I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

There's no denying Darcy Coates is an amazing author, is there? If horror is your jam, you'd likely read one of her books already.

We meet our FMC Christa as she's exploring the Rocky Mountains with a tour group when a massive snowstorm leaves them stranded in an abandoned cabin. This is naturally when things start going crazy.
Overnight, the tour guide goes missing... and reappears in the morning.. well his head does.
Someone in the tour group is killing for fun, and the group numbers dwindle down. Christa has to decide who to trust.

The twists and suspense in this book was top level. Seriously. Read it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
3.5 Stars rounded up for this claustrophobic, pulse-pounding thriller!

I was honestly surprised by the strength of this book. I have mostly read Horror novels from Darcy and wasn't sure what to expect here. The premise is a group of people are all headed to a remote lodge in the heart of the Rocky Mountains for a week of relaxation. Where they can unplug, and reconnect with themselves and the world. However, the bus is stopped by a fallen tree in the road and soon a snow storm sets in leaving them stranded in the wilderness and fighting for survival. Then one of the group are discovered brutally murdered and everyone is a suspect.

I love Darcy's writing and it shines here. The short chapters that leave you practically foaming at the mouth, nails bitten to the quick, and have you turning pages as fast as possible. Her dialogue and writing style is simple and easy to digest and the pacing is fantastic. The isolated atmosphere keeps you on the edge of your seat and gasping for air.

The characters were fine, nothing spectacular, but standard fare. My one major complaint is with the ending of the book. This is part survival story that changes to a murder mystery that feels like the wick is burning and you are just waiting for the bomb to explode. That happens up until the literal last page and then....it just ends. No Epilogue. Nothing. I was quite disappointed in that, but it couldn't negate the positive moments that led up to it. It was still an enjoyable read.

Overall, the book was exciting, brutal, and a ton of fun to read. The ending aside, the plot twists and reveals are nothing revolutionary and pretty predictable, but I have always said the Coates writes right in the comfort zone of horror/thrillers. Her books never turn the formula on its head, but the execution is still great. I would definitely recommend this for fans of thrillers. This takes isolation to the max and amps up the atmosphere and horror. I can't wait to read From Below that has been on my shelf for some time. Keep 'em coming, Darcy.

WOW this one takes you for a crazy ride! This is a horror/thriller in which eight people are stuck in a remote cabin in the Rocky Mountains and begin to die one by one. I was FULLY captured by this book and trying to figure out who was doing the killing. There were so many twists and turns and when I thought I had it figured out, I was proven to be completely wrong! I had trouble putting it down. Fast paced, an excellent plot, great characters! The author left the book with a little cliff hanger, so I will be on the lookout for a second book! Highly recommended.
Great job by the author! Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately I could not get into this book. I didn't feel like there was anything leading up to them being stuck in the snow... it just happened. I missed the plot line and the lead in. Then I was just wondering how I was supposed to care about all these missing characters. Not for me.

Thank you #netgalley for sending me this novel. I like Darcy Coates writing however her books do not stand out from other books. It felt like another group of people stuck in a cabin in the winter. It was ok but felt standard.

Dead of Winter is a claustrophobic and atmospheric closed circle thriller that had me on the edge of my seat the whole way through. Christa and her boyfriend are joining a small group of strangers heading to an isolated lodge in the Rocky Mountains for a week long retreat with no access to the outside world during the dead of winter. On the road to the lodge the group is forced to find shelter due to the terrible winter storm. Slowly, the group is being picked off one by one and they are in a race to not only survive the elements but also the killer that is hiding amongst them.

This was such a fun yet grisly read. I throughly enjoyed the adventure and suspense of this story. I also loved the horror elements that Coates sprinkled in, like the victims heads being placed on a tree nearby the cabin the group is sheltering in. It can also be hard with a bigger group of characters to make them all unique enough to stand out and Coates nailed that. Each character has a distinct voice and all of them are suspicious.

My only negative for this story was that I guessed the ending pretty early on. Which isn’t uncommon for me since I read so many thrillers but I was hoping there would be a bit more to it. Even with knowing the ending I thought it was well done and I was even second guessing myself at various times. And the ending was so dynamic that I’ve actually thought about it a handful of times since finishing the book.

This was my first Darcey Coates book and it will definitely not be my last. I loved the mix of horror and thriller. Coates also perfectly nailed the atmosphere and I could easily picture Christa and the group during the horrific blizzard. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to escape into an easy story that will chill them in more than one way.

What a chilling tale!

If someone you loved paid for you to go on a vacation, wouldn’t you be excited? But how calm are you in a new place that you’ve never been? And how trusting are you in a group of people you’ve only just met?

When I saw that Darcy Coates was coming out with another book, I made sure to make a note of it; I’ve enjoyed every book of hers that I’ve read so I knew I had to read this.

This is very much a page-turning thriller with so much going on and great chapter ending sentences that make you say: just one more chapter!

This fast paced story was so visually descriptive as well. I could feel a chill (even in 80°+ weather) as I read through. Everything seemed so thoroughly thought out. It hit every sense: I could hear the wind of the storm and feel the sting of the snow on my skin.

The emotion of the main character rubs off on the reader and you too feel that panic riddled anxiety of being somewhere new and having no control over what’s going on. It created an internal need to get to the conclusion of the story.

I was so into the story that, come the end, I was shocked I’d finished it already. Now to read the rest of her books!

Thanks so much to the author, Darcy Coates, Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for gifting me an eARC of Dead of Winter in exchange for my honest review!

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Dead of Winter is the perfect Summer Chiller to make your blood run cold on a hot day. If your air conditioning isn't keeping pace with the heat, look no further, this novel will cool you down quickly!

In this story we meet Christa as she embarks on a two-week vacation in the Rocky Mountains with her boyfriend of around six-months, Kiernan. Christa is a woman haunted by her past and this vacation is a big deal for her.

Kiernan has been such a blessing in her life and she feels like she has a little more courage with him by her side. Kiernan is from the area near the mountains they are visiting and Christa is excited to see a place that is so special to him.

As they are making their way to the remote lodge on the tour bus, along with eight other guests and their guide, inclement weather makes the conditions less than an ideal. A fallen tree blocking the road ends up stalling them further. As the guide breaks the tree down to move it out of the way, Kiernan and Christa hike up a nearby ledge to get a private peek at the view.

In the worsening conditions, the couple get separated and the next thing Christa knows she is awakening in a cabin, groggy and injured, with Kiernan no where in sight. As the roads became impassable, the group was forced to take shelter in a tiny rustic cabin they found not far from where the bus is stranded.

They were lucky to find Christa, but the search for Kiernan will have to be put on hold until morning. Their new quarters are tight and claustrophobic, with very minimal supplies. This is not going to be easy.

The group settles in and try to come up with a plan for escape, but they might as well be the last people on Earth. They have no means of communicating with the outside world, and even if they could get a signal out, how could rescue even get to them?

In the middle of the night, their guide goes missing. The next morning the group is shocked to find his decapitated head hanging in a tree just next to the cabin. Fear and paranoia runs high, as each in the group realizes there may be a killer amongst them. As bodies start dropping, the suspect list grows smaller. Who will make it out of this vacation from hell alive?

Dead of Winter is a fun read. This is the second Darcy Coates book that I have read. The first was a DNF because I was bored, so this one is a huge improvement over that. I am an atmosphere girlie first and foremost and Coates absolutely delivered in that category here. I loved the secluded location, the claustrophobic-feeling cabin and the cold, uninviting wilderness surrounding them.

I also enjoyed the unlikable cast of characters being thrust together into tight quarters. These were people who probably otherwise wouldn't have been socializing with one another, but fate brought them together and they had no option than to try to work together.

Further, I was impressed with their interactions. As the tension rose and people's paranoia started to kick in, I found how they were relating to one another really believable. I think Coates did a great job with the psychology behind it all.

For me though, in spite of the fact that it was action-packed, I did feel like it went on a little too long. There were some sections that dragged, or felt repetitive, when I was just wishing to move forward a little more quickly.

Additionally, I felt that it was pretty clear who the killer was and why, so it made certain reveals a little less impactful than I think the author was intending. I was hoping for a bit more suspense to carry me through to the end.

With this being said, I don't necessarily need to be surprised to have fun with a story and I still enjoyed this one a lot. I thought the level of violence and body horror was perfect and as mentioned above, the secluded setting was fantastically done.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a chilling, intense, cold-weather Horror-Thriller story.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I am excited to read more from this author!

Scary psychological thriller!

What may seem as an accident at first, quickly devolves into a suspense novel where peoples lives are in danger. It is clear that people are being killed for sport, and individuals are left to their own devices.

The setting and situation of people trapped in a snowy, hostile environment, without hope of aid because of the winter storms, is not an unusual one for thrillers. However, I found this one very gruesome and hoped the novel would wrap up and be resolved soon.

I thought it was way too long and the book tried my patience waiting for the denouement and wrap up.

I think it would have been a better thriller one third less long.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
*

I hope the day never comes where I don’t enjoy a book that Darcy Coates has written. I absolutely LOVED Dead of Winter and I’m pretty sure that I finished it within a day because I didn’t want to put it down and I NEEDED to know how it was going to end. Her books always know how to get my heart racing fast and increase my anxiety in the best way possible. If you liked locked room thrillers, then this is one that you are going to love! She knows how to capture your attention from the very first page and includes the most gruesome details that you don’t want to turn your eyes away from! Love this book and will never not recommend one of her books!

This review will be posted to my Instagram blog (read_betweenthecovers) in the near future!

Thank you NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, & Darcy Coates for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was an action packed, heart pounding thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time! I absolutely loved this one and couldn't put it down. This was my first Darcy Coates novel but it 100% won't be my last! Five stars all the way!!

Dead of Winter plunges straight into the action, with Christa and Kiernan struggling through a bitter snowstorm. We're given no details of their backstory or relationship until later in the book. The two were on a tour bus, bound for a lodge higher up the mountain. With the bus stranded, its occupants have to take shelter in a run down cabin... Almost immediately, someone starts killing them.

The plot moves fast and the setting immerses the reader, but I had a hard time getting into it because I knew so little about the characters.

Christa and her boyfriend joined a tour group heading into the Rocky Mountains, Colorado, to Blackstone Alpine Lodge, where they were set to have two weeks of adventure, off the grid. On the way there, Brian, their tour guide and coach driver, lamented the wild storm which they were surrounded by, but also affirmed their safety. When they were brought to a standstill by a large tree across the road, Brian set to with his chainsaw, and volunteers from the group. Taking shelter in a nearby cabin, with little to eat, no comfort for sleeping and the bitter cold keeping them company, they hoped the following day to head to the lodge.

But there was a killer out there - or among them? One by one the group was picked off, murdered in a gruesome fashion, starting with Brian, their guide. They were all terrified, but Christa was trying to work out who she could trust - not knowing any of them made it difficult. With no phone reception, they couldn't call for help. They should stay together, isolated in the cabin with the storm continuing to rage around them...

Oh my goodness!! High adrenalin from the very first page - Dead of Winter by new to me Aussie author Darcy Coates (who lives less than an hour from me!) was brilliant! The thrilling tension was electric, I had trouble putting it down. Fast paced, an excellent plot, great characters - I could feel the chilling cold! Highly recommended.

With thanks to Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

Dead of Winter is a captivating and fast-paced thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. This gripping page-turner is perfect for fans of horror and thriller fiction, as it skillfully combines magnetic storytelling with vivid descriptions that will send shivers down readers' spines, both from the bone-chilling cold and sheer terror.

Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates comes out today! It's a thriller mystery -cabin -psycho murderer -and then there were none -locked room mystery book.

A group of people are traveling on a bus to a lodge in the mountains when a fallen tree keeps them from continuing. While removing the tree a blizzard appears and the travelers find shelter in a one room cabin. That's when the murders start and won't stop until all of them are dead.

This was fun to read during the summer because I could just feel the chill coming off this book. It had some pretty gruesome scenes that made me wish I didn't play movies in my head as I read.

This book will keep you guessing the entire time. I ended up guessing who it was, but it definitely had me questioning the whole time. Plus I love yelling "I knew it!" at the end.

It has Agatha Christie vibes, which I love. This is my first book by Darcy and now I want to read her backlist.


Thank you @netgalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this one, the opening scene fully had me, but I quickly lost interest thereafter. I found the writing too choppy, with very blunt sentences. I think the short chaotic sentence were meant to give the reader insight to the mental state of the protagonist, but I was just incredibly bored. I struggled to be invested in any of the characters which contributed to my lack of interest in the plot elements.

This book was not the normal Darcy Coates I have read before. This book was filled with tension and gore. The twist was incredible! My jaw dropped when I reached the crazy twist. Each implied “suspect’ ended up not being who the killer was. The fact that the whole situation took place in the mountains during a snowstorm was what made the book that much more appealing. I would recommend this to anyone wanting a great psychological horror set in a dangerous location.

this was a thrilling mix between thriller & horror and would be the perfect winter read. This was definitely an edge of your seat, whodunit with twists and turns. There was one part of the ending that I had figured out, but then other plot twists that I was not expecting.
I did find the middle to get a bit repetitive and maybe it could have been a teensy bit shorter, but all and all I loved it.

Eleven people, mostly strangers, board a charter bus for a private holiday at the Blackstone Alpine Lodge located in the remote Rocky Mountains. In the winter. The bus encounters an obstacle and a big storm rolls in with icy winds and blinding snow. Death is assured if they stay outside. If shelter can be found, will they be any safer? Some strange things are happening.

I found this book to be a scary, thrilling adrenaline rush from page 1. It is in the vein of Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None". There are elements of horror. I read it in one day. I had to finish it before I went to sleep!

This is my first book by Darcy Coates. I look forward to reading more!