Eleven years ago, Vera Gambles brother left their house never to be seen again. Until the day Vera gets a phone call that his body has been found, washed ashore in the tiny island town of Winter Haven, Maine. His only surviving kin, Vera travels north to claim the body, and finds herself tumbling into a tangled mystery. Her brother has not aged a day since last she saw him.
Determined to uncover what happened in those lost years, Vera soon discovers there are other secrets lurking in this isolated town. But Winter Havens murky past now seems bound to come to light as one woman seeks the undeniable and flooding light of truth.
Average Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars(4.5 out of 5 stars)
6 of 6 Reviews Showing:
4 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Sandra L. Cram (Fenton, MI), October 06, 2009
At first, I wondered why I was reading this book. It was a very strange and desolate setting, with seemingly and equally strange people. But I stuck with it and I found that I couldn't hardly put it down. I really enjoyed it and wished the book had not ended. I still think about the characters and what had happened to them. It's a very good read.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Joan Voegtlin (Titusville, FL), September 08, 2009
I have read several of Althol Dickson's books and enjoyed them all, but I must say this one was very hard to put down. I consider this book his best one yet. A must read!
4 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Tim George (Pensacola FL), December 23, 2008
Athol Dickson scores another knockout with Winter Haven. Simply put, Dickson produces the best prose in all of Chritian fiction.
Winter Haven, told in the first person by its heroine Vera, answers one great question; is it wrong to ask God why? When we meet Vera she has retreaed into an orderly world of numbers as an accountant. There she finds refuge from her tortured past as the daughter of a faith healer who could not heal his own family. But a call revealing the discovery of her long lost Savant brother changes everything.
As in River Rising, Dickson manages to drag us along with Vera into a totally foreign world. In that world we are no more sure than Vera whether she is loosing her mind, being judged by God, or on the verge of making sense out of a once unanswerable question.
Like all of Dickson's books this is one to savor like a good steak rather than race through like fast food.
4.5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Keri Lambert (Prosper, TX), October 02, 2008
Athol Dickson is an excellent author. He writes his books in a way that draws you in and captivates you. Winter Haven is intense, very involved and steady paced. It explores mental stability and our past in an intriguing manner. Amazing book and subject matter.
4.5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Glenda Fowlow (Canada), May 28, 2008
If you like dark and mysterious reads, this is a must! Vera heads to Winter Haven, a small island off the coast of Maine, to identify her long lost brother's body. How did her brother get there from Texas and why has he not aged in the many years he's been missing? The population of Winter Haven has its share of quirky characters that truly add to the depth (and romantic touches) of the story. This author not only has a deft hand at writing suspense, but also in dealing with mental disorders.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Michelle (AZ), May 10, 2008
Winter Haven starts with intrigue and never lets up until the very end. I found this book particularly fascinating because Vera's lost brother had autism and the author goes into some childhood memories that were very well done. And the dysfunction in Vera's family that she experienced growing up was powerful. What worse thing could happen to a preacher/healer than to have two children that he couldn't heal? Can you imagine the conflict? Needless to say it definitely hurt Vera in permanent ways. Plus the island was downright spooky. I even read some chapters out loud because they were that freaky. Don't read this book at night. Trust me, you'll have trouble sleeping. But the tension was great and the mysterious islanders and those crazy legends will leave you tense until you find out what the deal is with that place. The ending of the story was weird, yet satisfying as it did explain some things. All I can say is this author has a fabulous imagination and understands insanity and dysfunction well. But not everything is in Vera's head. To find out what I mean you'll have to read the book. That's all I'm saying. :)
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