The Winter Over

By: Matthew Iden

Narrated by: Karen Peakes

Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's Summary

Each winter the crew at the Shackleton South Pole Research Facility faces nine months of isolation, round-the-clock darkness, and one of the most extreme climates on the planet. For thirty-something mechanical engineer Cass Jennings, Antarctica offers an opportunity to finally escape the guilt of her troubled past and to rebuild her life.

But the death of a colleague triggers a series of mysterious incidents that push Cass and the rest of the forty-four-person crew to the limits of their sanity and endurance. Confined and cut off from the outside world, will they work together or turn against one another? As the tension escalates, Cass must find the strength to survive not only a punishing landscape but also an unrelenting menace determined to destroy the station - and everyone in it.

©2017 Matthew Iden (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved

A psychological thriller

This is a book that I bought purely on the cover. I bought the Kindle edition in early January, and then picked this up as a Whispersync deal once it was released on audio. I featured it in my new and notable releases of the week when it was released -- all based on the cover. Once I dug below the permafrost, I realized that there was a lot going on with this story.

Matthew Iden weaves an incredibly emotional story in The Winter Over. It tells of a research station in the middle of nowhere -- on the South Pole. The people who "winter" here are researchers, scientists, and engineers who are looking to either prove something to someone or themselves. Or as it was put "they say everyone who comes to Antarctica is either running from something or to something." The Winter Over tells the story of someone who might be doing a little of both, Cass Jennings is ready to stay the long and grueling winter months of no light and no way out of the station.

The story itself weaves in and out of a few main characters but focuses mainly on Cass and her struggles. She was an interesting character because, for 75% of the book, you have almost no idea what her back story is, but you know it's important. Once you figure it out, it's almost too late in the story for you to feel good or bad for her.

The other characters that are introduced all play their parts well, and with the twists and turns that Iden throws in, you won't know what hit you... or who.

The narration was done by Karen Peakes who does a pretty nice job. My only complaint was the accents. I know that the characters were foreign, most likely with an accent -- but they weren't really well done and sometimes they were hard to understand. Along the same was the announcement in the book -- these were done a little muffled (on purpose to give it more of an authentic feel). This usually works for me, but something about the way that Peakes did it didn't work for me. But, overall, her narration was good and enjoyable allowing the story to progress nicely.

Overall, The Winter Over felt a little long and drawn out to me, but it was still enjoyable. I picked a book by its cover and I wasn't disappointed! I just checked on Amazon to see how this book was categorized, and I was surprised that Thriller and Psychological Thriller weren't listed. That is definitely the type of story this is.

69 of 71 people found this review helpful

Not Terrible but Not Fantastic

Any additional comments?

I loved the premise of this and was hoping it would be great, but I didn't love it. It was entertaining for the most part, although some parts really dragged and some parts were great. I kept expecting some big reveal - the build-up hinted at such but we never really got it. I really liked the interactions between Cass and Vox, but there were a few times when the characters made really stupid choices considering their situation. I also thought the ending was disappointing.

32 of 34 people found this review helpful

Incredible!

This story kept me on the edge of my seat. I couldn't stop listening and it was awful to have to hit pause.
I'll be looking for more from Matthew Iden and from Karen Peaks.
Karen's performance was remarkable!

12 of 14 people found this review helpful

A good story

Started a little slow but picked up the pace as the story progressed. The further along, the more exciting it became. There was a mystery and the last part of the story was a real gripper. I loved the book and would recommend it to those who love to read (or listen, as the case may be). I really think it would make a good movie.

11 of 13 people found this review helpful

Matthew Iden should write only Marty Singer...

...detective novels. I've purchased and listened to all five of Matthew Iden's Marty Singer books available in audio. All were outstanding, so I purchased his new release The Winter Over. The novel is not just bad; it is horrible. It is set in Antarctica in a US camp during the winter when the sun never shines. The protagonist Cass is likable enough as is her "boyfriend", a Russian from a nearby camp. The plot is a total mess and the ending is worse than not credible; it is impossible. I simply cannot imagine anyone enjoying this novel.

37 of 47 people found this review helpful

Engrossing

The descriptions of the South Pole and the detail of the underground tunnels made you feel like you were there, especially when reading during a cold, blustery night. The identity of "the Observer" wasn't a surprise at all, and the conclusion of the story was a little too pat, but overall a nice distracting read.

12 of 15 people found this review helpful

Forgettable

Can't even remember what this was about. Need I say more? Just plain forgettable.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Loved It Until 3/4 Through, Then Went 'South'

The Antarctic and Arctic have always interested me, especially the psychology of those who live and work there. I'd read the story of the doctor who diagnosed her own breast cancer while wintering over at the Pole, Icebound, which included a lot of detail about life at the Pole. Iden does a great job with those details, by the way, one of the things about this book that really stands out. His prose and attention to detail are superb throughout the book.

Cass, the lead character, is well-written, and makes you want to cheer for her. Most of the other characters are done well, although a few are a bit one-dimensional, like the security chief. Her best friend on the station, another janitor, is especially good, and the narrator does her Scottish accent quite well. I enjoyed the narration, and felt that she did a pretty good job at some difficult accents.

The story begins well, and I really enjoyed the first about 3/4 of the book. It sucked me in, and I really wanted the hero, Cass, to get to the bottom of the problems that were going on and save the day. I'm trying not to spoil the story for those who haven't yet read or listened to it, so all I can say about the last 1/4 or so of the book is that it felt like the author was on some kind of deadline and had to rush to tie up all the loose ends, which I didn't feel that he did well at all.

The climax was rushed; people did things that it didn't make sense for their characters to do, and I was left with more questions than were answered. I really felt the last part of the book was thrown together, and I would have rather had the author stick with the measured pacing of the earlier sections. I was torn between three and four stars, but in the end, I gave the story only three because I had so many unanswered questions. The narration I gave five stars; sometimes female narrators have voices pitched too high for my ears, but this one had an enjoyable voice that added to the story.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

keeps you engaged

this story kept me engaged to the very end. awesome book, especially if you like nail-biters!

11 of 14 people found this review helpful

Great psychological thriller

Vivid descriptions with interesting characters that keep you guessing set in a fascinating location. loved it,

9 of 12 people found this review helpful

Awful

What would have made The Winter Over better?

If the story had been even a little bit credible.

Has The Winter Over put you off other books in this genre?

No

What didn’t you like about Karen Peakes’s performance?

She did her best with poor material. I hated the story so much that it has probably warped my view of the narration to be fair to her.

What character would you cut from The Winter Over?

All of them. It was such a mess that none of the characters were believable.

Any additional comments?

If I had been reading this book I would never have got to the end. As I was listening to it whilst gardening, I was just about able to tolerate it. The author tried desperately to conjure up tension but it just didn't work. There's more tension in an episode of Coronation Street!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Hmmm bit of a let down & very drawn out....

What was most disappointing about Matthew Iden’s story?

It was a great idea, but didn't really follow through as credible. It was long and windy for no real reason, I kept getting distracted as I wasn't engaged enough. For its length is feels like vast amounts of the book are just waffly background noise with no real substance.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Karen Peakes?

She's an ok narrator and tried to add depth & tension, I just don't think the story was good enough to pad it out.

You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?

The narrator did a good job, I just don't feel the content was good enough.

Any additional comments?

This is just not a book for me :0(