“With her latest, Salam dials up the creepy when a marine biologists dives into arctic waters to explore a haunted shipwreck.”
In 1962, Marta Khoury is called to Cairnroch off the coast of Scotland. Considered a trailblazing marine biologist, Marta is tasked with exploring a Victoria shipwreck dragged from the arctic waters. The ship holds the remains of a renowned explorer and the treasure from his last voyage. But during the first dive to the ship, Marta is convinced she’s seen a dark figure lurking within the wreckage.
With the Cuban Missile Crisis and the record-breaking chill of winter keeping Marta stranded on Cairnroch, she begins to form a relationship with Elsie, a local woman working at the island’s only hotel. Soon, the ship’s artifacts suddenly disappear, and Marta and Elsie are forced to brave the freezing conditions to search for the items. With something strange and eerie following her every step, Marta has to figure out if this is just her imagination, repercussions from terrible misdeeds of her past, or something sinister at play that aims to trap her and everyone on the island in an icy hell.
Why we’re excited about this book:
If you’re looking for a fresh new voice in horror fiction, Anbara Salam might just be what you’re after. The author of Things Bright and Beautiful, Belladonna, and Hazardous Spirits, Salam’s writing has been featured in such publications The Guardian, Penguin.com, writing.ie, and CrimeReads among others. With her latest, Salam dials up the creepy when a marine biologists dives into arctic waters to explore a haunted shipwreck. Booklist says: “As an ethnic and professional outlier in a patriarchal, homogeneous society, Palestinian Scottish Salam’s protagonist provides plenty of opportunities to expose and confront misogyny, racism, entitlement, and abusive history. … [a] slow-burn mystery.”, and Rene Denfeld (The Child Finder) says: “As chilly as the icy sea, as haunting as the prospects of ghosts, The Salvage is a novel to keep you up all night. Anbara Salam is a master of suspense. Be careful when you start this book, because you won’t want to stop.”
Releasing from Tin House Books 7 October 2025, The Salvage by Anbara Salam is available for pre-order now.
BOB PASTORELLA
