Wow this book was a roller coaster ride of chills and thrills!



A little backstory:

Setting: Ontario 1878

A fort out in the wilderness has been invaded by a predatory creature that is attacking the citizens and as the citizens succumb to the creature they begin to turn into crazed cannibals. No one knows how to stop what is happening so they employ Inspector Tom Hatcher from Montreal as he is known for capturing a man called the Cannery Cannibal so they figure he will be able to help them out in solving what is happening within the fort.

But what Tom doesn't know is that the creature is not what it seems and in fact a priest is brought in to help with the case as some things are not of this world which needs to be dealt with another way. So Tom and the priest end up working together to solve the mystery of the creature.

What is the creature? Why has it invaded the fort? Does Tom and the priest figure out the mystery of what the creature is and what it wants? No spoilers here as you will just have to read the book!

This was a very intense spooky story which slowly works its way up to a crescendo as the author slowly pulls you in to the story and then as the puzzle pieces come together everything starts fitting into place.

The author captures the essence of the story and kept me in suspense mode throughout most of the book along with blood and gore weaved into the storyline made this book go into overdrive action. Giving this one five "gut-ripping" stars!
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I'm not going to rate this one. I can say I didn't hate it, but I also didn't like it much. I'm just...ambivalent toward it.

Dead of Winter is a wonderful blend of 19th-century fur trading, cannibalism, the Catholic rite of exorcism, and the Native American wendigo legend. If you have any inclination toward mythological or religious-based horror, this novel is for you. ( )

Evil is coming, Brian Moreland makes the reader feel it in their bones through the descriptive chilly setting and depth of the characters. The suspense is ongoing throughout the story with believable plot twists, character betrayals, and justice. The story was well researched mixing Catholic beliefs with Native tribal views effectively incorporating both to ultimately fight the evil that is threatening them.

Realistically drawn characters, complete with histories, beliefs and flaws help progress the plot with their different choices and motives. While the urgency created for the reader with the fast pace of the action makes this a page turner.

I was provided a copy of the book by BTS eMag for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review – all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Also on http://lrjohnson13.blogspot.com/2012/10/dead-of-winter-by-brian-moreland.html ( )

This book was one of the scariest books I've read in a long time.I enjoyed it from start to ending. I couldn't put it down once I started reading, and the author, Brian Moreland sucked me into the stories and made me feel for the characters. That is good storytelling. I was brought to tears in one portion of the book, right along with the main character, and caught off guard to the surprise ending. I look forward to reading more from Brian Moreland. ( )