Judy's Review:

This is such a cracking read – and I’m not just talking about the cracking of the Arctic ice as it closes in around the cast and crew of TV reality show Frozen Out.

Kate Simants has done a terrific job in creating a real sense of what it is to be stranded near the top of the world, a region of harsh natural beauty and, in this case, even harsher human behaviour.

The concept behind Frozen Out is simple enough. Eight contestants on a small ship off the frozen Greenland coast must complete almost brutal tasks of strength, endeavour and ingenuity. They’re all part of a leadership test – and the winner takes the £100,000 prize. But tempers fray and things start to go wrong – and then a contestant is found dead.

And, yes – it’s murder.

Richard's Review:

Kate Simants has clearly drawn on her years of experience working at C4 and the BBC as an undercover investigative journalist.

As someone who has worked for years in TV news and entertainment shows, I can assure you her take on today’s television is spot on – the sharp elbows, the rampant egos, the bitter rivalries, the betrayals and, yes, the screw-ups.

Frozen Out is the pet project of ambitious producer Tori Matsuka. It’s her first major break into the big-time and she’ll make any sacrifice, cut any corner, to see it succeed. But she’s underestimated the challenges of filming in such a hostile environment.

Meanwhile her friend and chief camerawoman, Dee, begins to have serious doubts about everyone’s safety when she spots a shadowy figure seemingly trying to push Tori into the sea. And when a contestant is found dead, Dee is the first to realise the truth.

It was murder. A great winter read.