Deadly Frost

by T.J. Shipley

Deadly Frost is a very dark high-octane thriller about a delusional serial killer with a mission and the man who got in his way. Captain Talus Frost, (Frosty), an Air Force flyer and part-time martial arts instructor ends up fighting for his life when he interrupts hulk-sized serial killer, David Allen Zane, (Daz) in the process of kidnapping his next victim during an attack on Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska. Daz is a psychopath who believes bringing death is his destiny, and gift. When Frost defeats him and saves his intended quarry from her "destiny" – Daz is disgraced and revenge becomes his obsession. When the legal system fails, Daz is soon free to prey on new victims while beginning his mission of exacting revenge. Before his violent fury, families are destroyed as his attacks and carnage spread across the country. In revenge, he comes after Frost's family; now it's personal. He's an entity of pure evil. The legal system failed, so now Frost is coming. This is the story of a deadly conflict between a good but haunted man against evil personified. The story is at times maddening in its depiction of injustice, terrifying and graphic in its descriptions of evil; exciting with realistic action and fight scenes, and at other times is touching or hilarious. The conversations between Frost's Air Force flight crew, friends and family, cops and bad guys, and a tough, funny and smart lesbian couple (who become objects of manic hatred after injuring and embarrassing Daz); are witty, real, and will often cause you to suddenly laugh out loud. This story will make you laugh, and it will make you cry. Daz will make you want to leave the lights on.

304 pages, Paperback

Published March 23, 2018

Reviews

[Aly]

I enjoyed this book. I love to read books about serial killers so this was a great topic for me. Captain Talus Frost has a lot of great skills but I have to say there was a lot of detail in this book about the military words and things in the beginning of this book telling the reader about this character and what training he has and rank and things. I don't know that much about the military so this part was a bit distracting for me from the story itself. It was great detail, the author seemed to know a lot about that topic. I felt I lost a little in the first few chapters because for me it was a little distracting. The book was good overall! *This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.*

[James]

I liked it. The plot moves at a brisk pace, opening with a brutally realistic fight scene in the first few pages and maintaining tension and momentum until the end. The characters all feel believable in their dialogue and motivations, with the killer in particular displaying a lot of research by the author. Daz is a memorable antagonist, and it's chilling how closely his psychological profile and methods match with real-life serial murderers. I've worked in prisons and mental health units and never met a Hannibal Lector nor do I expect to in my lifetime, but I've certainly met people like Daz. Much of the novel deals with the killer's point of view, his upbringing and family, and his monstrous actions. You'll be disgusted and fear this man, but at the same time understand how he came to be who he is and maybe even pity him. One of my favorite sections in the story deals with the cycle of violence and the struggle of the antagonist's younger brother to find his own path in life.

The protagonist is a military vet who happened to be in the wrong place at the right time and now has to protect himself and his family from a killer out for revenge. This is where the book really sets itself apart, as the author's military background and defense-instructor credentials come to the spotlight. The guy is definitely writing what he knows, and the numerous accurate fight scenes in the book are some of the best I've ever read.

The dialogue was surprisingly funny too, with some of the supporting characters providing much needed levity against what could have been a disturbingly bleak plot by itself. I was continually reminded of Pat Conroy's The Great Santini during the family scenes, interspersed with sections akin to "Henry, Portrait of a Serial Killer". It works well and I hope to see more from this author in the future.

[Vigilant Reader]

Title – Deadly Frost
Author – Terry Shipley
Genre – Thriller
293 Amazon Pages 101,000 Words
Rating 5 stars out of 5
Posted 2/7/2019
No. 30-1 - 2018

My Impressions: Frost's portion; humorous around his family, forced to be a vigilante.
DAZ's portion: dangerous psychopath, gruesome, intelligent sicko.

Main Characters:
Talus Drake Frost – Air Force Captain, 6' 190 lb, 962 AWACS unit at Elmendorf A.F.B. Alaska
David Allen Zane – Serial killer known as DAZ, Military Police Sargent until he is kicked out of the Air Force.
Clint Zane – Serial Killer's brother
Many additional characters add to the diverse appeal of this novel.

Deadly Frost has a plot to make a good story and lives up to its potential. The characters are interesting, and a bit over the top. Frost’s family members bring light hearted humor and the bad guy is diabolical. The contrast was vivid and displayed the psychotic nature of the serial killer against average humans.
The story is about a big, tough, intelligent serial killer who enjoys frightening, torturing, and killing young women. Frost gets involved when he stops the abduction of a young woman on the air base in Alaska. Afterwards, DAZ hates Frost for interfering in his perverse game and pledges to get even. From there the story is full of well written action. DAZ continues to abduct, torture, and murder young women while his brother covers for him. Frost has more interaction when his family members are threatened and attacked, and he vows to bring the huge, muscular serial killer down.
There are many characters I quickly became fond of and looked forward to their interaction with Frost.
A sub-character I particularly liked had a minor role at the end when he, Preacher, interacted with Clint Zane.
The story was interesting, and I recommend it highly.

The prose has been professionally edited and is easy to read and enjoy.
Sentence structures flow easily and makes sense.
The writing style is clean and well organized.
Serious research is evident throughout the story.
The plot explores the conflict between a strong-willed honorable man and a mean, diabolical serial rapist murderer.
There is frequent cursing and strong, torturous sex scenes. The story is not for Snowflakes

This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.

[Sharon]

Involving quick paced serial killer story is at times brutally and graphically descriptive of actions directed towards the killer's victims. Family relationships and personal history of individuals add to the story and further capture and maintain the readers interest. 3.5 star worthwhile read.