Deep Freeze [Paperback]

Lisa Jackson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2005

When she wakes up, she's very cold. Colder than she's ever been in her life. She can't move or speak. And then she sees him. The one who took her. And before she dies, she wishes she could scream...Former movie star Jenna Hughes left Hollywood for an isolated farm in Oregon to get away from fame. But someone has followed her - an obsessed fan whose letters are personal and deeply disturbing. And while Jenna's already shaken up by what she's seen on paper, she'd be terrified if she knew what Sheriff Shane Carter is investigating. It's a shocking case that started with the discovery of a dead woman in the woods. Now two more women are missing, one of whom bears a striking resemblance to Jenna...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When beautiful Jenna Hughes moves with her two children to a small Oregon town in bestseller Jackson's well-crafted romantic thriller, the retired movie star expects to start a quiet new life, but a psychotic fan's deadly obsession soon throws the tranquil community into chaos. One by one, women are kidnapped by a serial killer who hopes to mold them into the likeness of his favorite actress, and Jenna knows that it's only a matter of time before she's the next victim. Jackson (The Morning After) weaves together various subplots, including Jenna's relationship with her rebellious teenage daughter and the inevitable love interest with the rugged local cop, to create a fast-paced and surprisingly complex story. Unfortunately, the focus on the villain's absolute evil rather than on his humanity doesn't allow him to be as disturbing as he could be, but most of the other smalltown characters are more believable. The depiction of the protagonist, a woman who desperately wants her life to be as normal as possible, reaches an unusual depth, and the crisp, skillful language infuses every sentence with suspense. Despite some predictable moments and over-the-top torture scenes, this chilling novel about the high price of fame will keep readers riveted.
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Review

"Bone chilling...Jackson skillfully crafts a horrific thriller... a beautifully conceived plot full of unexpected twists and provocative misleads..."

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Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Zebra (March 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821772961
• ISBN-13: 978-0821772966
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #136,033 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #8 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Romance > Authors, A-Z > ( J ) > Jackson, Lisa

More About the Author

#1 NYT and USA TODAY bestselling author Lisa Jackson started writing after her sister read an article in TIME Magazine in 1981 about how young mothers were making money writing romance novels. Both Lisa and her sister, Nancy Bush, began their writing careers right then, and lo, these many years later Lisa has published seventy-five plus novels and has no plans to slow down anytime soon.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Romantic Suspense Read., March 1, 2005

By 

Elaine C McTyer "avid reader" (Dawson, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Deep Freeze (Paperback)

Jenna Hughes is a former movie actress who has moved to Oregan to raise her 2 daughters. After being harrassed by a fan in Hollywood, and the death of her sister Jill, on the set of her last movie, she leaves Hollywood and and her ex-husband to find peace and a settled life for her and her family.

Shane Carter is the local sheriff, he thinks Jenna is a hot-house flower trading on her fame. Even though he may not like her personally he can't help but notice her beauty. When threatening notes start to appear and women who look like Jenna start to disappear as well as one Jane Doe found dead, he has to get to know the lady. He immediately finds out Jenna is for real. A woman who loves her kids and just wants to find peace.

Both have secrets they want to forget, and both find that attraction can not always be locked behind closed doors. As more women disappear and the fear rises, so do emotions. The temperature is falling but in hearts and minds the terror rises.
It keeps you on your toes and guessing. Very well written I was totally surprised at the end. Very good book.

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Chilling Read By One Of Today's Hottest Suspense Authors!!, February 28, 2005

By 

Kristi Ahlers (Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Deep Freeze (Paperback)

This was a very chilling read by one of today's hottest suspense authors. She has not only penned a fine read that will grab the reader from the get go, she also manages to lay the ground work for the sequel as well.

This story takes place in rural Oregon where ex-Hollywood actress Jenna Hughes is trying to live a normal life with her two teenage daughters. Both girls are upset about being uprooted from friends and their father to live in the wilds of Oregon. Jenna is doing her best but life seems to be working against her. Feeling that something bad is about to happen Jenna starts receiving frightening notes at her home, and props that she has donated to the local theater have turned up missing. She thinks that this is just another case of a fan being a little to obsessed with her. She thinks she can handle it. She thinks wrong.

At the same time, temperatures are dropping and bodies are turning up dead on the mountain. They are being found with a strange substance on them, and when Sheriff Shane Carter starts really investigating it he is unaware in the beginning that his murders are connected to Jenna's mail. Soon he finds the connection but will he be able to catch the killer before he kills Jenna or her daughters? And more importantly is this someone that he has always known?

This was a strong and chilling suspense read. There are plenty of possible suspects and plenty of red herring thrown out to keep the reader on the edge of their seat until the killer is unveiled. This killer is without a doubt one of the scarcest characters I've read in awhile. The romance storyline is very mild so readers of the romance genre may be a little disappointed. Still Shane and Jenna were compelling characters and their attraction and interaction was an important part of this story. Groundwork has been laid for her next novel in this two part series. I highly recommend Ms. Jackson if you like edge of your seat reading with amazing characters that will keep you up late into the night reading.

Official Reviewer for www.romancedesigns.com

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Average, December 1, 2006

By 

JJC (Las Vegas, Nev) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deep Freeze (Paperback)

This is my first Jackson book and it felt just average to me. Nothing to recommend it. The characters were written well. The characters had depth but something was missing. The side romance between Shane and Jenna seemed forced and lacking in chemistry and romance. Heres the scoop on the book:

Shane is the sheriff of this Oregon town where dead woman are showing up where other woman of there close town are going missing.

Jenna is a ex-hollywood actress who has come to this small town to raise her two girls away from the limelight. Jenna is sexy, beautiful, great bod and every mans fantasy. We know this because the author describes her in every format this way. Her daughters Cassie and Allie were the least likeable characters in the book. Spoiled, whinning, rude girls!

Jenna starts recieving phone calls, problems with her home, her private things going missing and so on. So she inlists the help of the town sheriff - Shane. The first time they met they did not hit if off. (He gave her a ticket for a broken taillight) Just because he was in a bad mood and she is a ex-hollywood actress. But anyways through this story there are supposed to be atttracted to each other, I did not feel that way while reading this. I felt the author through this on the side and it was sorely lacking in romance.

Then there is the suspense. Where was it? I was waiting and waiting to find out who did it and why and then was let down. Oh in the end you know the name of the guy who has been doing the kinllings but not why. Nothing about him about his reasons, no insight whatsoever. Disappointing. He's obsessed with Jenna Hughes but why her? Well you never figure that out.

Then there is the flashback to Shane's life in the past that he cannot get over. His friend Davids death and his wife Carolyn. There was no real understanding there to why the author wrote that in the story. It felt thrown in but never understading why. His friend David died while climbing and he has never forgiven himself? And Jennas sister getting killed on the set of a movie. It was mentioned over and over but no details. Don't mention something over and over without explaining. Then when Jenna finds photos of Caroyln in Shanes pocket after they had sex, he never explains and she never asks him to, she says she does'nt want to know. What woman would'nt want to know? Then they have a little argument and then the end Boom! Thats it, yes there was a epilogue but I felt things not being wrapped up very well.