Frightful Friday: Snowblind by Christopher Golden

Frightful Friday is a weekly meme in which I feature a particularly scary or chilling book that I’ve read that week.  This week’s featured title is Snowblind by Christopher Golden:

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin’s Press; First Edition edition (January 21, 2014)
• ISBN-10: 1250015316
• Source: Publisher

Twelve years ago, the small new England town of Coventry was hit with a deadly blizzard.  People walked out in the snow, never to be seen again.  Now another blizzard is on the way and the small town is fearful of the past repeating itself.

Three “survivors” in particular are mindful of the looming storm. Jake was just a kid when his little brother, Isaac, was killed. Isaac kept warning of icy figures dancing out in the snow. No one believed him…except for Jake.  Now another young boy is missing. 

Doug Manning was out in the blizzard, drunk, when his wife Cherie was killed. He’s mixed up in a whole new series of crimes. Now dating someone who reminds him so much of his beloved Cherie, Doug doesn’t listen to the warnings of others about staying indoors when the blizzard hits.

Joe Keenan was relatively new on the police force when the first blizzard hit. Now a detective, he can’t forget the night he was unable to prevent the death of a young boy and the disappearance of his father, just feet away.

The impending blizzard brings with it the ghosts of those lost in the previous blizzard, awakened by the powerful storm.  The terror they bring proves to be more terrifying and deadly than before. 

In Snowblind, Christopher Golden has produced a chilling supernatural tale rich with all the aspects of classic horror. A dark and terrifying setting, vulnerable characters, and a small town with a deadly past. I don’t know about you, but there’s something about a blizzard that is absolutely horrifying. Beyond the obvious, is it the quiet that it brings down around it, the feeling of darkness and desolation, of abandonment that comes with being snowed in?  All of these characteristics are expertly combined producing a truly chilling read. Perfect to curl up with on a cold winter’s day (just don’t let the drafts get in!). Highly, highly recommended.