The Summer of Winters

Some kids have it all—wealthy, loving parents, lots of friends, self-confidence. But not Mike Guthrie, a friendless, awkward boy who has recently been abandoned by his father. The only thing Mike’s not short of is creativity, spending most of his time in backyard making up games. The summer of 1983 begins on a promising note when new neighbors move in. In walks Paige, a sassy girl who takes an immediate shine to Mike. They become fast friends, and everything seems to be looking up for Mike. She shares his love for games and begins teaching him important lessons about friendship. A whole new world of hope, until… Mike and Paige discover a dead girl in the cemetery. And nothing will ever be the same again. The Summer of Winters is a terrifying and touching coming-of-age story in the tradition of James Newman’s Midnight Rain and Stephen King’s The Body. Mark Allan Gunnells (The Quarry, Asylum) takes us back to the familiar stomping grounds of his youth (Gaffney, South Carolina) in this, his most intimate and haunting tale to date, giving readers the greatest gift any writer can: a genuine slice of Americana shot through the unique lens of a gifted storyteller.