Fatal North, Bruce Henderson
Fatal North, Bruce Henderson
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Fatal North
Murder and Survival on the First North Pole Expedition

Author: Bruce Henderson

Narrator: John Pruden

Unabridged: 9 hr 10 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 08/23/2016

Synopsis

It began as President Ulysses S. Grant's bid for international glory after the Civil War—America's first attempt to reach the North Pole. It ended with Captain Charles Hall's death under suspicious circumstances, dissension among sailors, scientists, and explorers, and the ship's evacuation and eventual sinking. Then came a brutal struggle for survival by thirty-three men, women, and children, stranded on the polar ice. When news of the disastrous expedition and accusations of murder reached Washington D.C., it led to a nationwide scandal, an official investigation, and a government cover-up.

The mystery of the captain's death remained unsolved for nearly 100 years. But when Charles Hall's frozen grave in northern Greenland was opened, forensic scientists were finally able to reach a shocking conclusion.

Now, telling the complete story for the first time, bestselling author Bruce Henderson has researched original transcripts of the U.S. Navy inquests, personal papers of Captain Hall, autopsy and forensic reports relating to the century-old crime, the ship's original log, and personal journals kept by crewmen to bring to life one of the most mysterious tragedies of American exploration.

About Bruce Henderson

Bruce Henderson is the author or coauthor of more than twenty nonfiction books, including the #1 New York Times bestseller And the Sea Will Tell, with Vincent Bugliosi, and Hero Found: The Greatest POW Escape of the Vietnam War. An award-winning journalist and author, Bruce is a member of the Authors Guild and the American Society of Journalists and Authors. He has taught reporting and writing courses at the USC School of Journalism and Stanford University.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Pam on April 17, 2022

You know from the beginning that the captain doesn’t make it. The question is why? If you’re looking for an inspirational or heroic book about polar exploration, this is not it. Read about the Endurance. Fatal North is certainly very readable and interesting. Scratch some people’s skin and just benea......more

Goodreads review by Melissa on August 30, 2024

Among the polar exploration stories of courage, heroism, and selflessness, we have this: the exact opposite of those things. Charles Francis Hall was a well-meaning captain who set out, like many before and after him, to reach the North Pole. He had generous financial support, a fine ship, a noble pl......more

Goodreads review by Yibbie on August 01, 2020

Six months. On an ice floe. In the dead of winter. In Baffin Bay. With a baby. Eating seal skins. With suspicion of murder in the air. Would they survive? Not knowing anything about this disastrous, scandalous expedition before I read this book, I was kept in suspense till the very end. Henderson......more

Goodreads review by Lissa on July 31, 2015

I'm embarrassed to admit how long this book has been in my TBR pile. It didn't deserve that. It was great! Halfway through I found myself binge-reading in the middle of the night like a teenager with a new dystopia series. It's the true story of the 1870s era American quest to find the North Pole. T......more

Goodreads review by Blaine on October 07, 2015

Loved this book. A fine adventure tale about one of the earliest attempts to reach the North Pole. The author has combined information from a lot of sources and makes a very persuasive case for Murder. So many incompetents on the boat and crew, and there are a few definite heroes (many of which were......more

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