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Wintertide: A Novel
When college sophomore, Daniel Hiller, reluctantly returned home to Cape Cod for the holidays, he never planned on rekindling old friendships. He had easily left his life behind, and he never looked back. But back at home, after a year and a half away, unexpected nostalgia finds him once again in the company of old friends. On a night out together, one of those friends commits a heinous crime. When Daniel witnesses that crime, he is asked to keep a dark secret that could forever tie him to the place he has always despised.
As Daniel tries to get through the rest of his winter break pretending that nothing is wrong, he rekindles a relationship with his high school girlfriend and he referees the all too familiar arguments between his parents. All the while, he is attempting to avoid the constant threats of retribution if he breaks his silence. Soon, avoidance becomes impossible. Not knowing who to trust, but realizing that his former friends are far from trustworthy, Daniel must make a choice. When he does, he discovers that keeping the secret may have been the lesser of the evils.
Daniel wants to believe that he is nothing like his friends. He wants to think that he’s better than that. But when his own future is threatened, he realizes that he is not better. In fact, he may be much, much worse.
As Daniel tries to get through the rest of his winter break pretending that nothing is wrong, he rekindles a relationship with his high school girlfriend and he referees the all too familiar arguments between his parents. All the while, he is attempting to avoid the constant threats of retribution if he breaks his silence. Soon, avoidance becomes impossible. Not knowing who to trust, but realizing that his former friends are far from trustworthy, Daniel must make a choice. When he does, he discovers that keeping the secret may have been the lesser of the evils.
Daniel wants to believe that he is nothing like his friends. He wants to think that he’s better than that. But when his own future is threatened, he realizes that he is not better. In fact, he may be much, much worse.
168 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2013
5 people are currently reading
141 people want to read
About the author
Debra Doxer
13 books372 followersDebra Doxer was born in Boston, and other than a few lost years in the California sunshine, she has always resided in the Boston area. She writes fiction, technical software documents, illegible scribbles on sticky notes, and texts that get mangled by AutoCorrect. She writes for a living, and she writes for fun. When not writing, she’s walking her Havanese puppy and forcing her daughter to listen to New Wave 80s music.
Connect with Debra:
www.facebook.com/AuthorDebraDoxer
www.instagram.com/debradoxer
www.twitter.com/debradoxer
debradoxer@gmail.com
Connect with Debra:
www.facebook.com/AuthorDebraDoxer
www.instagram.com/debradoxer
www.twitter.com/debradoxer
debradoxer@gmail.com
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 11, 2013
Oh my, this was one chilling story that truly makes you question how far you'd go when pushed hard enough. Normally a romance/fantasy reader myself, I wasn't sure how I'd feel about a story that didn't really have either. But Debra Doxer definitely drew me in with this potent look into the mind of a seemingly normal man who did the unthinkable.
The overwhelming feeling I got while reading this book was a gloom, because Dan truly views his life at home this way. He was thrilled to finally leave his childhood home and go off to college when the time came, and going back for visits with his arguing, depressing parents was something he truly loathed. He viewed his childhood and his small-town life in Cape Cod as something to run away from, including the people in it. When his former friend Seth decides he wants to get together with their old acquaintance and town screw-up Eddie, I knew it wasn't going to go well. Eddie really gave me the creeps, he was unsettling and just wreaked of pent-up violence. It's just too bad Dan didn't catch on to that a little sooner.
After a fateful night when Eddie's intense anger gets the best of him, Seth and Dan were forced to deal with the aftermath along with him. I absolutely detested Eddie for his self-righteous behavior after the horrid things he'd done, expecting everyone to solve his problems for him. It was an eye-opening experience for Dan, for sure, because he saw who Seth and Dan truly were deep down, as well as what he was when push came to shove. My stomach was in knots as he struggled with the guilt and pressure of his decisions, and I hoped so strongly that he would choose a better path.
Overall, Wintertide was a frightening story that will be a sure hit for fans of chilling suspense reads and it gets a 3.5 from me!
