Though he adds some invented details to heighten the drama, Brouwer grounds his account of the doomed 1845 Franklin Expedition solidly in recent research, giving equal weight to conventional European documents and (as many earlier historians did not) to local Inuit anecdotes passed down orally through generations. He also broadens his purview to include many other attempts to find the elusive Northwest Passage up to the first uninterrupted traversal by sea in 2014 (!); context-building sidebar notes on significant contemporary inventions like the sewing machine and the elevator; and other case studies in forensic archeology designed to give readers insight into how naturally preserved human remains are gathered and interpreted. Brouwer counters the common claim that the expedition failed due to lead poisoning from its poorly canned provisions by pointing to other probable factors (bad decision-making, unusually bad weather, botulism). Flurries of period and modern maps and illustrations include portrait photos of the expedition's officers and the occasional frozen mummy, views of the insides and outsides of its two ominously named ships, the Terror and the Erebus, and icescapes that vividly capture the sheer hostility of the rugged, frozen Arctic wilderness. Thrilling, chilling reading for fans of historical disasters, particularly of the many that began as ventures into our planet's colder realms.

A deep dive into the failure of an epic Arctic expedition and its aftermath. An introductory author's note explains the background of Sir John Franklin's 1845 Arctic expedition, likening it in its boldness and peril to the 1969 Apollo 11 space flight to the moon. Next, Brouwer's ingenious book puts readers aboard the two ill-fated ships--the HMS Erebus and the HMS Terror--first as members of the expedition, then as sleuths attempting to unravel various small mysteries within the larger one. Readers go from life on the expedition to various discoveries over the succeeding century and a half, some accidental. The story of the expedition is thrilling, tragic, and dramatic; Brouwer interweaves it with the work of various investigators and Inuit oral history. In 1979, Inuit historian Louie Kamookak discovers physical clues to the expedition his great-great-grandfather had encountered; in 2002, explorer David Woodman uncovers a line of skeletons in a location he dubs Skull Isl in 2014, a Canadian archaeological team finds several articles in the icy waters near King William Isl and as recently as 2018, biologist David Cooper seeks to determine the fates of the expedition's sailors through forensic science. The book's attractive design includes colored pages, interesting sidebars, and tons of illustrations: maps, vintage photographs, and paintings. Provocatively, Brouwer solves many small mysteries while leaving others unanswered. An extensive bibliography will help armchair detectives continue their investigations. An entertaining trek, both concise and comprehensive, through a fascinating historic episode. (Nonfiction. 11-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Gr 6 Up--In the spring of 1845, famed Arctic explorer Sir John Franklin commanded the British navy's most ambitious expedition to date to discover the elusive and highly coveted Northwest Passage. Consisting of two heavily reinforced ships with a complement of over 120 men, the expedition was given the latest technologies that all but guaranteed its success. These included: coal-fired steam engines, iron-plated hulls, and enough canned food to ensure the men wouldn't starve even if they were forced to winter for multiple years. However, in the end, all were lost; none of these advancements helped the ill-fated expedition and some would significantly contribute to its demise. Brouwer outlines what happened to the expedition using historical and modern contexts. Each of the 10 chapters, which he calls episodes, consists of three parts: the first is a historical summary told from the point of view of the second-in-command Francis Crozier. The second section is information from friends, family, and colleagues of the expedition and their attempts to find out what happened. The final part of each chapter is contemporary forensics and oral histories from local Inuit people regarding the expedition. The information presented is fascinating and the struggles of the crew are harrowing to read. However, the constant switching of points of view and frequent introduction of new individuals will test even patient readers. VERDICT An engaging story would have benefited from a simpler format but nonetheless serves as a helpful purchase for those looking to fill gaps in their collection.--Karen T. Bilton