Like always, Darcy Coates delivers on the suspense and the atmosphere! This book had me on the edge of my seat from the first sentence. This was the best locked room mystery I have read in quite a while, and I could not guess any of those twists or turns. I thought it was a little drug out towards the end, but overall, I was super interested.

The atmosphere was phenomenal. I felt like I was on the snowy, cold Rocky Mountains even though I am in hot, humid southern Indiana. Might need to read this one again during a snow storm!

I'm currently in my 'thriller era' but this read hands down take the prize for 2023! Fair warning, do NOT pick this up unless you have cleared your calendar because you will NOT be able to stop reading. I love locked room mysteries and psychological thrillers, so this was the perfect combination. Add in the isolated, weather-trapped, suffocating setting and you've got a fantastic combination. Coates does a masterful job of creating a unique cast of characters and I was on the edge of my seat to identify the killer and see who might be the next to fall. So many twists and turns, excellent pacing, and propulsive prose made this a five star read for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and Soucebook's Poisoned Pen Press for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest feedback!

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book and all of its twists and turns. I was constantly wondering who the killer was and how they were managing the kills. This book was a bit graphic, but very entertaining and detailed enough that I felt like I was watching a movie.

Dead of Winter is intense from start to finish. A group of travelers on a bus end up stranded in a snow storm. One goes missing and another loses his head. For days while seeking cover in a tiny cabin, they start getting picked off, one by one. With no way of knowing if the killer is amongst them or an outsider, tensions and fear reach max capacity.
Throughout the entirety of this book you’ll be suspicious of every character. A thrilling, wintery, whodunnit.

the way I totally guessed the plot twist but was STILL SHOCKED when it was revealed…

solid isolated thriller. the snowy vibes were immaculate. the gore was pretty good. I will say that it was hard at times for me to keep all the characters - or “suspects” rather - straight, but that could totally be a me problem. also that ENDINGGGGGG!!! I was actively angry after reading the last page. Well done Darcy.

This is the second Darcy Coates book I've read and it will most definitely not be my last!

I couldn't help but think about the other books/movies that this reminded me of while reading it, so I shall list them here :
- The Drift (without the whole sickness aspect) by CJ Tudor
- One By One by Ruth Ware
- The Shining
- The Menu (I said what I said 👀)

This one is a quick read and a real page turner! Set in an isolated mountain top cabin, with a killer on the loose, picking off people! Lots of surprises you won't see coming.

This was such a page turner. The murders kept happening and the suspense kept building. What a surprise last few chapters This would be a good TV movie. 4.5 stars and I look forward to more from this author,

This was so intense. I was captivated the entire time. I had an idea of who had done it but kept second guessing myself because Darcy did so good at making me believe everything. It’s a little gory and gruesome, very detailed, so keep that in mind if you don’t like that kind of thing. But, I didn’t want to put this down. I did give it a 4.5 star because there are so many characters in this, it was a little hard to remember exactly who each person was. But otherwise, fantastic thriller!

Christa has joined a tour to the Rockie Mountains in the hopes that she can figure things out in her life, a getaway that starts out pretty benign but gets heavier as the story goes on.

The group has, because of the weather, settle into an abandoned cabin. Christa's boyfriend Kiernan goes missing even before they enter the cabin. There are nine people on this tour. A few of them were not very likable or nice, the others seemed ok. Until another of the group goes missing and they find a head hanging from a tree.

Something sinister is going on and even if they could they have no way to communicate with the outside world due to the inclement weather that has left them stranded. As time goes on everyone is suspicious of the other and then more people go missing, with their heads to be found hanging in the trees.

Reading a Darcy Coates novel is always one of the best there is in the suspense/horror genre. I was pleasantly surprised by the ending, this was not my first Darcy Coates and it won't be the last. This was a book that if I was so inclined, would have bitten my nails to the nubs. Creepy, suspenseful, and downright scary!

I give the book 5 stars.

