Freezing Point [Mass Market Paperback]

I bought Karen Dionne's Freezing Point on my Kindle for $3.99 and couldn't figure out why it was so underpriced. This book is up there with all the best. Terrific writing, a plot that keeps you on your toes, and characters that jump off the page. The real surprise is the depth of knowledge that made me wonder if Ms. Dionne had done masses of research, or whether she spends her summers on the ice in the Antarctic.

From the opening scene, I had my heart in my mouth, wondering how the heck you get out of this situation. By the time you're back on dry land, you're hooked. This is a book that's very hard to put down, with heaps of twists and turns, plenty of drama, and the most unexpected culprit. Ms. Dionne's Boiling Point is next on my reading list.

Ben Maki is an environmentalist who inconveniently works for an evil corporation. He's working on a kind of microwave satellite that he hopes can be used to melt rogue icebergs and so provide clean and plentiful drinking water for the third world. Ben faces significant challenges on two fronts though: his evil boss has no intention of waiting for icebergs to break off and so decides to blow-up a portion of the polar icecap instead, while eco-terrorist Rebecca Swift has her own explosive plans for Ben's invention.

Ben's not the only one in danger though. Zo and members of her Antarctic research group are nearly killed by the first iceberg liberating explosion and quickly suspect foul play. They also have to contend with a horde of deadly Antarctic rats that are starting to develop a taste for human flesh. Then there's the deadly virus that is creeping across the ice towards Ben and the researchers.

There's clearly a lot going on in Freezing Point. Karen Dionne clearly has some very good ideas but they don't necessarily all work well together. With that in mind, cover comparisons to Michael Crichton are not [yet] justified. Having said that though, there is still much to enjoy in Freezing Point and, since it is her first novel, it will be interesting to see if future books hold together better by featuring less plot elements.

Dionne's character construction is certainly already very good, with both Ben and Zo being well drawn and sympathetic. Admittedly many of the situations they find themselves in are rather implausible and lots of the science on which the plot hangs is dubious, but they are still a likeable pair and are certainly worthy foils to the villainous corporate goons. The only area where characterisation falls down is with the rats, which might sound really strange but they can't really be relentless killing machines on one hand but then form a likely for the odd human on the other. Leaving the rats as being an unreasoning danger would probably have added some more excitement and tension to the story.

Freezing Point is a good first novel. There's clearly room for improvement but there are some really good elements and Karen Dionne certainly has a good imagination for numerous story elements. It is however far from being the great Crichton-esque thriller that the covers quotes might lead you to believe but it is still an enjoyable if frequently implausible story.

An action-packed, inventive story set in the unusual setting of Antarctica. It was thought provoking and a real page turner, reminiscent of a Christopher Brookmyre plot line with heroes and villains. Fantastic!