I am convinced Darcy Coates is the queen of horror, and nothing can convince me otherwise. Her books are horrifying in the best way. I think this might be my new favorite of hers!!! I do wish it came out closer to fall or winter to get the full affect of the book, but reading it in July was awesome too!

I can’t believe that this was my first Darcy Coates book!! I own several of her books but this was the first time I’d read anything and whoa.. I read it in two sittings staying up until 4AM the second night because I couldn’t be pulled from it!

I mean, EVERYONE was a freaking suspect in this book! And the ending? I so did not see that coming. I doubted everyone from the main character to the snow itself in this book.

Dead of Winter is a must read if you’re looking for a quick and intriguing thriller. You will not be disappointed one bit when picking this book up!

Wow just wow!! Dead of Winter is a crazy whodunit is a thrilling ride that will keep you guessing until the end. This book has a lot of characters but it’s told from Christa’s POV.
Kieran takes Christa on a tour into the Rockies in the middle of winter. From the start of the tour things start to happen and people start to die one by one. Don’t even want to say anymore than that bc I’m afraid I will spoil the book.
I could not put this book down today!! There were so many twists and turns up until the very end. I had an idea who the killer was from the beginning but throughout the book Darcy made me second guess myself…a lot. The only thing I wished is that it wouldn’t have left you guessing or using your imagination at the end. This book has made my favorite thriller list for 2023.
Thank you Darcy Coates, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for an advance copy of Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates. I really enjoy books by Darcy Coates as they are spooky thrillers, often with ghosts. This one was different from the others I’ve read in that there is no haunting. A small group of people are heading for a relaxing vacation in the mountains when their bus gets stranded on the road. A winter storm comes in and they are forced to find shelter in an old house. One by one, people start to disappear and show up murdered. The main character, Christa, tries to figure out who is targeting them and why. It was a good story, a little gruesome in parts so if you don’t like that kind of detail, you may want to skip those parts. Overall, I enjoyed it. I thought I knew who the culprit was early, but the story had me second guessing myself until the end. I recommend it!

Christa and her boyfriend Kiernan are on a bus traveling up the mountainside to spend a few days in a beautiful retreat. A fallen tree stops them, then a horrible snowstorm hits. Christa is separated from Keirnan but is able to make her way to a small cabin where she finds the rest of the tour group. Christa’s primary concern is getting back out there and finding Keirnan, but the murder of the trip guide changes her focus.
Unexplained things continue to happen with cruel regularity. The days go by, the food runs out, and the remaining few are infighting. Just as you think you’ve figured out this “Agatha Cristy” type of tale, the author throws a wrench in your theory. The pace is super-quick, the actions and thoughts of Christa keep you on your toes, and the description of the cold is painstakingly descriptive. If you love who-done-its, this is your next read.
Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date was July 11, 2023.

This novel gave was exactly what I was expecting it to be, and I loved it, it surely didn't disappoint! Seriously, I couldn't put it down!
The author is really good at building a creepy atmosphere, which is something I really enjoyed. It really felt as if I was on a freezing mountain and there was someone trying to unalive me (How fun!).
And I have to say it: I actually guessed who the killer was 1/4 into the book! I'm glad they turned out to be the killer, because if they hadn't, the ending would have been very anticlimactic.
Also, it they made a movie based on this book, I'd be the first one on the line to buy tickets.
I'm definitely going to be reading more books by Darcy Coates!
If you want to read a thriller with slasher vibes, go read this one, you'll love it!
I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

Christa and her boyfriend Kiernan join a tour group heading to a luxurious lodge in the middle of the mountains, but when the tour bus is blocked by fallen trees and a snowstorm the group is forced to take shelter in an abandoned cabin. Deep in the night, their tour guide goes missing...only to be discovered the following morning, his severed head impaled on a tree outside the cabin. Terrified, and completely isolated by the storm, Christa finds herself trapped with eight total strangers. One of them kills for sport...and they're far from finished.

Wow this was a wild ride from start to finish. My first book from Darcy Coates and it will defiantly not be my last!

This was a fantastic who dunnit and i genuinely had no idea what was going on!

Christa has agreed to join her boyfriend on a tour group of the Rocky Mountains, while on the trip. She his hoping to find some clarity in how to deal with some ghosts from her past. When a snowstorm hits the bus the group realizes they must find shelter and quickly if they are goingmto survive the weather. They find an abandoned hunting cabin and everyone feels relatively safe. Soon they learn that no one is safe, first the tour guide goes missing and is later found without his head. Everyone is scared and no one knows who to trust. They soon.learn that the killer is just getting started. Christa finds herself looking at the others in the group trying to figure out who the killer may be. Will Krista figure out who the murderer is and why they are killing before she ends up dead? This was an intriguing read that had me guessing the whole way through!

