A travel gone wrong. What was expected to have a holiday in a cabin turn out to be a series of killings where there was no escape, or almost.

Dead of the winter is a murder mystery that had a very gory discription! At times I had to skip over that part. Although it didn't stop me from finishing the book because it kept drawing me back in with a story line that kept me guessing. A group of 11 people took a bus trip to the Rocky Mountains in the dead of winter. There was a murderer amongst them who was a vicious animalistic killer! Keep reading it all comes out eventually so keep reading! Good job, Darcy Coates!

Pretty disappointed with this one. A retelling of Agatha Christie but this one to me felt like it would just never end. It was so repetitive and the characters made the dumbest decisions. Mostly I just felt bored.

It is just me or this really was and then there were none!

And then there were none had heads, there was an axe, snow, cold, chilling, freezing, and blood...

I have a theory, actually a few theories, first don't travel/vacation in the middle of the winter, never ends well, there are many good sunny environments. Second, if you stuck with a bunch of strangers... RUN, run fast as you can because there is a small chance of surviving in freezing cold weather but no chance with the wrong people.

I really should stop giving theory, and the story sounds familiar in many ways, good ways, a tour group heading to the Rocky Mountains, but having to take shelter in an abandoned cabin and people turn headless.

Darcy Coates always has a great shivering way of descriptions that I enjoy, most of the story was so fast (the ending was so slow) that I couldn't reach each character, but the detail of the main one, Christa who was on this trip with his boyfriend was good enough.

Easy read with short chapters and I definitely recommended to suspense readers.

My huge thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for ARC via NetGalley, I have given my honest review.

In a heart-stopping thriller that plunges readers into the unforgiving embrace of winter's cold grip, Darcy Coates delivers a gripping narrative in "Dead of Winter." Set against the backdrop of a remote cabin in the Rocky Mountains, this chilling tale unfolds as a group of strangers find themselves in a deadly struggle for survival, where trust is scarce and danger lurks at every turn.

Christa, haunted by her past, seeks solace in a tour group journeying into the wintry wilderness. Hoping for closure and a chance to leave her ghosts behind, she joins a small party deep within the snowy expanse. As a sudden and merciless snowstorm engulfs the region, the group seeks refuge in an abandoned hunting cabin. What begins as an attempt to wait out the storm swiftly descends into a nightmare of chilling proportions.

Coates masterfully builds an atmosphere of claustrophobia and suspense, capturing the frigid isolation and mounting tension within the cabin's confines. As the survivors grapple with their fears and uncertainties, the realization dawns that their shelter is no sanctuary at all. With a tour guide's gruesome fate setting the stage, the group is plunged into a harrowing game of survival where the line between trust and treachery is blurred.

The author's skillful pacing propels the narrative forward, heightening the sense of urgency and impending danger. The storm outside mirrors the storm within, as suspicions and paranoia grow amidst the dwindling number of survivors. Christa's struggle to identify friend from foe is both relatable and heart-wrenching, immersing readers in her desperate quest to uncover the killer among them.

Coates's vivid descriptions of the treacherous environment amplify the visceral impact of the narrative. The unforgiving snow-covered landscape becomes a character in itself, a harsh adversary that mirrors the relentless pursuit of the enigmatic killer. The tension is palpable as Christa races against time and nature, driven by the chilling realization that the cabin could become her final resting place.

"Dead of Winter" is a masterclass in psychological suspense, expertly delving into the depths of human nature under duress. The characters' vulnerabilities and hidden agendas, combined with the omnipresent threat of the unknown assailant, create a web of intrigue that captivates from the first page to the last. As the narrative hurtles toward its shocking conclusion, readers will find themselves ensnared in a web of mystery and peril, where survival hinges on a chilling battle of wits and nerve.

In my opinion this is one of the creepiest books I’ve read so far by this author. Set in the mountains during a brutal snow storm, a group becomes stuck and finds solace in a cabin. But one by one bodies start showing up headless. Is it someone in their group or an outsider?

Dead of winter was an intense thriller. A slasher sorta like Friday the 13th. The story takes place in an abandoned cabin in the middle of nowhere and a killer on the loose and every is a suspect. All the chills of a horror moved in a book!

I had a hard time getting into this one. I wasn’t a big fan of the characters either. It was well written but not for me.

