Frostbite

By David Warren

From the talented pen of David Warren, the acclaimed author of the thrillers Jest and Replica, which have been praised by both critics and fans alike, comes Frostbite, the third work in his thriller series.
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Parker Hills, Colorado is a small peaceful community nestled against the Rocky Mountains and is the idyllic place to live and raise a family. A town where everybody knows your name, you don’t have to lock your doors and whose scenery is second to none. The only drawback to the area is the amount of snow that tends to accumulate during any given season.

But this winter is different.

It started with the disappearance of a little girl, and the discovery of a pink glove with what looked like blood on it lying in the snow, during the Christmas break. Fred Harrison, a widowed man who lived in Parker Hills his whole life is the only one who doesn’t seem to believe that the child was kidnapped. When others start to vanish, it becomes increasingly clear to him that something has staked a claim on their peaceful small town...something that moves about unseen amongst the freshly fallen snow.

Now the biggest blizzard of the century is on its way.

With a town gripped by fear and blanketed by snow, Fred must try and convince the town that they are being methodically stalked by an invisible killer...before there’s no one left.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brighton Publishing LLC
• Release date: Feb 18, 2016
• ISBN: 9781621831945

David Warren

Sir David Warren was British ambassador to Japan from 2008 to 2012, having served twice before in the British Embassy in Tokyo during his career as British diplomat. He is now honorary professor at Sheffield University, a member of the Board of the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures at the University of East Anglia, and was Chair of the Council of the University of Kent until July 2020. From 2013 to 2019, he was Chairman of the Japan Society, the leading independent body in the United Kingdom dedicated to UK-Japanese cultural, educational and business contacts.

Book preview

FROSTBITE

David Warren

Brighton Publishing LLC

435 N. Harris Drive

Mesa, AZ 85203

www.BrightonPublishing.com

Copyright © 2015

ISBN13: 978-1-62183-194-5

eBook

SMASHWORDS EDITION

Cover design: Tom Rodriguez

All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. The characters in this book are fictitious and the creation of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Other Books by

David Warren

Jest

"It waits no longer…"

Replica

"Your Greatest Fear Lives"

A Few Reader Reviews

Baron Book Review

Spine Tingling! Mesmerizing!

Horror Stew - Review

This book is a quick read that made me think it would be a great script for a slasher horror movie like Friday The 13th, Night of the Demons, or even Puppetmaster. This is horror, baby! Horror Stew enjoyed it.

The Written Universe

If you like a fast paced read, with lively characters, a good plot, some twists and turns and some blood and guts, then this book (Jest) is for you!

SCREAM Magazine

"A great read!

Shivers of Horror

Jest is…exactly what a slasher movie should be!

What a Ride!!

Jest is like riding a roller coaster. A nice, slow build up the track, lulling you into a false sense of security, and then when you come to the top of that track...and start to go over...the hits, they just don’t quit coming.

Phenomenal Book!

Fast-paced, enjoyable, easy-to-read. David Warren nails it in the fright department. The characters were bigger than life, the setting was ancient and timeworn, and the storyline had me guessing in all the right places. Just fantastic!

Rates 5 Out Of 5 Stars!

David Warren definitely has a talent for spinning a sweet little tale into a spine-tingling thriller. His writing keeps the reader mesmerized, putting the book down is next to impossible. This book undeniably rates 5 out of 5 stars.

A Fantastic Read!

What a wonderful find! I could not put it down. Brilliant story with appealing characters, spectacular twists, turns, and an ending that I did not see coming! A fantastic read for teens who like thrillers or adults who are looking for an entertaining read. Thank you, Mr. Warren, for leaving me wanting more!

Knockout Debut Novel!

This author has a great talent for storytelling and capturing real human interaction and this is a knockout debut novel. Count me in for book two. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in good old-fashioned superbly-plotted classic thriller or horror stories.

Fantastic!

Loved the suspense and a real page turner. A+ for David Warren. Great surprise ending; kept me guessing. I would recommend this book to everyone! I can’t wait for the sequel and further publications from this new uprising author. A new name to add to the Stephen King, Dean Koontz category!

Cannot Wait For More!

I read the entire book from cover to cover in one sitting and was in awe of the great plot and the twists that David threw in. In my opinion, Stephen King has some serious competition coming from this guy. Cannot wait for more stories from David Warren.

Couldn’t Put The Book Down!

I literally couldn’t put the book down. The fast pace in which the story unfolds keeps you glued to the page and I was completely engrossed from cover to cover. I look forward to reading the next book by David Warren and I recommend this book to anyone interested in a true-mystery page turner.

Exceeded Expectations!

This story kept me wanting to turn the page to see what came next. It exceeded expectations for a suspenseful story. I recommend this one to all who enjoy this genre, it doesn’t disappoint!

Loved It!

I thought this was a great book. I can’t wait till the second book in the series comes out.

Suspenseful Anti-Bullying novel.

Smart and imaginative David Warren does an excellent job of capturing your attention once again as he did in his last publication, JEST. Keeping you on the edge of your seat, he spins the narrative with skill. In this novel we see the emotional damage that can be done to a young person by bullying. Through this young adult horror story we see a social issue that our young people witness frequently in their schools, and it accurately captures how they feel. We can really relate to Gary as the suspenseful story unfolds and has you wondering what he is going to do! This story does for boys what Carrie did for the girls. Great job David. I'll be waiting for the next one...

Great Fast Paced Read!!!!

David Warren's sophomore novel, Replica-Your Greatest Fear Lives, is even better than his first! It was a fast paced read that kept me in suspense until the end. He sets up the scene very descriptively so you can easily envision what is going on in your head. I couldn't stop reading this book! You feel sorry for Gary and cheer him on when he gets his revenge! Great job David! Keep the books coming! I can't wait for the next one! I bought this for my Nook on Barnes and Noble but I was so impressed by the book I had to leave a positive review here as well.

Quick read, but GOOD!

This is an easy read, and you can be done in about 4 to 5 hours. It is a little out there but I liked it and would recommend it to anyone. The storyline is good and has you thinking of who did it and I did not expect the ending he gave us. Once I started reading I had a tough time to put it down because I wanted to see what happened next. Again a good book I would recommend to anyone.

Great book.

This is a great short story. It kept my interest and I read it in less than a week. Interesting plot and good character description.

Loved it!

I was a huge fan of David Warren's 1st book & this cemented it!

Looking forward to another one of his books.

"Birthed by the imagination of a true storyteller, author David Warren delivers a mesmerizing plot with captivating characters and scenes that drip with fear."

Dedication

To Don McGuire, whose faith in me never waivers.

Acknowledgements

My wife and I were watching the SyFy Channel a few years back and a show we enjoy called Destination Truth was on. Josh Gates and his comrades were trying to hunt down this particular creature and I thought that it would make an interesting concept for a book so…here you are. Thanks Josh!

Chapter One

I was just settling down with a nice cup of tea in front of my cozy fireplace when I first heard the commotion. That’s really when all the trouble began, albeit at the time none of us knew just how much trouble.

At first, I simply ignored it. A mother calling for her daughter around lunchtime during winter break was hardly anything new. Kids were busy running around all over town this time of year. Some loved to make large snowmen, complete with the top hat and button nose. Others engaged in snowball fights while some of the smaller children simply cherished the idea of making snow angels in the sparkling, undisturbed snow.

So there I sat, sipping my tea and thinking what a marvel it was that we had so many children in a town the size of Parker Hills. What was the population? The number two thousand jumped into my head, but I wasn’t sure if that figure was at all accurate.

Alice? Called a voice not far from my front door. Alice? This is enough honey, you need to come and eat your lunch. Alice? I could tell by the voice that it belonged to Elizabeth Saunders, who ran a bakery on