Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book! This was my first book by Darcy Coates, but certainly not my last. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, and felt it was fast paced and I never became bored. Every twist and turn had me on the edge of my seat. I gave it 4.5 stars because I needed more! I wanted a follow up, like a six months later, and it kind of left on a cliffhanger. However, all in all I will highly recommend this book.

This was my first read by Darcy Coates. I enjoyed it, but I felt like it ended a bit abruptly. The motive of the killer felt a little forced and I wish there had been an epilogue or a couple more pages to the chapter. Overall though it was a gripping read that kept me guessing.
I did seriously enjoy the 911 dispatcher’s character, even though she was portrayed in a harsh way. I have been one for 7 years and I felt like Coates definitely did her research as far as how the job affects us. We almost all have gallows humor and it can make interpersonal relationships a little skewed because we can come off uncaring or morbid, because we see and also manage life and death emergencies every single day and it’s something you just get used to. There is an incident Blake, the dispatcher, talks about that made my blood boil, because I know there are dispatchers and dispatch centers that are negligent out there, but the incident would have never have been handled that way where I work. But I never felt Coates was villainizing the profession.

● Book Review●
• Name: Dead of Winter
• Author: Darcy Coates
• Genre: Thriller
• Rating: 4 ⭐️
• Pls check the TW before proceeding!
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●Thoughts ●
The cliffhanger at the end like what?!?!?! I'm like give me more like what happens after this whole incident like what???? This book reminded me of No Exit. Both takes place in the winter, everyone is suspicious and you don't know who to trust, and everyone is here for a reason. The pacing was mostly evenly paced. I like playing detective and this book was giving me a bit claustrophobic vibes and I felt cold all of a sudden. I felt like I could feel the chilly weather, the ice cold snow against my skin 😭😭😭. This book made me confirm that I don't want to hike in the mountains or go near the woods 😭😭😭. I guessed it right at the end who it was but I was triple guessing myself 😂😂😂. I almost could not predict who it was and the graphic details of the murders gave me a bit of goosebumps!
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● Appreciation ●
Thank you Darcy, Netgalley, and Poised Pen Press for the e-ARC in exchange for a honest review!
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● Tags ●
#bookreview #darcycoates
#thrillerbooks #thrillerbookrecommendations #deadofwinter #mysterybook #bookstagram #booktok #bookstagrammer #bookrecommendations
#books #mysterybookrecommendations #arcreview #poisedpenpress

I can’t express in words how happy I am that this book exists and I was able to read it.

I have been searching for a slasher that has me on the edge of my seat, cringing at the graphic details and shaking in my boots. From the bottom of my heart, thank you Dead of Winter!

This had me hooked from the very first chapters. I found myself trying to connect the dots and find out who the killer was before it was revealed but I wasn’t even close.

Dead of Winter would make such a fantastic movie. The imagery and the pacing of the writing felt like I was watching a movie already and I can honestly say I would eat it up.

This was everything I’ve been searching for and I am so excited to get my hands on a physical copy when it’s available to buy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with this ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

• Thank you Netgalley & publisher for the advanced copy •

This was really really good! It’s exactly what I look for in a thriller: a thrilling, engaging story, with good characters. The author knows her craft very well and, although the prose is clear and direct, her voice shines though.

I did spot the culprit very fast, but never solved the mysteries until they were revealed. It really hooked me from the inciting incident onwards. I recommend it to anyone, and I’ll definitely read more books by this author.

I am a newer fan of Darcy Coates, but this one was not my favorite, it had a lot of great elements but I’m a fan of her horror/ suspense. I am someone who gets to caught up in a story that I often overlook predictable elements. The book was well written and provided a twist I did not see coming. Overall it was a book that was excited to get back to and I do recommend for fans of suspense.

Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates.
Engrossing well written thriller. A tour group on an off season trip in the Rocky Mountains gets stranded in an abandoned cabin in the middle of a snowstorm with one of their party lost in the snow. They wake up the next morning with their tour guide murdered, head posted in a tree. One was an accident. Two is a murder. As they wait for rescue, one by one members of their group are murdered. Who is it? How can they keep each other safe? How can they stay alive?

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. This was a fast paced thriller with a locked room setting. There were a lot of characters which I'm usually not a fan of. However, the author did a great job at making them all very different with specific and defining characteristics. I feel like there were a few plot holes. About halfway through the book the killer became predictable. There were a few twists that I didn't anticipate. Even though I predicted the killer I still enjoyed reading the story and the final revelation. One pet peeve was how many times the narrator had a dry mouth- someone get that girl a glass of water.

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars rounded up - I LOVED DEAD OF WINTER!

Christa and her boyfriend, Kiernan, are headed for a long vacation at a secluded lodge in the Rockies when a felled tree blocks their bus's path and all hell breaks loose.

Who can be trusted? Who amongst them is a vengeful murderer? Are they all connected somehow, or just a group of unfortunate strangers trapped together?