Christa and Kiernan are going to tour a remote lodge in the Rocky Mountains during winter. While on the bus with the tour group up to the lodge the tour bus is stopped by a tree covering the road, leaving them stranded. The tour group finds a small cabin to take shelter from the winter weather, but soon realize someone if after them.

This was very atmospheric and read quickly. I loved the setting and the short chapters that left you hanging at the end of each one just enough to want to make you keep reading.

I did find the book repetitive and the plot too convenient at times. It ended up being predictable which was disappointing.

3.5 stars

Dead of Winter is a chilling and suspenseful tale of survival that grips readers from start to finish. Darcy Coates crafts an immersive and icy landscape, effectively conveying the fear and desperation of the characters trapped within it. Christa's journey, fraught with danger and uncertainty, resonates strongly, drawing readers into her struggle for survival. The author's vivid descriptions create a palpable sense of isolation and danger, effectively immersing readers in the frigid and forbidding landscape. The characters are well-developed, each with their own secrets and motivations, which adds depth to the story. Christa, the central protagonist, is relatable and serves as a strong anchor for readers to navigate the chilling events.
While Dead of Winter is an engaging read, the reveal of the killer's identity might feel somewhat predictable for those well-versed in the thriller genre. While the book masterfully keeps you guessing throughout, the ultimate unveiling of the antagonist's identity might not come as a shock to those familiar with similar narratives.

Christa and Kiernan were on their way to a two week vacation in the mountains when the bus for their tour comes across a fallen tree. While waiting until they can carry on, the group fans out and begins exploring the wintery nature surrounding them. What started as a fun adventure turns deadly when Christa and Kiernan can't find their way back to the group.

Cut to hours later, Christa comes to in a small cabin very much NOT the fancy lodge she signed up for, and Kiernan didn't make it back. Without power or cell service, the group sought shelter in the nearest structure they could to wait out the storm. Overnight, their tour guide goes missing, met with a grim fate. Will any of them make it out of this vacation alive? Who is killing the members of their group overnight?

When I tell you I couldn't put this book down, I truly mean I was up until 4 am so I could finish. It was a page turner full of twists and turns I really didn't expect. It kept me on my toes in a way a thriller hasn't in awhile. I really enjoyed it and look forward to Darcy's next book!

Side note: If you happen to enjoy this book, you may also like One by One by Ruth Ware. Another good winter lodge thriller.

And as always, a big thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was the perfect combination of horror and thriller. We jumped right in as Christa is stranded in the Rocky Mountains during a nasty winter storm with her tour group. Being stuck is not the biggest of their worries, though, because something more sinister is lurking within their midst's. Darcy Coates takes you on an exciting ride with this story and is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

Wow! This story is done the way a good mystery thriller should be written. The intensity and suspense, the setting, the edge of your seat bite your nails.... trying to figure out what exactly was going on, yelling at the book and characters, I experienced it all. Need more now!

Roberta G.
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Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates
Dead of Winter
by Darcy Coates (Goodreads Author)
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Read in August 2023
Unfortunately, I mostly found this book very slow, with a huge amount of very detailed but useless descriptions, and predictable in that, despite the cliffhangers at the end of each chapter, the final plot twist was quite easy to figure out from the start, even for a reader who's not particularly attentive, and it just felt that the plot went on and on with the same pattern (I won't reaveal which pattern because it might be considered a spoiler), suffice to say that it follows the same literary topos as And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed some parts of the book where the claustrophobic, dreadful atmosphere was masterfully built by the author and I could feel what the characters were experiencing, hence 3 stars.

One more detail some people might want to know: if you're not into gory details, don't read Dead of Winter!

This is my first Coates novel and it did not disappoint! This was a tense, atmospheric story that kept you turning the pages. I am planning on reading this again this winter!

Christa and her boyfriend (Kiernan) are going by bus with a tour group to a magnificent, secluded vacation lodge deep within the Rocky Mountains in September while the weather is still nice. When they were close to their destination a felled tree blocks their way from traveling any further until they can remove it from the road. Christa and Kiernan go for a walk while the road is being cleared while large, fluffy snowflakes soon turn into an unexpected early Autumn blizzard.

