What do you think?
Rate this book
Cruel Winter
Jack Harding and his friends feel sorry for the new kid in town. His name is Ronnie Winter, and he's a bit of a weirdo. So when the local bullies try to beat him up, Jack and his friends step in to protect Ronnie -- and that's their first mistake. Because Ronnie Winter is not like any other kid they've ever known. He lives at the old Steadman place, in the big creepy mansion that used to be a mental hospital. And his young, beautiful mother has a strange way of making Jack promise to be Ronnie's friend...forever.
The closer Jack and his friends get to Ronnie, the colder it gets. The town is plunged into a wave of brutal snowstorms -- and plagued by a series of gruesome murders. And as the grisly death toll mounts, Jack realizes that Ronnie is surrounded by something far more powerful than a mother's love -- he's guarded by a force of unspeakable evil that will torture and destroy everything in its path...
The closer Jack and his friends get to Ronnie, the colder it gets. The town is plunged into a wave of brutal snowstorms -- and plagued by a series of gruesome murders. And as the grisly death toll mounts, Jack realizes that Ronnie is surrounded by something far more powerful than a mother's love -- he's guarded by a force of unspeakable evil that will torture and destroy everything in its path...
349 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
5 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
About the author
Anthony Izzo
55 books25 followersHello, my name is Anthony Izzo and I'm the author of over 40 horror, thriller, and fantasy titles.
I love to write, but when I'm not writing I enjoy spending time with my wife and kids, playing guitar, and drawing fantasy and horror art. I've been told my drawings are as twisted as my fiction, but I'm actually pretty normal. Well, mostly.
Looking forward to hearing from you and discussing books.
I love to write, but when I'm not writing I enjoy spending time with my wife and kids, playing guitar, and drawing fantasy and horror art. I've been told my drawings are as twisted as my fiction, but I'm actually pretty normal. Well, mostly.
Looking forward to hearing from you and discussing books.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 6, 2016
Zombieslayer/Alienhunter's 31 Days of Hallo-reads #2
Brampton, New York.
December, 1985.
Four friends, Jack, Paul, Chris and Emma, are twelve years old. They're your typical kids in the snow-covered tundra of small town up-state New York. After-school sessions of King of the Mountain, a game of climbing plowed snow piles, snowball fights with the bigger kids, sticking it to their smart-mouthed bullies, life is good.
Then Ronnie Winter moves to town, the week before Christmas break.
The kid himself, (a pudgy redhead lacking in social skills and a little thickheaded) isn't so bad. He's weird, but he's worth a few laughs, and he managed to get a shot in on scariest kid in school, renowned bully Vinnie.
It's his mother, Cassie, that everyone's so afraid of.
With a few words and a stare into your mind, Cassie Winter has you under her control.
At first she's just manipulating the minds of the other kids' parents, gaining leverage on them so Ronnie's new little friends can come play with him.
But people in Brampton are showing up dead.
Murders, brutal ones of the throat-removal and decapitation variety are happening more and more often, and Detective George Kempf is determined to stop whoever is behind them.
Living in the ritzy Steadman estate, a stone's throw from where the first murder happened, Cassie Winter is suspect numero uno.
Brampton just keeps getting colder, and with a killer on the loose and no leads to follow except the one that leads to Ronnie Winter's 'innocent' mother, and the only description being that of a cheap horror movie monster, killing in cold blood is about to take on a whole new meaning.
.... Fall's barely fallen where I live and we're still hitting 70 every other day, yet this book gave me the chills.
What it lacks in dialogue (and boy does it lack in dialogue) it makes up for in atmosphere. Izzo paints a really good picture of a town covered in the white stuff, so thick you can't see and so cold you can't feel your lungs.
I frickin' hate snow. Don't get me wrong, I like that soft, puffy white stuff as much as the next guy and I'm a total snowron when it comes to doing stupid shit when it really comes down, but after a day or two, I'm really though with it. And honestly, the snow we get ain't like that. It's wet, sleety, and freezes icecicles in your hair.
Screw that.
So the idea of being trapped in a winter dangerland with a killer on the loose is a really frickin' good way to scare me.
