This was my first Darcy Coates book and I LOVED it. I loved it so much that I immediately checked out every other book available at our library. Some I also loved, some I hated, and some were meh. Like with Ruth Ware's books, I have kind of a love/hate relationship with Coates' books. But, when she writes a five-star read, she really knocks it out of the park.

I went into this one with caution. Anything compared to And Then There Were None automatically gets a one-star deduction from me, because NOTHING can compare to one of the greatest mystery novels of all time. Fight me if you disagree.

And while Coates did earn that star back, please do not mistake that as me saying this is on par with None. It isn't. But it is an incredibly well-written, tense, horror-filled book that I enjoyed immensely. I figured out what was really going on after the main character, Christa, revealed the accident that changed her life, before the big reveal, but that did not change my enjoyment at all. Sometimes it's great to be right - when the book is good.

Christa and her boyfriend Kiernan join a small tour group comprised of individual travellers, a married couple, and father/son duo. Their tour guide, Brian, is leading the group but on the way to their destination, a massive snowstorm comes through, making the road impassable when a tree falls across the road. Knowing they can't stay on the bus and freeze, they seek shelter and find an abandoned hunting cabin to hole up in, hoping to wait out the storm. There are 11 to start with, and many will die.

As their first night in the cabin comes, Christa is injured and Kiernan has disappeared after he and Christa were having a look around, and the slope they were on gave way into nothing. By morning their tour guide is missing and at first the group wonders if he's tried to go for help. Within a short time the group discovers the truth when they find his severed head impaled on a tree not far from the cabin.

The tension is palpable upon the discovery as they realize one of them is a murderer. They're trapped on a mountain with no way to escape, the bus is useless, no cell phone reception, and very limited supplies. There's no way of knowing who to trust when it becomes clear that it must be one of them. They're terrified, exhausted, and hungry. Not exactly prime condition for thinking clearly - which none of them can do, except the killer, who has planned it all perfectly. They're constantly questioning each other, which leads to more anger and resentment. The stress of having to sit next to someone, in a freezing cabin with no food, who might be a murderer, was well-written and I could feel it myself as though I were there.

Despite being a large cast, I did not have trouble keeping them straight, something that's not always easy with a large number. They were each district enough that I wasn't constantly scrolling back to see which backstory went with which character. As they share information about themselves, their careers in particular, you can start cnnecting the dots to see WHY they are all on the mountain together, even if you don't yet know WHO had engineered it.

Given the violent and bloody ways that each was killed, I would definitely classify this as horror, with psychological/thriller elements present. Truly gruesome, especially the thing with the teeth, which I will leave you to discover for yourself.

Highly recommended.

I just finished 'Dead of Winter' by Darcy Coates, and wow. Just... wow. I'm sitting here, wishing I'd saved this book for a proper winter night. Imagine: snow piling up outside, a mug of hot chocolate in hand, and then diving into this icy nightmare. That's the vibe this book screams.
From the get-go, Coates just throws you into this isolated lodge, buried under a mountain of snow. You can practically feel the wind whipping around the corners and hear the floorboards creaking. And then, the 'something else' starts happening. Shivers. I was hooked.
Honestly, I was gripping my Kindle so tight, my knuckles were probably whiter than the snow in the book. It’s that kind of story! The way Coates builds the tension is just chef's kiss. You're constantly on edge, wondering what's lurking in the shadows. The characters aren't super deep, but they're real, you know? You feel their fear, and you're right there with them, trying to figure out what the heck is going on.
And let's talk about that ending. Seriously, my jaw was on the floor. I was convinced I had it all figured out, smugly thinking, 'Oh, I see where this is going.' Nope! Wrong! Coates just yanked the rug out from under me, and then proceeded to take me on a rollercoaster of twists and turns that didn't stop until the very last page. I was gasping, I was muttering, and I was riveted.
I have to admit, I was a little disappointed when I finished, not because the ending was bad, but because I realized I didn't get the full, chilling experience of reading it in the winter. I'm already making plans to reread it when the first snow falls. It's just that perfect blend of creepy and atmospheric that you crave on a cold night.
Seriously, if you love a good scare and you're looking for something to make you want to huddle under a blanket, pick up 'Dead of Winter.' Just maybe wait until it's actually winter for the full effect! You won't regret it. It's a solid 4.5 stars from me, rounding up to 5, because honestly, it was just that good. And that ending? Chef's kiss again.

This was so good! It was very intense, especially the last few chapters. It was gruesome, but not too much that it was unreadable. I feel the characters could have been developed a little more, I didn't care a ton for the lead.

Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates is a read not to be missed. Tense, atmospheric and chilling. There is real terror in these pages.

Summary -

"...Did you find his body?' It's the worst question. The sort of thing that, in any other situation, I might have wrapped in softer, cushioning language.
There's no time for delicacy, though, I need an answer. I need it faster than anyone seems to want to give it to me.
Brian crouches. He braces his forearms on his knees. His lips work, slightly dry and tacky as he feels out his answer.
I repeat myself, louder and harsher, my voice cracking. 'Did you find his body?'
'No,' Brian finally says..."

Christa and Kiernan join a group heading into the Rocky Mountains to enjoy an extended stay in a secluded lodge. A time to get away from it all. But the trip is halted when they discover a tree blocking the road and Christa and Kiernan become separated from the group. As a snow storm hits the region the group takes refuge in an abandoned hunting cabin. Christa finds the group before she passes out. When she awakens she is told that Kiernan never made out of the storm. He is out there, somewhere, lost.

At first the group searches for Kiernan but soon they realize that there own situation is precarious as well. With little to no supplies they believe their best bet is to wait out the storm in the safety of the cabin. But they are wrong.

"...I drop the crimson-tinted ice and take a few steps back. It doesn't seem like a coincidence that it's here so close to the pine. I tilt my head up to search the branches directly above.
There's something there. A shape, roundish but irregular. A bird's nest? No. Large wasp nest? Unlikely in this region. Mistletoe or some other fungal or parasitic protrusion?
It's hard to see from my angle. The rising dawn acts as a backlight, silhouetting it. I shuffle around, trying to get a better angle. The sides are smooth, but the top is ragged, somehow, strands of something delicate fluttering in the wind like fine grass. It protrudes from the end of one of the dead branches.
I take another step and suddenly the image makes sense. My mouth turns dry.
Speared onto the end of the branch is something horrendously familiar.
Brians's head..."

Christa realizes that not only are they trapped in a storm with no communication. They are trapped with a killer. One by one, the group of eight strangers is being hunted and killed. The only answer is that one of them, is the killer.

Review -

I enjoyed this book far more than I thought I would at first. Yes it holds pretty much to the isolation horror story. A group of individuals with nothing in common are trapped in a location, with no escape and no communication with the outside. Among them is a killer. Pretty standard stuff ordinarily. But Coates takes this to another level.

Told through the single person narrative, the reader is thrust into the fear and uncertainty Christa is feeling. Her one person, the only one she knew and trusted, is wrenched away from her. Now she is stuck with strangers and any one of them could be the killer. Beyond that is the environment that at any time kill them all on its own.

Tense, atmospheric and with characters that breathe in these frosty pages. This is a novel you will not soon forget and more so, will be comparing others to.

A terrific read!

I really enjoyed this book. I love a good stranded thriller and this did not disappoint. Highly recommend! First by this author and will definitely not be my last.

Wow! This story is one I won’t be forgetting any time soon.

There is a lot going on in this story and you won’t want to
Put it down. It’s a story of “Who done it” and I promise you won’t figure it out.
There is a twist at the end you just don’t see coming.
Mysterious, graphic, and so much more.

This book was great! The setting, the characters, the suspense and the ever changing suspicion of who did it kept me hooked. I love all things Darcy and this was no exception.

This was a very entertaining book!

Christa and her boyfriend head off for a two week vacation in the Rocky Mountains, along with several others who have signed up for the tour. They all plan to relax and unwind in a lodge in the middle of nowhere. Christa is hoping that her boyfriend will propose. Instead, the trip goes horribly wrong when the tour bus can’t get to the lodge, and they are forced to hole up in an abandoned cabin nearby.

There are some fun twists in this book. However, if you read a lot of thrillers, you’ll figure out the big twist really early on.

Dead of Winter was so fun - I'm a big fan of locked room mysteries and this one didn't disappoint. Darcy Coates is terrifying and sucks you in to her claustrophobic settings. I find her characters a little stilted at times but that's pretty par for the course with horror.

I normally love everything Darcy writes but I felt like this was such a copy & paste of No Exit by Taylor Adams. & quite honestly-I didn’t care for that book either. I was so excited for this one & it just was such a disappointment for me. But I do love Darcy & I will still read her books.

This book had me stressed! Even though I saw the twist coming, there were plenty of events thrown in to have me second guessing my choice. I'm pretty sure I won't ever be staying in a remote cabin and this has me not wanting to trust anyone! Darcy Coates books usually start off slow for me, but they go from 0-80 so fast! I enjoyed this one and I've already recommended it to friends. Thank you NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Darcy Coates for giving me a copy in exchange for an honest review! Go read this winter thriller. You won't regret it.

I must say this book wasn’t bad. I enjoyed how it was witted and it kept me engaged. I have this a 4 star rating.

A trapped snowy mystery?! Sign me up! I was looking forward to reading this novel about a tour group stranded in The Rockies. However, I was able to guess early on who the killer was, and I lost interest in reading more since I wasn't invested in any of the characters who were still alive.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for a free and unbiased review.

Imagine that you, your love, and a small group of people are on your way to a perfect winter getaway... unfortunately, you never make it to the cozy lodge and end up in a wintery hell. A fallen tree in the road leads to a change of plans. While trying to find the perfect mountain view, Christa and her boyfriend, Kiernan, get separated and lost from their fellow travelers. The tour group leads a search and eventually finds a cabin and Christa, but Kiernan is nowhere to be found. Another search is pretty much out of the question - the snow is absolutely blinding. While the group tries to ride out the storm, people begin to disappear. Someone out there is picking off members of the group one by one. Who is behind this and why? Will anyone make it out alive??

Wowza. Dead of Winter is an intense and heart-pounding read!! It has that locked room feel - from the confines of the cabin to the outdoor areas where the characters are limited to roam. I could envision so many of the scenes playing out on-screen (that pine tree - eeeeeek!). The author casts suspicion on pretty much every member of the party, while also leading the reader to wonder if there is an outside force behind the terror. I really enjoyed this book and couldn't wait to see how it ended!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read if you like:
❄️ wintery HORROR 🥶🥶🥶
❄️ a group “who-dun-it”
❄️ lots of characters
❄️ single POV
❄️ single timeline

I love snowy, wintery thrillers so much!!! I have never been afraid of snow until I started reading wintery thrillers 😬😬😬 Like who did it??? Is there a monster lurking in the snow?? Is someone watching them at all times??
Make no mistake about it though: this one is GORY! I would even call this more horror than a thriller because it was very graphic and may be disturbing to some.
I was hooked right from the very beginning because this book starts with my very favourite format for a thriller: with the height of action right at the beginning ❤️❤️ literally impossible to not keep reading!
I loved the 2 main characters Christa and Kiernan 💔💔💔 The whole time I was just wishing for them to be together but I knew in my heart of hearts that it wasn’t going to be a happy ending 😭😭
There were a lot of characters in this one and honestly it did make it a little tough for me to keep track of who was who.
I honestly had no idea who the killer was boy was I shocked! I love how everything came together and was wrapped up in the end… the “twist” was pretty crazy!

I've read and enjoyed this author's novels before so I was really happy when I received an ARC from NetGalley. This is also a closed circle mystery where the weather/environment is part of the problem (and also trying to kill them), which is also something I really love. And Coates really used the hostile environment to good effect, setting the stakes high from the start to make it very clear why the group aren't trying to escape. The cabin they're stuck in, and the horror unfolding of why those surroundings they were in, was done very well.

Christa, the main character, is immediately struck with grief from the start and is left mostly alone at the start. This was a great way to start everything off because the group had a good reason to avoid interacting with her too much (awkwardness) and she had a good reason not to interact with them, so she could be the silent observer and gave us a chance to get to know the characters. And then people started dying in fairly brutal ways.

The plot itself was more thriller than mystery but Coates does really well in writing the escalation, I think the pacing was done so well. I've read and enjoyed her horror novels and it's for this reason, she knows how to up the stakes and build the tension and she does that in this book. I did sort of consider the twist very early on<spoiler> when Kieran went missing presumed dead and I was like 'he's the one you would least suspect so it's probably him and we never really see his head' </spoiler> but I fully guessed it about 3/4 of the way through, though I still enjoyed the reveal came about. (Honestly I would have found the twist more surprising if Coates hadn't gone the route she did).

I really enjoyed it and it's a great winter read.

There's a cold front coming, so it seemed the perfect time to read a mystery set in the "Dead of Winter". This one blew my socks off! Once I reached the halfway mark I couldn't put it down!

Christa and her boyfriend Kiernan are on a tour to a lodge deep in the Colorado Rockies. But a short hike goes wrong, and they find themselves lost in the storm. Christa eventually reunites with the group but Kiernan is lost to the elements. Then one by one the eight people stuffed into a one room cabin start to die.

They eventually figure out their relationship to each other. Their six degrees of separation comes down to one degree. But this doesn't help them determine who is trying to murder them all.

Wow, I can't say enough for the dread and drama this book provided. At one point, when the lights go out in the cabin, I wanted to scream! We experience it all through Christa's eyes. She is a lot braver than I would be, especially considering her one hand is useless with frostbite.

The book starts with some pretty good action, and then it just keeps building in intensity. The locked room element was perfect here, and having the cold and snow be a deadly adversary only adds to the paranoia. I commend the author for writing such a page turner. Someone needs to turn this into a movie! The script would write itself!

I will be seeking out other books by this author. I'm sorry it took so long to get around to reading this ARC, but it delivered a 5 star read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Darcy Coates, and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Awesome suspense!
This was my first Darcy Coates novel, but it won’t be my last.
A trip to a snowy mountain lodge, a bus with loaded with strangers. The bus can’t get pass a downed tree, so the passengers have to hold up in an empty cabin.
What could possibly go wrong?

Dead of Winter is by far one of Darcy Coates must chilling stories. Set in the Rocky Mountains during a snow storm a tour group is stranded. First they must simply survive the elements but when one of there own is taken and murdered they must survive eachother. This novel is dark, violent, mysterious, and laced with red herrings.

This was a page turner! A group of strangers joins a tour group to explore some remote areas of the Rocky Mountains. AS the title promises, it's winter, which gives the book real jeopardy and lots of chills. The main character is Christa, who is trying to make a fresh start. But when their tour guide is found dead in the snow, it's clear there’s a killer among them.

What makes the book fun is everybody has secrets, and the circumstances reveal each of their characters, for better and worse. There's so much tension because the snowstorm makes them trapped and when they start dying one by one there is nowhere to hide!