A pregnant female doctor and a former Army Ranger are on a train to Spokane.

When a massive avalanche plummets down the mountain in the train's path, the train's conductor orders passengers to stay seated.

The Army Ranger and the woman defy the conductor's orders and, as a result, both are the sole survivors of this accident.

Will the two survive frigid temperatures until they are rescued?

Although many details of this book were extremely far-fetched such as killing and eating the meat of a rabid coyote, the author kept me listening.

The last half of this twisty tale of survival was much stronger than the first half.

I listened to the audiobook read by Allyson Ryan, who did a superb job with the narration.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars.

This was an interesting book and I definitely enjoyed the audio. It is told in alternating timelines of past and present, which was okay although I didn't much care for the chapters in the past.

I did however love the Character Margo. Such a strong willed character, I was rooting for her through the whole book! I can't imagine surviving in the snowy wilderness let alone doing it 8 plus months pregnant!! Seriously you go girl!!! I have to appreciate such a bad ass female protagonist.

I will definitely be looking into more of Auffenordes book in the future.

As always thanks to the publisher and netgalley for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not sure why I struggled to get into this story, but it was a tough one to complete for me. I liked the premise, but was unable to care much about the characters & and where the story took them.

I really wanted to love it but it was super slow in the beginning and the ending didn't do it for me. I wanted more and I was hoping it would end differently so I bumped it down a star.

The opening of this one really threw me for a loop - but as the book progressed I started to really enjoy it. I think the writing style is a bit different than I'm used.

Overall, I thought that Cover Your Tracks was good but not great. It was a book that I likely forget about in a bit and until I see the cover would forget that I picked up and read. But it didn't bore me or anything - just one of those "meh" type books.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* holy yikes af. didnt see that coming when i started reading this lmao

My rating scale:
5☆ - I loved this book and it brought out true emotion in me (laughter, anger, a good cry, etc)
4☆ - I loved this book.
3☆ - I liked this book.
2☆ - I didn't really care for this book.
1☆ - I did not like this book at all and probably did not finish it.

I did not enjoy this book. I didn't like the way the constant flashbacks to the characters' childhoods were handled. It felt forced, as if story points were deliberately and awkwardly placed just to set off a flashback. i was much more interested in the survival story and it became a disturbing childhood trauma story.

This book was just okay for me. I liked the characters but had a hard time getting into the plot. It may have just been during a distracted period in my life so I may go back a d listen again

I had a hard time with this book for several reasons - pacing being pretty high on that list. I love thrillers, and while I can appreciate the slow build, Cover Your Tracks took that past slow and on to tedium at several points in the story. It starts out with a fast, edge of your seat situation with the train, a snowstorm, and an avalanche. There are also several other high-tension situations for Margo and Nick. The problem is that between those situations, things often slow to a crawl. The story bounces back and forth between Nick's and Margo's point of view, and maybe it's me, but it felt like we got more of Margo than Nick - I'm pretty sure that was done intentionally. During that back and forth, we get snippets of the characters' pasts - things that happened to shape who they are today.
With that in mind, I'm going to say something about a couple of things that are mentioned in this book. I hope I word this correctly because I never want to offend anyone. There is mention of abortion and a girl being forced to avoid an abortion. There is also mention of a term no longer used when referring to Native Americans as well as talk of scalping. Now, I in no way agree with any of this, but the author is referring to the past of Nick's and Margo's lives. Given their ages and when those things would've happened, those things weren't so out of the norm. Again, that doesn't make it right, but I understand where the author was coming from (the time period, at least) and how those things were meant to move the story forward, and I can understand how those things could shape a person. Unfortunately, that doesn't help with my opinion of the book. I just wanted to make it clear that I based my thoughts on the story as a whole and not a couple of things that happened in the characters' troubled pasts.
The back and forth along with the memories can work very well for a thriller, but in this case, the pace slowed down enough that I found my thoughts straying to other things rather than remaining caught up in the book.
Margo and Nick each have secrets, of course, and we get those bit by bit. Margo's secret was way too easy to guess, and it didn't take me long to guess Nick's as well. I'll admit that when I guessed Nick's secret, I shrugged it off, thinking that surely the story wouldn't be that unbelievable. But it goes there, so expect things to go over the top, especially as the story nears its end.
I did listen to this one, which was probably for the best because I'm not convinced that I'd have finished otherwise. Allyson Ryan gives voice to these characters and I liked her well enough for Margo's parts of the book, but I think dual narration could've served this story well. Certain characters' voices are a bit caricature-like, the men in particular. One example is Nick's voice, which is always gruff. Now, that's fine for grown-up Nick, but Nick in first grade sounds the same way, and it just doesn't work in that instance.
On a positive note, I do think this story had potential. I just think too many things didn't work - at least for me. I do think this author shows talent, and I'll be interested to see how she grows with future books.

