BENYBONT
The Greenland Party
Content
This novel is a 78,000-word ‘whodunit’, set in and around Vatsaaq, a small settlement in remote East Greenland. ‘The Greenland Party’ is used in two senses. It is the name the tour party gives itself. It also becomes that of the drinking bout on the night when a murder takes place.
Harry Lanier, a forcibly ‘retired’ policeman from the UK, is out walking with Lars Erikssen, the Danish tour guide and local part-time policeman. They make a horrifying discovery. This is the body of Essie Smith, a member of ‘the Greenland Party’, attached to a block of ice. This starts a train of events that turns a ‘dream holiday’ into a nightmare.
Weather conditions prevent the full-time detective flying in and Lars undertakes the preliminary investigation. He is assisted by Harry. Early signs point to Nanoq, a local man, as the murderer. Harry insists things cannot be so straightforward. His relationships with everyone, including his wife Vonnie and Lars, become strained. Harry’s own memory of the night is lost in a blur of alcohol. Is he in the clear himself?
Chapters
The action is in seven chapters, as follows
Page numbers given are those in the paperback:
Chapter 1: The Ice Queen
Sunday, 28th August, 1994, Vatsaaq, East Greenland 13
Chapter 2: The Greenland Party
Saturday, 13th August, 1994, Keflavik Airport, Iceland 21
Chapter 3: Nanoq
Sunday, 28th August, 1994, Vatsaaq, East Greenland 31
Chapter 4: Unwanted Help
Monday, 29th August, 1994, Vatsaaq, East Greenland 111
Chapter 5: The Welcome Breakfast
Tuesday, 30th August, 1994, Vatsaaq, East Greenland 153
Chapter 6: Morning Tryst
Wednesday, 31st August, 1994, Vatsaaq, East Greenland 215
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Chapter 7: Manhunt
Thursday, 1st September, 1994, Vatsaaq, East Greenland 235
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