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Hallie Leland #2
Frozen Solid
The most dangerous place on Earth
A devious and deadly plan to save humanity from itself
A lone scientist battling the clock and ruthless enemies to avert global catastrophe
"The Deep Zone" was hailed as "an absolutely phenomenal read by the new Michael Crichton" (Brad Thor), a book that "should come shrink-wrapped with a seat belt" (Steve Berry). Now, bestselling author James M. Tabor ups the ante and the action in his second extreme thriller, as brilliant and battle-tested heroine Hallie Leland confronts intrigue and murder in the most unforgiving place on Earth.
The South Pole's Amundsen Scott Research Station is like an outpost on Mars. Winter temperatures average 100 degrees below zero; week-long hurricane-force storms rage; for eight months at a time the station is shrouded in darkness. Under the stress, bodies suffer and minds twist. Panic, paranoia, and hostility prevail.
When a South Pole scientist dies mysteriously, CDC microbiologist Hallie Leland arrives to complete crucial research. Before she can begin, three more women inexplicably die. As failing communications and plunging temperatures cut the station off from the outside world, terror rises and tensions soar. Amidst it all, Hallie must crack the mystery of her predecessor's death.
In Washington, D.C., government agency director Don Barnard and enigmatic operative Wil Bowman detect troubling signs of shadowy behavior at the South Pole and realize that Hallie is at the heart of it. Unless Barnard and Bowman can track down the mastermind, a horrifying act of global terror, launched from the station, will change the planet forever--and Hallie herself will be the unwitting instrument of destruction.
As the Antarctic winter sweeps in, severing contact with the outside world, Hallie must trust no one, fear everyone, and fight to keep the frigid prison from becoming her frozen grave.
Praise for "Frozen Solid"
" "
""The Andromeda Strain" meets "The Thing." Effectively blending horror with the science thriller, Tabor keeps readers on edge from beginning to end."--"Booklist"
" "
"We can't get enough of mad scientist cabals who want to take over the world with the power of genetic engineering."--io9
"A taut page-turner . . . Tabor's not the first genre writer to take advantage of the forbidding conditions at the South Pole, but few have done so to better effect.""--Publishers Weekly "(starred review)
"A fine thriller."--"Kirkus Reviews"
" "
"As you read this chilling novel it won't be the frigid setting that sends tremors up your spine but rather the dark premise of this horrifying and engrossing story."--BookIdeas.com
"A fast-paced, visceral thriller with a likeable heroine and some stellar high-stakes action sequences."--ScienceThrillers.com
"The suspense was never-ending. . . . [There's a] heart-stopping build-up towards the ending."--Books4Tomorrow "From the Hardcover edition."
A devious and deadly plan to save humanity from itself
A lone scientist battling the clock and ruthless enemies to avert global catastrophe
"The Deep Zone" was hailed as "an absolutely phenomenal read by the new Michael Crichton" (Brad Thor), a book that "should come shrink-wrapped with a seat belt" (Steve Berry). Now, bestselling author James M. Tabor ups the ante and the action in his second extreme thriller, as brilliant and battle-tested heroine Hallie Leland confronts intrigue and murder in the most unforgiving place on Earth.
The South Pole's Amundsen Scott Research Station is like an outpost on Mars. Winter temperatures average 100 degrees below zero; week-long hurricane-force storms rage; for eight months at a time the station is shrouded in darkness. Under the stress, bodies suffer and minds twist. Panic, paranoia, and hostility prevail.
When a South Pole scientist dies mysteriously, CDC microbiologist Hallie Leland arrives to complete crucial research. Before she can begin, three more women inexplicably die. As failing communications and plunging temperatures cut the station off from the outside world, terror rises and tensions soar. Amidst it all, Hallie must crack the mystery of her predecessor's death.
In Washington, D.C., government agency director Don Barnard and enigmatic operative Wil Bowman detect troubling signs of shadowy behavior at the South Pole and realize that Hallie is at the heart of it. Unless Barnard and Bowman can track down the mastermind, a horrifying act of global terror, launched from the station, will change the planet forever--and Hallie herself will be the unwitting instrument of destruction.
As the Antarctic winter sweeps in, severing contact with the outside world, Hallie must trust no one, fear everyone, and fight to keep the frigid prison from becoming her frozen grave.
Praise for "Frozen Solid"
" "
""The Andromeda Strain" meets "The Thing." Effectively blending horror with the science thriller, Tabor keeps readers on edge from beginning to end."--"Booklist"
" "
"We can't get enough of mad scientist cabals who want to take over the world with the power of genetic engineering."--io9
"A taut page-turner . . . Tabor's not the first genre writer to take advantage of the forbidding conditions at the South Pole, but few have done so to better effect.""--Publishers Weekly "(starred review)
"A fine thriller."--"Kirkus Reviews"
" "
"As you read this chilling novel it won't be the frigid setting that sends tremors up your spine but rather the dark premise of this horrifying and engrossing story."--BookIdeas.com
"A fast-paced, visceral thriller with a likeable heroine and some stellar high-stakes action sequences."--ScienceThrillers.com
"The suspense was never-ending. . . . [There's a] heart-stopping build-up towards the ending."--Books4Tomorrow "From the Hardcover edition."
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First published January 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 164 reviews
March 5, 2013
James Tabor's 'Frozen Solid' is a good, solid, and entertaining read! Microbiologist Hallie Leland is sent to the South Pole to continue the research of a friend and colleague who has mysteriously died. Upon arriving, Hallie sees first hand what living in the isolated expanse of Antarctica for an extended period of time does to the human mind. When she suspects that her friend may have been murdered, Hallie is determined to get answers, but is stonewalled at every turn. During her investigating, she uncovers a twisted plot by a clandestine group of scientists called Triage that could devastate the world. Who can she turn to with this knowledge? Who would believe her? Who can she trust? Why can't she make contact with the outside world? Hallie's survival is in question as more people are 'permanently silenced' to keep Triage's secrets.
I admit, the concept of even THINKING of going anywhere as cold as Antarctica is beyond my rational scope, but I swear, I was freezing right along with the characters. The terrain felt bleak and overwhelmingly desolate. Hallie, as a character was like a female MacGyver, without the duct tape, her mind was quick, she made do with what was around, which added to the thrill! While light on serious science, this book was high on adventure, action and kept me reading straight through in one sitting! I thought the airport scenes at both the beginning and the end wrapped everything thing up well!
This ARC copy was provided by NetGalley and Random House in exchange for my honest review. Publication date: March 26, 2013.
I admit, the concept of even THINKING of going anywhere as cold as Antarctica is beyond my rational scope, but I swear, I was freezing right along with the characters. The terrain felt bleak and overwhelmingly desolate. Hallie, as a character was like a female MacGyver, without the duct tape, her mind was quick, she made do with what was around, which added to the thrill! While light on serious science, this book was high on adventure, action and kept me reading straight through in one sitting! I thought the airport scenes at both the beginning and the end wrapped everything thing up well!
This ARC copy was provided by NetGalley and Random House in exchange for my honest review. Publication date: March 26, 2013.
January 29, 2023
Exciting, enigmatic, suspenseful intriguing, dangerous, conspiratorial, global, circumscribed, paranoia-inducing, fatal: FROZEN SOLID is rip-roaring adventure at the Frozen South Pole. Antarctica at the end of Summer: from dangerous to super-dangerous. If the extreme temperatures, massive eight-months darkness, hurricane winds, dangerous ice sheets, Polar madness don't get you, a terrifying global conspiracy will. South Pole Station is no more than a laboratory for the trio of planners who have conceived and introduced a destructive plan they call, simply, "Triage."
November 11, 2022
Men writing novels where the main character is a woman are always suspicious. I want them to be successful. I really do. And this one, despite being a little dry and lacking tension, wasn't doing a terrible job until late in the book when two male characters started discussing the attractiveness of the female judge they had woken up at 2AM to sign a search warrant. Really? If the judge had been a man, would they have talked about he looked or how grumpy he was for being woken up? Big fail. Won't be back.
June 1, 2019
I don't think I've read this author before. I enjoyed this one. It is a mystery set in the South Pole with a bit of a futuristic vibe. First, I liked his writing and how methodical the plot was laid out. It all worked well together. The MC, Hallie, was also a solid character. I wanted more backstory, but that was probably laid out in the first book of this series, which I will have to get soon. So 4 stars.
December 8, 2018
set in Antarctica... probably not the best choice when you are already freezing... LOL
The book itself was very interesting and kept me engaged
The book itself was very interesting and kept me engaged
March 8, 2019
This was an entertaining read for me; it was obviously a fast read (maybe five hours, total) and held my interest throughout. I liked that the author built upon the first novel in terms of the characterization of the the three main characters (Hallie Leland, Wil Bowman, and Hallie's boss,
Don Barnard). He also does a nice job of developing the secondary and tertiary characters (including the villains). It takes place in the bleakest, most dangerous part of the planet above water, and it is a almost three-stories-in-one.
The primary story is the mystery at the South Pole. Hallie Leland is sent to the South Pole to replace a friend of hers (Emily Durant) for some sort of government project; her friend had died before completing the project. After she arrives, two women die brutal deaths and there are a series of unfortunate events that dog her heels while she is at this research station. Meanwhile, Bowman and Barnard are trying to figure out what is going on at the South Pole along separate tangents, which involves investigating the death of Emily Durant as best they can in conjunction with a gentleman by the name of Gerrin who is in charge of the South Pole operations (especially as Hallie has unexpectedly dropped off the network at the same time this particular research station has gone dark, in terms of communicating with the rest of the world, and Gerrin was the one who approved Hallie's selection as a replacement). Hallie also ends up discovering that her friend and the one of the station's resident scientists had discovered a new species of extremophiles that she believes could be instrumental in saving the planet from CO2 overload. Little does she realize how much danger her investigating the death of her good friend, Emily, will put her in.
It was somewhat hard to believe this story took place over 'just' five days. It felt like far more days than that, on the one hand. I think that might partly be because of Bowman and Barnard searching for the 'big hands' funding the secret research projects at this installation. The book would cut away at inopportune times as these two friends of Hallie did some further investigation on their part in a vain attempt to solve the crime(s) being committed at the South Pole. Plus, it did not seem like Hallie slept that much while at the South Pole; or, if she did, it was very sporadic and in short periods, which may be why it seemed longer than it was. I do not know; it just felt like it was longer than five days. There were a couple of moments in the book, though, where Hallie is told she has x-number of days left before she flies back out, so there was that to try and help keep track of time.
It was a crazy book to read. The author definitely did a nice job creating a sense of foreboding and 'almost horror' with this book. At the same time, though, there were large chunks of it that strongly reminded me of the Kate Beckinsale movie White Out, in which Kate plays a U.S. Marshal assigned to a South Pole research station just before a bunch of gruesome murders start taking place. In any case, the author did a nice job in creating the 'spirit' behind the novel, in generating certain feelings or emotions of claustrophobia or fear or madness in the reader's mind. Also, the Russian "underglacier lake" at Vostok was mentioned, which reminded me of Steve Alten's book, Vostok, when I saw the name of that "Russian lake" pop up in this book. The lake Hallie is going to dive in to is not as deep or as big as Vostok, but it is still a highly-dangerous environment all the same.
Overall, it was a fun, entertaining story to read. And, I will say this - it did have some humor floating through the book that would show up at unexpected times. I would probably rate it 2.7 - 2.8 stars, rounded up to three. I cannot decide if I will ever read it again, but that is okay, considering the number of books I still have sitting on my shelf waiting to be read. I am still glad I took the time to read it.
Don Barnard). He also does a nice job of developing the secondary and tertiary characters (including the villains). It takes place in the bleakest, most dangerous part of the planet above water, and it is a almost three-stories-in-one.
The primary story is the mystery at the South Pole. Hallie Leland is sent to the South Pole to replace a friend of hers (Emily Durant) for some sort of government project; her friend had died before completing the project. After she arrives, two women die brutal deaths and there are a series of unfortunate events that dog her heels while she is at this research station. Meanwhile, Bowman and Barnard are trying to figure out what is going on at the South Pole along separate tangents, which involves investigating the death of Emily Durant as best they can in conjunction with a gentleman by the name of Gerrin who is in charge of the South Pole operations (especially as Hallie has unexpectedly dropped off the network at the same time this particular research station has gone dark, in terms of communicating with the rest of the world, and Gerrin was the one who approved Hallie's selection as a replacement). Hallie also ends up discovering that her friend and the one of the station's resident scientists had discovered a new species of extremophiles that she believes could be instrumental in saving the planet from CO2 overload. Little does she realize how much danger her investigating the death of her good friend, Emily, will put her in.
It was somewhat hard to believe this story took place over 'just' five days. It felt like far more days than that, on the one hand. I think that might partly be because of Bowman and Barnard searching for the 'big hands' funding the secret research projects at this installation. The book would cut away at inopportune times as these two friends of Hallie did some further investigation on their part in a vain attempt to solve the crime(s) being committed at the South Pole. Plus, it did not seem like Hallie slept that much while at the South Pole; or, if she did, it was very sporadic and in short periods, which may be why it seemed longer than it was. I do not know; it just felt like it was longer than five days. There were a couple of moments in the book, though, where Hallie is told she has x-number of days left before she flies back out, so there was that to try and help keep track of time.
It was a crazy book to read. The author definitely did a nice job creating a sense of foreboding and 'almost horror' with this book. At the same time, though, there were large chunks of it that strongly reminded me of the Kate Beckinsale movie White Out, in which Kate plays a U.S. Marshal assigned to a South Pole research station just before a bunch of gruesome murders start taking place. In any case, the author did a nice job in creating the 'spirit' behind the novel, in generating certain feelings or emotions of claustrophobia or fear or madness in the reader's mind. Also, the Russian "underglacier lake" at Vostok was mentioned, which reminded me of Steve Alten's book, Vostok, when I saw the name of that "Russian lake" pop up in this book. The lake Hallie is going to dive in to is not as deep or as big as Vostok, but it is still a highly-dangerous environment all the same.
Overall, it was a fun, entertaining story to read. And, I will say this - it did have some humor floating through the book that would show up at unexpected times. I would probably rate it 2.7 - 2.8 stars, rounded up to three. I cannot decide if I will ever read it again, but that is okay, considering the number of books I still have sitting on my shelf waiting to be read. I am still glad I took the time to read it.
April 7, 2013
Extreme weather and extremophiles
I thought James M. Tabor’s fiction debut, The Deep Zone, was flawed, but promising. I’m happy to report that his sophomore novel, Frozen Solid, has lived up to that promise. While Mr. Tabor still has room to grow, this second novel was just as much fun as the first, and far better executed.
Frozen Solid again features his protagonist, Hallie Leland. The government microbiologist has been routed up to Antarctica of all places, just days before the winter-over begins. She’s there to fill in for a deceased scientist—an old friend of Hallie’s, as it happens. Once more, Hallie’s unusual skill set (climbing, diving, laboratory research) is a match for a project’s needs. Unfortunately, her brief visit gets off to a terrible start, as more scientists succumb to an unknown ailment. Tensions are running high in a powder keg environment. Meanwhile, Hallie has suspicions about her predecessor’s death and is having problems with the research project. Is someone sabotaging her work? The entire base? And will she be able to fly out in four days, or will she be stuck in Antarctica for months?
Mr. Tabor gets all of his plot elements into position beautifully. I had a few qualms early on in the novel. There was a brief snatch of clichéd and clunky writing. (“I will find you, she vowed. If it takes the rest of my life, I will find you. Wil Bowman will help me. And you will pay.”) And there were some minor plot contrivances. (Some of those clues were awfully easy to find—even when she wasn’t looking for them.) But once the story got going, those early issue fell by the wayside as the novel’s momentum took over. The pacing of the novel was excellent. It moved quickly and was full of excitement. Sometimes the action in thrillers feels like it’s just inserted to keep things moving, but here it all felt organic to the story being told. Let’s face it, Antarctica is an extreme environment, and when you’re diving beneath the ice or staging a colleague’s rescue, it’s exciting stuff.
Plus, there’s Hallie’s area of scientific inquiry. She studies extremophiles—organisms that survive in extreme environments—like miles below the ice. Or, an organism that “survives in sodium concentrations that would kill anything else.” This isn’t a Crichton novel. It isn’t as chock full of science, but I wish that it was, because what was there was fascinating. Hallie’s a girl after my own heart… “In the end, she found herself asking this question: Who do you trust when you can’t trust anybody? The answer came quickly: Not who. What. And the what was science. You could always trust the science.” I trusted Mr. Tabor’s science here. Sure, it’s speculative as hell, but it has the ring of truth and some research behind it. Plus, it was super cool! That’s good enough for me.
I like Hallie as a character. I really enjoy seeing a strong, confident, competent, and believable woman at the center of an action/adventure series. (“She knew this was how disasters began: with a single failure that led to two others, each of which led to more, a cascade of events feeding upon itself.”) This is a lady that doesn’t wait to be rescued. She rescues herself—and frequently others. There are a couple of other characters from the first novel in supporting roles, but as Hallie is out of her normal environment, most of the cast is new, and they’re a fairly intriguing bunch. I’m quite willing to believe that it’s a quirky crew attracted to work in Antarctica. Obviously, the setting is an important part of the tale, and Tabor’s Antarctica is a bit more oppressive and depressive than most depictions. It is atmospheric, that’s for sure. His settings are evocative and well-drawn—none better than the underwater scenes. (Yes, that was totally my favorite part.)
When all is said and done, I’ve seen variations on the novel’s central plot before, but it was well-handled and getting there was more than half the fun. I feel that my early faith in Mr. Tabor’s growth as a novelist has been well –rewarded, and I shall be looking forward to his next offering with even more anticipation and enthusiasm.
I thought James M. Tabor’s fiction debut, The Deep Zone, was flawed, but promising. I’m happy to report that his sophomore novel, Frozen Solid, has lived up to that promise. While Mr. Tabor still has room to grow, this second novel was just as much fun as the first, and far better executed.
Frozen Solid again features his protagonist, Hallie Leland. The government microbiologist has been routed up to Antarctica of all places, just days before the winter-over begins. She’s there to fill in for a deceased scientist—an old friend of Hallie’s, as it happens. Once more, Hallie’s unusual skill set (climbing, diving, laboratory research) is a match for a project’s needs. Unfortunately, her brief visit gets off to a terrible start, as more scientists succumb to an unknown ailment. Tensions are running high in a powder keg environment. Meanwhile, Hallie has suspicions about her predecessor’s death and is having problems with the research project. Is someone sabotaging her work? The entire base? And will she be able to fly out in four days, or will she be stuck in Antarctica for months?
Mr. Tabor gets all of his plot elements into position beautifully. I had a few qualms early on in the novel. There was a brief snatch of clichéd and clunky writing. (“I will find you, she vowed. If it takes the rest of my life, I will find you. Wil Bowman will help me. And you will pay.”) And there were some minor plot contrivances. (Some of those clues were awfully easy to find—even when she wasn’t looking for them.) But once the story got going, those early issue fell by the wayside as the novel’s momentum took over. The pacing of the novel was excellent. It moved quickly and was full of excitement. Sometimes the action in thrillers feels like it’s just inserted to keep things moving, but here it all felt organic to the story being told. Let’s face it, Antarctica is an extreme environment, and when you’re diving beneath the ice or staging a colleague’s rescue, it’s exciting stuff.
Plus, there’s Hallie’s area of scientific inquiry. She studies extremophiles—organisms that survive in extreme environments—like miles below the ice. Or, an organism that “survives in sodium concentrations that would kill anything else.” This isn’t a Crichton novel. It isn’t as chock full of science, but I wish that it was, because what was there was fascinating. Hallie’s a girl after my own heart… “In the end, she found herself asking this question: Who do you trust when you can’t trust anybody? The answer came quickly: Not who. What. And the what was science. You could always trust the science.” I trusted Mr. Tabor’s science here. Sure, it’s speculative as hell, but it has the ring of truth and some research behind it. Plus, it was super cool! That’s good enough for me.
I like Hallie as a character. I really enjoy seeing a strong, confident, competent, and believable woman at the center of an action/adventure series. (“She knew this was how disasters began: with a single failure that led to two others, each of which led to more, a cascade of events feeding upon itself.”) This is a lady that doesn’t wait to be rescued. She rescues herself—and frequently others. There are a couple of other characters from the first novel in supporting roles, but as Hallie is out of her normal environment, most of the cast is new, and they’re a fairly intriguing bunch. I’m quite willing to believe that it’s a quirky crew attracted to work in Antarctica. Obviously, the setting is an important part of the tale, and Tabor’s Antarctica is a bit more oppressive and depressive than most depictions. It is atmospheric, that’s for sure. His settings are evocative and well-drawn—none better than the underwater scenes. (Yes, that was totally my favorite part.)
When all is said and done, I’ve seen variations on the novel’s central plot before, but it was well-handled and getting there was more than half the fun. I feel that my early faith in Mr. Tabor’s growth as a novelist has been well –rewarded, and I shall be looking forward to his next offering with even more anticipation and enthusiasm.
March 28, 2013
The pages fly by with Frozen Solid by James M. Tabor. Although this is a followup to the novel Deep Zone, I don't think it deters me from reading that novel in the future. It references it but doesn't go into in depth detail of the plot points or anything beyond what is placed on the sleeve cover. The only thing it may have given away is the fact that Hallie Leland and Wil Bowman have been together for a year since their expedition in Mexico. I actually look forward to reading that novel once I can get my hands on the book. Back to the book in question.
Frozen Solid is an adventure thriller set in the arctic where 55 degrees below zero is a good day. Hallie Leland is asked to replace an old friend who has just died on this excursion from questionable circumstances. As Hallie tries to finish her friend Emily's work and piece together the mystery of her death, she unwittingly places her self in danger as well. A covert operation made of international scientists is underway. This group is known as Triage and their on a mission to save the world from itself. Right when Hallie gets off the plane after flying for four days and stopping at various airport terminals, the first sign that something is awry is the horrible death of a woman that happens as she touches down.
James M. Tabor does a great job of keeping the reader interested the whole time. Even when it got a little technical with the scientific terms and the letters used to describe the agencies, the action never ceased. There are a host of could-be villains and I always felt that Hallie was in danger. Hallie is actually pretty badass in this book and I'm happy that Tabor wrote her to be a strong, intelligent, fearless, resourceful woman and not someone who cried whenever she broke a nail. She's trapped in a deserted world where she has to fend for her self with no one she can trust. If that isn't suspense, I don't know what is.
The one thing I could not enjoy was the use of so many characters who weren't really ever made real for me. I understand that it's a research facility and there are a dozen or so Polies but I wish the ones who had come into contact with Hallie were a little more memorable so I could feel that I actually had a clue about who could be the reason behind all the chaos and have taken a more active role in uncovering the mystery.
Essentially, this being the first novel I've read by Tabor has made me want to know what else is out there by this author. I especially want to go back and read Deep Zone because I dig this heroine Hallie. Readers may want to start with Deep Zone but I do not feel like this gave too much away so I'm confidant in placing this on my to-read-next list.
Frozen Solid is an adventure thriller set in the arctic where 55 degrees below zero is a good day. Hallie Leland is asked to replace an old friend who has just died on this excursion from questionable circumstances. As Hallie tries to finish her friend Emily's work and piece together the mystery of her death, she unwittingly places her self in danger as well. A covert operation made of international scientists is underway. This group is known as Triage and their on a mission to save the world from itself. Right when Hallie gets off the plane after flying for four days and stopping at various airport terminals, the first sign that something is awry is the horrible death of a woman that happens as she touches down.
James M. Tabor does a great job of keeping the reader interested the whole time. Even when it got a little technical with the scientific terms and the letters used to describe the agencies, the action never ceased. There are a host of could-be villains and I always felt that Hallie was in danger. Hallie is actually pretty badass in this book and I'm happy that Tabor wrote her to be a strong, intelligent, fearless, resourceful woman and not someone who cried whenever she broke a nail. She's trapped in a deserted world where she has to fend for her self with no one she can trust. If that isn't suspense, I don't know what is.
The one thing I could not enjoy was the use of so many characters who weren't really ever made real for me. I understand that it's a research facility and there are a dozen or so Polies but I wish the ones who had come into contact with Hallie were a little more memorable so I could feel that I actually had a clue about who could be the reason behind all the chaos and have taken a more active role in uncovering the mystery.
Essentially, this being the first novel I've read by Tabor has made me want to know what else is out there by this author. I especially want to go back and read Deep Zone because I dig this heroine Hallie. Readers may want to start with Deep Zone but I do not feel like this gave too much away so I'm confidant in placing this on my to-read-next list.
July 2, 2013
Microbiologist Hallie Leland is headed to the most inhospitable place on the planet – the South Pole – to continue the research her friend died while doing. But it isn’t just the weather and conditions that make it inhospitable. Nobody else at the research station wants her there either. In addition, people are dying inexplicably and the cause might be someone in the isolated base working for an outside group. Hallie only has five days to get to the bottom of what is happening before the last transport leaves before winter. Otherwise, she might not survive until the next one comes.
I am really on the fence between good and not-so-good with James Tabor’s South Pole thriller, Frozen Solid. It wasn’t until after I finished it I found that this was the second novel in a series featuring adventure-seeking scientist Hallie Leland. It might have helped a bit if I had read the first installment, but I think it was pretty much a stand-alone story.
First, the good. Hallie is a very believable character and really the one thing that kept pulling me through a story that at times I felt like abandoning. She is intelligent, resourceful and cleaver, but never was she superhuman or cartoonish. The science was there, but it wasn’t overwhelming and if fit with the story. The overall plot was solid, but not anything unique.
My real problem with Frozen Solid was the writing. Tabor seems to wander off with his storytelling, like that grandfather you had who would suddenly stop mid-sentence and pick up some other conversation from a week ago. At times it became difficult to follow who was speaking or who the action was centered on. It made reading – especially the first half – less than enjoyable. Tabor also gave many of the characters very similar names, which made it even more difficult to follow what was going on without a great deal of effort. Ultimately the pacing of the story lurched along rather than flowing smoothly, creating a lot of distraction.
While I found Hallie Leland compelling and the premise of the novel interesting, Frozen Solid has so many flaws that I really can’t recommend it on account of the writing and pacing. Yes, I’m going to go with a bad pun… Frozen Solid left me cold. Sorry.
I am really on the fence between good and not-so-good with James Tabor’s South Pole thriller, Frozen Solid. It wasn’t until after I finished it I found that this was the second novel in a series featuring adventure-seeking scientist Hallie Leland. It might have helped a bit if I had read the first installment, but I think it was pretty much a stand-alone story.
First, the good. Hallie is a very believable character and really the one thing that kept pulling me through a story that at times I felt like abandoning. She is intelligent, resourceful and cleaver, but never was she superhuman or cartoonish. The science was there, but it wasn’t overwhelming and if fit with the story. The overall plot was solid, but not anything unique.
My real problem with Frozen Solid was the writing. Tabor seems to wander off with his storytelling, like that grandfather you had who would suddenly stop mid-sentence and pick up some other conversation from a week ago. At times it became difficult to follow who was speaking or who the action was centered on. It made reading – especially the first half – less than enjoyable. Tabor also gave many of the characters very similar names, which made it even more difficult to follow what was going on without a great deal of effort. Ultimately the pacing of the story lurched along rather than flowing smoothly, creating a lot of distraction.
While I found Hallie Leland compelling and the premise of the novel interesting, Frozen Solid has so many flaws that I really can’t recommend it on account of the writing and pacing. Yes, I’m going to go with a bad pun… Frozen Solid left me cold. Sorry.
October 2, 2016
Hallie Leland, a microbiologist, is contracted to fill in for her friend who just died at a research station in the Antarctica. When Hallie arrives she realizes that there is more danger than just the climate. She feels thwarted at every turn and when she uncovers that a hidden group of scientists who call themselves Triage is planning something sinister she wonders as other people are dying around her, if her life is in danger. Because she is so isolated Hallie feels she has nowhere to turn. She only has a few days to try and solve the murder of her friend and figure out what’s happening before winter-over, if she doesn’t get out soon she’ll be stuck there until next spring.
I have never read this author and I understand there is another Hallie Leland book before this one. I think I may have enjoyed this one more if I'd read that one first. Although I found a few of the details about Antarctica a little suspect I did enjoy this book. I have read some medical thrillers and I do love medical shows on Television so it is in my wheelhouse. I guess I just wish there was more medical stuff in it. The action and pace was excellent along with the author's creation of the character Hallie. I loved her attitude and proficiency. I do find it annoying when women characters are written to be weak so with Hallie's character I was really pleasantly surprised. She solved her own problems and didn't whine about the situations she found herself in. She came off as capable and resourceful.
The author also did a terrific job of making the reader feel what it would be like to be in such a cold and desolate place. I shivered many times as I soaked up the atmospheric nature of the base Hallie was posted at. I felt how frightening it would be to be trapped so far from civilization and knowing there was a murder somewhere out there.
The main thing that lowered my liking of this book was the haphazard, scattered writing in the first half of the book. One reviewer said it reminded her of when you're talking to an elderly uncle and he goes off on tangents then returns to what he was talking about. This took away some of the enjoyment of the book for me and therefore I'm giving it a three star rating.
I have never read this author and I understand there is another Hallie Leland book before this one. I think I may have enjoyed this one more if I'd read that one first. Although I found a few of the details about Antarctica a little suspect I did enjoy this book. I have read some medical thrillers and I do love medical shows on Television so it is in my wheelhouse. I guess I just wish there was more medical stuff in it. The action and pace was excellent along with the author's creation of the character Hallie. I loved her attitude and proficiency. I do find it annoying when women characters are written to be weak so with Hallie's character I was really pleasantly surprised. She solved her own problems and didn't whine about the situations she found herself in. She came off as capable and resourceful.
The author also did a terrific job of making the reader feel what it would be like to be in such a cold and desolate place. I shivered many times as I soaked up the atmospheric nature of the base Hallie was posted at. I felt how frightening it would be to be trapped so far from civilization and knowing there was a murder somewhere out there.
The main thing that lowered my liking of this book was the haphazard, scattered writing in the first half of the book. One reviewer said it reminded her of when you're talking to an elderly uncle and he goes off on tangents then returns to what he was talking about. This took away some of the enjoyment of the book for me and therefore I'm giving it a three star rating.
February 3, 2013
James M. Tabor in just two novels has become one of my favorite thriller writers. Hallie Leland is back in FROZEN SOLID, this time on the continent of Antarctica instead of a two mile deep cave in Mexico. An emergency replacement for an old friend that had died from an accidental overdose of heroin, she had only a few days to get the job done before winterover, that eight month period where nothing gets in or out of the base.
She gets her old friend's room and doesn't take long to find the camera hidden in the ceiling. Watching the memory card, it confirms suspicions she already had. That her friend was murdered by a man, who's face she never sees on camera, and made to look like an accident.
So she's stuck in a small base with a murderer, she has to retrieve an extremophile, an organism able to live in extreme conditions, from a deep water lake found under a mile of ice, and figure out the murderer's identity. All without the man she seeks getting the wiser.
Then in short order she witnesses three women die very quickly abnd comes under suspicion of bringing in something deadly from the outside.
A fine thriller that keeps the action constant, the suspicions tense, and the danger to Hallie always up front.
Wonderfully done.
She gets her old friend's room and doesn't take long to find the camera hidden in the ceiling. Watching the memory card, it confirms suspicions she already had. That her friend was murdered by a man, who's face she never sees on camera, and made to look like an accident.
So she's stuck in a small base with a murderer, she has to retrieve an extremophile, an organism able to live in extreme conditions, from a deep water lake found under a mile of ice, and figure out the murderer's identity. All without the man she seeks getting the wiser.
Then in short order she witnesses three women die very quickly abnd comes under suspicion of bringing in something deadly from the outside.
A fine thriller that keeps the action constant, the suspicions tense, and the danger to Hallie always up front.
Wonderfully done.
March 22, 2013
FROZEN SOLID is an action, adventure, medical thriller in the best sense. It opens with one of the main characters landing in the Antartic for a few days to do research only to witness a death virtually the minute she enters the building. As if that isn't enough, Hallie soon finds herself witnessing a friends death while at the same time totally alone and isolated with a group of people she doesn't know or trust.
From the moment I started reading, I was interested in the story. It was able to hold my interest and pique my curiosity. I had no trouble understanding any of the medical jargon as it was written in a way as to make it a plausible theory, not just something made up for the benefit of the storyline itself. The characters are modern thinkers, with past histories told to the reader without giving away what actually happened in the previous stories.
The ending was a complete and total shock. I never considered Triages' motive was to protect us from ourselves. Once you start reading you won't want to stop until it's finished.
From the moment I started reading, I was interested in the story. It was able to hold my interest and pique my curiosity. I had no trouble understanding any of the medical jargon as it was written in a way as to make it a plausible theory, not just something made up for the benefit of the storyline itself. The characters are modern thinkers, with past histories told to the reader without giving away what actually happened in the previous stories.
The ending was a complete and total shock. I never considered Triages' motive was to protect us from ourselves. Once you start reading you won't want to stop until it's finished.
April 25, 2013
Read my full review: http://bit.ly/14cA20W
My opinion: I was shocked how much I enjoyed this novel. Normally, a medical thriller or world destruction thriller would do nothing for me, but I didn't find that with this novel. If you are looking for a heavy sci-fi novel, this book isn't for you, which is probably why I enjoyed it so much.
This audiobook kept me on the edge of my seat in how the story was unveiled. The characters were fascinating and I found this to be an incredibly intelligent read. The twists were plentiful and the ending shocked me. I must add that there are some reviews on Goodreads that are stating that the information/setting isn't totally correct. I must admit that I am not as educated on this as some of these sci-fi thriller readers so I am unable to give information on this. It wasn't that important to this reviewer.
Normally, I am pretty compulsive about reading books in order. I agree with a Goodreads friend who stated that this book would do well with being a stand alone book.
My opinion: I was shocked how much I enjoyed this novel. Normally, a medical thriller or world destruction thriller would do nothing for me, but I didn't find that with this novel. If you are looking for a heavy sci-fi novel, this book isn't for you, which is probably why I enjoyed it so much.
This audiobook kept me on the edge of my seat in how the story was unveiled. The characters were fascinating and I found this to be an incredibly intelligent read. The twists were plentiful and the ending shocked me. I must add that there are some reviews on Goodreads that are stating that the information/setting isn't totally correct. I must admit that I am not as educated on this as some of these sci-fi thriller readers so I am unable to give information on this. It wasn't that important to this reviewer.
Normally, I am pretty compulsive about reading books in order. I agree with a Goodreads friend who stated that this book would do well with being a stand alone book.
April 14, 2018
I do not Ever want to visit the South Pole. Nasty. Bad place to be murdered as well - Hawaii would be nicer.
Very cool story. I'm fascinated by the South Pole and brutally bad weather. Fun to read about while sitting in a comfy chair by the fireplace with some hot cocoa. (but I ended up doing the audiobook in my transport truck while driving through the snowy mountains of British Columbia... basically the same thing as the south Pole - more truck stops though.)
So we have a female scientist "scuba-diver" who goes to the Pole to check on her friends murder. All sorts of weird crap starts happening and terrorist-like conspiracies and villains start popping up. She has 5 days to solve it all and get out of there without being the next victim. Kind of James Bondy, with bad guys trying to take over the world. Very entertaining.
Very cool story. I'm fascinated by the South Pole and brutally bad weather. Fun to read about while sitting in a comfy chair by the fireplace with some hot cocoa. (but I ended up doing the audiobook in my transport truck while driving through the snowy mountains of British Columbia... basically the same thing as the south Pole - more truck stops though.)
So we have a female scientist "scuba-diver" who goes to the Pole to check on her friends murder. All sorts of weird crap starts happening and terrorist-like conspiracies and villains start popping up. She has 5 days to solve it all and get out of there without being the next victim. Kind of James Bondy, with bad guys trying to take over the world. Very entertaining.
April 1, 2013
This was a fast paced, suspenseful book that I enjoyed very much! It is set in the South Pole and involves a plot against humanity that the main character Hallie Leland encounters when she comes to the Pole to finish a scientific mission that was left unfinished when her colleague and friend died. I don't want to give away too much of the plot so I will just say that Hallie is a well written and strong character, the story is complex and well told, and it had me turning page after page to see what would happen next. I won this copy as part of Goodreads First Reads but I would have gladly purchased it. I highly recommend it. I am adding the author's other book The Deep Zone to my "to-read" list and will look for future books from him.
August 2, 2015
Great book. Starts with a bang and never slows down. It was so engaging I read it in one sitting.
March 19, 2018
A good mystery thriller set at the South Pole research station. The lead character is a female microbiologist. She reminds me of the main character in the novels by Nevada Bar. That is, she gets into almost impossibly dangerous situations which almost kill her and miraculously comes out of it. (This is the second novel with Hallie Leland as the main character, so I don’t know if this a standard pattern for this author.) This is not necessarily a turn-off...
Hallie is sent to Antarctica to replace another microbiologist who died doing research. When she gets there, she finds herself in the middle of a sinister plot. The South Pole is such an alien place, with almost no sunlight and extreme cold temperatures which complicates actions and behaviors. The story draws you in as you face the dangers with Hallie.
It all gets resolved, with exciting action sequences.
One anomaly in the story: It seems that the ‘summer’ as described at the SP was really the winter. It seems to me, that summer at the SP would be similar to summer at the North Pole, long hours of daylight (if not exactly sunshine). In fact, part of the story involves getting everything solved before the last flight out before ‘winter-over’. Yet the story has almost everything outside in almost total darkness as if in winter. Curiouser and curiouser.
Hallie is sent to Antarctica to replace another microbiologist who died doing research. When she gets there, she finds herself in the middle of a sinister plot. The South Pole is such an alien place, with almost no sunlight and extreme cold temperatures which complicates actions and behaviors. The story draws you in as you face the dangers with Hallie.
It all gets resolved, with exciting action sequences.
One anomaly in the story: It seems that the ‘summer’ as described at the SP was really the winter. It seems to me, that summer at the SP would be similar to summer at the North Pole, long hours of daylight (if not exactly sunshine). In fact, part of the story involves getting everything solved before the last flight out before ‘winter-over’. Yet the story has almost everything outside in almost total darkness as if in winter. Curiouser and curiouser.
August 8, 2018
It was an interesting story with some believable characters. A microbiologist, Hallie Leland, is sent to the South Pole Station to replace her friend,a scientist, who had died. She has only a few days to complete the mission the other scientist had been working on before flights stopped coming and people have to stay for the whole winter season. As soon as she arrives a woman dies in the cafeteria and then another woman dies. She questions the cause of death for these women and some of the strange things that are happening at the station. She discovers her friend had been murdered and does not know who to trust. She works to figure out who the killer is.
The story alternates between what Hallie is going thru with what is happening back in the States with her boss and boyfriend and the head of the conspirators. It talks a lot about some of the things that Hallie has gone thru in the past and discusses several times what happens when you run out of air as she confronts suffocation a couple of times. She is dealing with some relationship issues with her boyfriend and trying to resolve some of her feelings. Conditions at the South Pole are very difficult and the author is good about describing some of these with a little extra thrown in.
The story alternates between what Hallie is going thru with what is happening back in the States with her boss and boyfriend and the head of the conspirators. It talks a lot about some of the things that Hallie has gone thru in the past and discusses several times what happens when you run out of air as she confronts suffocation a couple of times. She is dealing with some relationship issues with her boyfriend and trying to resolve some of her feelings. Conditions at the South Pole are very difficult and the author is good about describing some of these with a little extra thrown in.
March 28, 2013
ScienceThrillers
review: Frozen Solid by James Tabor is a fast-paced, action-adventure thriller starring Tabor’s series character Hallie Leland, who was first introduced in The Deep Zone. I love Hallie because she’s both a powerful action heroine (a master at scuba diving and climbing under extreme conditions) AND a microbiologist. She is utterly lacking in stereotypical nerd traits, possesses extraordinary mental and physical stamina, and even has an amazing, Thor-like boyfriend.
A protagonist like that needs a big challenge, and in Frozen Solid the author provides it. Hallie is dispatched to the South Pole to complete a critical scientific mission in the days before “winterover,” when Earth’s most extreme weather prevents anyone from entering or leaving the research station for eight months. She is replacing another woman who died suddenly–a woman who was her friend. Her mission: a very dangerous solo dive into a “lake” under the ice sheet, a lake so salty that at 22 degrees Fahrenheit it’s still not frozen, to get a specimen of a newly-discovered extremophile bacterium that lives there.
Readers will know within the first pages whether author James Tabor’s style is to their liking. Tabor writes with a distinctive voice characterized by two traits. First, he creates a palpably oppressive, stressful, and alien setting in the South Pole research station. Sure, we all know it’s cold and dark at the South Pole, and Tabor of course uses these facts to good effect. But he layers on the psychological effects of the extreme isolation, danger, and boredom of life at the Pole. The denizens of the research station are portrayed as slightly unhinged and prone to unpredictable behavior–even violence–at any time. Hallie arrives in this environment and must cope with it. The looming threat that she might be trapped for winterover feels quite disturbing.
Second, Tabor’s writing style is stripped clean of anything “unnecessary.” This book is action-dense with clipped scenes, some graphic descriptions, and a minimum of internal thought, a bit in the fashion of James Patterson. Some readers will love this. Others might wish for more material to savor the depth of a scene. For example, early in the book Hallie witnesses a shocking death which surely creates many questions and concerns in her mind, but the reader does not hear them. Overall this style has what I’d describe as a television script-like quality: not much insight into what the characters are thinking, structured with abrupt breaks and continuous tension to keep the reader turning the pages.
The resulting tension is extreme in scenes that demonstrate the author’s real-life familiarity with diving and climbing. Two of the very best action sequences in the book put Hallie in the water under the ice. These scenes are convincing, detailed, and terrifying.
For an action thriller, Frozen Solid does a good job of not being predictable. I had a couple of expectations of how the book would wrap up, and although there isn’t a big “twist”, I did not foresee the sequence of events.
The rest of my comments apply to the science content of the book. Thriller fans who are just in it for the action can ignore my complaints about the science in this science-based thriller plot.
Frozen Solid is an action-adventure thriller–a successful one–built atop two distinct scientific plot lines. The science plots are disposable–not necessary to enjoy the thrilling events depicted–which is fortunate, because both science plots are problematic. Hence my 2-biohazards (out of 5) rating for the tech content of this novel.
Science plot #1 involves a global scientific conspiracy using the isolated polar research station to develop and launch a world-changing plague of sorts (I’m not giving details to avoid a spoiler). The author tosses out phrases like this: “engineered a picornavirus that carries a strep bacterium payload” and “protease manipulation…(to) give it a neurological affinity.” I’ll spare you the molecular biology lecture but this is technobabble. The bad guys’ plan is plausible only if viewed at a great distance; when the author engages with the details and uses scientific language to do it, I cringed.
Science plot #2 involves an extremophile bacterium discovered in the super-high-salt, super-cold subglacial lake. By itself, this is good stuff. Such organisms have been discovered in real life and they are fascinating. But in the novel, this microbe is given absurd properties. We’re told that it “consumes carbon dioxide” and produces a miraculous petroleum-like fuel. By itself, this also is true of some real microbes. Photosynthetic bacteria, like plants, consume CO2 and using the energy of the sun, turn CO2 into sugars and other energy-containing molecules such as hydrocarbons. But the microbe in Frozen Solid lives in darkness and has no energy source. There’s no biologically accessible energy in CO2 molecules. Microbes can consume carbon dioxide, but they can’t use it as food (just as humans consume oxygen but we still must eat). Other details about this microbe are equally unscientific (“The thing metabolizes carbon dioxide. It might consume carbon in any form.”), as are the descriptions of Hallie’s laboratory investigation into its properties (98.6 degrees, not 86 degrees!). Fortunately, as a character Hallie Leland is an adventurer first and a microbiologist second. Only a tiny fraction of the book is actually about her as a scientist.
In summary, Frozen Solid is a fast-paced, visceral thriller with a likeable heroine and some stellar high-stakes action sequences set against the extreme background of the South Pole. Readers can trust author Tabor when he talks tech about diving and climbing. When he delves into microbiology and medicine, they should turn the page and skip to the next action sequence.
FCC disclaimer: An advance reader e-copy of this book was given to me for review. As always, I made no guarantee that I would read the book or post a positive review.
A protagonist like that needs a big challenge, and in Frozen Solid the author provides it. Hallie is dispatched to the South Pole to complete a critical scientific mission in the days before “winterover,” when Earth’s most extreme weather prevents anyone from entering or leaving the research station for eight months. She is replacing another woman who died suddenly–a woman who was her friend. Her mission: a very dangerous solo dive into a “lake” under the ice sheet, a lake so salty that at 22 degrees Fahrenheit it’s still not frozen, to get a specimen of a newly-discovered extremophile bacterium that lives there.
Readers will know within the first pages whether author James Tabor’s style is to their liking. Tabor writes with a distinctive voice characterized by two traits. First, he creates a palpably oppressive, stressful, and alien setting in the South Pole research station. Sure, we all know it’s cold and dark at the South Pole, and Tabor of course uses these facts to good effect. But he layers on the psychological effects of the extreme isolation, danger, and boredom of life at the Pole. The denizens of the research station are portrayed as slightly unhinged and prone to unpredictable behavior–even violence–at any time. Hallie arrives in this environment and must cope with it. The looming threat that she might be trapped for winterover feels quite disturbing.
Second, Tabor’s writing style is stripped clean of anything “unnecessary.” This book is action-dense with clipped scenes, some graphic descriptions, and a minimum of internal thought, a bit in the fashion of James Patterson. Some readers will love this. Others might wish for more material to savor the depth of a scene. For example, early in the book Hallie witnesses a shocking death which surely creates many questions and concerns in her mind, but the reader does not hear them. Overall this style has what I’d describe as a television script-like quality: not much insight into what the characters are thinking, structured with abrupt breaks and continuous tension to keep the reader turning the pages.
The resulting tension is extreme in scenes that demonstrate the author’s real-life familiarity with diving and climbing. Two of the very best action sequences in the book put Hallie in the water under the ice. These scenes are convincing, detailed, and terrifying.
For an action thriller, Frozen Solid does a good job of not being predictable. I had a couple of expectations of how the book would wrap up, and although there isn’t a big “twist”, I did not foresee the sequence of events.
The rest of my comments apply to the science content of the book. Thriller fans who are just in it for the action can ignore my complaints about the science in this science-based thriller plot.
Frozen Solid is an action-adventure thriller–a successful one–built atop two distinct scientific plot lines. The science plots are disposable–not necessary to enjoy the thrilling events depicted–which is fortunate, because both science plots are problematic. Hence my 2-biohazards (out of 5) rating for the tech content of this novel.
Science plot #1 involves a global scientific conspiracy using the isolated polar research station to develop and launch a world-changing plague of sorts (I’m not giving details to avoid a spoiler). The author tosses out phrases like this: “engineered a picornavirus that carries a strep bacterium payload” and “protease manipulation…(to) give it a neurological affinity.” I’ll spare you the molecular biology lecture but this is technobabble. The bad guys’ plan is plausible only if viewed at a great distance; when the author engages with the details and uses scientific language to do it, I cringed.
Science plot #2 involves an extremophile bacterium discovered in the super-high-salt, super-cold subglacial lake. By itself, this is good stuff. Such organisms have been discovered in real life and they are fascinating. But in the novel, this microbe is given absurd properties. We’re told that it “consumes carbon dioxide” and produces a miraculous petroleum-like fuel. By itself, this also is true of some real microbes. Photosynthetic bacteria, like plants, consume CO2 and using the energy of the sun, turn CO2 into sugars and other energy-containing molecules such as hydrocarbons. But the microbe in Frozen Solid lives in darkness and has no energy source. There’s no biologically accessible energy in CO2 molecules. Microbes can consume carbon dioxide, but they can’t use it as food (just as humans consume oxygen but we still must eat). Other details about this microbe are equally unscientific (“The thing metabolizes carbon dioxide. It might consume carbon in any form.”), as are the descriptions of Hallie’s laboratory investigation into its properties (98.6 degrees, not 86 degrees!). Fortunately, as a character Hallie Leland is an adventurer first and a microbiologist second. Only a tiny fraction of the book is actually about her as a scientist.
In summary, Frozen Solid is a fast-paced, visceral thriller with a likeable heroine and some stellar high-stakes action sequences set against the extreme background of the South Pole. Readers can trust author Tabor when he talks tech about diving and climbing. When he delves into microbiology and medicine, they should turn the page and skip to the next action sequence.
FCC disclaimer: An advance reader e-copy of this book was given to me for review. As always, I made no guarantee that I would read the book or post a positive review.
September 22, 2025
This is a solid adventure, with problems encountered and overcome through wit and fortitude. It is a bit of the strong men, beautiful women school of writing where appearance to some extent conveys personal worth.
My biggest issue, although it is more an issue with viewing this as plausible rather than entertainment value, is that a driving concept is over-population. (I don't think I'm giving anything away since over-population is listed as one of the topics in the topic taxonomy for the book.) This was written in 2014 or so, so maybe you could still believe that over population was an existential problem facing humanity. But now lack of population growth is viewed as the real problem. So, the underlying problem goes pfft.
My biggest issue, although it is more an issue with viewing this as plausible rather than entertainment value, is that a driving concept is over-population. (I don't think I'm giving anything away since over-population is listed as one of the topics in the topic taxonomy for the book.) This was written in 2014 or so, so maybe you could still believe that over population was an existential problem facing humanity. But now lack of population growth is viewed as the real problem. So, the underlying problem goes pfft.
June 30, 2018
Its the bottom of the world, its dark outside and freezing and you have 4 days to complete your assignment or risk staying for 8 months. Welcome to Antarctica. Everyone is sick with some bug or other and then the dying starts. And they think you're bad luck! Hallie works for the CDC as a microbiologist who also extreme dives in her spare time. The team has discovered the cure for the world's pollution problem but they need a new sample form under the Antarctic ice shield and a new microbiologist - the old one died mysteriously. Was it sabotage, murder or something else. Great book, it is #2 in the series but can easily be read a lone.
September 29, 2022
Frozen Solid was a fun read which reminds me of the movie, "The Thing". Funny as it is also mentioned in the book. The beginning was a bit slow as the characters and story was developing but towards the middle and the end, really finished fast. I was able to finish the book in 6 hours with breaks and interruptions. As for it being realistic, yeah, I can totally see it happening. Entertaining & solid read! Can actually see a Syfy movie from this story. 4 out of 5.
January 10, 2018
A really good read that reminded me very much of William Dietrich's "Dark Winter." The poles offer a great location for a thriller. I liked Tabor's angle of the world's overpopulation on top of extremophiles. I hope he writes more Hallie Leland novels one day.
September 29, 2017
A bit over-the-top exciting adventure story with an interesting enough female main character who ends up in one incredible disastrous dilemma after another. Still, it was a fun roller coaster ride!
October 3, 2017
Mysterious and puzzling
I wrote a rating of four because it could have even been better. More exciting. I actually believe it to be 3.5 .
I wrote a rating of four because it could have even been better. More exciting. I actually believe it to be 3.5 .
October 15, 2017
What happens at the South Pole stays.... wait. No. Not true. Bummer. Good story though.
November 16, 2017
It was an entertaining page turning book for me but not without some minor problems.
January 28, 2018
NSF didn't have revolving doors.
May 17, 2018
A really good and well written mystery-thriller suspense novel. Tabor does a great job handling some really detailed science and easily weaves it into the story.
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