I didn't understand why this book was set in the 80's at first, (except for some well-placed jabs at Motley Crue and political correctness) but when the lockdown in the mansion happened I got it.
How scary would it be wonder into some creepy tunnels in 2016? Scary, sure, but there's a light and a communications device in your back pocket. You won't be in the dark, and if shit gets real, you can call for help.
This book was set in 1985. If you didn't want to be declared a scaredy cat, (or something a little less G-rated) you went in. If you didn't have a flashlight, in modest terms, you were boned.
At least now you'd have light.
And Anthony Izzo gets the idea that there are few elements of horror as important as darkness.
Now for the dialogue. It's not that it was bad or unrealistic, it was just that it was bland. It was like listening to regular conversation. Izzo's editor should've chopped this a little, maybe taken out the discussions about clothing and household items.
But that was a small annoyance. It was irritating, but didn't ruin the book.
The twelve-year-olds cussing like sailors probably bothered some people.
But get real.
Were you ever twelve?
Good. Then get over it. You cursed.
Last but not least, the humor was fairly good and well-timed.
The part at the dance, though corny and overdramatic, was especially good.
"You're going to dance with someone before we leave."
Chris said.
"I wish someone would ask me to dance," Melanie said, scowling at Chris, who didn't notice.
"Yeah," Chris nudged Paul with his elbow. "Dance with Melanie."
Yes, cornier than a barbeque in Nebraska.
No, don't care.
All in all, this book was a good choice for Hallo-reads. I won't cherish it or think upon it fondly, but at least I'll think "Oh, yeah, I read that one."
Picture an 80's B-movie toned down for middle-schoolers, and you should be just about middle-whelmed.
-Zombie S.A Hunter.
Brampton, New York.
December, 1985.
Four friends, Jack, Paul, Chris and Emma, are twelve years old. They're your typical kids in the snow-covered tundra of small town up-state New York. After-school sessions of King of the Mountain, a game of climbing plowed snow piles, snowball fights with the bigger kids, sticking it to their smart-mouthed bullies, life is good.
Then Ronnie Winter moves to town, the week before Christmas break.
The kid himself, (a pudgy redhead lacking in social skills and a little thickheaded) isn't so bad. He's weird, but he's worth a few laughs, and he managed to get a shot in on scariest kid in school, renowned bully Vinnie.
It's his mother, Cassie, that everyone's so afraid of.
With a few words and a stare into your mind, Cassie Winter has you under her control.
At first she's just manipulating the minds of the other kids' parents, gaining leverage on them so Ronnie's new little friends can come play with him.
But people in Brampton are showing up dead.
Murders, brutal ones of the throat-removal and decapitation variety are happening more and more often, and Detective George Kempf is determined to stop whoever is behind them.
Living in the ritzy Steadman estate, a stone's throw from where the first murder happened, Cassie Winter is suspect numero uno.
Brampton just keeps getting colder, and with a killer on the loose and no leads to follow except the one that leads to Ronnie Winter's 'innocent' mother, and the only description being that of a cheap horror movie monster, killing in cold blood is about to take on a whole new meaning.
.... Fall's barely fallen where I live and we're still hitting 70 every other day, yet this book gave me the chills.
What it lacks in dialogue (and boy does it lack in dialogue) it makes up for in atmosphere. Izzo paints a really good picture of a town covered in the white stuff, so thick you can't see and so cold you can't feel your lungs.
I frickin' hate snow. Don't get me wrong, I like that soft, puffy white stuff as much as the next guy and I'm a total snowron when it comes to doing stupid shit when it really comes down, but after a day or two, I'm really though with it. And honestly, the snow we get ain't like that. It's wet, sleety, and freezes icecicles in your hair.
Screw that.
So the idea of being trapped in a winter dangerland with a killer on the loose is a really frickin' good way to scare me.
I didn't understand why this book was set in the 80's at first, (except for some well-placed jabs at Motley Crue and political correctness) but when the lockdown in the mansion happened I got it.
How scary would it be wonder into some creepy tunnels in 2016? Scary, sure, but there's a light and a communications device in your back pocket. You won't be in the dark, and if shit gets real, you can call for help.
This book was set in 1985. If you didn't want to be declared a scaredy cat, (or something a little less G-rated) you went in. If you didn't have a flashlight, in modest terms, you were boned.
