Blood and Ice by Robert Masello

I picked up this book because I was judging it by its cover (which I liked) AND by its description (which I REALLY liked).

The story begins in the 1850's with Lt. Sinclair Copley nursing his ailing lover, Eleanor, while aboard a ship in icy seas.  Unfortunately, there is something strange going on with the two that the crew finds disturbing and they are chained together before being tossed into the sea.   

In the present day, Michael Wilde is deep in the throes of personal tragedy when his editor at Ecotravel Magazine offers him an assignment at a remote research base in Antarctica.  While accompanying another scientist on a dive for exotic cold water fish, he finds something, something nearly impossible to believe, frozen in an iceberg at the bottom of the Antarctic sea.  Naturally, they bring it to the surface so it can be thawed for study.  

I didn't think that was such a hot idea but hey, they didn't ask me.  So this book was a little slow to get started.  It wasn't excrutiating in any way and I stayed interested but, boy howdie, when you hit midway through, the action rarely stops.  I was listening to it (and if you decide to also, that point is CD #7!) and I actually got home 2 nights in a row and was too scared to immediately get out of my car despite the fact that spring time in Alabama in no way resembles the South Pole. 

Just the image of being in that darkened room with seawater seeping under the door and a ragged voice saying, "Give. It. Baaaack.", was enough to have me getting my purse on my shoulder and my keys out.  I didn't really look far enough ahead to think that the dark house would be scarier than the lighted porch, but that was my problem.

I thought the ending was a bit abrupt BUT, I give Masello credit for not making it the dramatic spectacle I expected.  I like being surprised and don't really mind being left hanging since maybe that means he will continue the story in another book...hopefully?....maybe?  (here's hoping Robert Masello has a Google Alert on his name and book and cares to comment)

We have another book of his, Bestiary, here at the library so I'm going to check it out too!