Customer Reviews

Winter Haven

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4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
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Vera Gamble leads a quiet life as a CPA in Dallas. Haunted by her past, she hides behind the numbers to keep from facing the pain. A stranger calls out of the blue bearing news that forces Vera to remember things that she longs to forget. Her brother, Siggy, has been found dead washed up on the shores of Winter Haven, a small island community just off the coast of Maine. Reluctantly, Vera embarks on the long journey to claim the body of her older brother who has been missing for thirteen years.

Upon arrival at Winter Haven, Vera is instantly aware of how unique this place is. Trees of seemingly unnatural height tower overhead and the streets are lined with antiquated homes and buildings that look as if they have been untouched by time. The people are quite and keep to themselves and seem bothered by the presence of a stranger.

Vera is lead to the old shack where her brother's body has been preserved. She is shocked to discover that that not only is the body indeed her brother, but he also hasn't aged a day since he vanished thirteen years ago. Vera stets out on a quest for the truth behind this startling revelation and along the way learns the dark history of Winter Haven. Her search for truth will bring her face to face with her greatest fears and her troubled past. The truth that is uncovered will forever change Vera and the people of Winter Haven.

Athol Dickson is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. Winter Haven is further proof of the depth of his talent and his storytelling ability. At its core this is a mystery novel, yet it is so much more. Dickson treats us to a wonderfully drawn story that includes suspense, chills, a hint of romance, and a search for spiritual truth that will resonate with the reader long after the last line.

Dickson's strength is found in his ability to cause readers to slow down and savor every word. I often find myself flying through the pages of a book that I love, but this time I constantly found myself holding back to enjoy the rich imagery and the methodical character development. Dickson paints word pictures like no one else and he effortlessly drops us into the strange and beautiful world of Winter Haven. Even though we are presented with more and more questions as the story unfolds, Dickson cleverly ties up all the loose ends in a way I never anticipated.

This is Athol Dickson at his best and fans of unique mysteries and suspense will love this story. Clear your schedules, kick back, slow down, and prepare to enjoy every word of this rich, mesmerizing tale.

When I got to my car holding this book, I actually swore out-loud when I realized the library's "NEW" tag had covered the "CHRISTIAN" tag underneath it. I thought, "Man, all that cool stuff about witches and scary mansions was just a red herring. I have already solved this mystery. Jesus did it."

But I read it.

This book wasn't smug. It presented a Christianity that wasn't arrogant, sterilized, or shaking a finger at the filthy world around it. It was a story that happened to happen the Christian folks, and they dealt with it based on their Christian beliefs. I respect that.

It was a good mystery. It seemed a little threadbare, lo-fat Stephen King, characters not terribly original or deep. I really liked the **SPOILER ALERT** role an iceberg could play in a mystery like this. Just plausible enough to be fun.

I did not understand the religious angle entirely. Detecting **SPOILER** the message that God had 7 or so people die tragically so that...a nice hotel could exist...but I never got the impression Dickson was insisting I agree with him. Dickson seemed content in the not knowing, himself.

Vera Gamble has gotten the call she's feared for thirteen years. A body has washed up on the coast of a remote island in Maine, and they believe its her brother, Siggy. Reluctantly, Vera takes vacation leave and heads for Winter Haven, while reading a guide book telling a spooky story about how pilgrims disappeared on the island leaving no proof when a man sent to find help returns with the promised help.

At first Vera doesn't believe the body found is her brother. Siggy hadn't aged a day in thirteen years! He didn't look a day over fifteen. But he carries proof that he is indeed Siggy Gamble. The law on the island refuses to release the body in light of this new mystery, so Vera is forced to stay on the island.

But there is something evil on the island trailing her. It rains rocks around her. Trees bleed blood. And only she can hear the hissing voices. Amid tales of witches, unexplained deaths, unfriendly islanders, and threats Vera is sure who to trust. And with no way off the island, is she doomed to become one more Winter Haven legend?

I have read and loved all of Athol Dickson's novels so far, and WINTER HAVEN has a different feel to it than the others, more gothic--dark and brooding. While repulsed, I couldn't put the book down. I was caught up in a story I didn't want to be caught up into. A story of evil.

There are some Christian touches in the story, so it is not all on the dark side, but WINTER HAVEN is too much on the dark side for my tastes. But the story is very compelling, the story very well drawn out, and there is a touch of a romance. Not sure how Athol Dickson did on characterization--the whole story is more plot driven than character driven, and what I learned about Vera was all related to the plot. Very well written. If you're a member of the "chicken club" you might want to avoid this book. But if you like a bit of the dark side in your books, then WINTER HAVEN is a book to consider.

Dickson's Winter Haven has the thoughtful prose of a literary novel, the brooding damsel in distress of a Gothic novel, the intrigue of a mystery and a great romance to boot. What I noticed first was the writing itself which was so lovely, at times it distracted me from the story.

Athol writes from the point of view of a woman and manages to do this convincingly. He sets wonderful scenes, making me feel as though I were really on this island off Maine. I didn't realize until the conclusion just how complicated a plot he was weaving, but he pulls it off beautifully with an ending I can't imagine any reader will see coming.

Without giving a spoiler, I did feel one small plot line had a Scooby Doo sort of wrap up, but even that thread was fun to read. All in all, I think Dickson pulled off a very fine Gothic romantic mystery literary romance inspirational novel. How many writers can claim that?

This excellent book has something every reader can enjoy, no matter what genre they prefer.

Another great addition to Dickson's line up of Christian suspense. Some of the points would be hard to accept in a harder edged story but Dickson's beautiful style makes you overlook this minor problem. Very enjoyable.

Winter Haven by Athol Dickson is the suspenseful tale of a woman on a mysterious isolated island off the coast of Maine. Vera Gamble has traveled to Winter Haven to retrieve the body of her brother Siggy, who disappeared 13 years ago. But from the moment she sets foot on the island, everything seems strange: Siggy hasn't aged at all, black stones rain down from the sky, a strange hissing creature follows her, and tree limbs bleed red. Vera, a CPA, has retreated from the world and shelters herself from it by clinging to numbers and facts. Her faith in God is a fragile one. After losing every member of her family tragically, she's too afraid to trust Him, and she's terrified if she questions Him, her life will be shattered even further. Dickson packs a lot of wallop into this thin book: romance, mystery, suspense, even horror, all tied with faith. Vera's narration is surreal and hesitant, as if she's not even sure of herself, and there's no one else she can trust on this island. I was deeply moved by her realization that by refusing to trust God, she didn't trust anyone else in her life, and once she allowed herself to love God, love for others and from others flowed easily. This dark, suspenseful book gave me the shivers!

Reading Athol Dickson is always an eye-opener, along with a good read. "Winter Haven" is no exception. My first read of his was, "They Shall See God," and after that I wanted to know what else this man had to offer. With this, he gives us some mystery, history, along with some depth to let it all sink in. Are we going to find good things coming out of "Winter Haven," or is it just a fancy title? Don't let the waves of the ocean and edge of the cliff fool you. This is worth checking out!

Vera Gamble has questions about her brother, Siggy's disappearance. All of a sudden, his body is found, thirteen years later. Oh yeah, he looks exactly how he looked thirteen years ago. And Vera travels to that place called Winter Haven, off the coast of Maine, to seek answers. In seeking those answers, she runs into secrets. Secrets that haunt, locals that don't trust her, her only ally appears to be a man who owns a mansion. Will this be enough to get Vera the answers she desperately seeks?

I thought this was written well, yet it seemed to drag at times. Never too quick to reveal answers, Dickson lets us sweat for a bit. But in the end, there's enough to appease an appetite. If you are looking for action packed, then you've come to the wrong place. But if what you seek is some great storytelling, then check this out, and see if "Winter Haven" is what you've been craving. I wasn't disappointed! And hopefully others looking for a good yarn will find encouragement through the crashing waves.

WINTER HAVEN was my first experience with author Athol Dickson. I've ordered more. This first was won in a local library summer reading program. What a HUGE prize--as now I have a new author to add to my favorites.

Winter Haven is an island on Maine's coast, with a village by the same name, and the location where Vera's autistic brother (who ran away at age 15) washes up as flotsam. While identifying the body, Vera realizes her brother had not aged after 13 years absence. That's where the sci-fi seems to start. What logical explanation is there? The mystery also begins, turning to suspense, then thriller. Vera takes a room at the home of a widow 'witch' who fills her in on a bit of the details of the island's sordid history. Vera is caught up with the ghostly island presence. AND she mentally returns to the ghastly home-life of being brought up in a family headed by a Charismatic faith-healer. Her mother's death, after no doctor was called, and no miracle came. Her own epilepsy, seizures, hallucinations, hearing crazy things, and more. Then this beautiful hunk saves her while lost in the haunted forest, and romance hopes tosses even another high-emotion into the mix.

It's hard to believe all this is written in a solidly CHRISTIAN NOVEL. And such wonderful descriptive writing. Like:
"I focused on the many true things to be sensed from where I stood--worn and blackened dock planks firm beneath my shoes, orange and bright red lichen splashed across a granite boulder standing like a sentry where the dock caressed the island, and the mist itself, cool and moist upon my cheeks." Can't you just feel it? While reading you'll experience a myriad of emotions, sights, and touch and be touched by the island itself.

A book for anyone. WOW!

Siggy Gamble is an autistic, savant teen who disappears, leaving behind an awful wound in his sister, Vera, one that is about to be reopened thirteen years later as she learns his body has been found washed up, dead and forlorn on a Maine island. Apparently, there is much to be be feared by Vera as she has shut out the awful experiences she has whenever she allows herself to think too long or dream about her long-lost brother. But love for her sibling prevails and she leaves behind the comfort of her accountant job in which she can lose herself in predictable numbers in order to forget the huge weight of unexplainable memories, visions and prophetic-style warnings that offer nothing but horrific oblivion.

The island's atmosphere in people, topography and attitudes has a distinctly ghostly ambience, one not offering comfort to a grieving Vera. Instead, she find her brother's body has not aged in the thirteen years he's been missing and he is clutching an artifact associated with his childhood love of Vikings and mythological figures, as well as the tag he wore at all times announcing "I am not dangerous." At a bed and breakfast house where Vera stays, she is warned to stay away from the area where her brother's body was found. Indeed, the more she searches for answers the darker the mystery becomes.

Vera's father was a faith healer and the only way Siggy could communicate was by way of Bible verses. In the middle of her memories and fearful search for answers about her brother's life and death, Vera struggles as well with her belief and unbelief in a God who called for unquestioning faith yet seemed totally absent in so many ways around her tortured upbringing. She meets Ethan but is unsure whether he is friend or fiend in the haunted atmosphere of this very unfriendly place.

Winter Haven, a 2009 Christy Award finalist, is a Gothic tale reminiscent of the Daphne DuMaurier novels this reviewer read so many years ago. Athol Dickson is a master at providing just enough twists and turns in the central conflict and surrounding them with the darkest, direst atmosphere possible to totally engulf the reader into this strange, twisted and yet enlightened world!

Reviewed by Viviane Crystal on September 6, 2009

A must read! This story was so intricately woven that it keeps you on the edge of your seat until the end. Absolutely spectacular!