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The Winter's Sleep
'Spooky and compelling - a great debut'
Peter James
A fast-paced thriller with a supernatural twist, The Winter’s Sleep takes the reader on a breathtaking ride from Leeds to the Yorkshire coast in a tale of ghosts, betrayal and fraud.
A handsome husband. A beautiful home. A job she loves.
Yet Brigid Raven is drowning in debts and there’s only one way out. Fake her death and walk away from everything she’s struggled so hard to build.
Can she pull off her new identity?
How will she survive on the run?
But Brigid has another secret. She can see the dead and now they won’t leave her alone.
'Magical and frightening. I loved it.'
Carmen Marcus
'A page-turner that keeps you guessing.'
Machel Shull
'The writing is superbly vivid and tense.'
Andrew Clover
‘Really enjoyable - a spooky, rip-roaring yarn.’
Daisy Waugh
Peter James
A fast-paced thriller with a supernatural twist, The Winter’s Sleep takes the reader on a breathtaking ride from Leeds to the Yorkshire coast in a tale of ghosts, betrayal and fraud.
A handsome husband. A beautiful home. A job she loves.
Yet Brigid Raven is drowning in debts and there’s only one way out. Fake her death and walk away from everything she’s struggled so hard to build.
Can she pull off her new identity?
How will she survive on the run?
But Brigid has another secret. She can see the dead and now they won’t leave her alone.
'Magical and frightening. I loved it.'
Carmen Marcus
'A page-turner that keeps you guessing.'
Machel Shull
'The writing is superbly vivid and tense.'
Andrew Clover
‘Really enjoyable - a spooky, rip-roaring yarn.’
Daisy Waugh
318 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 21, 2019
6 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
About the author
Monica Cafferky
9 books3 followersMonica Cafferky is an author, journalist and visiting lecturer. Her debut novel, THE WINTER’S SLEEP, is a supernatural thriller that has won praise for being ‘spooky and compelling’ whilst the writing has been described as ‘vivid and tense’.
Previously, she has co-authored three self-help books (published by Little Brown). All three books have been translated into several languages including: Japanese, Norwegian, Czech, Portuguese, Bulgarian, Slovak and Estonian.
As a journalist, Monica’s first job was on a martial arts magazine followed by a stint as a staff writer on Woman’s Own. Since going freelance, she’s spent the weekend with a coven of witches, interviewed many of her favourite authors and penned a weekly MBS page in The Daily Mirror, which ran for three years.
In 1997, Monica won a scholarship from the Reuter’s Foundation (now Thomson Reuters Foundation) to attend a training course with Reuters at Green College, Oxford. She was the only British journalist selected for this award, which was open to all media worldwide.
Monica lives in Yorkshire.
Praise for THE WINTER’S SLEEP
‘Spooky and compelling - a great debut’
PETER JAMES
‘Magical and frightening. I loved it’
CARMEN MARCUS
‘A page-turner that keeps you guessing’
MACHEL SHULL
‘The writing is superbly vivid and tense’
ANDREW CLOVER
‘Really enjoyable - a spooky, rip-roaring yarn’
DAISY WAUGH
Previously, she has co-authored three self-help books (published by Little Brown). All three books have been translated into several languages including: Japanese, Norwegian, Czech, Portuguese, Bulgarian, Slovak and Estonian.
As a journalist, Monica’s first job was on a martial arts magazine followed by a stint as a staff writer on Woman’s Own. Since going freelance, she’s spent the weekend with a coven of witches, interviewed many of her favourite authors and penned a weekly MBS page in The Daily Mirror, which ran for three years.
In 1997, Monica won a scholarship from the Reuter’s Foundation (now Thomson Reuters Foundation) to attend a training course with Reuters at Green College, Oxford. She was the only British journalist selected for this award, which was open to all media worldwide.
Monica lives in Yorkshire.
