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Dark Winter
At America's base at the South Pole, 26 people wave goodbye to the last plane out before winter. In the days and weeks ahead they'll be tested not just by unimaginable weather extremes, but by a murderer intent on eradicating them.
480 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 24, 2001
7 people are currently reading
181 people want to read
About the author
William Dietrich
25 books396 followersWilliam Dietrich is a NY Times bestelling author of the Ethan Gage series of eight books which have sold into 28 languages. He is also the author of six other adventure novels, several nonfiction works on the environmental history of the Pacific Northwest, and a contributor to several books.
Bill was a career journalist, sharing a Pulitzer for national reporting at the Seattle Times for coverage of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. He taught environmental journalism at Huxley College, a division of Western Washington University, and was adviser to Planet Magazine there. He was Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, and received several National Science Foundation fellowships for reporting on science. His travels have taken him from the South Pole to the Arctic, and from the Dead Sea to the base camp of Mount Everest. The traveling informs his books.
He lives in Anacortes, WA, in the San Juan islands, and is a fan of books, movies, history, science, and the outdoors.
Bill was a career journalist, sharing a Pulitzer for national reporting at the Seattle Times for coverage of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. He taught environmental journalism at Huxley College, a division of Western Washington University, and was adviser to Planet Magazine there. He was Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, and received several National Science Foundation fellowships for reporting on science. His travels have taken him from the South Pole to the Arctic, and from the Dead Sea to the base camp of Mount Everest. The traveling informs his books.
He lives in Anacortes, WA, in the San Juan islands, and is a fan of books, movies, history, science, and the outdoors.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
December 31, 2010
This Agatha-Christie-in-Antarctica mystery is one of my very favorite thrillers. Snow-packed in authentic detail, author William Dietrich nicely balances his environmental and scientific grasp on South Pole life with a neatly paced, unbearably tense, character-driven whodunit.
The story: Twenty-six scientists and support staffers are stuck at an international research station at the South Pole for "dark winter" — six months without sunlight, a time in which no planes can arrive. That leaves the people left behind to police themselves — and the ability to which they can do that depends in large part on strength of individual character and pressure points of human weakness. Or madness.
Into this vacuum-sealed environment, on the last plane in, arrives young Jed Lewis. Ostensibly a meteorologist, he's actually there to discreetly spy on his fellow social misfits. Instantly, the presence of the "fingie" is resented by some — and used by others as cover for their own misdeeds. When Dr. Mickey Moss, the station's star scientist, disappears and is found dead among reports that he had found a valuable meteorite deep in the ice under the Pole, fear and suspicion sweep over the survivors — and center on Lewis.
The bodies continue to pile up, and each grisly discovery seems calculated to make Lewis look even more guilty. Is he? Events culminate in a bloody, frenetic series of events that threaten to destroy the entire station and kill off those who are left — unless those who harbor secret doubts about Lewis' guilt act in time.
Dietrich, a longtime reporter for The Seattle Times who won a Pulitzer Prize for his science and environmental reporting, cradles his narrative in a soothing, surprisingly compelling blanket of interesting detail about the unique nature of life at the South Pole. He never overdoes the science, however, and keeps just about every bit of it germane to the plot.
The revelation here is the rich bits of character detail. Dietrich does a fine job of developing the characters of about two-thirds of the "winter-overs"— everybody's psychologically complex, everybody's got a past, everybody contributes to the currents of tension between one another. Some of it is alpha-male conflict, some of it is male-female percolation, some of it is professional jealousy. And some can't help but exploit those to create explosions out of malicious amusement — or just plain malice. There are few one-dimensional characters here, and following them is like following the high-priced stars in an Irwin Allen disaster movie — you're dying to know who isn't going to make it, and you're hoping like hell it isn't somebody you've come to care about.
Some reviews, notably a slash-and-burn in Publishers Weekly, have taken Dietrich to task for by-the-numbers mystery craftsmanship that supposedly drained "Dark Winter" of suspense and surprises. I can't say I agree. It is true that Dietrich hints pretty strongly at the mastermind behind the mischief and murders by the halfway point, but the rest of the story is so skillfully told that one can't be sure whether or not this tipped hand is just another piece of misdirection. And, of course, the REAL suspense is just as much in who lives and who dies.
I'm a pretty tough judge of mysteries and thrillers, dinging them often for implausible plotting, poor characterizations, pallid settings and perfunctory prose. But "Dark Winter" passed all these tests for me. The worst I can say about it is that an italicized flashback narrative sprinkled throughout the book is tediously slow. But that's a minor quibble in an otherwise ambitious, airtight, awesomely tension-filled tale.
