ArmchairInterviews.com
Athol Dickson has scored a winner with Winter Haven. It is dark and haunting and reminiscent of stories like Rebecca and Wuthering Heights but with God at the center. It is also beautiful and hopeful.... It is my favorite book of 2008 thus far.
—Andrea Sisco
Romantic Times
TOP PICK! 4.5 stars Nothing is as it seems in this novel by a gifted writer. Readers will be swept along with the suspense and paranormal elements, and they'll still be guessing until the last paragraph.
Fark RoadtoRomance.ca
This is a wonderful suspense with twists and turns sure to hold the readers attention to the end. There is mystery as well with elements of the paranormal. I highly recommended this book.
—Patsy Glans
Fark FaithfulReader.com
In Winter Haven, master storyteller Athol Dickson returns to Maine, the setting of his last novel, The Cure, to spin the sort of hair-raising tale of suspense his readers have come to expect and enjoy.... Dickson pens some great eerie scenes ... This evocative writing makes following the storyline a pleasure. Christian readers will also appreciate the abundant faith themes throughout.... Winter Haven is an absorbing suspense novel from one of Christian fiction's most engaging writers.
—Cindy Crosby
Fark BookshelfReview.com
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.
—Jake Chism
Library Journal
When Vera Gamble learns that her brother Siggy's body has been found, years after his disappearance, on the shores of Winter Haven, ME, she travels to the remote island to claim it. In examining the corpse, Vera is startled to discover that her brother had not aged since he disappeared. She also learns there are mysterious island legends about an uninhabited forest and supernatural entities out for revenge. Christy Award winner Dickson's (River Rising) engrossing and taut novel pulls readers into the life of Vera and her quest to find out what happened to her little brother. Highly recommended for all collections.
—Tamara Butler
DECEMBER 2008 - AudioFile
This haunting gothic mystery becomes even more eerie as narrated by Katherine Kellgren. The intensity of her voice captures listeners’ imaginations as the story unfolds. Vera Gamble leaves her job to come to Winter Haven, an island off the coast of Maine. She plans to retrieve the body of her brother, who disappeared 13 years earlier and now has washed up on shore. The tree-shrouded and often-foggy island is filled with sinister residents who hold secrets. Romance and faith are intertwined. This spooky story is even more enhanced by Kellgren's delivery. Listeners will find themselves on the edge of their seats. N.L. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
