One of my favorites!
Athol Dickson’s Winter Haven is a modern mystery with a deliciously chilling, classic gothic mood. As heroine Vera Gamble struggles to resolve the bizarre mystery behind her brother’s death, she is threatened by Winter Haven’s hostile inhabitants, her own vulnerabilities wrought by her tormented past, and by the mist-shrouded island itself, which is imbued with sinister legends.
Dickson’s artistry with words brings Winter Haven’s characters to life, and his research is evident in all the fascinating peculiarities and inconveniences of existence on a small Maine island. Vera’s dead brother, Siggy, is particularly touching as he appears in the memories and letters of those who loved him—an autistic adolescent, unable to reach out to others except through biblical verses—filled with a heavenly spirit despite the limitations of his earthly existence.
Dickson’s artistry with words brings Winter Haven’s characters to life, and his research is evident in all the fascinating peculiarities and inconveniences of existence on a small Maine island. Vera’s dead brother, Siggy, is particularly touching as he appears in the memories and letters of those who loved him—an autistic adolescent, unable to reach out to others except through biblical verses—filled with a heavenly spirit despite the limitations of his earthly existence.
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