The story: Twenty-six scientists and support staffers are stuck at an international research station at the South Pole for "dark winter" — six months without sunlight, a time in which no planes can arrive. That leaves the people left behind to police themselves — and the ability to which they can do that depends in large part on strength of individual character and pressure points of human weakness. Or madness.
Into this vacuum-sealed environment, on the last plane in, arrives young Jed Lewis. Ostensibly a meteorologist, he's actually there to discreetly spy on his fellow social misfits. Instantly, the presence of the "fingie" is resented by some — and used by others as cover for their own misdeeds. When Dr. Mickey Moss, the station's star scientist, disappears and is found dead among reports that he had found a valuable meteorite deep in the ice under the Pole, fear and suspicion sweep over the survivors — and center on Lewis.
The bodies continue to pile up, and each grisly discovery seems calculated to make Lewis look even more guilty. Is he? Events culminate in a bloody, frenetic series of events that threaten to destroy the entire station and kill off those who are left — unless those who harbor secret doubts about Lewis' guilt act in time.
Dietrich, a longtime reporter for The Seattle Times who won a Pulitzer Prize for his science and environmental reporting, cradles his narrative in a soothing, surprisingly compelling blanket of interesting detail about the unique nature of life at the South Pole. He never overdoes the science, however, and keeps just about every bit of it germane to the plot.
The revelation here is the rich bits of character detail. Dietrich does a fine job of developing the characters of about two-thirds of the "winter-overs"— everybody's psychologically complex, everybody's got a past, everybody contributes to the currents of tension between one another. Some of it is alpha-male conflict, some of it is male-female percolation, some of it is professional jealousy. And some can't help but exploit those to create explosions out of malicious amusement — or just plain malice. There are few one-dimensional characters here, and following them is like following the high-priced stars in an Irwin Allen disaster movie — you're dying to know who isn't going to make it, and you're hoping like hell it isn't somebody you've come to care about.
Some reviews, notably a slash-and-burn in Publishers Weekly, have taken Dietrich to task for by-the-numbers mystery craftsmanship that supposedly drained "Dark Winter" of suspense and surprises. I can't say I agree. It is true that Dietrich hints pretty strongly at the mastermind behind the mischief and murders by the halfway point, but the rest of the story is so skillfully told that one can't be sure whether or not this tipped hand is just another piece of misdirection. And, of course, the REAL suspense is just as much in who lives and who dies.
I'm a pretty tough judge of mysteries and thrillers, dinging them often for implausible plotting, poor characterizations, pallid settings and perfunctory prose. But "Dark Winter" passed all these tests for me. The worst I can say about it is that an italicized flashback narrative sprinkled throughout the book is tediously slow. But that's a minor quibble in an otherwise ambitious, airtight, awesomely tension-filled tale.
March 9, 2017
The Antarctic setting is the star of this book. Dietrich has a feel for the isolation and absolute cold and having personally visited the location, the author is very capable at desribing the environment in which this psychological mystery is set. There are problems though. Dietrich spends a good third of the book establishing the setting and introducing his large cast of twenty-six characters. This slows the pace to a crawl in the book’s early sections and less patient readers may abandon ship. But, once the murders begin the pace quickens. The McGuffin is a priceless rock from a meteor, which has been disovered in the ice and becomes the motive for the murders. The characters all have their own reasons for being at the Pole and their suspicion of Lewis, as a late addition to the party, coincides with knowledge of the meteor becoming public and the first of the deaths. Howeber, as the murders increase, credibility becomes stretched. This is ultimately something that would make a passable movie adpatation – with its references to John Carpenter’s The Thing, betraying its inspiration of an isolated group gripped with paranoia. As a book it is diverting enough, despite its uneven pacing.
July 7, 2019
Ironically, I had read a number of William Dietrich books before reading this one, which is one of his earlier works of fiction. This book is a huge departure from the Ethan Gage series, which was a nice change.
The scenario is that the last plane has departed and all that remains are the 26 scientists and support staff who will spend the next eight months of winter at the Amundsen-Scott station in the hostile environment of Antarctica. Jed Lewis, a last minute addition on a covert mission, is starting to settle the murders start.
While there are a few parts of the book that seem to drag on a bit, the manner in which Dietrich weaves the story keeps you guessing for a bit as to who the killer is. You think you are convinced, then a twist causes you to waiver from your choice, then something else brings you back to them.
I love the detail that Dietrich provides, as well as the maps of the base. In fact, at the end of the book, Dietrich reveals that he has actually visited the station, which means that he has walked the ground in which the book takes place. This adds an incredible amount of believability to the story, which I appreciated.
Overall, I think that the descriptions and plot make for such an interesting thriller/mystery that I am amazed has not been picked up for a movie because I would think that it would be fairly easy to make. During the description of the night sky, all I could have running through my mind was my favourite band, Barenaked Ladies' newer song, "Navigate." It would make an incredible sound track, I must say! Worth the time spent reading. Check out the Ethan Gage series. They are quite enjoyable.
The scenario is that the last plane has departed and all that remains are the 26 scientists and support staff who will spend the next eight months of winter at the Amundsen-Scott station in the hostile environment of Antarctica. Jed Lewis, a last minute addition on a covert mission, is starting to settle the murders start.
While there are a few parts of the book that seem to drag on a bit, the manner in which Dietrich weaves the story keeps you guessing for a bit as to who the killer is. You think you are convinced, then a twist causes you to waiver from your choice, then something else brings you back to them.
I love the detail that Dietrich provides, as well as the maps of the base. In fact, at the end of the book, Dietrich reveals that he has actually visited the station, which means that he has walked the ground in which the book takes place. This adds an incredible amount of believability to the story, which I appreciated.
Overall, I think that the descriptions and plot make for such an interesting thriller/mystery that I am amazed has not been picked up for a movie because I would think that it would be fairly easy to make. During the description of the night sky, all I could have running through my mind was my favourite band, Barenaked Ladies' newer song, "Navigate." It would make an incredible sound track, I must say! Worth the time spent reading. Check out the Ethan Gage series. They are quite enjoyable.
December 29, 2009
Jed Lewis, geologist travels to Antarctica to join a team researching global warming. Shortly after his arrival, an artifact disappears and then the owner does too. The other scientists no longer trust each other and it's every man for himself - which doesn't work well in the frozen environs where in order to survive everyone needs to look out for everyone else. A psychologist is also part of the scientific team, studying the social dynamics of a bunch of socially inept lab rats when disaster strikes again and again and again. When bodies start appearing and a murderer is suspect, everyone quickly turns on everyone else and all hell breaks loose.
This is an extremely well-written thriller with many suspects and plot twists and turns.
This is an extremely well-written thriller with many suspects and plot twists and turns.
February 9, 2016
A well constructed Agatha Christie style murder mystery set in the harsh, alien landscape of Antarctica. The setting and detail of the environment took centre stage in this thriller where the location was just as deadly and dangerous as any character.
Generally well paced the story was only let down by a misplaced frantic climax which was at odds with the well crafted slow burn of the rest of the story.
A good story with the where and why playing a much larger and more interesting part than the who
Generally well paced the story was only let down by a misplaced frantic climax which was at odds with the well crafted slow burn of the rest of the story.
A good story with the where and why playing a much larger and more interesting part than the who
July 21, 2024
I loved Dietrich's book Getting Back. My husband and I have read it a few times. None of his other books except maybe this book of his sounds anything like that one so I thought to give it a try. I had to request it from outside my library because they didn't have a copy. I was initially excited about this taking place at the South Pole, since they other book was outdoorsy too. But this storyline just dragged and I didn't care about anyone, who stole rocks, or who took long showers. At 120 pages in I decided I was done BUT there was this story inside a story that was going on. Every few chapters there were a couple of pages in all italics which was very interesting. This story was about a group climbing Mt Rainer that had run into trouble. It was very secretive about who was telling the story so I knew it had to tie back into the main story. But again I didn't care about the main story. So I made the decision to read just the story about Rainer, since it was so easy to pull about of the rest of the text. It made for a great short story, so my extra star goes for that story.
June 16, 2023
What a skillful storyteller. This is the first time I've read a William Dietrich novel & I'll seek out his other books. Well-paced and I loved how he "showed his hand" about halfway through the book (i.e., hinting at the killer). But it made you wonder - what? Has he just revealed the killer or is there an unexpected twist coming?
I liked Jed's character - he was flawed - and I enjoyed the exploration of how people can turn into a "lynch mob" in the hands of a charismatic leader.
One point off because the editor should have spotted a glaring error (Auckland is not the capital of New Zealand).
I liked Jed's character - he was flawed - and I enjoyed the exploration of how people can turn into a "lynch mob" in the hands of a charismatic leader.
