The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon

Every now and then I want a book that will creep me out a bit.  Not so creepy that I can't walk through the house with the lights out, but just eerie enough that I'll second guess that odd seeming thud.  The Winter People filled in that need perfectly.  It has parents mourning their lost children, a long dead midwife/herbalist who might also have been a witch, a missing parent and it's all set in a small town where every body knows every body's business just as they have for past decades.

Ruthie can't wait to leave town, but now that her mom has gone missing, she can't leave her little sister alone , nor can she betray her parents' trust and call the police.  Turns out that Ruthie's mom isn't the only person to go missing, in fact several people have gone missing over the years.

In another part of town, Katherine, a new resident, is trying to come to terms with why her husband had travelled to West Hall to have lunch with an unknown woman and then died in a crash on his way home. 

The clues that Ruth and Katherine uncover in their quest for truth just seem to cloud the issues even further.  Things aren't really what they seem.  Each step forward pulls these two women closer together.

Author Jennifer McMahon has skillfully woven the past and present together in such a way that one could no longer exist without the other.  I needed to keep them both alive to me at the same time and living with someone who you know has been dead a long time is just plain creepy. 

When you're ready to read this book, ensure that you have everything you'll need at hand, cuddly blankets, tissue, a drink or two and lots of time.  You won't want to stop once you get into the thick of the plot.

Thanks to Random House Canada for the use of the cover image.