Cold Storage

Grumley’s riveting sequel to Deep Freeze successfully steers the series into full-tilt sci-fi madness. After dying in a freak bus accident, U.S. Army veteran John Reiff was revived as part of a covert research program that altered his DNA. Twenty-three years later, Reiff has been frozen again and stored in a cabin in Utah. His body is removed from storage by a group of his apparent allies, who also make off with the machine that brought Reiff to life. They’ve retrieved Reiff because he’s become a subject of interest for a shadowy group of power brokers called “The Nine,” whose members want to know if Reiff’s freezing had any adverse effects. If not, they plan to freeze themselves to survive a mysterious event. Once Reiff’s rescuers bring him back to life, they learn he may be connected to a bizarre discovery involving space travel, which carries massive implications for the future of the planet. Grumley tosses a lot of balls in the air, but he juggles them all nimbly, keeping the plot’s many surprises well concealed without sacrificing pace. Blake Crouch fans will love this. (Jan.)