At least now you'd have light.
And Anthony Izzo gets the idea that there are few elements of horror as important as darkness.
Now for the dialogue. It's not that it was bad or unrealistic, it was just that it was bland. It was like listening to regular conversation. Izzo's editor should've chopped this a little, maybe taken out the discussions about clothing and household items.
But that was a small annoyance. It was irritating, but didn't ruin the book.
The twelve-year-olds cussing like sailors probably bothered some people.
But get real.
Were you ever twelve?
Good. Then get over it. You cursed.
Last but not least, the humor was fairly good and well-timed.
The part at the dance, though corny and overdramatic, was especially good.
"You're going to dance with someone before we leave."
Chris said.
"I wish someone would ask me to dance," Melanie said, scowling at Chris, who didn't notice.
"Yeah," Chris nudged Paul with his elbow. "Dance with Melanie."
Yes, cornier than a barbeque in Nebraska.
No, don't care.
All in all, this book was a good choice for Hallo-reads. I won't cherish it or think upon it fondly, but at least I'll think "Oh, yeah, I read that one."
Picture an 80's B-movie toned down for middle-schoolers, and you should be just about middle-whelmed.
-Zombie S.A Hunter.
October 30, 2020
I remember this being better than it is. I can't decide whether the odd stoicism from the 12 year olds when faced with the wraith is intentionally flat or not. It's like, okay, they encountered some otherworldly zombie creature that is stalking them but oh, hey, let's talk about girls.
The craft of the writing isn't great. Characters aren't really fleshed out. POVs shift at random. Pacing is off. Shock value side plots are tacked on. It's all just so flat.
I dunno, maybe it's all just a big elaborate play on the idea of numbness.
Dan Simmons did it much better though. (Before he fell into looneyville.)
The craft of the writing isn't great. Characters aren't really fleshed out. POVs shift at random. Pacing is off. Shock value side plots are tacked on. It's all just so flat.
I dunno, maybe it's all just a big elaborate play on the idea of numbness.
Dan Simmons did it much better though. (Before he fell into looneyville.)
December 27, 2019
3.3 stars
Started of like a cruel winter but the motivations and behaviors stained my credulity. Still, I had a good time. The ending was weak. 4.0 novel during the first half. 2.5- the last half.
Bargain bin horror.
Started of like a cruel winter but the motivations and behaviors stained my credulity. Still, I had a good time. The ending was weak. 4.0 novel during the first half. 2.5- the last half.
Bargain bin horror.
October 2, 2019
Coming of age stories are my absolute favorite and if it takes place in the 80's, that makes even better. I haven't read one that I didn't enjoy at least some what. Until now that is. It jumped from scene to scene and it didn't have that 80's era feel. It also didn't go into a lot of detail about anything in the story. I read it on my Kindle and I'm thinking the formatting was messed up because it jumped from scene to scene. You'd be reading about one character and in the very next paragraph it jumped to another one. It was very confusing and hard to follow.
July 8, 2021
Another where the kids are the heroes, I just loved it!
March 1, 2016
Brampton in the early 1980's is a picturesque little town where nothing extraordinary ever happens. When the new kid in town asks Jack Harding and his friends for help, they can hardly refuse the boy. After all, Ronnie Winter is a pleasantly plump kid, quiet, and well...weird. To Jack's way of thinking, Ronnie's strangeness just makes him the prime target for bullying.
Jack and his friends actually feel rather sorry for Ronnie, so they agree to protect him. Jack is convinced it is the right thing to do, to protect those who can't protect themselves. And when the local bullies do try to beat up Ronnie, Jack and his friends step in to stop them - and make their first mistake...
Their first mistake was to underestimate Ronnie Winter, because he is apparently unlike any other kid they've ever known. He lives with his lovely mother Cassie over at the old Steadman place, in the eerie Gothic-style mansion that used to be a mental hospital. And his ethereally beautiful mother has the uncanny ability to make Jack promise to be Ronnie's best friend...forever.