It takes some skill to have a killer I can't figure out until it is staring me in the face, but WOW, Coates has something special here. I was gripped until the very last page, and absolutely couldn't get enough. The only reason I would give it 4.5 rather than 5 is that I would have enjoyed more character development - however, I acknowledge this is a major personal preference and there are a <i>lot</i> of characters to work through.


For fans of Yellowjackets, "Five Total Strangers" by Natalie Richards, and maybe even The Shining

Many thanks to Darcy, Poisoned Press, and Netgalley for a copy! 4.5 stars rounded up - I LOVED DEAD OF WINTER!

Christa and her boyfriend, Kiernan, are headed for a long vacation at a secluded lodge in the Rockies when a felled tree blocks their bus's path and all hell breaks loose.

Who can be trusted? Who amongst them is a vengeful murderer? Are they all connected somehow, or just a group of unfortunate strangers trapped together?

It takes some skill to have a killer I can't figure out until it is staring me in the face, but WOW, Coates has something special here. I was gripped until the very last page, and absolutely couldn't get enough. The only reason I would give it 4.5 rather than 5 is that I would have enjoyed more character development - however, I acknowledge this is a major personal preference and there are a <i>lot</i> of characters to work through.


For fans of Yellowjackets, "Five Total Strangers" by Natalie Richards, and maybe even The Shining

Many thanks to Darcy, Poisoned Press, and Netgalley for a copy!

This was way too predictable. I usually am able to predict the killer but not their motive, here I predicted the killer since the first murder. Also, the motive was clear when certain information about the main protagonist was revealed.

But I did like how atmospheric the book was. Really liked how vivid the setting and writing was. It was fast paced, I read it in one sitting, I was addicted to finding out if my theory was correct. There was some gore, I wished there was more, but I liked the amount we did get.

Usually, I love having predicted the killers in books, but only if I had put in some considerable effort into it. This book tried to dissuade me from my theory by presenting the reader with multiple red herrings, but still I knew who was behind everything. There were some really huge, blinding clues to the killer’s identity since the beginning.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dead of Winter
Author: Darcy Coates
Source: NetGalley ARC
Pub. Date: July 11, 2023

Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates is an intense thriller novel. The story revolves around Christa and her boyfriend, Kiernan, embarking on a winter-based vacation to the rocky mountains. En route to their lodge, the bus breaks down in a remote pass in the middle of a blinding snowstorm. The group disembarks their bus to find shelter, but Christa and her beau get lost in blizzard conditions. Christa loses her footing and falls off a cliff, separated from Kiernan. She is badly injured but eventually finds the abandoned shelter, where she reunites with the rest of the tour group. Kiernan doesn’t make it back. No heat, white-out conditions, and an irritable group of travelers make for tense conditions. Kiernan is missing in the mountains as multiple attempts to find him fail. But this isn’t the big problem. The travelers are suddenly being picked off one by one and killed in a gruesome manner ratcheting up the tension. It also ratcheted up my nerves as the story turned horrific. I wondered how Ms. Coates would resolve the story, and she did not disappoint. This is a thriller/horror story at its very best. The fear factor is off the charts. If you love the horror genre (as I do), this book is for you. #DeadOfWinter #frostbite #poisonedPenpress #mystery #thriller #horror #murder #death #blizzard #snowstorm #secrets #deadpeople #abandoned #whodunit @netgalley @poisonedpenpress @darcybooks
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I received a complimentary copy of this ARC. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and the author for the opportunity to read this book. Pub. Date: July 11, 2023.
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#book #books #bookaddict #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #bookstagramer #bookshelf #booksbooksbooks #readersofinstagram #reader #booklove #bookreader #reader

The experience reading this book was amazing! The scenes are very intense, chilling and gory, just like watching a movie! I don’t want to put it down. Thank you Netgalley, Poisoned Pen Press for approving me an ARC of this. A well-deserved 5 stars.

There’s a storm rollin’ in!❄️

Christa has hidden herself away from the world for the past two years. To help ease her back into society her new boyfriend arranges for a mountain getaway with a small tour group. This may be just what Christa needs to start living life again.

Only Mother Nature has something else in store for the travelers. After their tour bus gets stuck behind a fallen tree, the snow begins to fall…and fall.

Now the group of strangers are holed up in a small remote mountain cabin as the storm rages outside. Tired, hungry and cold and with no cell service, can the group survive until help finds them?

Oh, it’s not that simple my fellow readers! One by one, the members of the group are being picked off in the most gruesome of ways. A deranged serial killer on the loose? Or should they be looking at the person sitting next to them in the cabin?

Wow! This was a classic edge of your seat thriller that I absolutely devoured! It’s tagged as a horror which gave me pause since I tend to avoid that genre entirely. But don’t let that hold you back! IMO it’s more of a heart pounding thriller! Just to add to the atmosphere…I saved this for my mountain vacation and so glad I did!

Even with a fairly large cast of characters, you get to know all of them quickly and shouldn’t have any trouble keeping track of their back stories. The twists were amazing! A few I guessed and a few absolutely shocked me!

My first read by this author, who is known for her horror novels. So I’ll have to tread carefully picking up another. But her writing was so good I’ll just have to put on all the lights and make sure my guard puppy Gage is right by my side!

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press

Dead of Winter is based in the Rocky Mountains. This is the time of year you don't want to be outside because the cold gets in your bones. But for the travelers that were heading to their lodge for a getaway will be stopped on the side of the road... The question you have to ask your self, do you want to stay where you are or try and find better shelter in the unknows.
When people start going missing, you start to wonder if they went to go find help or if... you know you have to read to find out! This is one that you will not want to put down.
With this one being my first read by Darcy Coates, I will for sure keep her on my list to grab any new books!
Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for this advance read in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was well written with a good use of similes and metaphors. I did feel the descriptions of the snow and storm conditions to go on for too long though.

The first two thirds of the story seemed to settle into a routine and the characters seemed to be just there to be picked off by the killer. But the final third really ramped up and became quite twisty and complex.

I received this arc from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Lots of twists and turns here! The story kept me guessing until the very end. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

This was my first Darcy Coates read and I didn’t know what to expect. From what I know about her, she’s the queen of haunted houses but there were no ghosts here. This is a fun, claustrophobic thriller/slasher with tons of dread and atmospheric chills.
Christa and her boyfriend Kiernan are deep in the Rocky Mountains with a group of tourists for a two week stay at a luxurious resort. However, a felled tree and a massive snowstorm forces them into an empty cabin miles away from civilization before they can reach it. The next day the first body is found.
As their numbers dwindle and resources deplete, the group becomes more desperate. It’s clear that the killer is among them but despite every attempt to deter them, the bodies keep piling up. Eventually they have to ask - are they victims or opportunity, or was this entire thing planned?
I could not put this book down - it is compulsively readable. I did guess the killer in the first few pages, but oddly enough that didn’t dampen it for me. On the contrary, I was hooked - I had to know if I was right, obviously! I would recommend this to anyone who wants a quick, thrilling read. If you were a fan of The Writing Retreat, be sure to check this one out!

This was an amazing read. Once I started I just couldn't put it down- the plot was thrilling and mysterious enough that I couldn't figure out what was going to happen

Talk about being on the edge of your seat!
I would say this is more horror than thriller and I was surprised to find out who the butcher was. This book ranks high on my all time favorite reads. It’s a MUST read!


Summary:
Christa and her boyfriend decided to go on a hiking trip with 9 others. Their trip gets derailed after the bus ride to the cabin encounters a fallen tree. While the guide is busy cutting up the tree, they decide to take a hike up the mountain. The weather takes a turn for the worst and they get stuck in a blizzard with freezing temps. They end up getting separated and Christa is rescued by the others on the bus but now her boyfriend is still missing. They find a cabin in the woods to take shelter at. The next morning they realize the guide is missing. They find him murdered. One by one, each of them is picked off. Who is the butcher?

Thank you Netgallery and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC!

ARC by NetGalley and the publisher.
“Someone here has that hunger for violence. They came on this trip with a plan. To hunt us. And they don’t intend to stop until we’re all dead.”
Dead of Winter follows Christa along with a group of individuals heading to the Rocky Mountains. When a snowstorm forces the group to leave their tour bus to find warmer shelter they are met with not only the cold but a killer who seems to be picking them off one by one as the hope for rescue dwindles. Who is the killer and who can Christa really trust?
This is my third Darcy Coates novel and after reading this one it is now solidified that she will be an instant read and buy author for me! This was such an entertaining read and I could easily see it becoming a movie. You find out pretty early on in this book that characters are going to be getting killed, in fact it is even mentioned in the synopsis that Brian our tour guide bus driver is the first to go with his head being removed; with that being said there are some “bloody” descriptions so keep that in mind while reading but nothing that I found too triggering. I would classify this novel as horror/ thriller which of course are my favorite kind of thrillers! The POV is told thru Christa; one sentence especially stood out to me as I could completely relate to it: “I can credit my father for a lot of things. A hyper-developed ability to read others’ body language, a hatred of hard liquor, a mistrust of people who indulge in it” Listening to Christa’s inner thoughts and constant mental trackings of the other individuals felt very natural and believable as it would be something I think I would also do in that situation. I also found Alexis’ character and her motivation for coming on the trip to be intriguing and I was hooked at the parts with her clever coded journal. I did find myself slightly annoyed with how some of the other characters kept choosing to walk off alone knowing there was a killer picking them off one by one. The tension of being stuck in the cold wilderness with not only the elements to combat with while also not being able to trust anyone but yourself was a terrifying thought to have to endure. The twist ending was just too good, I had a feeling that’s where the book was going and I’m so glad it was exactly that because anything less would have been disappointing. Overall this book was a suspenseful fun tense read and an easy four stars for me. If you enjoy thrillers with a bit of slasher horror vibes this books is right up your alley!

Dead of Winter comes out July 11, 2023.

Thank you again NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.