The Winter People, Jennifer McMahon, 317 pages

Sara Harrison Shea grew up hearing Auntie’s tales of the sleepers, the risen undead, but after her father killed Auntie for a witch and burned her little cabin to the ground, she put them out of her mind. However, when her precious daughter Gertie falls into a well, she remembers what Auntie taught her, and prepares to do the unthinkable. A hundred years later, teenage Ruthie and her six-year-old sister Fawn live in the old Shea farmhouse, now an off-the-grid homestead. Their mother has gone missing, and in their search for her, they stumble across a copy of Sara’s diary. But others are looking for the secrets of the sleepers, and as their paths converge, the past will come back to haunt them.

This was a very spooky read! It’s been a while since I’ve read a horror novel, and The Winter People delivered. The rock formation The Devil’s Hand was creepily atmospheric, and I thought the ending was quite good. I didn’t notice this while reading, but almost all the major characters are women, which is neat. I’d definitely recommend this to someone who likes horror.