How a rich and beautiful heiress to a perfume company ends up helping haul in lobster near Boston Harbor is a story with deep roots going back to her childhood, but the fact that Pirio Kasparov survives the unexpected plunge in icy waters after a freighter smashes into their boat is what makes the news all over Boston.

Raised in a privileged lifestyle in Boston by immigrant Russian parents, the lively and spirited Pirio had been sent as a child to boarding school where she bonded for life with her best friend, Thomasina. Their adventures in boarding schools set the stage for their unusual liking for the rough-and-tumble neighbourhood of fishing folks in South Boston and Thomasina's ill-fated dysfunctional marriage to Ned Rizzo who is the father to of their ten year old Noah. Noah is a wise and shy lad, understanding how to manage for himself when his mother has her too frequent alcoholic binges, but he's heavily dependent on Pirio for bringing some safety and sanity into his life. As a friend of the family, Pirio offers to help Ned with his fishing as he is shorthanded. While out in the cold and in the fog, Ned is killed when his lobster boat is smashed to bits by a large freighter. Noah asks Pirio to find out who killed his dad. She promises him she will do that.

Unknown to her, Pirio had survived over four hours in the freezing water due to a rare physiological condition that allows her to tolerate the deadly effects of hypothermia, a feat that even trained Navy Seals could not do without specialized equipment. Now, the U.S. Navy wants to know the how and why of Pirio's unique ability. Pirio is curious as well, but Thomasina goes off on one of her binges and strange things start to happen as Pirio asks people about the accident. Full of perseverance, Pirio starts to investigate on her own. The more she learns, the more she believes that the collision was not an accident, but a deliberate attempt to kill Ned. But, why would anyone want to do that and who was after him?

Debut author Elisabeth Elo has written a hard-hitting and gritty novel with unusual and intelligent characters, nicely linked by a dramatic storyline. Pirio Kasparov is a complex and snarky protagonist who is ready with a sassy line, no matter how daunting the circumstances. Her abilities and talents are many and varied, including a highly acute sense of smell likely inherited from her mother who founded a famous perfume business that Pirio will inherit upon the death of her father, Milosa. She can move with the confidence provided by her privileged class, yet her childhood adventures enables her to learn to shoot like a pro and to know a wide variety of interesting tricks. It will be interesting to see if Elo will feature Pirio in another book in the future as she is a very likable and intriguing heroine. One the one hand, Elo's characters are almost overdrawn, yet, as the plot develops, Elo adds in excellent backstories that make it all very vivid and realistic, despite the extremes. I also found the author to be particular talented at portraying strong emotions and dysfunctional family dynamics, both in the plot from Noah's as well as Pirio's own backgrounds. Thriller and mystery lovers are sure to find NORTH OF BOSTON a page turning adventure as events twist and turn and moves the story from South Boston, to Florida and then to frigid Canadian Arctic waters! Enjoy!