The biggest Darcy Fan here! I love her work, and especially enjoy her short stories. So, as I was all caught up on Darcy Reads, when this one became available for advanced read I was BEYOND HONORED. And, let me tell you this didn't disappoint!

Looking for a nice, spooky, chilling read that leaves you feeling a certain emptiness when it ends? Well, look no further. I could not wait to get time in my day to steal away and find a quiet, dark corner to read this book!

Nutshell version: Couple takes a vacation, and of course the bus breaks down en route. Blizzard conditions, can't see in front of you, and danger around every corner, although technically not a corner, but more of like an ice bank? Either way, danger catches up with the group, folks die, nobody knows who did it and well there you have it!

Lovely whodunnit mystery in my mind and in her amazingly true DC writing style. LOVED it and recommend you pick up you copy of not only this one, but ALL of her books!

Winter thriller/horror that surpasses everything! 11 people are on a bus headed to a remote destination when they are forced to stop and find shelter. One by one they are being picked off so it's a race to figure out who is doing the killing.

Some of the reviewers said they figured it out early on, and I dismissed it as nonsense. However, I had a theory early on too which I regarded as too implausible, only for it to be correct. All the bases were covered detail-wise, all explanations forthcoming, so really I couldn't complain that I was actually right. The tension and suspense was extremely consistent throughout the novel, everyone equally could have been the killer. The characters have been kept deliberately one dimensional with the reader having to believe everything that comes out of their mouths and making interpretations based on actions. In reality, this is also true having just met strangers, you have no choice but to go off the visuals and their words.

4.5⭐ rounded up. The complaints are extremely minimal, the fun and nervous excitement were most definitely there, this novel packed a huge entertainment punch. This is my first Darcy Coates book that I have read, but it won't be the last. Great job! Hope to see this on Netflix soon😂

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Christa and her boyfriend Kiernan join a tour group heading deep into the Rocky Mountains for a two week retreat. The bus breaks down which forces the group to take shelter in an abandoned cabin. One by one, people slowly get killed.

I really enjoyed this winter wilderness thriller. I had a strong hunch regarding who was the killer and it was a joy to read how all the pieces tie together. The action was well paced and Christa's thoughts added a nice layer to the overall story.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC and this is my honest review.

This is one of the best thrillers I have read!

My appreciation goes to @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress for providing me with this early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Christa has joined a tour group heading into the Rocky Mountains for some time away with her boyfriend. Storm conditions force the group to take refuge in an abandoned hunting cabin. Their tour guide goes missing and is later found dead… very dead.

Eight strangers, one killer- stranded in the middle of nowhere in freezing and storming weather. I felt the tension and fear as if I were in the cabin. The claustrophobic and isolated vibe was as chilling as the blizzard conditions they faced. It made me want to bury myself in a blanket as I read to keep shelter from it all.

It kept me engaged, nervous and guessing as to whether the killer was one of them or someone on the outside. I didn’t guess it either which made me love the book even more!

Highly recommend!

Excellent. A sweet blend of suspense, horror and violent murder mystery, without any supernatural element. A 2-week vacation at a lodge in the snowy mountains turns into a not-so-fun one room cabin full of strangers nightmare. I didn’t want to put it down and look forward to reading more by Darcy Coates. If you like locked room mysteries in a remote location with inclement weather, this book is for you! There were a good amount of characters so they were easy to keep track of and not mix up. The suspense was non-stop without a dull moment, up to the very end.

Even though I guessed who was behind all the murders and why, it was still an intense read. The author makes so many characters suspicious enough to be the killer. Once I got past 20% mark, I didn't want to put it down until I finished the book. Definitely a deadly cat and mouse game confined to a small basic cabin in the middle of a snow storm. Everyone is afraid to go anywhere alone, sleep or turn their backs on each other. Grizzly murders. Why is this happening to these characters? Who is the killer? Why are they being picked off one by one? Lots of twists and turns with the answers at the end. A very good read.

I received an ARC copy through NetGalley and this is my honest review.

A group of strangers are heading on a perfect winter retreat. They get stuck in a cabin together (somewhere close to the retreat but not there) in a very remote area in the Rocky Mountains after a snow storm. Then things get weird, someone dies. Someone is a killer and it could be anyone.

I loved the suspense! What a well crafted thriller that had me guessing till the very end. I might have guessed what was happening at some point but was never quite sure. I felt it was very well written too.

Some of my favorite parts;
1) I loved the “edge of your seat” set up — dark, cold, often times with little visibility, food was limited, phones were about to die….
2) Unreliable characters — I did not trust anyone, not even the main character, ai just couldn’t be sure. This made it a very thrilling read

Some of my less favorite parts:
1) I’m in the US so reading this during a heat wave was kind of weird
2) Some of the violent gory parts were too excessive for my taste but they have definitely made this book unique ( can’t say I have come across that anywhere else!)

Overall a great read if you’re into thrillers. Save it for the winter! Give it a try.

I cannot recommend this book and found its writing to be extremely subpar. Please see my full review on GoodReads here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/1135708?ref=nav_mybooks

What started off as a 12 day retreat in the snowy mountains turns into a fight to stay alive as a group of stranded tourists hunker down in a cabin waiting for assistance.

Christa and her boyfriend are heading to a remote lodge in the mountains when a storm strikes and the road is blocked by a giant tree. Unable to move the tree, the group they are with decide to hike to what they hope is the nearest town. They end up finding an abandoned cabin and decide to stay there until a search party can locate them. Unfortunately, a murderer has also located them and every time someone makes the unwise decision to wander off they end up dead. No one knows who they can trust and help doesn't seem to be coming. The slowly dwindling group of people have to decide whether they can afford to wait it out, or whether they need to venture out into the wilderness to try and find help.

This book was tense and suspenseful and a great thriller! I did have some logistical questions when I was finished, but overall I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good horror thriller.

Christa is dealing with demons from her past. Guilt gnaws at her to the point she’s unable to let go and move on. Her boyfriend books a getaway for them al a lodge in the Rocky Mountains.

On their way, the bus has to stop due to a tree blocking the road. As if the delay wasn’t enough, a mighty snowstorm hits the area, so the group is forced to huddle in an abandoned hunting cabin. During a walk the couple tales, the boyfriend goes missing and Christa gets hurt. She wakes up to the strangers’ faces of the group members. She wants to find her boyfriend, but the weather is bad.

Things become more worrying when the guide goes missing as well. Only to find his head speared on a tree next to the cabin.

Christa and the group get the chilling understanding that there’s a killer among them once the body count rises.

What demons are haunting Christa?
Who’s killing the group members and why?
Who is friend and who is enemy?
Would Christa and the remaining others survive?

This is a well written, well paced, chilling and gripping thriller! Darcy Coates shows no mercy when it comes to her characters nor towards her readers.

I had suspected who the killer was early on, but the author pulled a twist that basically killed that thought. Once everything got together and all cards were put on the table, I had an Oh. My. God! Moment. It was well put together, perfectly planned and thought through plot. Loved the twists and loved the tension!!

This has been my first Darcy Coates book but certainly not the last!

4.5 ⭐

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was just an OK read for me. The description drew me in quickly – a group of strangers stuck in a cabin during a snow storm with a killer on the loose. Why are they all there and who would want to kill them?
The first part of the book was a little too slow for me and kind of boring. The second half is when everything started to come together and intensify. The twist at the end was surprising to me only because I wasn’t that engaged in the story to figure it out earlier.
As for the characters I did like Christa. I felt like she stayed alert to what was happening around her despite the personal drama she was going through. The rest of the group was just flat. I wish we got a little more details on their stories and lives. Many times I caught myself thinking “who is this again”.
This book is categorized as a horror, which I assume is due to some of the graphic and gory elements. To me this read more like a thriller. It was still enjoyable just didn’t blow me away. Solid 3 stars.

Thank you NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press and the author for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.