Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates is chilling, disturbing and creepy. There were moments of tongue gnawing as I plowed through the book set in the Rockies during a winter blizzard where vision is distorted in swirling whiteness and depth is impossible to judge when trudging through the snow. There was a lot of trudging and a lot of blood!

Main character Christa and her boyfriend join a tour group in the Rocky Mountains in winter during a nasty blizzard. After passage is impossible for the bus, the group deserts the bus and finds shelter in a deserted building where their food and cell phones are in short supply. Things start going amiss immediately as people start to disappear and found later. Each person is a suspect and has something to hide. Christy is no exception...she has a past, too, which she hopes to escape on the trip. But skeletons in closets rankle loudly.

The story starts off with a bang, the setting is atmospheric and the ending is satisfying. Though I'm not squeamish, the grisly aspects distracted me from the other goings-on and were foremost in my mind. But then I am not a Horror reader and the blurb did mention Horror along with the Mystery/Thriller genre. I wanted to give it a go but it just isn't my thing. If you enjoy thrillers injected with horror, this may be your next read. I will stick with Mysteries and Thrillers.

My sincere thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this novel.

Loved this one! Although I did suspect who the butcher was early on, this book was still a good time with lots of twists and turns. I love isolated setting books and loved the snowy setting. I’ve only read a couple Darcy Coates books (although I have quite a few ready to read now) but this one is my favorite one so far!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Christa and Kiernan are on a small tour group going to a lodge in the Rocky Mountains for a two-week getaway. But when an unexpected and dangerous snowstorm strands the bus on the way to the lodge, the group finds themselves forced to shelter in a nearby hunting cabin. When a second member of their group goes missing, people don’t panic until they they find his head stuck on a tree limb outside. As the storm grows more intense and the group grows more paranoid, Christa can’t help but feel that none of them will be making it out alive.

This is a locked room, suspenseful read told from the first person perspective of Christa. The suspense is very high, at the start as the reader is thrown right into the intense snow storm. I do think the story is a bit too long, and the middle part dragged on quite a bit. I assume that was to build up the suspense for the ending. The beginning and the end are action packed, nail biters!

3.5 rounded up!

Thank you NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press and the author for an ARC of Dead of Winter for an honest review.

This was the first Darcy Coates book that I have read and it was quite the ride. Christa and her boyfriend Kiernan are headed for a winter vacation in the Rocky Mountains. The tour includes other individuals, a couple and a father/son. The bus ride to a remote lodge comes to a halt when there is a tree covering the road. Christa and Kiernan leave the others to find the perfect view. During this time a storm hits and Christa and Kiernan are separated and lost.

The book is told by Christa's POV. There wasn't a lot of character development. For most of the book I felt like it was the same story being told over and over. They are fearing for their lives and who is next. It was hard to figure out what was going on in the book because until the last 80% we really didn't know anything about any of the characters. There was some backstory on Christa, but even that wasn't a lot.

The beginning of the book starts off strong but the middle dragged for me. The ending was intense and definitely made the story. I did not see the ending coming!

I would rate this a 3.5 rounding up to 4. I would have liked to have seen more character development and less explaining the same crime multiple times.

Christa goes on a mountain getaway with a small tour group. She is excited to get back into the world and be around people again. While at the getaway a snow storms comes through and the group are holed up in a small remote mountain cable. Things seem to be great, they can just wait out the storm there. Only thing is first the tour guide disappears and then another and another disappear. What is happening? This thriller keeps you on your toes and guessing. It's a face read. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC.

Absolutely LOVED this book and yet again further convinced that Darcy can do no wrong - including releasing an extremely atmospheric wintery read in the middle of summer and I could not get enough of it.

I was so pleasantly surprised by how gory Darcy got with this book and it was such a welcome change of pace from her usual work. Proving yet again that she can explore new sub genres within horror and absolutely knock it out of the park.

Thank you so much Netgalley and Poisoned Pen for my early copy!

Loved this book! Darcy Coates is one of my favorite authors and will continue to be for good reason. Twists and turns throughout, never a dull moment!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Darcy Coates for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Dead of Winter coming out July 11, 2023. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Christa has always had anxiety but, at this moment, life seems more hopeful with her boyfriend Kiernan. They decide to get away for a vacation in the mountains. The tour bus climbs a narrow road up the side of the Rockies. Blue skies turn bitterly cold mid-afternoon as a blizzard pushes the group of 8 strangers out of their bus and to take shelter in an abandoned hunting cabin.

