Deep Freeze by Michael C. Grumley
Imagine you’re on a bus in Minnesota. It’s bitter cold and snowy — and it’s the dead of night. Suddenly, the bus veers off the road and plunges into the freezing river!
This is how the fast-paced thriller, Deep Freeze opens. And this is the situation Army veteran John Reiff found himself in. The frigid cold water surrounded him. He was trapped. Just before his world went black, he realized he was drowning.
The author, Michael C. Grumley, doesn’t waste any time taking the reader on such a “slow roll” suspenseful ride that you may have a hard time putting this book down!
Reiff wakes up in a hospital bed, struggling to move – to breathe – to even utter a sound. Doctors assure him he will eventually be ok – he’s suffered a traumatic experience.
After a few days, Reiff realizes he’s in a very advanced, modern hospital with nothing but the most state-of-the-art/high tech equipment. The doctors tell him he is in for a very long-drawn out recovery – and they are correct. His memory is still a blur, but with each passing day, fragments of his life and of the accident begin to surface. He’s beginning to be able to move his limbs and can almost speak full sentences.
As he struggles to recover, he also starts suspecting that the hospital and staff are not what they appear to be. There’s a mysterious piece of equipment they call “the machine.” According to staff, it’s a scientific breakthrough. But readers are led to question the machine’s validity, when they learn that if the new experimental machine fails, someone dies.
You’ll be right alongside John Reiff as he tries to put the pieces together. And when he does, things start to unravel – and they unravel fast! The thrill ride is about to pick up speed. Secret experiments go wrong, staff members are living a lie, someone is murdered. He’s got to escape. But who to trust? Who are the “bad guys”? Who are the “good guys”? Who are the pawns? And where exactly is he?
This mystery/science-fiction/techno-thriller is filled with conspiracies and hidden agendas. People are playing with humanity, evoking the phrase: the end justifies the means (never a good idea). This thriller picks up more and more speed with each chapter. When the author lets us off his private roller coaster, we get all the answers – well done. I sat back, digested the book and felt a chill go up my spine!
Michael C. Grumley’s Deep Freeze is a terrific thriller, a great way to kick off the new year! The ending also suggests that this might become a series – I certainly hope so. You can bet I’ll be grabbing a copy for sure!
A copy of this book and cover photo were provided by Tor Publishing Group.