This novel starts fast paced and is very hard to put down. But between the constant flash backs and constant discussion of the main characters pregnancy made it very hard to want to trek on. But it all served a purpose to the very end. I preferred the ebook version over the audiobook.

Thank you NeGalley for ARC audiobook of this novel in exchange for this honest review.

*** 4 Stars ***

Margo Fletcher is 8 months pregnant and traveling by train to her childhood home through the Rocky Mountains. One night the train encounters blizzard like conditions with a deadly avalanche heading down the mountain towards their train. Margo is saved by a former Army Ranger Nick Elliott and no other passengers come with them, leaving them as lone survivors. Margo and Nick end up out in the wilderness and cold weather trying to find shelter and food. Nick was such a dynamic character; he was so heroic but also seemed kind of crazy because of how good he was at survival skills. Paired with Margo, an ER physician who seems more sensible throughout, they actually kind of complimented each other. While they await the weather to break and for help to arrive, secrets begin unraveling and we find out many more details about these two. It was a very suspenseful read and the reveal at the end was great. I really recommend. I listened to the audio version and liked the narrators cadence and voice.

Special Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me an advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

Eight months pregnant, Dr. Margo Fletcher heads west via train to attend a family event. On the way, an avalanche derails the train, and her life is only saved by Nick Eliot, former Army Ranger. The story of their survival is told with a growing indication that Nick is not all that he seems.

Author Daco Auffenorde tells a tale of survival interwoven with glimpses into the past of both Nick and Margo. This book isn't for the faint of heart, and there are some trigger warnings for animal cruelty, childhood trauma, and traumatic childbirth needed here. Auffenorde does a great job with keeping you on the edge of your seat, and I listened to this audiobook in a weekend. A careful reader/listener will see "the twist" before the big reveal, but the drive to see how it all comes together in the end makes up for it. The narrator's performance leaves a little to be desired, not having a great range for male voices and making Margo seem more...whiny? helpless? than I think was intended by the auther. The story itself is a solid 4.0, but the narrator did make me give the audio version a 3.0, so we will split the difference with a 3.5 rating overall.

I had mixed feelings about this one. It's the kind of book that I didn't really enjoy reading (or listening to)... But I appreciated it much more when I was done. It's really well-written and I liked how the author brings the story together; it just wasn't really the book for me.

Cover Your Tracks starts on a train in the middle of a blizzard. We meet Margo, who is 8 months pregnant, and Nick, an army ranger. When the train starts heading toward a massive avalanche, Nick helps Margo escape to safety. Thank goodness because the train heads into the avalanche and presumably, none of the passengers survive. What a start to a novel!

Though they escaped the avalanche, Margo and Nick are still not in the clear. They're now stranded in the middle of nowhere in a blizzard with no idea when help will arrive. In between learning what they do to try to survive, we jump back in time and learn quite a bit about both Margo and Nick's childhood and learn how they got to the point they're at now.

I don't want to spoil anything, but again, I will say that the ending really impressed me. I like what the author did. But I was definitely a bit bored throughout the book. I found myself not really caring about Nick or his childhood at all. Margo's was more interesting to me, but it just wasn't enough to make me love the book. That's OK though because though this is not quite the book for me, I do think a lot of people will love it. It's especially great for readers who like slow burn thrillers.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cover Your Tracks was a very fun mystery/thriller book to dive into. From the very moment of meeting Nick and Margo, I was sucked in. I mean a super pregnant girl on a train with an avalanche on the way? Sign me the heck up.

I'm not going to lie, I was entertained from start to finish. The whole love and hate back and forth thing just kept me on the edge of my seat. Then once the crazy side came out.. weell, crap - I was so sucked in that I wasn't even shocked by what happened towards the end.

Long story short, I devoured this and I'm hesitant of ever getting on a train. Never rode one before.. and now I'm going to think long and hard before I step on to one. Damn you psychological thrillers for getting into my head!

I had seen Cover Your Tracks by Daco Auffenorde all over #bookstagram, so I knew I was in for a treat. My friends on the 'gram know their thrillers.

It's an action-packed thriller told in dual perspectives. Is it overly realistic? I'll let the survivalists out there decide that. But, was it entertaining? Yes.

Allyson Ryan narrates this audiobook, and the run time of this book is 7 hours and 50 minutes.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Just before Christmas, Margo, at 8-mos pregnant, travels by train across the Rockies to Spokane for her niece's wedding. But, the train is about to be engulfed by an avalanche and Nick, an Army veteran recognizes this. He tries to get others to go to the last car of the train so he can uncouple it and keep them safe from what's ahead. Only Margo agrees to follow him. This is the story of their attempts at survival, with reflections into each of their past experiences. The story will keep you riveted, but be prepared for some graphic and violent details, and a rather abrupt ending. I could have done without some of the graphic descriptions, so I'm not rating it as high as I might have otherwise.

While the premise of this book had me really intrigued, the execution didn't really work for me, I'm sorry to say. Somehow, it just strained credulity one too many times and I didn't feel very absorbed. That being said, it is an interesting and creative idea.

After reading the synopsis for this one, I was thrilled when Dreamscape Media granted my wish on NetGalley so that I could listen to this audiobook.
Margo Fletcher is an ER nurse, traveling by train from Chicago to Spokane. Eight months pregnant, she is on the way to her childhood home to reunite with her estranged family.
The train suddently begins braking, as it travels through a remote area of the Rockies in blizzard conditions.
The conductor order them to remain seated as a treacherous avalanche begins up ahead of them.
Former Army Ranger NIck Elliot defies the instructions and tells the passengers that the only means for survival is to head to the back of the train.
Only Margo trusts his instincts and she joins him in the last train car, which he uncouples so they avoid the on-rushing snow.
The rest of the train is lost in a crush of snow.
As the weather worsens, they must head into the wilderness, fighting for survival.
Besides contending with the hazardous weather, they must face the threat of wild animals.
Eventually Nick guides Margo to a shelter atop a mountain.
But now Margo must confront Nick, and the secrets between them.
This was a dark, crazy and suspenseful thriller that kept me highly entertained.
I felt it was a bit over the top at times, but it was exciting and fun to listen to.
The narrator did an excellent job and I enjoyed the way the story flashed back from Margo and Nick's pasts as it led up to their final conflict.
Thank you Dreamscape Media Keylight for the audiobook via NetGalley.

In her debut novel Daco S. Auffenorde takes readers to a train, where two strangers are going to have to trust each other to survive:

Margo Fletcher is heading from Chicago to Spokane in the middle of winter, back to a family that she has been distant from for many years now. But she is eight months pregnant and there are some things that need to be said and put behind them. While passing through the Rocky Mountains, something triggers an avalanche. A stranger comes up to Margo and tells her they have to get to the back of the train if she and her baby are to survive. Margo ends up listening to him and it save their lives. However, now they are stranded in the wilderness with nothing to survive. Luckily for Margo Nick is an ex-army Ranger and a hunter and knows his way around the outdoors. He promises to help her and the baby. But should Margo trust him? He did just save her life, but he is a stranger, and some things just don't add up. Everyone has secrets and some are just more deadly than others.

I was drawn to this story for the premise of the book. It idea of having to survive in the winter with a stranger but also being extremely pregnant, I can read that, I haven't read a survivalist story in a long time but this is where the premise kind of steers you wrong.

This book tries to do too much. I think that the book should have been separated into two different parts with the the first being used to describe how Margo ends up taking the train. In the second part there could be more of a focus on the survival aspect and then had Nick's flashbacks in there as well. There are quite a few flashbacks throughout the book, and this muddles down the survival book aspects that the premise offers readers. Personally, I enjoyed the flashback aspects of how and why these two people ended up being on the train, more than the survival aspect, as once again it did not seem like this was the true focus of the book.

I also think that having the flashbacks with Nick throughout the book instead of a second part that I was able to figure everything out and the "big" twists that she had planned throughout the book.There was no shocker there for me. Don't get me wrong I was invested in both the characters throughout the story I just wish I would not have been able to figure the whole situation out. Trust me the flashbacks are extremely interesting and you get to know the characters from when they are children and has shaped them to be the people are now. If you like character development, Auffenorde gives it to you in spades.

The is one aspect within the book, that did not make since to me. Nick who is an Army Ranger, hunter, he knows his wilderness yet he states to Margo that there are Snow Leopards out there. Ummm nope, there are not, Snow Leopards do not live in North America, they live in a small region in Asia. I think Auffenorde meant Puma, mountain Lion or Cougar and none of those are refered to as a Snow Leopard. I realize it is a small detail but it goes against Nick as a character and I wonder how did the author or editor not catch this flaw.

This is such a catch-22 book for me, I loved the idea of the premise, it's not fully achieved until the end of the book, so i was disappointed by that. Yet i could not put this book down as I really enjoyed discovering who the characters were and what lead each of them to take a train across the country in the middle of winter. I think that this a is a good debut novel, and that Auffenorde story telling ability will get better the more she writes. There are great bones here and interesting twists that would knock people out if they were executed in a different way. I look forward to seeing what Auffenorde comes out with next.

Enjoy!!!