Soon, they are lost since they can see nothing except dizzying whiteness and huge green and white trees when eventually Christa ends up getting separated from Kiernan while struggling to find their way back to the bus. Hours and hours after fighting desvastating temperatures and sheer exhaustion and almost succumbing to the tempting thoughts of giving up and just laying down and falling asleep in the snow yet she knows she has to find Kiernan so she finally stumbles upon a small cabin and finds her group inside but no Kiernan. Christa happens to be sick from suffering hypothermia and she also lost total feeling in one of her hands yet she does fall in and out of a restless, delirious sleep. Sometime during the night the tour guide disappears while the group assumes Kiernan has probably died of exposure from the freezing conditions but the next morning they never expected to find their guide butchered and left where they could easily find his body.

A sadistic killer is after the group, but why? Is it someone hiding out near the cabin or can it possibly be one of the members of the tour? As the blizzard continues to get worse, and without any way of contacting the outside world since there isn't any cell service in this part of the mountains the group is trapped within a small one-room cabin while wondering who to trust and the lack of food and freezing temperatures plus foul moods has everyone impatiently waiting to see what happens next until they find a way to walk to their lodge yet the snow continues to fall and gets deeper and deeper when suddenly another member of their party goes missing.

What is happening? How can this be happening? Everyone in the group seem like normal people but could one of them actually be a monster in hiding? How long can they survive these harsh, barely, livable conditions and how many can outlast a brutal killer and a blizzard in the Rockies could possibly last for many days or longer!


I never fail to enjoy a "Darcy Coates" novel. This book caught me off-guard when the action and suspense started right away and I just loved that. The author reels the reader in almost immediately and each chapter leaves one hanging so you just can't stop reading while needing to find out what will happen next. The atmospheric writing was so crazy, good and I felt so cold while reading even though it was over ninety degrees outside my home. The blizzard conditions gave a perfect locked room mystery feel to this well-written horrorfest! Fun, scary, entertaining, creepy, eerie and don't forget the bloody, bloody gore! Make sure you're not eating while reading this one of you might be sorry for that decision and for some of you readers late night reading might give some a few sleepless nights.

This story will have you rooting for some characters while despising others when their true personalities reveal themselves but ultimately readers can't help but be entertained with so many unexpected twists and turns while trying to find out who the killer or killers are. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, Bam, another terrific unexpected twist that made my jaw drop. "Darcy Coates" storytelling is so good that I always look forward to reading her books and they're always very different with new surprises. I can't express enough how much fun the blizzard made this story so special!

Trigger Warnings: Not for sensitive readers, blood, gore, brutality, torture, claustrophobia etc. "Fun, Yes!!"

Highly Recommend!

I want to thank the publisher "Poison Pen Press" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this exciting novel and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I given this horror book a rating of 4 1/2 CREEPY, BRUTAL AND DEMENTED 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌠 STARS!!

My first Darcy Coates read and definitely not my last. Grabbed my attention immediately and kept me guessing. About 75% in, I did figure out the killer but didn't know the why until the twist ending. Great, entertaining and fast paced read.

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the copy.

Dead of Winter kept me on the edge of my seat! It’s a fast pace thriller with lots of characters, but don’t worry keeping track because eventually everything merges together. It was marketed as horror, but it’s so twisty that I will take the liberty to labeled it as thriller-horror, the twists kept coming and fast.

Just imagine being cold, hungry, no service (which means you can’t call for help), and feeling stuck when people begin to die. It’s not obvious if it’s a serial killer, one of the group or just monsters involved. But, somehow as the reader I needed to find out!

I really enjoyed Darcy’s style of writing and excited to pick another one up soon!

Thank you to NetGalley, Darcy Coates and Poisoned Pen Press for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I am obsessed with Coates, I literally cannot get enough. This is one of my favourites of hers; it’s dark, gory and takes place in a winter storm that gets everyone stuck in a remote cabin. It’s amazing and you all need it!

If I could rate this more than 5 stars I would, favorite book of 2023 so far!
I currently have a book hangover because I just finished this book and I think my brain exploded.
The gripping suspense this book gives is like no other that I’ve read. The insane twist and turns and drama and utter madness around every corner is terrifying in the best possible way!
I could not put this book down, every time I had to I was sitting there stressed out trying to figure out how things were going to go. I really thought I had this book figured out about 4 separate times and was utterly wrong every time. This was the most fast paced, well written, throughly thought out and executed storyline and characters I have ever seen in a book. I am so intensely impressed by this book and am going to need some time to recover from this!
Absolutely recommending this to everyone I know and have left this review of my own free will after receiving an advanced reader copy from net galley thank you for this utter work of perfection!!