Review of Frozen Solid by James M. Tabor

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. ****