The Ice Balloon

A compelling novel of discovery, loves lost and a deception that spanned a lifetime ... inspired by true events. 



1897 - As explorers and scientists scramble to conquer the North Pole, Nils Strindberg, with fellow adventurers S. A. Andree and Knut Fraenkel, takes up the challenge. Setting flight in a hydrogen balloon, Nils leaves his fiancee Anna and his brother Erik behind in Stockholm anxiously waiting his return. 


1930 - When the men's remains are discovered on the frozen island of Kvitoya, the news makes headlines around the world. Brash young journalist Knut Stubbendorff is sent to report from the site and uncovers, among the debris, journals filled with love letters to Anna, Wanting to know more about the man who left his love to embark on a journey that was doomed from the start, Stubbendorff is determined to find her ... but Anna doesn't want to be found. In a search that uncovers lost loves, deceit and long-buried secrets, Stubbendorff discovers a story that has stayed hidden for decades and the people who have been concealing it.