The overwhelming feeling I got while reading this book was a gloom, because Dan truly views his life at home this way. He was thrilled to finally leave his childhood home and go off to college when the time came, and going back for visits with his arguing, depressing parents was something he truly loathed. He viewed his childhood and his small-town life in Cape Cod as something to run away from, including the people in it. When his former friend Seth decides he wants to get together with their old acquaintance and town screw-up Eddie, I knew it wasn't going to go well. Eddie really gave me the creeps, he was unsettling and just wreaked of pent-up violence. It's just too bad Dan didn't catch on to that a little sooner.
After a fateful night when Eddie's intense anger gets the best of him, Seth and Dan were forced to deal with the aftermath along with him. I absolutely detested Eddie for his self-righteous behavior after the horrid things he'd done, expecting everyone to solve his problems for him. It was an eye-opening experience for Dan, for sure, because he saw who Seth and Dan truly were deep down, as well as what he was when push came to shove. My stomach was in knots as he struggled with the guilt and pressure of his decisions, and I hoped so strongly that he would choose a better path.
Overall, Wintertide was a frightening story that will be a sure hit for fans of chilling suspense reads and it gets a 3.5 from me!
April 8, 2017
Another novel that has been on my Kindle a long time. Should have read it sooner!
For some, the hook might be the first three words, the first sentence: I killed someone.
While that certainly caught my attention, I was hooked by the conversational style, the voice of the author. The protagonist, Daniel Hiller, seems real and sympathetic. He is like "the sort of people you meet every day."
Hiller is a crime writer who carries the burden of a crime in his own past. He sees himself in "the mask of normalcy, a calm exterior that hides the truth within" that is revealed in one of the killers he has interviewed.
Daniel tells us about the Cape Cod he knows, his parents and friends. His experiences are unique and yet universal. Nothing out of the realm of possibility here. We see ourselves or someone we know. There is nothing outrageous or sensational in the details of his life. Yet, I was interested in his life and in him. Even if he hadn't introduced himself with those three words, I would have been interested in him. That is what I admire most about this author. Debra Doxer created a character that is compelling, not because he is bizarre, but because he is so ordinary. Even more, she involves the reader so that you are there next to Hiller in that "stark, naked, moment of choice" and "understand the pressures that can affect your sense of right and wrong, good and bad, in that instant that seems so pivotal."
I recommend this if you enjoy stories about real people who find themselves in unreal situations.
For some, the hook might be the first three words, the first sentence: I killed someone.
While that certainly caught my attention, I was hooked by the conversational style, the voice of the author. The protagonist, Daniel Hiller, seems real and sympathetic. He is like "the sort of people you meet every day."
Hiller is a crime writer who carries the burden of a crime in his own past. He sees himself in "the mask of normalcy, a calm exterior that hides the truth within" that is revealed in one of the killers he has interviewed.
Daniel tells us about the Cape Cod he knows, his parents and friends. His experiences are unique and yet universal. Nothing out of the realm of possibility here. We see ourselves or someone we know. There is nothing outrageous or sensational in the details of his life. Yet, I was interested in his life and in him. Even if he hadn't introduced himself with those three words, I would have been interested in him. That is what I admire most about this author. Debra Doxer created a character that is compelling, not because he is bizarre, but because he is so ordinary. Even more, she involves the reader so that you are there next to Hiller in that "stark, naked, moment of choice" and "understand the pressures that can affect your sense of right and wrong, good and bad, in that instant that seems so pivotal."
I recommend this if you enjoy stories about real people who find themselves in unreal situations.
March 11, 2013
“I killed someone.” So starts WINTERTIDE, a novel about a young man’s life, primarily during winter break during his sophomore year at college. (While I was reading the book, I was halfway ready to kill his hovering mother, but she wasn’t the victim.)
In the book Daniel Hiller, whose career is a true crime writer, looks back at his high school years, especially his long-time relationship with Seth Cooper and their relationship with the town bad boy, Eddie McKenna, whose abuse from his father was ignored by everyone.
