The Winter People

West Hall has always been a town of strange disappearances and legends. The most mysterious is that of Sara Harrison Shea, who was found murdered in the field behind her house in 1908, a few short months after the tragic death of her daughter, Gertie, drove her mad. People say that Sara's ghost still walks after dark, and some leave offerings on their doorstep to keep her from entering their homes uninvited.Now, in present day, Ruthie lives in Sara's farmhouse with her mother, Alice, and her younger sister, Fawn. Alice has always insisted that they remain on the fringes, living off the land without internet or outside interference. But one morning Ruthie wakes up to find that Alice has disappeared without a trace. When she searches the house for clues, she is startled to find a secret compartment beneath the floorboards that contains two objects. One, a gun. And two, a copy of Sara Harrison Shea's diary.The story the diary tells is one of a mother skating on the edge of sanity, willing to do whatever she can to bring her daughter back even if it means dabbling in dark and dangerous territory. As Ruthie gets sucked deeper into the mystery of Sara's death, she discovers that she's not the only one looking for someone that they've lost. But she may be the only one who can stop history from repeating itself.

Chatelaine

"[A] thrilling, chilling read."

Montreal Gazette

"McMahon is splendid when it comes to compelling narrative and menacing atmosphere."

Miami Herald

"One of the year's most chilling novels. She melds the mystery genre with the supernatural for a psychological thriller that is as scary as it is enthralling."

USA Today

"Crisp, mysterious and scary. . . . The Winter People has a consistently eerie atmosphere, and some of its darker supernatural flights are reminiscent of Stephen King."

Shelf Awareness

"A fascinatingly creepy tale. The historical foundation and the modern mystery blend together seamlessly, making the reader eager to find out the secrets Sara Harrison Shea might have known, while the exploration of mother-daughter love and loss makes both Sara's and Ruthie's narratives irresistible. Not a book to be read late at night, or in a creaky old house, The Winter People is a literary thriller to savor."

Oprah.com

"A ghost story that is . . . all too human. . . . A hauntingly beautiful read."

Heather Gudenkauf, author of The Weight of Silence

"In an edge-of-your-seat scary ghost story, Jennifer McMahon's The Winter People yanks you from one page to the next by expertly weaving the past and present. I will never look at the woods behind my home in the same way again!"

Chevy Stevens, author of Always Watching

"A deliciously terrifying glimpse into a ghostly world that will haunt you long after you've finished the last page. Jennifer McMahon knows how to conjure your darkest fears and nightmares, while entertaining you with a clever, twisty plot that winds around and around, pulling you deep into the forbidden, secret world of The Winter People."

Kate Alcott, author of The Dressmaker

"Thisis not a book that will sit unread on anyone's bedside table for very long. Open the first few pages and you are swept into a swift, dark current of unfolding events that will hold you enthralled. Much more than a spooky mystery of murder and mayhem, The Winter People blends the anguish of loss and the yearning for connection into one great story, well told."

or, in this case

"I don't believe in ghosts. At least that's what I kept telling myself as I read The Winter People. I also don't need to sleep with the lights on. I told myself that, too. But I was whistling past a graveyard

and couldn't have even if I wanted to."

"Jennifer McMahon is a writer of exceptional talent, and The Winter People is a hypnotic, gripping and deeply moving thriller. With her beautifully drawn characters and complex, layered, and suspenseful story, McMahon has woven a dream from which I didn't want to wake

About the Author

JENNIFER McMAHON is the author of six novels, including the New York Times bestsellers Island of Lost Girls and Promise Not to Tell. She graduated from Goddard College and studied poetry in the MFA in Writing Program at Vermont College. She currently lives with her partner and daughter in Montpelier, Vermont. The author lives in Montpelier, Vermont.

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