Deception Island - R.S. Burnett

Deception Island - R.S. Burnett

R.S. Burnett

£9.99

Available to order

Not on our shelves today. We’ll order it in and post it out — with you in 2–3 working days.

  • Pages · 352 pages
  • Publication Date · 12/02/2026
  • Genre · Fiction: special features
Collect in store Pick it up free from the shop in Oxford's Covered Market, usually quicker than the post.
Delivery Standard tracked £1.99, free on orders over £20. Express tracked £2.99.
Book Lovers' Happy Hour Three cocktails matched to your taste, three books chosen for you, an hour and a half at the bar. £60 per person. Book a place →

Perfect for fans of locked-room mysteries on a massive scale, the high-stakes survival tension of Whiteout, and atmospheric thrillers like Shutter Island or the cinematic mystery of Lost. When a rescue team arrives at Deception Island to evacuate scientists from an erupting volcano, they discover everyone has vanished without a trace. Cut off from the outside world and trapped on an island with deadly secrets, Abbie must uncover the truth before the volcano - or something far more sinister - claims her life. Deception Island, a sunken volcano, is about to blow - and the scientists studying it need evacuating. It's a race against time, and nature. But when they land on the island they find it completely deserted. As they search for signs of life other strange things start to happen: the radio is cut-off and then their boat disappears. Deception Island holds many secrets, but Abbie is worried about just one question: Will she make it off it alive? Key Themes and Narrative Tropes: The Ticking-Clock Survival Thriller: Combines the immediate environmental danger of an imminent volcanic eruption with a classic survivalist narrative. Abandoned Station: Perfect for readers searching for eerie, atmospheric mysteries involving sudden, unexplained collective disappearances. Locked-Room Sub-Genre Elements: A claustrophobic, high-stakes mystery where a small cast of characters is trapped in a hostile, inescapable environment with an unknown adversary. 'Great fun, filled with compelling twists and turns, and nigh on impossible to put down' Express __________________________ Real readers love R.S. Burnett: 'A fantastic thriller with the best twists that I honestly did not see coming' ★★★★★ 'The writing was phenomenal' ★★★★★ 'This book was so suspenseful and so shocking, that I am almost at a loss for words after finishing it!' ★★★★★ 'This is an amazingly tense and thrilling story for all thriller lovers' ★★★★★ 'Impossible to put down . well written and totally unique' ★★★★★ 'A superb survival thriller from a writer to watch' - Steve Cavanagh
'Gripping and chilling' - Amy McCulloch
'Unique and skilled debut' - Caroline Corcoran 'A fabulous debut thriller' - Simon McCleave
'Chilling, awe-inspiring' - James Rollins 'A riveting debut-I tore through it like a blizzard' - Giles Kristian

Only at Gulp Fiction

Book Lovers' Happy Hour

An hour and a half at the bar, with three cocktails matched to your taste and three books chosen for you. Tell us what you like when you book, and we'll have them waiting when you arrive.

  • 1½ hours
  • £60 per person
  • 3 cocktails, 3 books
Book Happy Hour

Up to four of you can come — book a place each and choose the same time slot, then tell us who you're with. For larger groups, email gulpfictionbooks@gmail.com and we'll arrange it.

Three customers at the window table in Gulp Fiction, cocktails in hand beside a stack of books, with Oxford's Covered Market visible through the glass

Collect in store

Order online and pick it up from the shop. It's free, and usually quicker than the post.

Find us

Units 28–29, Covered Market, Oxford OX1 3DU. Mon–Wed 10–5, Thu–Sat 10–10, Sun 11–4.

Book a table

The bar is open late Thursday to Saturday. Reserve a table for a drink among the books.