Frozen: The Author's Cut

Where to even begin this review, I literally could not put this book down, I found it intriguing FBI Agent Ulyssees Grove is on the hunt of the Sun City serial killer.... forced to take leave, he is sent on what he thinks if a wild goose chase to see the site and remains of a 6000 year old mummified body which had been discovered the year before. dubbed "the Ice Man". The first thing Grove notices is that the way the mummy died is the mirror image of the Sun City's serial killer's victims!!!! How can modern victims bear the same pose and same wounds as a 6000 year old mummy....

An interesting plot line with some supernatural elements to it, I had visions of the movie "Exorcism".... thoroughly enjoyed it, love serial killer books but never had one turn out like this one, its unique, will definitely be looking to read more by this author.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Burns & Lea for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Frozen (The Author’s Cut) by Jay Bonansinga goes one step beyond the conventions of the everyday tale of FBI versus a serial killer.

Readers join FBI profiler Ulysses Grove as he agonizes over his inability to solve a case.  The Sun City Killer has taken six lives, and Ulysses is at a dead end.  He cannot sleep.  The stress is affecting him physically.  He suffers from fainting spells.  And beneath it all lies the long-time stress of a strained relationship with his mother and the pain of losing a beloved wife only a few years ago.  Ulysses is a complicated and highly likable protagonist--smart, honorable, elegant, and loyal.  Most important, he demonstrates great respect for humanity as shown when he attempts to revive a dying victim.  Readers will care about him and become loyal followers.  Although Frozen is an extension of a series, readers can enjoy this story without having read any of the earlier novels.

Grove finally gets a tip that seems like a long shot, but he will do anything to catch the Sun City Killer.  Urged on by a science journalist, Grove heads to Alaska to examine a recently-discovered, tattooed, frozen body over six thousand years old.  Experts note that it is posed in a gesture of summoning.  Along with Grove, readers will doubt the possibly of a connection between an ancient mummy, his tattoos, and the Sun City Killer.

The serial killer is a fascinating character.  This successful, well-respected business man is intense, relentless, unpredictable, and demonic.  His determination and strength seem unnatural.  His victims seem randomly chosen.  The unlikely killer is at once disturbing and sympathetic--the wrong man in the wrong place at the wrong time.  To stop him, Grove must find an explanation for the killing spree and discover his inexplicable motivation.

Bonansinga is a masterful writer.  His prose is clean and smooth.  There are no wasted words or superfluous dialogue tags, so readers will fly through the text without interruption.  Show prevails over tell, thus drawing readers closer into the action.  The backstory is never dumped on the reader, since its elements are strategically positioned throughout the story to tantalize the reader and prepare him for the unexpected conclusion.

The action takes place in interesting locations across the country.  The author takes readers along for the ride via lush and evocative descriptions.  The supporting characters are well-drawn and work together seamlessly, even the less likable. 

The plot is fast paced and never bores.  However, at times one might want the pace to slow down in order to luxuriate in the hints of romance and the unforeseeable, unfolding outcome.  Realistic enforcement procedure creates an aura of authority.

"To paraphrase the Bard, there’s far more in heaven and earth than you’ve ever dreamed, Agent Grove" (Father Carrigan).

One astounding plot twist that makes this mystery unique requires a willing suspension of disbelief that would make Coleridge proud—the inclusion of the metaphysical.

It a time when science and its uncompromising sensibilities rule, Bonansinga’s readers are compelled to accept the possibility of subtle supernatural elements.  Those who may hesitate to accept such content might do well to examine books such as Field Guide to the Spirit World by Susan Martinez, Ph.D. and Self Deliverance by K.A. Schneider.  Both books could serve to urge readers to rethink long-held convictions.

Frozen is a novel that is recommended for readers of mystery, crime, and the supernatural.  The only downside of the novel is the fact that it ends too soon.

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This book is different to books I would usually choose to read, however the description caught my attention. I was skeptical at the beginning of the book as to whether it was something I would enjoy, however by about 20% I was hooked! The storyline is gripping and the characters are very likable. The author obviously has good knowledge about the history and mythology related to the story and it proves for a very interesting read.

This is an interesting concept for a story about a serial killer but I admit it took me a little while to get into it. About 1/3rd of the way in is when it finally starts to pick up but I'm not sure if most people would stick around that long. However, once it picks it up, is steadily good again until you get towards the ending where things become somewhat overly complicated. Overall, this didn't quite live up to my expectations but it's not a bad way to spend some time either.