One point off because the editor should have spotted a glaring error (Auckland is not the capital of New Zealand).
February 3, 2019
A very slow read. The story truly did not pick up until almost 3/4 of the way through. As mentioned in another review, there are multiple errors in the Kindle version, especially in the last quarter of the book. It was distracting to read at times.
July 31, 2020
The book is very slow to start and I found myself having to push myself to keep reading. The author spends too much time explaining the location and characters. The plot takes too long to move forward. However, once it did it was intriguing and exciting to read.
November 26, 2020
It's basically a Ten Little Indians story at the south pole. I like Dietrich but this is my least favorite of his. This barely kept my interest and could have been a much better novel. Some of the dialogue didn't ring true and I thought the pacing could have been better.
April 17, 2022
I really liked this mystery set in the Antarctic. There’s science-y stuff which I like, a missing meteor, a murder, then another, another and more. Lots of twists and very enjoyable.
September 3, 2023
Really enjoyed this murder mystery in Antarctica!!
May 12, 2014
Didn't find much here that was compelling except perhaps some of the narrative structure. Slower than the previous Dietrich books I've read - I've been working on he ebook version if this for many months.
Finally, and this is unlikely to be the authors fault, it should be noted that the editing of the ebook release appears to have been nonexistent. While most of the issues are just spelling related, I came across multiple instances where guessing at the identity of a character was made necessary because multiple members of the group were incorrectly being identified by the same name. Disastrous!
Finally, and this is unlikely to be the authors fault, it should be noted that the editing of the ebook release appears to have been nonexistent. While most of the issues are just spelling related, I came across multiple instances where guessing at the identity of a character was made necessary because multiple members of the group were incorrectly being identified by the same name. Disastrous!
July 29, 2016
Second book of Detrich's I've read, enjoying it for a well crafted yarn about dangers in the cold, this time placed at Amundsen-Scott station on Antarctica. With a little forewarning via the ritual of watching the film Thing as the winter begins, an unknown killer creates havoc amongst the 26 denizens of the winter-over scientists and technicians. I enjoy the characterizations and the realistic descriptions of being in -100-degree cold.
February 27, 2015
A thrills and chills trip to Antarctica:
I'm a fan of Bill Dietrich's historical adventures with Ethan Gage, and just discovered this earlier novel. A fascinating setting in the Antarctic reflects his personal experience visiting there, and a well-rounded cast of characters with various hidden motives for murder create chilling (literally) suspense. Great armchair travelling and action that made me really grateful for my cozy room and fireplace!
I'm a fan of Bill Dietrich's historical adventures with Ethan Gage, and just discovered this earlier novel. A fascinating setting in the Antarctic reflects his personal experience visiting there, and a well-rounded cast of characters with various hidden motives for murder create chilling (literally) suspense. Great armchair travelling and action that made me really grateful for my cozy room and fireplace!
May 28, 2010
I had read two other books by this author and enjoyed them but, this one was a real disappointment. It took me forever to get into it. In fact at times I thought about quitting it. However, I am the type of reader who cannot not finish a book. I wanted to find out who the killer was. I do plan to continue with this author.
February 7, 2016
A morose unpleasant tale about a series of murders in perhaps the most unpleasant place on earth, Antarctica. I research group isolated there for the next 8 months fractures apart when rumours of a valuable space fragment found at the station begin to spread and the killing states. Gloomy and morose, not a story to read for enjoyment.
January 21, 2011
Although I found the start of Dark Winter a little slow, the payoff for my patience was huge. Dietrich's characters are always interesting and his action scenes are superb. The near-future world he creates in this novel stays in your mind.
July 1, 2014
OK rendition of a Christie-like "10 Little Indians" mystery as the murders pile up at an South Pole scientific station...plenty of psychological torture as the survivors come to grips with their situation...not as much fun as the Ethan Gage series, but more than adequate summer mystery
May 24, 2007
just as exciting as his others
January 25, 2009
A little obvious, but I enjoyed it.
May 4, 2009
Murder and mayhem at the South pole.
March 2, 2025
ANTARCTICA
July 28, 2011
Very much a page-turner. It really gives you the feel of cold and remoteness of Antarctica with an engaging murder mystery
December 11, 2011
Interesting, well paced, and large number of characters manageable. Fun to be introduce to a different world, even with sociopaths present.
June 18, 2014
Slow to start, however it kept my interest. Wouldn't read it again. A good one timer.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews