A murder mystery from my favorite author? Count me in. I was not let down. One of the best "who done it"/slasher books I've read. I thought I knew who the butcher was...then I didn't...then I did and my jaw literally dropped when the identity was revealed. No Way!! I didn't understand Christa's background story then it all came together. This was very well written. Highly recommend!!

Quote of the book ‘The butchers tree would gain one more head, most likely’ The quote says it all.

What a fantastic book to read. It’s exciting right from the beginning. It had me hooked. I literally couldn’t put it down. My heart was racing. It was chilling. Deep mystery. Leaves you guessing.

It was very well written. I was gob smacked at the twists and turns at the end. The author had me fooled.

Good mix of characters all thrown together in a cunning psychological thriller. Unlike any I’ve ever read before. I will definitely be looking out for this author again

Take And Then There Were None, add a pinch of severe winter weather, and a rather large dash of horror, and you’ll have some idea of what reading Dead of Winter is like.

From the opening paragraphs that make the reader feel as if they’re making their way through the blizzard of the century, to the pulse pounding and white knuckled reading experience, Dead of Winter is one of the most unputdownable books I’ve read in ages. Literally, just when you think you have it all figured out, another bloody monkey wrench is thrown at you. What a wild ride. No wonder Darcy Coates remains one of my favorite authors.

My thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing an ARC of this amazing novel.

This book was phenomenal!! I’m a huge fan of survival stories and the “small group gets picked off one by one” trope. This story gloriously had both. From the first page, I was drawn into the story. It started strong, never hit a lull and finished spectacularly. Coates masterfully built tension throughout this book, to the point where I was holding my breath and listening to my heart race while I devoured the ending. There are so many twists and turns and every single time I thought I had it figured out, I was so wrong. It’s like the Coates was literally inside my head every time I made a guess and shut them all down so quickly. I could not love this book more and I will 100% be adding it to my bookshelf when it releases.

Another excellent read from one of my go-to authors. Something about her writing style makes each and every book movie-like. At first I was disappointed that this wasn't horror, but that disappointment quickly faded within the first few pages. The action starts immediately and doesn't let up until the very last page. I did know who the killer was from the beginning but it didn't take away from the story and I did second guess that knowledge quite a few times throughout. However, I felt like this could of been shortened a little bit, some scenes would of been more suspenseful if there was a page or two removed here and there. Overall, I really enjoyed this and give it a solid Four Stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC.

This book is a bit too violent for me to recommend to my students, but it is a decent thriller. I liked the wintery setting, that gave an added element of danger and fear to the story. I liked the premise of a killer among us. I guessed the killer from the beginning though and ended up being right, so it was a bit too predictable for me. But still was a fun winter mystery.

I am in live with darcy coates writing. I found her last year and read most of her back list anytime she puts out a new book i domt even read the synopsis i just one click so fast. And when i got accepted to review this book i was fan girling. Darcy has a way to write books to keep you on your toes. And has the creep factor to the point you'll sleeping with a night lifht. And omg this book had me gapping in terror. And just had my mouth dropped to the grown. Each book gets better and better and im a sucker for it. I would give up my first burn for more darcy coates books this is a book you want to read.

Intriguing, exciting and addicting. A mystery book worth the time you spend reading it and definitely a good thriller. I felt part of the story and definitely involved in the different phases of the unraveling of the truth.
A very good book!!

Excuse me, why have I not read every single thing Darcy has written? This was fantastic, the first page is action and it doesn't stop from there. I was becoming SO. FRUSTRATED. at the thought of being trapped in a snow storm with a possible killer. The way I would simply just pass away from stress.

I *did* guess who the killer was, but that's because I read too much. Lol! And me guessing it early on did NOT take away from the book, in fact it actually kept me second guessing myself the whole time. Catch me with a red string crime wall trying to make sure all the pieces fit. 🤣

Darcy is a wonderful writer and now I must binge all of her work.

Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Grab this one as soon as it releases in July!

"The wind redoubles . . . the gale rises, and as it whistles through the rock formations, it sounds very much like a man’s screams."

A couple, Christa and Keirnan, go on a tour vacation to a ski resort called Blackstone Alpine Lodge. Nine strangers go with them. Somehow, Christa and Kiernan find themselves caught in a blizzard while out hiking. Struggling to find sanctuary, they are separated. Christa stumbles upon a cabin. And lucky for her, the nine strangers are also there and nurse her back to consciousness. But Kiernan is still out there, and presumed dead by the group. She's determined to find him.

“'The door was unlocked,' Blake says. 'Almost like they knew some poor souls would need to shelter here.'”

And then the tour guide is found dead. His head, and only his head, sprayed to a tree. What is going on? Who is doing this? And why?

Holy shi--this story was intense! Full of suspense and mystery. Horror to the max. I loved it. Didn't want to ever put it down. Coates out did herself with this one. If I could give it more than five stars I would because this novel deserves it.

Thrilling and so creepy! This author is a guarantee of a solid read, this is my favorite from them yet. The atmosphere was the highlight of this book for me, just delicious.

Instead of a who-done-it the reader is faced with who-is-currently-doing-it. A heart-racing, survival in the rockies thriller leaves you shocked. When I thought I had everything figured out, I found out I was so wrong. Darcy Coates once again crafts a captivating story that you just can't put down. Dead of Winter is a must read.

389 pages

4 and 1 / 2 stars

What a high tension thrill ride!

Imagine that you are on a bus on your way to a remote lodge high in the Rocky Mountains in the midst of winter. It is snowing. A tree is down across the road. There is a delay in removing it, so you and your boyfriend take a walk. You get disoriented and separated. It is snowing harder. You eventually wind up in an abandoned cabin with the other riders on your bus.

Things go wrong. People start dying. One of your group is a murderer.

I have read books with a similar premise before, but this is definitely the definitive novel about this topic. I became obsessed with Christa’s journey through her terror-filled incarceration by snow. Just when I thought I had a grasp on the killer, I was proven wrong.

Ms. Coates has written a superlative novel. I believe I like this one the best so far. The characters are so well drawn. The dialogue is great. I felt as though I was there listening to everyone speak. Their emotions and actions were so very real. I would have melted into a puddle on the floor, too afraid to even move or speak up. I was casting about looking for clues along with Christa, hoping to figure out the murderer. Hoping that Christa and the others made it out.

The characters were such a variety: personality types, jobs and so on. It was great. This is a well written and plotted novel. I strongly recommend it to anyone who likes to be scared (by reading), or likes high-tension psychological thrillers.

I want to thank NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for forwarding to me a copy of this great book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

It’s 11:05pm on a Wednesday before my 4:00am alarm goes off for work…

How will I ever fall asleep?

Can I sleep?

No, it’s unlikely .

First, I will check to make sure the windows are shut, then double lock the doors before checking under the bed once… I mean twice .

Darcy Coates, after reading every single one of your previous publications, you would think I would have learned, but I haven’t .

Gosh darn it, I adore your little black soul !

I love Darcy Coates, I know that’s bizarre. Who loves being plunged into darkness and have the bejezus scared out of them?

Me. Me. Me!

I should have known not to start this book so late but I also knew I couldn’t sleep knowing it was on my shelf so of course I began…

If you have read a Coates book before you know that you are about to be put on a ride of your life. No chance to catch your breath in between those soul clenching twists. The development is quick but also holds depth . The characters are executed with precision and everything feels so lifelike you might as well be standing within the pages .

This book is an easy sell, you won’t be disappointed, you’ll become an easy fan and you will find yourself up late into the night also second guessing another peek under the bed .

4.5⭐️

From the first chapter of this book I could not put it down.

Christa and her boyfriend are heading up the snowy Rocky Mountains for a retreat. When a storm blows in their forced to take shelter in a abandoned cabin. When they find their guide dead the next day they realized. Someone in their group is the killer.

This book had me in a choke hold!! This is my first Darcy Coates book but she has turned into one of my favorite thriller authors.

You couldn’t decide who was guilty. No one stands out. Once you think you have it figure out. The books goes in a completely different direction.
This book is gruesome in all of the good ways. She makes you want to keep reading by keeping you on the edge of your seat.
You don’t see the ending coming with her book. I was pleasantly surprised and loved the ending.

10/10 recommend

On a group tour bus into the snowy expanse of the Rocky Mountains, Christa is hopeful this will be her chance to put the ghosts of her past to rest. But when a snowstorm sweeps the region, the small group is forced to take shelter in an abandoned hunting cabin. Terrified and isolated, does everyone in the group have what it takes to survive until help arrives?

Dead of Winter is Darcy's step into spine tingling thrillers with her signature horror twist. The tension is masterfully built to an epic conclusion that as a seasoned thriller reader did not see coming. The layers of this locked room read are thick, directing you every single way and playing on natural human fear to make this one of Darcy's best yet. Dead of Winter has a very slasher vibe too, being quite brutal in its violent descriptions of death, keeping that horror aspect we all love from Darcy. But if gore and violent depictions of death are not your thing, this one may not be for you. This is perfect for fans of the author, and for all thriller fans old and new. Set for release on the 11th of July, 2023 - this is definitely one to add to your preorder list!

Many thanks to Poisoned Pen Press, NetGalley and Darcy Coates for an advanced copy to review.

5.0 ⭐

Thank you to NetGally for the arc, in exchange for an honest review 📚.

Eight strangers. One murderer. Trapped in the middle of nowhere.

Oooo this is a different look for Darcy Coates, and I am loving it. Her supernatural horror books are always terrifying, and I expected no less from this.

This was an exceptional thriller. Fast-paced with lots of twists and turns.

I THOUGHT I KNEW WHO THE KILLER WAS LIKE SIX TIMES BUT IT WAS NEVER RIGHT.

If you have to take a break in the middle of reading a thriller because you're freaking out, that's how you KNOW it's good.

I highly recommend reading this book!

I will posting a review of this book on my Instagram, Goodreads and TikTok accounts in June. My handle for all of these medias is "Tahliareadstoomuch".

Hold on to your seat thriller!
When Christa agrees to visit a nearly abandoned resort in the winter with her boyfriend she really isn't sure what she is getting into. Worse, the bus with the tour breaks down in the middle of a blizzard. It becomes clear, very quickly, that somewhat is out to hurt the tour.

Coates does a fantastic job upping the tension and you can actually feel the cold breeze and snow while you read. As she slowly layers in more of the story you try to determine what is happening and why. It's a perfect winter thriller! #PoisonedPenPress #DeadofWinter #DarcyCoates

Christa, along with the rest of her tour group is stranded in the Colorado Rockies in a raging blizzard. The hunting cabin where they are taking shelter is too small for the group, and tempers flare as fears rise. The morning after they stake their claim on the cabin, they discover the severed head of their tour group leader impaled on a tree. It would seem that one of their party is a killer, but which one? As the number of victims rises, Christa knows she can’t trust anyone and this might very well be her final resting place. Agatha Christie started the “cut off from civilization with a killer of the loose premise” and Coates does a good job ramping up the fear and the claustrophobia factor. A must read for a long winter night

3.5
Darcy Coates comes through with another fine book. Though I feel like I kind of had some parts figured out early on, there were other parts that still surprised me. This is fast paced and pretty intense. More of a thriller than a horror though.
I thoroughly enjoyed the dread and the atmosphere of this novel.