Dread of Winter

Dread of Winter is an icy plunge into the rural hinterland of upper New York State. A native of Oriska, New York, Sydney Lucerno returns home to bury her mother. She encounters the ghosts of her past, both the living and the dead. With a limited economic infrastructure, the remote town of Oriska, New York is plagued by opioid addiction, and offers its inhabitants few opportunities for growth or hope. Thrown into the mix is Sydney’s discovery that she has a half-sister Maude who was sired by a man Randy Jaquith who had once groomed her to be a small-town drug dealer.  When Randy is killed, Sydney and her half-sister Maude are thrust into a fight to save their lives. Sydney intentionally confronts the demons of her grim past, so she can be free at last. The novel has strong pacing, great regional dialogue, and includes a fine portrayal of the human side of opioid addition. The book is fun and hard to put down, more importantly, I learned a lot about Oriska, a small town that can’t seem to grow up to become a thriving community.  

Buy Dread of Winter now on Amazon, or check it out in your favorite bookstore. -PV