on the planet. For thirty-something mechanical engineer Cass Jennings, Antarctica offers an opportunity to finally escape the guilt of her troubled past and to rebuild her life.But the death of a colleague triggers a series of … mysterious incidents that push Cass and the rest of the forty-four-person crew to the limits of their sanity and endurance. Confined and cut off from the outside world, will they work together or turn against one another? As the tension escalates, Cass must find the strength to survive not only a punishing landscape but also an unrelenting menace determined to destroy the station—and everyone in it.
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Ever wonder what wintering over in an antarctic outpost might be like? What if you realized you were stranded there for the long dark months with a murderer? This is the excellent premise of Matt Iden’s novel The Winter Over. This one got under my skin and stayed there, really well done thriller at the bottom of the world. Highly recommended!
Murder mystery at the cold bottom of the world.
Reading Winter Over in the middle of a heat wave, I wanted–several times–to get up and put on long johns and a fleece coat. That’s how good Iden is describing a fictional research station in Antarctica. The summer crew and a visiting Senate team are about to board the last plane out as the stay-behinds hunker down for 9 months of 100 degree below temperatures outside the compound. Every one of those wintering over has some kind of psychological issue (though they’ve been cleared by the company’s vetting and by the resident psychologist). What are the chances someone will crack? The discovery of the frozen body of one of the summer residents puts those staying behind on edge. Cass, who was part of the trio who found the body and returned it for a trip back on the outgoing plane, is upset enough to reveal what she saw to one of the other workers. By orders of the security officer–a piece of work–Cass never gets to see the face of the dead woman. And there is no autopsy or even examination by the resident doctor. And everything is veiled in secrecy. Transparency is really lies and avoidance. Rumors take the place of facts. It’s not long before technical problems arise (plumbing, electricity, heating, etc.) which add to the stress. Cass deduces there is a conspiracy instigated to see how long scientists, staff, and administrators can tolerate suboptimal conditions. Iden’s description of the last day is–pardon the pun–chilling. The revelation of the “company plant” is less shocking than sad. The conclusion brought me close to tears. Iden has done his homework and invites readers to dip into his research with book titles and urls and documentaries. Highly recommended for when you have time to savor the richness of the setting and the complexity of the characters.
The setting of this book is the silent character in The Winter Over and it’s a character you won’t soon forget. I love “trapped” stories and this is the best one I’ve read in quite a while. The scientists and crew who are wintering over at the South Pole are trapped until the spring comes and their desperate story kept me trapped as well. Forget doing anything else if you start this book. Some of the scenes were so fast paced I found myself catching my breath as I read. Excellent!
I struggled to get through the first two thirds of this novel. The last third had more happening in it which allowed me to finish it. It was unrealistic and a bit boring for most of the book. Additionally, I did not feel any affinity for the main character until nearly the end. With the unique setting of Antarctica, I was expecting a more compelling book. I am not much of a horror fan, and to me, this was more horror than mystery or thriller. It was not written poorly; it just did not appeal to me.