Without A Trace

A Vanishing Without Warning

On a fog-shrouded autumn evening, the luxury cruise liner Caledonia sets sail from Southampton, carrying over two hundred passengers bound for the Irish coast. Among them is investigative journalist Laura Hastings, eager to piece together her next big story. But as the vessel glides into the churning Atlantic waters, a passenger disappears without a trace. No distress signal is sent, no lifeboats are lowered, and the ship’s logs record only static where there should have been a scream. Confronted with conflicting crew statements and evasive passenger accounts, Laura realizes this is no ordinary disappearance—it is the first in a series that will challenge every known principle of search and rescue at sea.

Secrets Beneath the Surface

The following days see a mounting list of vanished travelers: a retired sea captain last seen on the upper deck, a honeymooning couple whose cabin shows no signs of entry, and a young botanist who vanished while tending to her rooftop garden. Each case defies logical explanation, with clues evaporating faster than they can be recorded. As Laura dives into passenger diaries and examines sonar scans of the ship’s hull, she uncovers references to an old maritime legend—the Phantom Helm—a spectral force said to guide wayward souls into the ocean’s abyss. Determined to separate myth from reality, she must navigate the murky depths of human fear and maritime superstition.

Chasing Shadows of Silence

With dwindling supplies and tensions rising among remaining passengers, Laura teams up with Dr. Marcus Elliot, a marine psychologist whose own sister was lost at sea decades earlier. Together they piece together a haunting pattern: all missing individuals shared a solitary watch at midnight on the ship’s bridge, each reporting a fleeting glimpse of a helm glowing beneath the waves. In a race against time, Laura and Marcus prepare to confront the Phantom Helm during the ship’s final passage through the notorious Devil’s Triangle. As the Caledonia’s engines roar against an incoming storm, they must decide whether to trust empirical evidence or embrace the unknown to unlock the ship’s deepest secret.

. Charles Berlitz, renowned pioneer of paranormal investigations and bestselling author on mysteries of land, sea, and sky, brings unrivaled depth and chilling authenticity to every page.