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Chilling Thrillers

As we make our way through the hot and muggy weeks of the summer, what better way to cool off than with a bone-chilling thriller set in the frigid and snowy confines of our planet. From Nordic noir to tales of exploration in the Antarctic, these frigid stories will help you forget about the summer heat.

Books

Smilla’s Sense of Snow – Peter Høeg
“Smilla Jaspersen befriends her neighbor, a six-year boy who appears to be neglected, but when he dies in what is termed a tragic accident, Smilla begins to suspect that he was murdered.”

An Unwanted Guest – Shari Lapena
“Weathering a storm that has cut them off from the outside world, the guests at a Catskills skiing lodge panic as an unknown assailant starts killing them off one by one.”

Last Man Off: A True Story of Disaster and Survival on the Antarctic Seas – Matt Lewis
“On June 6, 1998, twenty-three-year-old Matt Lewis had just started his dream job as a scientific observer aboard a deep-sea fishing boat in the waters off Antarctica. As the crew hauled in the line for the day, a storm began to brew. When the captain vanishes and they are forced to abandon ship, Lewis leads the escape onto three life rafts, where the battle for survival begins.”

Icebound: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World – Andrea Pitzer
“Documents the remarkable survival tale of 16th-century Dutch explorer and talented navigator Williams Barents, whose obsessive quest to chart the remote regions of the Arctic prompted three harrowing expeditions.”

The Day is Dark – Yrsa Sigurðardóttir
“When contact is lost with two Icelanders working in a harsh and sparsely population region on the coast of Greenland, Thora Gudmundsdottir’s investigations reveal another recent disappearance before she encounters unexpected local resistance and rumors about a curse.”

The Mine – Antti Tuomainen
“In the dead of winter, investigative reporter Janne Vuori sets out to uncover the truth about a mining company, whose illegal activities have created an environmental disaster in a small town in Northern Finland. When the company’s executives begin to die in a string of mysterious accidents, and Janne’s personal life starts to unravel, past meets present in a catastrophic series of events that could cost him his life. A traumatic story of family, a study in corruption, and a shocking reminder that secrets from the past can return to haunt us, with deadly results.”

Movies

Cold Pursuit (2019)
“Nels Coxman is a family man whose quiet life with his wife is upended following the mysterious death of their son. Nels’s search for justice turns into a vengeful hunt for Viking, a drug lord he believes is connected to the death. As one by one Viking’s associates ‘disappear,’ Nels goes from upstanding citizen to ice-cold vigilante, letting nothing, and no one, get in his way.”

Fargo (2005)
“A midwestern policewoman investigates a series of brutal and interconnected crimes. Steadily, she tightens the net on the killers and their accomplices in a kidnapping scheme gone wildly wrong. If the crimes aren’t chilling enough for you, the painfully accurate Midwestern mannerism are sure to make you uneasy.”

King of Devil’s Island (2011)
“Seventeen-year-old Erling is a rumored murderer and therefore sent to the Bastøy Boys Home correctional facility. Once there, he clashes with the island facility’s governor who believes manual labor, rigid discipline, and harsh punishment is the only way to turn these boys around. Refusing to accept the constant abuse, Erling leads the boys in a violent uprising that will bring them head to head with no less than the Norwegian Army.”

The Revenant (2016)
“During an expedition of the uncharted American wilderness, legendary explorer Hugh Glass is brutally attacked by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team. In a quest to survive, Glass endures unimaginable grief as well as the betrayal of his confidant John Fitzgerald. Guided by sheer will and the love of his family, Glass must navigate a vicious winter in a relentless pursuit to live and find redemption.” Based on the novel by Michael Punke.

The Snowman (2018)
“When an elite crime squad’s lead detective investigates the disappearance of a victim on the first snow of winter, he fears an elusive serial killer may be active again. With the help of a brilliant recruit, the cop must connect decades-old cold cases to the brutal new one if he hopes to outwit this unthinkable evil before the next snowfall.” Based on the Jo Nesbø book of the same name.

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