The Salvage

It is 1962, and Marta Khoury, a trailblazing marine archaeologist, has travelled to Cairnroch, a small island off the east coast of Scotland. An arctic shipwreck containing the remains of a famous Victorian explorer has been towed back to the island at the behest of his wealthy descendants. Marta''s job is to retrieve valuable artefacts from the vessel, deep beneath the freezing Scottish waters. But on her first dive, Marta becomes convinced she has seen a ghostly figure lurking in the wreckage. When Marta discovers objects from the vessel have inexplicably disappeared, she must work to uncover their whereabouts before her boss - also her ex-husband, discovers their absence. As a series of unsettling and strange occurrences begin to unfold, Marta''s work trip turns into a long winter as the worst snowstorms of the century sweep in and trap the islanders, and their ghosts, in an icy wilderness. Praise for Anbara Salam: ''A modern gothic masterpiece'' Scots Magazine ''An exquisitely written work of Caledonian gothic'' Francine Toon, author of Pine ''A darkly sparkling jewel of a book'' Kirsty Logan, author of Now She is Witch

About the author

Anbara Salam is the Palestinian-Scottish author of Things Bright and Beautiful and Belladonna. Her novel Hazardous Spirits was shortlisted for Fiction Book of the Year at Scotland's National Book Awards. She has a PhD in Theology and now lives in Oxford.

Product details

• Authors: Anbara Salam
• Publisher: John Murray
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Release: 07.10.2025
• EAN: 9781399806640
• ISBN: 978-1-399-80664-0
• No. of pages: 320
• Subjects: FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Historical, FICTION / Mystery & Detective / General, FICTION / Historical / General, Historical mysteries, Crime & mystery, Historical fiction, FICTION / Literary, FICTION / Ghost, Scotland, Crime and mystery fiction, Fiction: general and literary, Historical crime and mysteries, Unexplained phenomena / the paranormal, FICTION / World Literature / Scotland / General, FICTION / World Literature / Scotland / 20th Century, FICTION / Historical / 20th Century / General