This book, The Stroke of Winter by one of my favourite authors Wendy Webb, had certainly gripped me. And honestly, I felt a little apprehensive to turn off my lights when I went to bed. But equally couldn’t wait to get to bed to find out what’s behind that sealed door!
Tess, a chef by trade, is following her dream of opening her very own inn. She is renovating the old home set in the fictional quaint village of Wharton. This charming home has been in her family for a number of generations.
When she use to visit the home as a child, one area of the house had a sealed door and that had always creeped her out. Her grandmother told her that the door was sealed because she lived on her own and would help save on heating bills. Sebastian Bell, her grandfather, who had passed many years before, was a famous artist and his paintings sell for millions.
Tess’s first few winter nights have been rather eventful. She met her neighbours, adopted a stray dog but the creepiest of all is the scratching sounds coming from the sealed room. It’s just some animal that has made itself at home, that is what Tess is trying to convince herself of. The reader, the character and the author are all starting to feel uneasy.
Wendy Webb has a great way of making me visualise Tessโs days and her nights and feeling her emotions of uncertainty. I found myself holding my breath a few times and shutting my kindle down just so that I could no longer visualise the scenes of this haunting story. However, my initial jumpiness started fading.
The opening of the sealed room, which Tess wants to turn into her living area so that her future guests can freely roam the house, is a slow story. But once the room revealed itself, it gets a little more interesting, and somewhat predictable all at the same time.
I am not a fan of romance stories. Tess and a local man began a romantic relationship and I was slightly put off to begin with. But actually it was a subtle part of the story and I didn’t mind in the end.
Tess manages to open the sealed room and discovers her grandfather’s studio, she wondered why it was so messy. Red paint stains everywhere, broken wine bottles, easels, paints and undiscovered paintings. Treasure worth millions! But no evidence of animals of any kind is in sight.
Now, at night, the scratching sounds have turned into ghostly hauntings, shadows, screams and the studio lights randomly turning on. What does the haunting mean, well you and Tess is are about to find out.
An easy read is The Stroke of Winter. And I highly recommend it, especially if you enjoy gothic or haunting books.
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