Stoker-winner Golden (The Boys Are Back in Town
) launches a promising new dark fantasy series with this chiller, which opens on a snowy December night on the coast of Maine. Lawyer Oliver Bascombe is having a case of prewedding jitters at his family home, an "enormous Victorian mansion," when a blizzard smashes its way into the house and blows in "the winter man" (aka Jack Frost). Frost needs Oliver to save him from a Myth Hunter from beyond the Veil (i.e., the land of faerie). Seizing the opportunity to duck his wedding obligations, Oliver agrees to pass with Frost through the Veil. Meanwhile, on Earth, Oliver's tough-minded sister, Colleen, sets out to solve the mystery of his disappearance. When she finds her father murdered, she turns for help to Det. Ted Hallowell, who gets on the trail of a serial killer. Fast pacing, superior characterization and sound folklore yield a winner. (Jan. 31)
