THE FREQUENCY
By Randall D. St. Claire
Mystery / Speculative Thriller / Thriller / Suspense / History
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Publication Date: July 21, 2026
*** SYNOPSIS ***
He didn’t expect his life to change in a single moment. He didn’t expect it to ask anything in return.
Bronx Rousselle built his small life on purpose: a pawnshop in northern Minnesota, a few familiar faces, no debts he couldn’t count, no relationship anchors. Friendship, in his experience, always came with a cost—and Bronx never owed much to anyone. Humor helped. If he laughed hard enough at trouble, it often lost interest.
Then something finds its way into his hands. Old. Hidden. Mystical at first glance. Powerful enough to draw attention from people who don’t ask—they take. Curiosity bleeds into pursuit, and luck demands a toll. As it stretches from the American Midwest to the frozen edges of Greenland, Bronx is pulled into a world where survival is measured in seconds—and trust in scars.
But the greatest danger isn’t what’s chasing him. It’s how the journey begins to change him—forcing uneasy alliances.
A woman who carries pain without breaking. Another who will not bend. Men in shadows, where loyalty is uncertain and betrayal waits.
And somewhere between the cold, the fear, and the weight of what he carries, Bronx begins to feel something he’s spent a lifetime avoiding:
Connection. Responsibility. Loss.
The kind that doesn’t let go.
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*** REVIEW ***
What a Thrill Ride
Bronx Rouselle is a complicated character presented as selfish and self-centered at first, but he has a wonderful transformation. As the story unfolds, and he deals with danger while working to solve an age-old mystery, Bronx comes to understand that there’s more in life than simply running a pawn shop.
He learns a lot through interactions with the many characters that come into his life, and each relationship brings more of his background and humanity to light. I especially liked the wolf and the bond they developed when Bronx was in Greenland, searching for the site of the ‘whale’ mentioned in the ancient text. Some of those scenes can literally take one’s breath away.
As will the amazing descriptions of a majestic landscape comprised of more than mountains of snow and ice.
Bronx won a permanent place in my heart, first when he named the wolf Driftwood, then when he saved the wolf from a grizzly attack. I shared his grief when Driftwood didn’t follow him back to the mainland after the first visit to Greenland.
It’s clear from the get-go that Bronx has mostly operated in a way that skirts legality and the following quote illustrates his philosophy well: “The truth was simple. The less he knew the less the story could own him. To Bronx the law had never been a line, only a suggestion with consequences.”
Malina, a woman who helps Bronx with a translation of the ancient documents, is a wonderful character, and she ultimately has a profound effect on him, even before the adventure on Greenland begins. When tragedy hits close to her heart, she comes to him, and this is where the reader is treated to: “She stepped forward, folded into him, trembling. He held her. Not with hunger. Not with want. Just steady. Two souls leaning together so neither one fell through the broken floor of their worlds.”
St. Claire so perfectly layered the special moment, taking it so much deeper than the mere act of giving a woman comfort at a time when she needed it.
The mystery of what happened in Greenland seventy years ago is compelling, and solving that will explain why someone has found it necessary to kill key players in the story. When Bronx discovers the ‘whale’ and figures out what it represents, I had to chuckle as an errant thought flitted through my mind. I wondered if that’s why the U.S. president is so eager to take over Greenland. Don’t want to share a spoiler, so you’ll have to read the book to see what I mean.
Filled with danger and intrigue, The Frequency takes a reader on a wild ride, and I highly recommend it.
I’m so glad that I read the acknowledgements where I saw that St. Claire is part of a familiar writer’s organization in Dallas. I’ve known one of the organizers of that group, Carol Woods, for more years than either of us would like to admit, and seeing the author mention that she’s mentored him, brought a smile. She’s a good person to have in your corner.
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*** ABOUT THE AUTHOR ***
Randall D. St. Claire writes intelligent, character-driven thrillers that live at the intersection of discovery, consequence, and the human cost of both.
His ninth novel, The Frequency, grew from a simple question that wouldn’t let go — what happens when a historic discovery powerful enough to change the world appears destined to fall into the wrong hands? Born in Southern California, he moved to Texas in 1996. Mentored by Patricia Anthony and Carol Woods, he is a past President of the Greater Dallas Writer’s Association.
WEBSITE ◆ INSTAGRAM ◆ LINKEDIN ◆ FACEBOOK ◆ TWITTER/X
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**** GIVEAWAY ***
Three winners will receive signed hardback copies of The Frequency!
U.S. Only
Ends August 21, 2026
*** ENTER HERE ***
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