Thank you to the Publisher, Author, and Net Galley for an ARC of this book, in return for my honest review.

I was so excited to get accepted for an ARC of this story as I have heard such great things about Darcy Coates and her stories. Sadly, I just could not get into the story. Although it will not stop me from trying another one of her books. I can say the wintry, isolated setting with a murderer on the lose is a trope, I have read one too many times in my life. The story seemed to be dragged out, maybe I might have liked it if it was shorter? On the other hand, Darcy does really dive into building the characters up and providing a question around who actually could be the murderer which left me guessing the entire book.

Christa joins her boyfriend and a group of others on a tour into the Rocky Mountains. Their end stop is an isolated lodge, but when a blizzard comes through and stops them before getting there, they are forced to relocate to an abandoned cabin in a valley. They find solace in the warmth and shelter from the snowstorm, until members of the group start disappearing. How could this be happening, in the isolated parts of the Rocky Mountains?

DEAD OF WINTER, by Darcy Coates, is a twisty, psychological horror/thriller novel that takes place in an isolated lodge--or "should" have....

Our Main Character, Christa, is traveling with her boyfriend--the only one who was able to draw her out of her shell after being part of a horrible accident a couple years prior. The action starts out immediately, and I will admit that in those first few chapters, I felt a little "lost"--like I was already missing something. However, that quickly changed as the direction of the story became more clear.

One by one, members of their lost party are being picked off in gruesome ways, and they can only assume the killer is one of their own.

How well do you know the people around you?

This book--while having some very predictable elements--was still one that managed to keep me turning pages, determined to see if my theories were correct. While the main one I formulated early on was, another was not, and I absolutely loved that the author was able to pull it off so convincingly!

One of the better novels I've read by this author!

Recommended!

This book kept me on the edge of my seat, engaged and petrified the entire way through. A definite 5 star read.

This is one of the best novels I have read this year. It has wonderfully complex characters. An honest fear is put into everyone of them and the read, as well. It starts in the beginning and never lets up. The writing is so good that you will feel the anxiety, tension and terror of Christa and the other characters. It will keep you up at night. I can’t express how good this is.


I received an ARC from Poison Pen Press through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

This is a particularly gruesome story about a group who go off to a luxury lodge in the Rocky Mountains for a romantic (supposedly!) weekend. As expected by the title, there is a lot of death in this thriller! Their private bus breaks down and Crista loses track of her boyfriend Kiernan and cannot find him in the brutal winter conditions so agrees to stay with the others, who are all by the way strangers to her. They end up in a small cabin along the way, and she plans on going back out to find Kiernan. Then their guide, Brian, is the first to disappear, and is found with his head impaled on a tree branch. It reminds me of most of the locked-door thrillers, with people being picked off one by one! If you like that story, this is the book for you!

This book will have you disturbed and eager to keep reading. Dead of Winter is a horror/thriller following a young couple on their way to a lodge in the Rocky Mountains for a vacation. Only the bus gets stuck on the way up the mountain and while the passengers find refuge at a cabin they start getting picked off one by one. This book was a lot of fun. I guessed the twists before they happened but I still had a good time reading it. I’d recommend it to anyone that likes who among us is the killer vibes and macabre displays left by the killer. Maybe just don’t read it at night, especially if it’s snowing.

When strangers are trapped in a small cabin in the Rocky Mountains due to a terrible storm and a broken bus, there is the perfect time for a killer to pick them off one by one.

Told from only one POV with short chapters, this thriller/horror kept the pages flying for this reader. I binged it in one day and was completely off when I tried to guess the killer ahead of the reveal. Well done! 👏👏👏

Thank you to the publisher and @netgalley for my #eARC
(Opinions are mine)

Holy crap - what a tense thriller! I'm sad I was sick this week and didn't have the brainpower to finish this in one sitting because that time between each reading was just me wondering the entire time what was happening next and who the killer was.

I admit I read only the first part of the summary prior to requesting because I saw Darcy Coates name, and while this is the first of her books I've read, I have collected a few that I intend to read (lol) and figured this was a good place to get into her work... so, I was expecting a ghost story and this is not that haha But I am super looking forward to reading more of her work because this was so atmospheric, and so suspenseful and just super fun to read. It even managed to surprise me by the end because I was following the obvious clues/red herrings, but she does hint to the real killer several times, so when the reveal comes it is a surprise but at the same time you're thinking "that's right!! It all makes sense!"

I'm also in awe of how Coates gives us a rather large cast of characters but manages them well enough that the reader gets to know them better than you'd expect and I found I really didn't have any problems keeping anyone or the details about them straight.