As Brampton starts to experience the coldest winter in its history, the closer Jack and his friends get to Ronnie. A freakishly cold weather pattern sweeps through the town, bringing with it a series of brutal snowstorms which cause the temperature to plummet even lower. And as if the weather conditions weren't bad enough, someone seems to be using the weather to their advantage: the residents of Brampton are being plagued by a series of nightmarishly gruesome murders.
And as the grisly death toll continues to rise, Jack begins to realize something more disturbing about his odd new friend, Ronnie. Ronnie Winter is already protected; surrounded by something far more powerful than an overprotective mother's love. He is being guarded by something almost supernatural - an unspeakably malevolent force that will torture and destroy everything in its path...
I must say that the first thing I noticed about this book when I received it was the eeriness of the cover - Gothic mansions with giant stone lions guarding the door just scream spooky to me, I suppose. Not that I'm complaining in any way, but I just wasn't sure how scary a plot could get with a cast of primarily teenage boys as characters. As the debut novel of a new author for me, I found that the plot was well-developed and satisfyingly creepy. I give this book a B+!
As it turned out, the book was extremely well written and I'm very happy to have read it. In my opinion, this was an intriguing debut; I will definitely be putting this author's name on my Wish List.
Jack and his friends actually feel rather sorry for Ronnie, so they agree to protect him. Jack is convinced it is the right thing to do, to protect those who can't protect themselves. And when the local bullies do try to beat up Ronnie, Jack and his friends step in to stop them - and make their first mistake...
Their first mistake was to underestimate Ronnie Winter, because he is apparently unlike any other kid they've ever known. He lives with his lovely mother Cassie over at the old Steadman place, in the eerie Gothic-style mansion that used to be a mental hospital. And his ethereally beautiful mother has the uncanny ability to make Jack promise to be Ronnie's best friend...forever.
As Brampton starts to experience the coldest winter in its history, the closer Jack and his friends get to Ronnie. A freakishly cold weather pattern sweeps through the town, bringing with it a series of brutal snowstorms which cause the temperature to plummet even lower. And as if the weather conditions weren't bad enough, someone seems to be using the weather to their advantage: the residents of Brampton are being plagued by a series of nightmarishly gruesome murders.
And as the grisly death toll continues to rise, Jack begins to realize something more disturbing about his odd new friend, Ronnie. Ronnie Winter is already protected; surrounded by something far more powerful than an overprotective mother's love. He is being guarded by something almost supernatural - an unspeakably malevolent force that will torture and destroy everything in its path...
I must say that the first thing I noticed about this book when I received it was the eeriness of the cover - Gothic mansions with giant stone lions guarding the door just scream spooky to me, I suppose. Not that I'm complaining in any way, but I just wasn't sure how scary a plot could get with a cast of primarily teenage boys as characters. As the debut novel of a new author for me, I found that the plot was well-developed and satisfyingly creepy. I give this book a B+!
As it turned out, the book was extremely well written and I'm very happy to have read it. In my opinion, this was an intriguing debut; I will definitely be putting this author's name on my Wish List.
October 12, 2008
It was slow in the beginning until about the 50th page. Then, it started getting interesting. There's a new kind in town & his mom wants 3 other children to befriend. It turns out that this new kid lives in mansion that was a mental hospital. And whatever happened to his mom, well...she turned mental too. Did strange things to her husband but really loved her son. Somewhere in the book, there's mention of Walk of the Living Dead...this is so true. The small city that has no murders to speak of, suddenly has 2. Who did it???? I'm not telling.
April 14, 2010
This was rather silly, but still an entertaining novel. There wasn't too much to the plot (and not nearly enough explanation), but there were several very strong characters and some genuinely funny quips back and forth between these rather-old-for-their-age twelve year olds. All in all, this was very reminiscent of Richard Laymon's work (albeit a lot more toned down!). I was on the edge of my seat towards the end, though it was a bit slow to start. The setting added a lot to the book as a whole, giving it a very real, and eerie sense of atmosphere.
Read
April 14, 2008Horror
March 27, 2009
creepy as hell
February 12, 2014
This was a substandard horror novel. It was incredibly predictable, the characters were lackluster and the plot was awful.
July 26, 2015
This one wasn't as good as his others but it was very good. I enjoyed it quite a lot. If you have never read this authors books, you are missing out.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews