Fresh Frozen (Hardcover)

~ Darden North (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In this third medical thriller by award-winning author and practicing physician Darden North, human reproductive tissue becomes an unexpected commodity. In Fresh Frozen, a young policeman and his tormented wife fail miserably to produce a family, finding themselves outcasts of the renewed baby boom sweeping the United States. However, there is one last hope for them: a catalogue of human embryo and egg donors peddled by a woman whose standards are easily dismissed for the right price. Pursuing their futile attempts to become parents have nearly cost the wife her life and pushed the couple to the brink of bankruptcy. This seemingly last chance for Wesley and Carey Sarbeck to satisfy their place as parents in Middle America unknowingly tosses them in the midst of a grisly murder, the world of Hollywood celebrities, and a heist of freshly frozen human embryos. The lives of Carey Sarbeck and two other women intersect at the Van Deman Institute, once a decaying brick building complex just north of Jackson, Mississippi, but now a state-of-the-art center for the resolution of human infertility. While an internet voyeur and thief looks on, each of the three women, one of whom an internationally-known entertainer, has her own reason for entering the Institute. However, as a result of subjecting herself to a concoction of hormones and surgical procedures, one of the three is gruesomely murdered in an intriguing twist of human greed, mental torment, and medical science.

About the Author

Born February 21, 1956, in Jackson, MS, Darden North was raised in the Mississippi Delta as an only child. Nearing his twenty-second anniversary in active medical practice as an obstetrician gynecologist, he often fields the question "How did you ever get interested in writing fiction?" (Quite frequently he also gets the query "How in the world do you have time to be a doctor and write books?" --- a question he often asks himself!)

Perhaps his taste for the arts was seeded there in the Mississippi Delta while attending the seventh grade. Much to his mother Evelyn's urging and against his initial argument, North starred in the speaking and singing role of Louis in the The King and I, produced by the Cleveland (MS) Little Theater. While continuing to be a straight A student and looking toward the sciences for a career, his desire to expand his horizons continued as he played three different musical instruments in the public school marching and concert bands. In addition, some early afternoons were spent taking piano lessons; but alas, he can no longer play any of the four instruments well. Furthermore, after the family piano was recently converted to a computerized-player version, his fledging career as a musician was finally buried.

Without question, Darden North's interest in writing and publishing sparked while serving as editor-in-chief of the award-winning 1978 OLE MISS annual (At which time he began dating his future wife Sally Fortenberry, who was on the yearbook staff herself and served as editor the following year) and on the 1982 MEDIC yearbook, both published in hardcover. The fact that both his wife and mother have been English teachers could not have hurt either.

After graduating magna cum laude from the University of Mississippi in 1978 with a BA in zoology and minors in both English and chemistry and induction into The Hall of Fame, he finished medical school and obstetrics/gynecology specialty training at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in 1982 and 1986, respectively, where he was a member of Alpha Omega Alpha honorary society.

He and his wife Sally married in 1979 and have remained in Jackson since. After serving as chief-of-staff at two local hospitals, he remains active in the American Medical Association, the Mississippi State Medical Association, and the South Central Obstetrical and Gynecological Society while maintaining a full-time ob/gyn medical and surgical practice. Darden and Sally have two young adult children, as well as two dogs and a grand dog.

Years ago Darden North traded his golf clubs for a laptop but on occasion can be seen with a tennis racket or garden shovel. North has written and published three novels in the mystery/suspense/medical thriller genre: House Call (2005), Points of Origin (2006), and Fresh Frozen (2008). Both House Call and Points of Origin have one national awards.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 312 pages
• Publisher: Ponder House Press (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0977112632
• ISBN-13: 978-0977112630
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #870,116 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read for thriller lovers, October 26, 2008

By	James M. Blackwood Jr. - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I picked up the book last Wed before heading to the beach. I couldn't put it down once I started--which resulted in mild sunburn. North does a great job writing a novel that reads like a movie. I could picture the scenes and characters in my head--just like watching a movie. The plot is excellent with many ingenious twists and turns. With America's obsession with celebrities, it makes you wonder if this story line could really happen...or maybe already has.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great story--Masterful storytelling!, December 29, 2008

By	MysteryReaderNC "I love a little mystery, don... (NC, USA) - See all my reviews

FRESH FROZEN by Darden North, MD is easily one of the best books I've ever read. The twists are expertly crafted, the characters are believable and the plot is enthralling! I love a book where the author takes me to uncharted territory--Dr. North does just that! In FRESH FROZEN, the reader is taken into the territory surrounding infertility and the measures some people will take to end a painful chapter in their lives.

Dr. North explains procedures the reader needs to understand, but not in so much detail as to be superfluously boring. If anything I was intrigued by his descriptions!

There were a few times in reading this novel where I wondered how these aspects of the story were going to come together. Dr. North did not let me down. When he brought them together, it all seemed flawless--a masterful job!!

This story had it all! I cried sometimes, laughed out loud sometimes, scratched my head in wonder a few times and then got an ending I did NOT see coming! It was a great read and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for something a little different.

One word of warning though: Do not get cocky reading this one. Just when you THINK you have it all figured out, you find out you couldn't have been more wrong!

A great story told by a master storyteller! Thank you Dr. North and I look forward to future books!

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Suprising Ending!, February 25, 2009

By	Martha A. Cheves (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Fresh Frozen was a very interesting book. Not only did it go into the
field of medical technology, but it also included a spy and a murder. In
Fresh Frozen, Dr. Van Deman owns an Infertility Center in Mississippi.
Tinker Murtagh is the spy I mentioned, but who would need to spy on an
Infertility Center and who hired him? Police Officer Sarbeck and his
wife are desperate to have a family; can Dr. Van Deman help them? And
then there are the wealthy mystery women. Why would 2 women who have
everything need Dr. Van Deman's help? What is the good doctor really
doing within the center besides making money? And who will die?

The intrigue continued as I turned each page and watched the characters all come together forming the story of Fresh Frozen. I was so involved in this book that I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. Fresh Frozen is different from most books I've read. In most books, no matter what the genre, the characters are introduced and "join" each other early in the book. Not in this case. Each character is been introduced with little connection to the others. As you go along, you read the stories that make up the characters, you get to know them and their problems and all of this comes before the real connections are made. It's like a jigsaw puzzle without a picture. You know all of the pieces fit and can't wait to see what the end result will be. I found Fresh Frozen to be very different as well as quite refreshing to read.

And the ending... I would NEVER have guessed the turn of events that
make up the last 20 pages of Fresh Frozen. The hiring of the spy will
surprise you and the murder will surprise you even more. So if you love
a good mystery, this book is definitely for your.

Fresh Frozen is a great book that I highly recommend!