Praise for THE WINTER’S SLEEP
‘Spooky and compelling - a great debut’
PETER JAMES
‘Magical and frightening. I loved it’
CARMEN MARCUS
‘A page-turner that keeps you guessing’
MACHEL SHULL
‘The writing is superbly vivid and tense’
ANDREW CLOVER
‘Really enjoyable - a spooky, rip-roaring yarn’
DAISY WAUGH
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 29, 2023
*I received a free copy of this book with thanks to the author and Rachel Gilbey at Rachel’s Random Resources blog tours. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
This is quite an unusual book as it crosses genres in some unexpected ways and the tone completely changes from beginning to end. From the beginning and for most of the story, this is a domestic thriller about a couple on the run from their debts and forced to rely on each other in extremely stressful circumstances. Paranormal aspects are woven throughout, as Brigid can see ghosts, but her brush with death has her seeing more sinister apparitions too – things that Josh cannot see and doesn’t believe in.
Towards the end of the book, however, we see a shift in both tone and content. The focus of the story becomes Brigid – her health and wellbeing; her happiness; her future plans – and Josh slips more into the background as the story becomes a journey to self-knowledge and trauma recovery. Similarly, the dark, oppressive, claustrophobic tone of the writing slowly shifts into a lighter and more hopeful air, as Brigid breathes in the sea salt and turns her face towards the sun. But whether Josh will let her go that easily, especially when they are being hunted by an unpleasantly dogged man and dark forces from beyond too…?
This is one of those stories where you suspend your disbelief because you need to know what happens next and whether the characters will get away with it! I really didn’t like Josh much from the very beginning but I was rooting for Brigid to survive and thrive, even when it didn’t seem like there was any chance for that to come about!
The plot and character development cleverly draw you in to the couple’s troubles and I genuinely felt their fear and desperation, trapped on all sides by their own mistakes and decisions and unable to see a clear way out. Brigid’s initial passivity rang true for someone struggling with such hopelessness and it was empowering to see her gradually begin to emerge from those shadows and take back control of her own life.
Ultimately I would say that it is her character’s journey that carries the heart and soul of the story, so if you are looking for a standard paranormal or domestic thriller, this might not be quite the right fit, but if you are interested in a ‘life journey’ novel with aspects of those genres then The Winter’s Sleep is exactly what you’ve been looking for.
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpres...
This is quite an unusual book as it crosses genres in some unexpected ways and the tone completely changes from beginning to end. From the beginning and for most of the story, this is a domestic thriller about a couple on the run from their debts and forced to rely on each other in extremely stressful circumstances. Paranormal aspects are woven throughout, as Brigid can see ghosts, but her brush with death has her seeing more sinister apparitions too – things that Josh cannot see and doesn’t believe in.
Towards the end of the book, however, we see a shift in both tone and content. The focus of the story becomes Brigid – her health and wellbeing; her happiness; her future plans – and Josh slips more into the background as the story becomes a journey to self-knowledge and trauma recovery. Similarly, the dark, oppressive, claustrophobic tone of the writing slowly shifts into a lighter and more hopeful air, as Brigid breathes in the sea salt and turns her face towards the sun. But whether Josh will let her go that easily, especially when they are being hunted by an unpleasantly dogged man and dark forces from beyond too…?
This is one of those stories where you suspend your disbelief because you need to know what happens next and whether the characters will get away with it! I really didn’t like Josh much from the very beginning but I was rooting for Brigid to survive and thrive, even when it didn’t seem like there was any chance for that to come about!
The plot and character development cleverly draw you in to the couple’s troubles and I genuinely felt their fear and desperation, trapped on all sides by their own mistakes and decisions and unable to see a clear way out. Brigid’s initial passivity rang true for someone struggling with such hopelessness and it was empowering to see her gradually begin to emerge from those shadows and take back control of her own life.
Ultimately I would say that it is her character’s journey that carries the heart and soul of the story, so if you are looking for a standard paranormal or domestic thriller, this might not be quite the right fit, but if you are interested in a ‘life journey’ novel with aspects of those genres then The Winter’s Sleep is exactly what you’ve been looking for.
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpres...
December 29, 2019
Brigid and husband, Josh are in debt. Josh is out of work and Brigid is in a low paid job. They are at the point of possibly losing their home.
Due to the stress, Brigid has insomnia and her grandmother, a herbalist, gives her something to help her sleep. The death herb, called so as it can mimic death if taken in larger doses.
So, Josh devises a plan to fake Brigid’s death, claim on life insurance and they can solve all their financial problems……easy?
In sheer desperation, Brigid agrees.
All goes to plan, but she then starts to see a dark shadow and has horrific nightmares….what has she let in?
With Josh getting more and more hooked by drink and drugs, the easy life they planned is really not happening and with a private investigator snooping around the stress is building again.
This is a hard book to categorise, it’s a thriller, domestic drama and a little bit supernatural too. This does not detract from the story at all as it is all very cleverly plotted and you can feel the desperation of Brigid and how she was manipulated by Josh.
I found this to be fast paced and utterly compelling, all set in the wonderful North Yorkshire landscape which just added more to the atmosphere. There’s death, despair and hope, it’s dark, tense and spooky and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Due to the stress, Brigid has insomnia and her grandmother, a herbalist, gives her something to help her sleep. The death herb, called so as it can mimic death if taken in larger doses.
So, Josh devises a plan to fake Brigid’s death, claim on life insurance and they can solve all their financial problems……easy?
In sheer desperation, Brigid agrees.
All goes to plan, but she then starts to see a dark shadow and has horrific nightmares….what has she let in?
With Josh getting more and more hooked by drink and drugs, the easy life they planned is really not happening and with a private investigator snooping around the stress is building again.
This is a hard book to categorise, it’s a thriller, domestic drama and a little bit supernatural too. This does not detract from the story at all as it is all very cleverly plotted and you can feel the desperation of Brigid and how she was manipulated by Josh.
I found this to be fast paced and utterly compelling, all set in the wonderful North Yorkshire landscape which just added more to the atmosphere. There’s death, despair and hope, it’s dark, tense and spooky and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
October 27, 2023
The Winter’s Sleep by Monica Cafferky is a marvellous debut novel that totally engrossed me.
It is set in Yorkshire, moving from suburbia near Leeds to Saltburn on the coast. The locations come to life under the author’s pen. Saltburn is particularly atmospheric with its’ menacing cliffs and wild weather. Though only a small town, a character comes to life in Saltburn whereas a light was extinguished in Leeds.
Life is made up of more than we can see. There is darkness and light. We need to be careful not to let the darkness in. Light can overcome the darkness. At the name of God, the demons will flee.
We see that a downfall will come when money is the goal. Bit by bit, a character erodes as he is setting his goalposts in the wrong place. The outward appearance mirrors the inner darkness.
There is a beautiful bond between a grandmother and her granddaughter. Loss is keenly felt until another grandmother figure steps in.
We see the damage that a life of drink, drugs and infidelity have on a character.
All the characters were well drawn. We witness the importance of integrity, telling the truth and never letting yourself be molded by another.
The Winter’s Sleep was a departure from my usual genre as there were elements of darkness. It’s a great read for a dark autumnal night – just don’t read it alone!
I received a free copy via Rachel’s Random Resources for a blog tour. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.
It is set in Yorkshire, moving from suburbia near Leeds to Saltburn on the coast. The locations come to life under the author’s pen. Saltburn is particularly atmospheric with its’ menacing cliffs and wild weather. Though only a small town, a character comes to life in Saltburn whereas a light was extinguished in Leeds.
Life is made up of more than we can see. There is darkness and light. We need to be careful not to let the darkness in. Light can overcome the darkness. At the name of God, the demons will flee.
We see that a downfall will come when money is the goal. Bit by bit, a character erodes as he is setting his goalposts in the wrong place. The outward appearance mirrors the inner darkness.
There is a beautiful bond between a grandmother and her granddaughter. Loss is keenly felt until another grandmother figure steps in.
We see the damage that a life of drink, drugs and infidelity have on a character.
All the characters were well drawn. We witness the importance of integrity, telling the truth and never letting yourself be molded by another.
The Winter’s Sleep was a departure from my usual genre as there were elements of darkness. It’s a great read for a dark autumnal night – just don’t read it alone!
I received a free copy via Rachel’s Random Resources for a blog tour. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.
November 2, 2023
When storm Ciaran keeps you awake half the night there's only one thing to do and that's to lose yourself in this brilliant debut by Cafferky.
Life's a struggle for us all at times, but would you go so far as to fake your own death for the insurance? That's exactly what our protagonist does in The Winter's Sleep, although I do feel she was under huge pressure from her husband to do so. Why couldn't he have taken the Deadly Sleep instead?
This was another one sitting winner for me, once I started and lost myself in the plot I had to keep reading - whilst the insurance scam is such a last ditch thing to do, sadly it's real and there are people out there who have done this, and I think they've subsequently all been caught.
The scam alone was enough to hold my attention, but when Brigid started seeing ghosts that was me sold and I flew through the pages.
I really enjoyed the book, the plot and liked both our main characters. I look forward to reading more from Cafferky in the future.
Life's a struggle for us all at times, but would you go so far as to fake your own death for the insurance? That's exactly what our protagonist does in The Winter's Sleep, although I do feel she was under huge pressure from her husband to do so. Why couldn't he have taken the Deadly Sleep instead?
This was another one sitting winner for me, once I started and lost myself in the plot I had to keep reading - whilst the insurance scam is such a last ditch thing to do, sadly it's real and there are people out there who have done this, and I think they've subsequently all been caught.
The scam alone was enough to hold my attention, but when Brigid started seeing ghosts that was me sold and I flew through the pages.
I really enjoyed the book, the plot and liked both our main characters. I look forward to reading more from Cafferky in the future.
October 31, 2023
Part thriller, part domestic drama which, combined together with its supernatural element, made for an enthralling roller-coaster of a read. My only gripe being that for me personally, I'd like to have seen more of the supernatural.
A very impressive debut, cleverly plotted. The characters; main characters, Brigid and Josh ... wow!
You can positively feel Brigid's desperation as she struggles to keep it all together ... and that's before a private investigator starts snooping around convinced there is more to Brigid's 'death' than meets the eye.
And as for Josh; my favourite character, ooh! The way he manipulates Brigid. Oh and his descent into paranoia as he becomes increasingly reliant on drugs and alcohol ...
Most definitely an author to look out for. If The Winter's Sleep is anything to go by Monica Cafferky has a promising future ahead of her.
Copyright ... Felicity Grace Terry @ Pen and Paper
Disclaimer ... One of several bloggers participating in the Blog Tour of this book, agree or disagree with me, all opinions are my own; no financial compensation was asked for nor given; threats of violence towards my favourite teddy bear went unheeded as did promises of chocolate.
A very impressive debut, cleverly plotted. The characters; main characters, Brigid and Josh ... wow!
You can positively feel Brigid's desperation as she struggles to keep it all together ... and that's before a private investigator starts snooping around convinced there is more to Brigid's 'death' than meets the eye.
And as for Josh; my favourite character, ooh! The way he manipulates Brigid. Oh and his descent into paranoia as he becomes increasingly reliant on drugs and alcohol ...
Most definitely an author to look out for. If The Winter's Sleep is anything to go by Monica Cafferky has a promising future ahead of her.
Copyright ... Felicity Grace Terry @ Pen and Paper
Disclaimer ... One of several bloggers participating in the Blog Tour of this book, agree or disagree with me, all opinions are my own; no financial compensation was asked for nor given; threats of violence towards my favourite teddy bear went unheeded as did promises of chocolate.
October 30, 2023
I found it hard to believe that this is a debut book because the writing is so well developed and I so easily became engrossed in the pages! Brigid and her husband Josh are drowning in debt. So they decide that Brigid will fake her death. It turns out to not be as easy as it seems, Brigid has another secret she can see ghosts. I loved travelling to the settings which are described vividly. The ghosts made it a haunting and spooky read but for me it seemed so realistic.
October 31, 2023
The Winter's Sleep is a thriller/drama that features supernatural elements. It's a very gripping and fast paced read that is easy to follow. I loved the characters especially Brigid who is both likeable and relatable. I would've liked more supernatural elements but even so its a brilliant read which is why I've given it 5 stars. I look forward to hopefully reading more from Monica Caffeeky in the future as this is a definite must read and only a debut too.
November 8, 2023
✨My Thoughts✨
Thanks for spot on this tour.
This drew me in straight away, it begins with Brigid visiting her Grandma at her Apothecary shop and then something so spooky and creepy happened, I just couldn’t believe it.