Firstly, thanks to Netgalley, the publishers and the author for a free ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

Introducing Ulysses Grove, an FBI profiler with an uncanny ability to see things at crime scenes that nobody else can. He is able to piece together incidents by experiencing visions of the crimes. In Frozen, Ulysses is tasked with tracking down the Sun City killer, a murderer who poses his victims bodies post mortem in a strange manner, with their arm in the air, as if reaching for something. The problem is, the killer is proving to be very elusive, impossible to track down, and the bodies start piling up.

I love FBI profiler stories. There is something about the way these people can look at a crime and work out exactly what kind of person could commit those crimes that just fascinates me. Add a little bit of the paranormal, and you've hooked me in. It almost seems like cheating that Ulysses has his abilities, which he doesn't want to admit could be supernatural, but he uses them anyway.

I really enjoyed this book, and it turned out to be the page turner it promised. The plot was very well laid out, the twists around the culprit was interesting and the ensemble of peripheral characters were good. My only real criticism was that I didn't feel like Ulysses Grove 's background was explored enough. There were touches of information about his Kenyan/Jamaican heritage, a little bit about his poor relationship with his mother, but not enough to really fill him in as the mystery he turns out to be. I'm hoping that, as this is book 1 of a series, that the author fills that in a bit more.

Otherwise, a good entertaining read.

Tom Grove is a paranormal FBI profiler working for the Behavioral Science Unit. With an extremely high success rate he is under pressure to solve a string of murders committed by a killer dubbed the Sun City Killer and having the same signature.

Maura is a magazine editor with a special interest in the recent discovery of a mummified body dating back to the middle century.

The connection they feel may never have the opportunity to grow into a relationship if one of them is forced to take the hand of evil.

What I thought was going to be similar to others I have read and enjoyed ended out in front eg by inclusion of the mummified body and possession.

Grove was my favourite character. A man open to new possibilities despite heartbreak in the past, having special skills and good looking without vanity. An appealing and somewhat complex fellow.

This is a serial killer story with an unexpected twist guaranteed to keep you interested, guessing and on the edge of your seat.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free digital copy of the uncorrected proof in return for an honest review.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Thanks NetGalley!

I haev to start this off by saying I love Jay bonansinga. If you've read his other work, than you already know how amazing his writing is.

This book was no different. The characters are likable, and after about 15%, i was hooked.

Frozen by Jay Bonansinga
Frozen
by Jay Bonansinga (Goodreads Author)
M 50x66
Lou Jacobs's review May 06, 2019 · edit
really liked it

Enter the paranormal world of FBI profiler: Ulysses Grove. Grove throughout his childhood has experienced crazy spells ... visions .. not hallucinations. He has used these visions and dream images like a mathematician uses equations. As a wizard uses runes. His ability to make cerebral leaps is legendary amongst the bureau. He finds himself to be embroiled and frustrated in an ongoing series of homicides involving the Sun City serial killer. The victims are dispatched with a sharp weapon (spear; sword; or arrow) to the back of the neck in the high cervical region and then posed post-mortem in identical fashion ... with one arm and hand raised in a "summoning" fashion. Despite the murder count climbing to seven .. they have no identifiable motive. The usual psycho-social need or fetish in the crime is not present. His superiors sense his frustration and "burn-out" and divert him from the investigation by sending him away on a PR mission to help provide a profile involving an archeological find and possible murder. The "Mount Cairn Ice Man" was found in the Alaskan Lake Clark National Park ... uncovered was a Neolithic male from the Copper Age and carbon-dated to approximately 6,000 years ago. The preserved Mummy appears to have been murdered or sacrificed.
Ulysses, even after a cursory review, realizes that this Neolithic male was murdered with an identical signature of the Sun City serial killer. The implications are myriad and at the same time, unfathomable.
Bonansinga provides a lyrical narrative that in a cinematic fashion reveals the escalating bloodshed and mayhem. The suspense is sequentially ratcheted up with the reader inadvertently turning pages faster and faster at a breakneck rate. The reader is easily able to suspend his belief system and accept the twisted paranormal events.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an Uncorrected Proof of this definitive Author's Cut of this novel in exchange for an honest review. I now have another writer to add to my Must Read List.