'Very occasionally a tragedy turns into a triumph. This wonderful, searing book is such a moment. Rush to read it & be thankful.' – Miriam Margolyes

Last night Ben phoned from Bermuda, collect as usual. I'd asked – though heaven knows why as we avoid soppy talk – if he still loved me.

He had said, 'Course I do.'

He would be home for a visit once the race was over. He could not say exactly when but would keep in touch.

It is early June: the third day of June, to be precise, and a day I will never forget. Something feels wrong. Better get up.

Shirley's sixth sense was all too real: tragedy had struck Ben's ship, Marques.

The government announced that it was a 'freak accident'.

But something did not add up.

On 2 June 1984 the British-registered tall ship Marques left Bermuda Harbour, cheered on by watching crowds. With other sailing vessels from across the world, the barque was heading for Halifax, Nova Scotia, having won the first leg of the internationally famous Tall Ships Race. As they sailed out to sea, there was not a cloud in the sky. But by midnight the weather had changed and the seas became violent.

Just 80 miles from Bermuda, things took a turn for the worse – the ship lurched and water poured in through the wide-open hatches. In 40 seconds the Marques had vanished. Of the 28 people on board, 19 were lost: crew and passengers, hailing from Britain, Canada, the US and the Caribbean. Among the missing was Shirley Cooklin's 18-year-old son Ben.

Driven to seek answers, Shirley finds only dead ends and denials. She begins to wonder – what if this was not a freak accident caused by the wind? What if the tragedy was the result of a gross act of negligence? And why is the Thatcher government so interested in the incident?

This is the riveting true story of one mother's lifelong search for justice.

HarperElement