Dan doesn’t like living in South Seaport on Cape Cod. While it was a major tourist attraction in the summer, he found it very boring the other nine months of the year. His parents didn’t seem to get along with each other.
His mother doted on her only child, treating him like a small child. His father was rarely there and didn’t communicate much when he was. He decided to go to college in Boston, become a lawyer; and rarely come home for more than a day or so.
He didn’t understand why his parents stayed married to each other. “If two people are unhappy with each other, they should get divorced rather than live the rest of their lives being miserable,” he told his mother. She responded, “If you’re not prepared to make a lifetime commitment, then you just shouldn’t [get married].”
His plans (a place to stay and a job) for staying in Boston that Christmas fell apart at the last minute. He was able to get a job near his home so he went home instead. While there, he met up with Seth again, though their friendship had fallen apart during their senior year of high school. Through Seth, Eddie was back in the picture. The encounter would affect him the rest of his life.
During the story, he examines how the way people are treated by their parents influences how they treat other people and react to situations. His parents were supportive of him. Seth had to meet certain conditions to get anything he wanted. And Eddie was beaten. While the relationship between Seth and Eddie seems unrealistic, it may be very possible for boys at their age.
Dan also learns more about his parents’ relationship with each other.
WINTERTIDE was well-written and kept my interest even though I figured out who he would kill and how he would do it rather early in the book.
This was a free Kindle download from Amazon.
In the book Daniel Hiller, whose career is a true crime writer, looks back at his high school years, especially his long-time relationship with Seth Cooper and their relationship with the town bad boy, Eddie McKenna, whose abuse from his father was ignored by everyone.
Dan doesn’t like living in South Seaport on Cape Cod. While it was a major tourist attraction in the summer, he found it very boring the other nine months of the year. His parents didn’t seem to get along with each other.
His mother doted on her only child, treating him like a small child. His father was rarely there and didn’t communicate much when he was. He decided to go to college in Boston, become a lawyer; and rarely come home for more than a day or so.
He didn’t understand why his parents stayed married to each other. “If two people are unhappy with each other, they should get divorced rather than live the rest of their lives being miserable,” he told his mother. She responded, “If you’re not prepared to make a lifetime commitment, then you just shouldn’t [get married].”
His plans (a place to stay and a job) for staying in Boston that Christmas fell apart at the last minute. He was able to get a job near his home so he went home instead. While there, he met up with Seth again, though their friendship had fallen apart during their senior year of high school. Through Seth, Eddie was back in the picture. The encounter would affect him the rest of his life.
During the story, he examines how the way people are treated by their parents influences how they treat other people and react to situations. His parents were supportive of him. Seth had to meet certain conditions to get anything he wanted. And Eddie was beaten. While the relationship between Seth and Eddie seems unrealistic, it may be very possible for boys at their age.
Dan also learns more about his parents’ relationship with each other.
WINTERTIDE was well-written and kept my interest even though I figured out who he would kill and how he would do it rather early in the book.
This was a free Kindle download from Amazon.
January 12, 2022
I really enjoyed this book. I thought the writing and the storyline was well done. It is definitely worth a winter read! Kudos to Debra Doxer!
June 21, 2013
The book sounded interesting and while reading through I instantly got the impression/connection between "Crime and Punishment". Daniel's conscious plagues him and he even gets physically sick because he is tormenting himself with this secret for so long. Daniel seemed normal as a person, or a person who just tries to get through life without any problems whatsoever. He seemed like a very upset soul and had no passion for anything, but that could also come from his childhood. Or maybe it's just his personality.
Eddie was certainly a slimeball, as well as Seth. I kept cringing whenever they came into play (which was quite a lot, seeing as the whole story was revolved around their interaction). Doxer definitely did a good job with the background and getting his creepy-ness down on page. They both were definitely tortured souls. It sickened me.
I found it interesting the mother and fathers relationship. Both so unhappy that they continue to stay together because it seems like there is nothing else for them to do/go. But being together isn't only keeping just them unhappy, but everyone around them.
