THE ICE CHILD (under the name ELIZABETH McGREGOR)

This was the break-out book of Elizabeth’s career, creating a publishing bidding war at the turn of the millennium. It sold in 17 countries. When thinking about the topic of her next novel, Elizabeth wanted to write about exploration and wilderness; about beating impossible odds. When she read the account of Franklin’s 1845 expedition to find the North-West Passage, she was intrigued by the fact that two vast ships and some 150 men could simply vanish without trace, and also the 11-year hunt to find out what had happened to them. The book combines Franklin’s story with a modern-day theme of a similarly heroic task: that of finding a bone marrow donor for a desperately sick child. ‘A riveting narrative that tugs at the reader’s heartstrings’ Booklist. ‘A dramatic, fast-paced tale Publishers Weekly. ‘Shines with the bonds of enduring love’ Houston Chronicle  ‘Multi-layered…intelligent and well written’ Sunday Express  ‘A magnificent novel’ Harpers & Queen