Deep in the night, in the dark their tour guide disappears…they discover him the following morning, his severed head impaled on a large pine tree. Eight people drops to seven and it becomes crystal clear that someone is going on a killing spree. Will they survive?

I pretty much have all of Darcy Coates’ books. She’s one of my favorite authors. I usually read her ghost stories, so this one was different. I’m obsessed with it! It was so fast paced and full of horror. The stakes felt high. There was so much going on and I felt glued to the story. I loved the characters and the backstory of how they ended up in this situation. I’ve read a few survival stories set in the cold. This one was so good! I couldn’t get enough of it.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys survival horror books!

The minute I saw Darcy’s name I immediately requested this one since I enjoyed the other book I read by her so much! This is another intense, locked room, suspenseful, horror novel where the only monsters are the people around you. If you enjoy fast paced, action packed books this one is definitely for you. This is one where the minute I thought I had figured it out boom I was wrong! Darcy is an amazing writer and I can’t wait to read more of her books!

This book was definitely a little more graphic with violence than I thought it was going to be. It starts off fast with a few flashbacks that help to build up to an interesting twist at the end. Would have been interesting to see what happened after the culmination.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review, but all opinions are my own.

Darcy Coates never disappoints with their ghost tales, and I was excited for a tale about people trapped in the wildness and getting picked off one by one. Did I guess who the villain was? Yes. Did I still enjoy the trip to the end? Absolutely. I highly recommend.

Once again, Darcy Coates does not disappoint and keeps you on the edge of your seat until the literal last page. I've read a handful of her novels this year, and Coates ranges from cozy spectral mysteries to flat out blood chilling horror. Just when you think you know what's happening, she lobs a curve ball at your head and keeps going. I really enjoyed the journey this book takes - I found the protagonist believable, the murderer to be absolutely stomach droppingly sick in their kills, and the isolation of the Rocky Mountains the perfect setting for a disturbing read.

Wow!! This is the second book I've read by this author. It did not disappoint! I thought the story started off really strong, kept the reader interested with all the characters being picked off one by one. When Christa sees the actual cabin, I thought it was over, but that's where it all comes together! I did not guess who the serial murderer was at all! I only wish we knew what happened to two of the characters at the end. So good overall! Thank you to enthralled for the ARC via kindle.

Dead of Winter was a solid thriller that was just so-so for me.

I think the publishing team missed the opportunity of releasing this in winter as the atmosphere of this book was one of my favorite parts of it. Set in a remote cabin where the trapped survivors are being picked off one by one gives this a very eerie vibe.

Sadly, I found the story to be drawn out and a little bit predictable. There were many twists and turns that were meant to throw the reader and keep suspense up, but if you paid attention, you could easily figure out the killer within the first quarter of the book.

I recommend reading this one during a winter storm or on a white-out type of day (if you live in that climate). It is a solid thriller but maybe not one of my favorites. I am curious to read more Darcy Coates in the future, however.

A very entertaining thriller in the vein of 10 little Indians. I very much enjoyed the story even though the twists were almost exactly what basically exactly what Christie did. I did wish there was a sense of where we were, I wasn’t entirely certain of the geography, except that it was somewhere cold (Colorado maybe?). The pacing was good, and the story held enough surprises to maintain my interest.

4.5* And Then There Were None.....Excellent thriller to sit down with in the winter. I would not recommend it in the heat of the summer, but when it was sent to me ...it was winter. It didn't take long to transition to the heights of the Snow capped Rocky Mountains and head on into a blizzard after the author sets a strong visualization. The frostbite fingers, the bitterness of the wind, the crunch and weight of the snow, as well as the burden of so many clothing...
With 8 strangers aboard a shuttle bus headed to a mountain cabin, a tree falls across the road. As the guide, saw through the tree, Christa and her boyfriend leave the group against my wishes..LOL... to sight-see. Next scene, they are clinging to their life on a slippery uncompromising slope. Christa loses her grip and falls. When she awakens to the other passengers over her, her boyfriend is gone. A loss in itself, then the guide is found with his head impaled on a stick. One-by-one they are gone...it doesn't take long in this locked room mystery to realize the killer is among them or is it?
Tension grows, accusations fly, much like a Clue game as they inspect each person and their background. The bus has been dismantled by its running parts and their hunt for another shelter or way out is treacherous.
The characters are well thought out and scripted as you would consider when flying with a crowd and analyze from afar. I enjoyed some and despised a few...Lol This truly was an enjoyable "winter" read.
Great job by the author! Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

So good! Kept me wanting more! Darcy Coates does an amazing job! Isolated in a cabin storyline. Sign me up! Thanks so much to NetGalley and Darcy Coates for allowing me to read Dead of Winter before its release!

3.5/5 ⭐️

Strangers supposed to be going on a mountain trip get stranded in a remote cabin with no cell service and a murderer picking them off one by one. Christa is the protagonist here, and she early on gets in trouble when she and her boyfriend, Kiernan, get lost in a blizzard. When she wakes up, he is gone, and she is in the cabin with the other travelers, waiting for the storm to pass. Things only get worse as people keep getting decapitated by a murderer.

This one started out weird for me. I don't think we really needed the two whole chapters dedicated to Christa and Kiernan getting lost. I think it could've been more effective just starting on Christa waking up with brief flashbacks to them wandering off and getting lost. Then after the first death, the suspense did ramp up a lot. I think it was a tad unexpectedly gory with the heads being put on the tree and those descriptions. Additionally, I did think the whodunnit was a bit predictable. However, this was an overall solid thriller.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free ARC in exchange for my review.

I've read several books by this author, and overall, they are hit or miss for me. Some I've really loved, but some I just didn't care for. Sadly, this one is the latter. This is a locked room mystery, which I typically enjoy, if they are done well. This one wasn't poorly done, but I couldn't connect to any of the characters, and it helps to like at least one character to really turn a book into a page turner for me. Also with this book, the gore. It was a bit too much.

I will read others from this author, for sure, but I'm not sure who I could recommend this title to. 2 stars for 'it was ok'

I have a weak spot for thrillers with a remote setting and a locked room vibe, and Dead Of Winter seemed to be promising both. I loved the sound of the remote Rocky Mountains setting and the unforgiving winter snowstorm, and the fact that the blurb gave me And Then There Were None vibes only made me want to read this story more. And WHAT a read it turned out to be! This is the first time I read a Darcy Coates book, but I was instantly hooked and I cannot wait to discover more of a her work. Dark, twisted, well crafted and simply glorious!

If you enjoy thrillers with a remote setting, you are definitely in for a treat with Dead Of Winter. The Rocky Mountains setting makes for the perfect backdrop for this story, and especially when you take into account the winter snowstorm and harsh conditions. Add an abandoned hunting cabin and a group of strangers forced together into a small space while they wait out the storm, and you have the perfect recipe for a thrilling read... Especially when you take in account that one of them is a murderer.

This story seems to be an ode to And Then There Were None, and I mean this in the best possible way. I loved the classic, and I loved this take on the story. The fact that you have a group of strangers who are all suspicious makes you want to analyze every little thing that happens in the plot. This need only becomes more pressing once bodies start piling up... The way the author is able to turn characters into prime suspects only to drop another plot twist bomb on you is brilliant; I did have my suspicions, but I can't deny those twists are very well put together.

I want to keep this review short, because this is one of those stories where it's best to go in blind to experience the full impact of the plot twists and everything that is going on. What I can say is that Dead Of Winter without a doubt tips its toe in the horror genre, and the murders are pretty gruesome. Definitely not a story for those with a weak stomach! But if you like your thrillers on the dark and twisted side, you will be in for a real treat. The suspense and tension are through the roof, and combined with a fast pace and the constant presence of danger it will be VERY hard to stop reading. Unputdownable indeed!

While it's true that this type of premise has been done before, there are two ways of doing it and Dead Of Winter is a prime example of doing it well. The plot is expertly crafted and between the ominous vibe, harsh environment and constant danger, you are in for a twisted and exhilarating ride. Things get dark and disturbing long before you reach that final page, so make sure to brace yourself!