I don’t know what I expected from this story but I definitely got more than I bargained for that’s for sure ( in a good way).
The crushing debts that Brigid & Josh have are so bad the only way out of it is to fake her own death and collect the insurance money, imagine how bad it must be to even consider doing that?.
This was such a fantastic book it was so authentic, with the real life cost of living crisis elements and the paranormal I really couldn’t get enough.
It had some really dark moments and revelations that I wasn’t expecting that kept me on my toes, I’d really like to read more from this exciting author.
Thanks for spot on this tour.
This drew me in straight away, it begins with Brigid visiting her Grandma at her Apothecary shop and then something so spooky and creepy happened, I just couldn’t believe it.
I don’t know what I expected from this story but I definitely got more than I bargained for that’s for sure ( in a good way).
The crushing debts that Brigid & Josh have are so bad the only way out of it is to fake her own death and collect the insurance money, imagine how bad it must be to even consider doing that?.
This was such a fantastic book it was so authentic, with the real life cost of living crisis elements and the paranormal I really couldn’t get enough.
It had some really dark moments and revelations that I wasn’t expecting that kept me on my toes, I’d really like to read more from this exciting author.
November 1, 2023
Brigid is in debt along with her husband. It consumes her every waking moment. What can they do, what options do they have? Will faking her death be the answer to all their problems?
I liked Brigid but not her husband. I’m not sure I would have done what they did if I was in the same position. It’s a page turner to the end
I liked Brigid but not her husband. I’m not sure I would have done what they did if I was in the same position. It’s a page turner to the end
June 13, 2024
An exceptional read, fully immersive and so beautifully written.
A truly captivating read, and the character development exceeds that of most authors.
I found impossible to put down!
A truly captivating read, and the character development exceeds that of most authors.
I found impossible to put down!
November 3, 2023
A little bit of ghostiness, more than a little bit of drama, using a deadly plant to fake a death…this is the perfect season for a supernatural thriller.
I really enjoyed the author’s writing style, I think she has a wonderful way of phrasing things that really highlights the beauty of a situation. And some of the physical descriptions of landscapes were stunning, so easy to visualise from her words.
Unfortunately I didn’t really enjoy the story itself as much as I’d hoped. Josh was the most maddening and selfish character; one moment waxing lyrical about how Brigid is his reason for living, and the next lying and cheating and generally being a douche. I also think I missed the point of Brigid being able to see ghosts, I don’t see what that added to the story. It was just something that was randomly thrown in a couple of times but had no bearing on the plot line whatsoever 🤷🏼♀️
BUT.
Judging by the overwhelmingly excellent reviews by other readers, I am definitely in the minority with my thoughts! And I genuinely would encourage anyone who enjoys domestic dramas (probably more what I would categorise this as) with a supernatural twist to give this one a go.
Thank you @rachelsrandomresources for my copy of The Winters Sleep to read and review 🙏🏻
I really enjoyed the author’s writing style, I think she has a wonderful way of phrasing things that really highlights the beauty of a situation. And some of the physical descriptions of landscapes were stunning, so easy to visualise from her words.
Unfortunately I didn’t really enjoy the story itself as much as I’d hoped. Josh was the most maddening and selfish character; one moment waxing lyrical about how Brigid is his reason for living, and the next lying and cheating and generally being a douche. I also think I missed the point of Brigid being able to see ghosts, I don’t see what that added to the story. It was just something that was randomly thrown in a couple of times but had no bearing on the plot line whatsoever 🤷🏼♀️
BUT.
Judging by the overwhelmingly excellent reviews by other readers, I am definitely in the minority with my thoughts! And I genuinely would encourage anyone who enjoys domestic dramas (probably more what I would categorise this as) with a supernatural twist to give this one a go.
Thank you @rachelsrandomresources for my copy of The Winters Sleep to read and review 🙏🏻
February 14, 2020
Good book, a little slow in the middle but enjoyed the ending.
December 25, 2019
Good read. Thought provoking. Particularly enjoyed all the references to places I know and love.
January 8, 2020
This book wasn’t really what I was expecting but once I got into it I really enjoyed it. Parts of it were predictable but a good easy read
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews