Fatal North

Murder and Survival on the First North Pole Expedition

By: Bruce Henderson

Narrated by: John Pruden

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 33 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, best-selling author Bruce Henderson has researched original transcripts of the US 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.

©2011 Bruce Henderson (P)2016 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Fans of adventure writing will appreciate this fine book." ( Publishers Weekly)

Thought I'd read them all

All the Polar Exploration tales have much in common... starvation, cold, navigation, and the conflict of personalities. I was unaware of this event and found it engaging, fast-paced, and fascinating. The narrator was excellent as well. Really enjoyed the sad tale of Francis Hall and his treacherous crew. Highly recommended for those interested in this era.

A fascinating 2-for-1 tale!

Do you like mysteries AND survival stories? This is the book for you! I picked it up because the mystery was draw enough for me, but when the narrative shifted to detail the survival ordeal of a portion of the party I couldn’t put it down! It drags a little in the bits after, but all in all I really enjoyed it. Would recommend.

A Great Arctic Exploration Read

As someone who loves a good Arctic Exploration book Fatal North did not disappoint. Very detail and stuck tot the facts.

Excellent. Highly recommended.

Excellent book and narration. I cannot recommend this enough. Hard to believe it's a true story, but it is. The first-hand journals make a big difference. Absolutely fascinating how they survived, and shocking how bad the "bad bits" are.

excellent

excellent story and thrilling adventure. the ridiculous shoe horning of the note on climate change could have been left out. since this book was written these anthropogenic climate change charlatans and bs biased computer modelers have had nothing to say of the growing ice from greenland north. its a shame that political skullduggery with pseudo science will leave its mark on the story of true explorers.