For Russell Potter William Battersby Kat Stoetzel Regina Koellner Tom Gross and all the other Franklin aficionados who would love to find an oilskin-wrapped journal on an island in Queen Maud Gulf
Chapter One It’s spam Sam Annabel says without looking up from her crossword puzzle Real people don’t send email like that Delete it Now here’s an easy clue for you Two girls one on each knee Seven letters I have no idea I say Annabel is teaching me to do cryptic crosswords I can do regular crosswords but the 1
clues in cryptic crosswords don’t make sense Annabel gives me a how can you be so dumb look Patella she says I stare back blankly Pat and Ella are girl’s names and a kneecap is called a patella Simple For you maybe but you’re weird I say Annabel smiles as if I’ve paid her a compliment Sometimes I wish you’d go back to learning pi to some crazy number At least I could understand that But come see this email It’s not the usual spam There’s no link to click They’re not asking for anything It says I’ve been selected for a free cruise Yippee Annabel says A cruise in the Bahamas That’s useful when you live in Australia It says flights are included And it’s not a cruise to the Bahamas It goes through the Northwest Passage It’s called In the Footsteps of Sir John Franklin 2 John Wilson
A moment later Annabel is reading the email aloud over my shoulder Dear Sam ENIGMA TOURS a division of the Crype Foundation has a long history of guiding small groups of adventurous souls to locations of extraordinary interest ENIGMA TOURS is creating several new adventures based on the world’s great mysteries For our first tour we are planning something really special and we hope that you will be interested in a chance to participate In 1845 Sir John Franklin led the greatest Arctic expedition ever into the fabled Northwest Passage Not one of the 129 men on Franklin’s two ships lived to see home again And today their bones lie scattered on the icy shores of Canada’s Arctic islands What went wrong No one knows Would you like to be the one to solve the mystery 3 Lost