Frozen Solid by James Tabor

Published: March 2013

Publisher: Ballentine

Pages: 336

Copy: Library

Summary: Goodread

The nationally bestselling author of The Deep Zone returns with a heart-stopping new Hallie Leland adventure: a chilling tale of suspense set against the forbidding backdrop of the South Pole—perfect for fans of James Rollins and Brad Thor.

An international group of scientists known as Triage believes that overpopulation is dooming the planet, causing climate change, water scarcity, famine, pandemics, and more. For civilization to survive, the scientists conclude that the earth’s population must be reduced—drastically and without delay. But killing is not part of their agenda. Instead, they will genetically engineer and disseminate a common virus that is really a carrier for something much more sinister.

After the mysterious death of a colleague, microbiologist Hallie Leland is dispatched to the South Pole to continue her friend’s research. What she uncovers are alarming details of Triage’s plot, which pits her against forces more terrible than she could have imagined. Now, in one of earth’s loneliest and most treacherous places, where high altitude and extreme environmental conditions can play tricks on the mind, Hallie finds that she has only five days to stop the shocking plan from taking hold.


'Frozen Solid' is a psychological bio thriller that will knock your socks off.  It was one of those books that spooled like a movie through my mind as I was reading.  Within the first few pages we are introduced to the harshest of Antarctic temperatures and someone dies in the most horrifying way.  There are creepy stalkerish killers hiding from sight;  underground salt water lakes full of strange  biological wonders never seen before;  conspiracies afoot that are almost at completion and of course several red herrings to get us going in the wrong direction.  No-one knows who to trust, especially not Hallie, and then it looks like nature just might be against them as well.  

I was sitting shivering at one point because I could almost feel the minus 70 temperatures that were being talked about. and I had to go and  get my copy of the movie The Thing and watch it, just to remind myself what it was about when it was mentioned. (It seems cheesy now, but I saw it when it first came out and it was terrifying all those years ago, before CGI)

'Frozen Solid' was a fairly quick read that offers a somewhat extreme solution to a legitimate global problem and I for one sincerely hope that it never comes to pass.  Great fun and would someone please make it into a movie - I'll go and see it for sure.