I think what I liked mostly about this story was that it really followed what could possibly happen in real life. The emotions were true and all of the things that could happen (murder, anger, rape, drunkenness,lies, secrets, unhappiness) kind of explain our society and aren't all that uncommon. It kind of sickened me and I could feel my stomach twisted from ugliness at some parts (but that's just who I am; I'm pretty sensitive to ugly actions and such).
It wasn't a bad read. I kept reading because I wanted to finish it and figure out what was going to happen. But it just wasn't my style.
Eddie was certainly a slimeball, as well as Seth. I kept cringing whenever they came into play (which was quite a lot, seeing as the whole story was revolved around their interaction). Doxer definitely did a good job with the background and getting his creepy-ness down on page. They both were definitely tortured souls. It sickened me.
I found it interesting the mother and fathers relationship. Both so unhappy that they continue to stay together because it seems like there is nothing else for them to do/go. But being together isn't only keeping just them unhappy, but everyone around them.
I think what I liked mostly about this story was that it really followed what could possibly happen in real life. The emotions were true and all of the things that could happen (murder, anger, rape, drunkenness,lies, secrets, unhappiness) kind of explain our society and aren't all that uncommon. It kind of sickened me and I could feel my stomach twisted from ugliness at some parts (but that's just who I am; I'm pretty sensitive to ugly actions and such).
It wasn't a bad read. I kept reading because I wanted to finish it and figure out what was going to happen. But it just wasn't my style.
February 12, 2013
Though he didn’t want to, Daniel had no choice but to go home for winter break from college in Boston. He couldn’t stand the constant tension in the air at home. Home he went.
He hadn’t wanted to get together with his longtime friend Seth – a friendship that soured in high school some time after Eddie came along. He couldn’t stand the tension at home so to Seth’s house he went.
At first reluctant to enter the abandoned house, he decided it was harmless enough. He went with Eddie and Seth at their suggestion. Something happens in that big house that forever ties the boys together and no one is speaking up. Daniel wants to; Seth doesn’t. Eddie sure won’t. Someone has something on Seth. Daniel is threatened with something on him. And Eddie is, well, Eddie is Eddie.
Daniel thought he had a difficult time sleeping before.
What keeps this from a 5-star rating: While the tension kept on building, the ending was way too rushed – a definite anticlimax to an otherwise sure winner.
He hadn’t wanted to get together with his longtime friend Seth – a friendship that soured in high school some time after Eddie came along. He couldn’t stand the tension at home so to Seth’s house he went.
At first reluctant to enter the abandoned house, he decided it was harmless enough. He went with Eddie and Seth at their suggestion. Something happens in that big house that forever ties the boys together and no one is speaking up. Daniel wants to; Seth doesn’t. Eddie sure won’t. Someone has something on Seth. Daniel is threatened with something on him. And Eddie is, well, Eddie is Eddie.
Daniel thought he had a difficult time sleeping before.
What keeps this from a 5-star rating: While the tension kept on building, the ending was way too rushed – a definite anticlimax to an otherwise sure winner.
February 20, 2013
This book was okay. There were too many little stories in the book that were pointless and just took up space. I thought they'd get elaborated on a bit more, but nope. They were just there...for what...really I don't know. It was predictable, so I figured out what was going to happen before it did.
March 31, 2013
Enjoyable book and a quick read. Characters in this book have a lot of issues... not many of them are really addressed in the book. Story is about a college student who comes back to his home town and goes out with two former friends. Bad things happen and he is in turmoil for the rest of his trip... and perhaps his life.
October 11, 2013
Not as good as 'sometime soon' by the same author. A readable tale, but it didn't feel properly finished - too many unanswered questions for my liking. Surely someone would have found the abandoned car!!
February 20, 2013
A light read - good for late at night
February 23, 2013
Very fast read. The plot was solid though the characters could have been a little more developed. Overall quite enjoyable.
March 22, 2013
An average read, a somewhat interesting story line.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews