The Winter People

The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon

Spooky, scary, bone-chilling. This modern-day ghost story tells the tale of the "people who are stuck between here and there, waiting...."

It is 1908 in West Hall ,Vermont. Sara Harrison Shea  and her husband, Martin, live on the farm of her ancestors;  run-down, barren land  in a lonely space where folklore says you can hear the whispers of the dead that roam everywhere. Many peculiar and mysterious disappearances have occurred over the years in this desolate place. Gertie, their precious daughter, is missing now, too.  Eventually her body is found at the bottom of an abandoned well. Tormented and grief-stricken, Sara imagines that Gertie's soul is very much alive. She spends her days and nights communicating with the child she adored, steadfastly believing that this was no accident. It was murder. Months later, Sara is found dead  in the field behind their home, mangled beyond description. What sinister phantom spirits inhabit the town of West Hall?

Now 100 years later, nineteen-year-old Ruthie Washburne lives in Sara's old farmhouse with little sister, Fawn, and their eccentric mother, Alice. One day their mother vanishes without explanation, and Ruthie begins to delve into the history behind this place they call home. The sisters are shocked to find Sara's diary pages, hidden and tucked away long ago. With this discovery, the sisters begin a dangerous journey to find their mother, suddenly realizing that there is a distinct connection to a disturbing story from the past. It takes them into a deep, dark, and eerie world that Sara believed existed; a supernatural world filled with long-lost secrets. And the girls aren't the only ones searching for answers......

Jennifer McMahon has written a spine-tingling, frightening novel dealing with the hereafter. This is her first venture into a hardcover book after writing paperbacks. Somehow she manages to intertwine characters from the past and present into a stunningly engaging story from start to finish. As a reader, pay attention to all the details and watch the pages slip through your fingers as the captivating story unravels. She examines the power of undying love between mother and child and  the power of grief. You may not believe in ghosts. You may not believe in the paranormal, but you just might have a shadow of doubt at the end.

Keep the lights on.......