I honestly wish I could reread this again with fresh eyes to enjoy that feeling of tense excitement and surprise all over again. This is an easy favorite for the year!

A good fast read that kept me on the edge of my seat. Just when you think things can't get worse they do. I read this story when it was 100 degrees outside and still found myself shivering. Definitely a mixture of Stephen King and Agatha Christie. Ten strangers on a bus are stranded on a mountain in a snow storm. They are being murdered one after another. There were a few inconsistencies, too much blood, and a wild ending!

Dead of Winter. This is a book that had me reading with the lights on. Talk about a scare factor. This story hit the high mark with that system. I think that this book has some excellent writing.
The plot was insanely good. The twist was unbelievably good. The hints here and there I picked up on earlier in the book, because that’s how good of a self proclaimed detective sleuth that I am. I did not put the book down. I will say that I would have liked to read more emotional rage and anger between the characters, while they are in the middle of finding out who is the culprit among them.
The scene with Denny Christa, I would like to have seen more of Denny’s side as far as dialogue wise. Give his reasoning of why he’s doing what he’s doing during these scenes. The excitement of the story and each character was crazy good. Simone girl you are one of the people I would gladly have in my side. Alexis, I would have her in my back pocket and tied to my side at all times.
The description of the characters was great. All the characters was amazingly written. They gave so much to the story that was very good. I was able to get a good visual of what christa’s interpretation of each character. The book is an entertaining story that is a good scary read.
I give this book a, Christa one word. Staycation. Until next time my fellow readers. Read on! I received a copy of this book for a voluntary honest review.

Thanks to Net Galley, Poisoned Pen Press and Darcy Coates for the ARC.

Christa and her boyfriend, Kiernan, are on a bus with fellow tourists headed for a remote lodge in The Rocky Mountains. They are traveling during a blinding snowstorm which is slowing them down. As they come across a tree in the road, they must stop to clear it. The tour guide insists it will be a quick fix. Christa and Kiernan wander off while the tree is being moved. Christa falls down a hill and loses sight of Kiernan. She manages to make her way to a cabin where her fellow passengers have congregated. But, where is Kiernan?

As the group settles in and tries to figure out their best escape plan, things begin to go wrong. One by one, they are being picked off.

I mostly enjoyed this novel. People trapped in a snowstorm in a remote area with a killer in the loose is always gripping. I did figure out who the killer was early on, but it did not ruin the story. There were parts in the middle where I felt like it dragged. Also the bodies are described graphically in my opinion. So if that bothers you, you might want to skip this one. 3 1/2 stars rounded up.

This is the second book I’ve read by this author and it has broadened my thoughts on horror books! I enjoyed the deep imbedded mystery as opposed to a typical thrasher style horror. This one had an incredible plot with a truly suspenseful locked room mystery. I had a pretty good idea what was going to happen but it didn’t take away from the journey there.

Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates is a horror novel about a group of people stuck in a snowstorm.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Poisoned Pen Press and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Christa hopes that this trip to the Rocky Mountains with her boyfriend Kiernan will end in an engagement.   She is finally letting go of a tragedy from two years ago, and Kiernan seems to be the reason for this change.  They will be part of a tour group, eleven people headed to Blackstone Alpine Lodge.

But a fallen tree stops the bus, and Kiernan and Christa check out the area while others try to move the tree.  A sudden snowstorm hits,  Christa barely survives, and Kiernan is missing.  She finds herself with the other nine members of the group in an abandoned cabin, while she frets about her boyfriend, and they try to wait out the storm.  But the first night, their tour guide goes missing.  As the storm rages on, they discover his severed head impaled on a pine tree not far from the cabin. 

Christa soon realizes that it may not be the storm that kills them all.  One by one, her companions are sadistically murdered.


My Opinions:
Well, this is a locked room mystery in the middle of a snowstorm, and definitely reminiscent of Christie's "And Then There Were None"....but a lot longer.  Definitely suspenseful, and although my original guess as to the perpetrator seemed to get shot down, it was okay, because I had plenty of other suspects to choose from.  Later, I was surprised to be right.  Surprises are good!

The characters, whether you liked them or hated them,  were definitely interesting, and most had depth.  The storm itself became a character that created almost as much havoc as the killer!

The story was told from Christa's perspective, and I loved how her mind tried to figure out who to trust.  There were two major twists in the book, and the first one lead me to expect the second one, but WOW.

My only complaint was that it was a trifle long, dragging occasionally. Oh and I'm a stickler for having everything wrapped up, so I'd like to know if there are other survivors.  Then there's the fact that this is being published in July?  Perhaps a winter publishing event would have been more appropriate.

Overall, I loved the book.