3.5 stars
This is one of those books that I had a difficult time rating. The premise of the story was very intriguing however for me it was lacking in the suspense and moved at a rather slow pace. Once the killings start, there are plenty of suspects in the group that is trapped in the cabin. But then, it could also be someone outside of their group. And I wish there would have a little more closure at the end of the story.

The Dead of Winter is set at a cabin in the middle of a mountain range during a snow storm. Each character is invited on a remote holiday to a beautiful lodge, but a series of events prevents them from getting to the lodge and they must seek shelter in a cabin on the road. Each character is slowly killed by an unnamed murder seeking revenge for a crime two years prior. The main character Christa tries to piece together the clues while also fighting for her own survival. Coates has woven a mystery that left me clueless as to whom the butcher was and why the group was assembled! This book was fantastic and fast paced!

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC.

I was going to wait until the colder months to read this book but since it comes out July 11th I decided to read it now and I'm so glad I did. This book was so good!

The twists and turns in this book had me guessing till the end which will blow your mind! Definitely did not see it coming! This book is a bit gorey so beware if that is bothersome to you. I would highly recommend this book if you like suspense/thriller novels and snowy lost cabin stories!

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this jaw dropping book

a trip into the mountains with snow and a lodge.. who wouldnt want that dream holiday

but for the people on that trip it starts with a tree across their path and with volunteers to help cut it and move it...the nightmare begins....

and then there were none by agatha christie comes to mind with this one, i dont want to give to much away but there is enough blood and guts and mystery with this one to keep you reading till the bitter end....

and what an ending.... wow so many twists and turns and red herrings galore....

its well worth a read

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC.

This was BRILLIANT. Exactly what I look for in a thriller. I don’t read horror and some of the gory details were pushing the boundaries for me. I don’t read about brutal deaths and bloody scenes, but it was just the right amount for me to deal with.
The twists and turns didn’t stop, although a bit of a stretch nothing felt too far fetched that brought me out of the story (which is what usually happens for me with thrillers.) The last 30% I was hooked! I don’t think I breathed, I was on the edge of my seat. I highly recommend if you like eerie settings, multiple characters and a murder mystery that packs all the twists and turns.

My only tiny tiny criticism (which is why I think thrillers in general are never 5 stars for me) i would’ve loved the characters to have been fleshed out a little bit more. I don’t know if it’s because the story was told from Christa’s POV, however I felt there was a disconnect and I would’ve liked to have warmed to or understood the characters a bit more to really add to the drama and build up.
A really solid read and a great one to read in Winter/ around Halloween!

This book was intense and insane! I read this book in one sitting because I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I couldn’t predict the ending. Great read!

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the arc of this book.

OK, so first off, I enjoyed this book. At times in this review it may sound like I didn’t. But I did.

I probably should not have read any book about snow after the winter I had. Giving too much away here, my town was one of the couple in my area that made the news with a once in a lifetime blizzard. We were snowed in behind 10 feet of snow for 3 weeks. My neighbor died. It was horrible. I may have read this with a tiny bit of PTSD. I do not say that flippantly. For me, though, it really heightened the tension of the snow and the murderer on the loose. I could REALLY feel it. Isn’t that the point of literature? It brings out feelings in us. I cam not hiding from those even when they are not pleasant.

On to the review. Christa takes off for a mountain adventure in a remote area of a snowy mountain with her boyfriend and a group of strangers. Things go horribly wrong and they end up hunted by a singularly minded killer.
Now, here is where it will sound like I didn’t like it. I was absolutely positive who-dunn-it for most of the book. I mean, the clues were all there. Every other character who seemed like a good subject would have resulted in a very flawed book. It had to be who it was. Otherwise, there would have been huge plot holes. One character makes a revelation and I wanted to scream, “Don’t you think everyone should know this?” “This is seriously important and could clear up some stuff, I think.” “Have you considered what everyone else has revealed and what it means to you?”

No more of that. I was enjoying the ride the entire time. I loved the final scenes. Reminiscent of classic King.

Read how: 📱
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Setting: USA
POV: 1
Theme: force proximity, cabin and murder

This was an okay read. I did figure out who the killer was from the beginning just didn't know the “why”. All the characters were very much one-dimensional and couldn't connect with any of them.
I know in stressful situations people make terrible decisions but be so for real. Going for a walk on their own because they want space while there's a killer on the loose. .

This book was non-stop action. The beginning and middle of the book kept me engaged and I couldn’t put it down. Towards the end it started to drag on and I did predict the end, but was still a good read.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Publication date: July 11, 2023

Dead of Winter is a psychological thriller told from Christa’s point of view. Christa and her boyfriend Kiernan are headed for an excluded getaway at a lodge among the Rocky Mountains.

The small tour group headed to the lodge finds themselves stuck in a storm and their bus cannot get through. They find an abandoned cabin and while not an ideal situation, the small group settles in until the storm passes.

One by one, members of the group are killed in most horrific ways. As the group learns more about each other they realize they may have something in common and someone in the group is out for revenge.

As the group dwindles and the storm rages on, the last ones alive get closer to the truth. Will they find the murderer before it’s too late? or will the murderer finish the job.

This book was good. I had pretty well figured it out by about the half way mark but there were enough twists and turns to keep me interested. This is a 3.5 star read for me and I would recommend for any psychological mystery/thriller fans out there.

#NetGalley #darcycoates #deadofwinter

I love Darcy Coates. Her books are riveting and this story kept me turning pages. Excellent suspense and terrifying twists and turns. I'll definitely read more of her books.

Wow. This book was so GOOD. The story was so well connected and the characters were flesh-outed masterfully. I was on the edge of my seat and found myself gasping out loud at times with the events that kept happening. This author constantly diverted my expectations and up until the very end I was still guessing who the murderer was, and let me tell you it was one heck of a reveal. I had so much fun reading this heart-pounding horror novel and will definitely be checking out more from this author!

I was SO CLOSE to DNFing this book down at the end of almost every chapter but the mystery was so compelling that I kept sighing and reading the next chapter. This is a fun, pulp-y read for a poolside/lakeside/beach summer.

This was my favorite of Darcy Coates books yet. I received this as an ARC and it was vastly different from her usual paranormal horror style. This story follows a group of tourists into a remote snowy mountain where one of them begins picking off the group one by one.

I'm not usually enthralled by whodunits, but I genuinely could not foresee the twists and turns this plot took. Not only did Coates do a great job at developing her characters to a point where virtually ANYONE could be the killer, but the plot was intricate, well thought out and the the background of the terrifying snowy landscape propelled the story in a magnificent way. I could not put this book down.

This was a crazy roller coaster of isolation horror and ‘who done it thriller’. I read this in almost one sitting and didn’t guess the twist until near the end.

Christa and her 8 travel companions (all strangers) get stranded in a mountain cabin during a fierce snowstorm. That would be horrific enough, without food or means of rescue. But then someone begins picking people off, one by one.

This gave me The Thing vibes with its wintery isolation and the every man for themselves attitude. Who’s the killer.? Who’s got motive? The characters were all well fleshed out and realistic. I really liked the main character, Christa, and her analytical way of looking at things. She could be a homicide detective.

Awesome book, great characters and terrifying setting!

Thank you netgalley and poisoned pen press for the e-arc of this book.

In this rollercoaster ride of a thriller we follow our main character Christa. Christa is on a trip with her boyfriend and other groups of people to the Rocky Mountains when due to unfortunate circumstances they slowly start getting picked off one by one.
I really had a great time reading this. This book is very action packed and will leave you on the edge of your seat.

Thank you Netgalley and Poised Pen Press for a copy.

“Something’s not right.
Not right.
Not right.
We’re all going to die.”

❄️Whodunnit
❄️Thriller/Mystery/Horror
❄️Gore
❄️Closed Room
❄️Atmospheric
❄️Short Chapters

I devoured this book in one day! It had me nervous, on the edge of my seat, flipping through page after page. It’s a thrilling horror of whodunnit. This author not only tricked me once but over and over again. Bravo, Darcy Coates! You nailed it.

My first Darcy Coates and wow! This was a horror-rific, bone chilling thriller. Filled with suspense with screams and chills.
I was afraid to go to sleep last night!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you @NetGalley and the author for allowing me to read this book early. Thisbook was amazing! It was fast paced. It’s about the main character and her boyfriend going on a trip to a lodge in the winter. A tree blocks the road. Things start happening and one by one they are picked off. Tensions rise the more this story unfolds. The ending was great! Definitely recommend this book.

I absolutely loved this! Reading a wintery book in summer wasn’t a vibe that I thought I was a fan of, but here we are!! Can’t wait to read more by the author.