In case you needed a reminder to never go into a remote and isolated forest in the middle of winter - here it is! Coates delivers a chilling story about a woman's survival that will definitely make your heart pound.

Christa is young woman who is on a trip with her boyfriend Kiernan. Taking a bus to a lodge in a remote mountain forest with a small group of people should be a step up in their relationship. It should be a relaxing vacation surrounded by nature. But when the bus can't make it to the lodge the group is forced to find shelter in a hunting cabin to wait out the blizzard that blows in suddenly. Unfortunately it's the wrong time to be stuck together when someone begins killing the travelers one by one. Christa must figure out if the killer is one of them or an outsider killing for sport.

From the moment I started reading I was engaged. I felt like I was there, the description of the winter storm is so vivid and terrifying. Coates does a fabulous job of creating a disturbing and claustrophobic setting. If you are looking for some horror it's here. The characters are well thought out, and, even though I didn't connect easily to some of them, there are a few that I cared about. I did figure out the ending early on but this didn't keep me from enjoying the hunt. The cliffhangers at the end of each chapter felt forced and didn't have the suspense that was intended - in fact I started getting annoyed by them - but other than that the suspense of the action created the heightened emotions Coates was going for. This is a perfect winter scare to cuddle up with on a dark and cold night. Thank you so much, Poisoned Pen Press, for the opportunity to read this!

At first, I didn’t think this book was going to be any different than any other thriller but after reading, this was so fun to read. I stayed up all night to finish it and that plot twist at the end was shocking. I like that there was a large cast of characters because it made it so I was never bored. The only thing I didn’t like was that certain scenes were so dragged out and were repetitive. It felt like there was only so much this author can do in this limited environment that she had to repeat an accusation or mission that we’d already read about. Regardless of that, this book was very enjoyable and I couldn’t put it down🤩

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

“Dead of Winter” is Darcey Coates’s new adult horror novel that takes on the same characteristics of Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None” and Ruth Ware’s “One by One”, with little hints of Stephen King’s “The Shining” also coming through. The synopsis of this book focuses on a group of strangers on their way via bus to a resort tucked away in the Rocky Mountains for a vacation in the middle of winter. The bus is stalled on an isolated road by a felled tree, prompting the protagonist, Christa, and her boyfriend Kiernan to go for a walk while the tree is cleared from the road. Soon they are lost in a blizzard and get separated. Christa finds herself in a solitary cabin where she and the other occupants of the bus, including the driver, are also hiding out, but Kiernan is nowhere to be found. What seems like a waiting game for rescue or a way to get help soon turns out to be a fight for survival as an unknown assailant—perhaps someone in the cabin?—is killing off the group one by one. Who can Christa trust? What happened to Kiernan? Who is brutally killing them?

This is a fast-paced thriller told from the viewpoint of Christa that will keep the reader guessing as to who the killer is until the final reveal, which is shocking. There are feelings of paranoia, claustrophobia, isolation, and fear as the strangers are forced to come together to fight not only an invisible foe, but the frigid weather conditions, despite the growing suspicion that the killer could be one of them. The killings, while not described too graphically, are brutal, nonetheless.

Coates weaves together the intricacies of complicated relationships and personalities nicely and deftly shows that there are consequences to past actions. She keeps the suspense up throughout the novel and leaves little clues for the reader to guess the killer. While the reason for the violence is explained, the abrupt conclusion leaves some unanswered questions, particularly with the fate of a few of the survivors left behind. Did they survive? How did Christa come to terms with what she experienced as the identity of the killer is revealed? How did the killer manage to display the bodies considering the harsh conditions outside and none of the survivors inside hearing? An extra “Epilogue” or “A Year Later” final chapter would answer these burning questions and give the reader a sense of closure.

Dead of Winter is a great locked in mystery. Deep in the Rocky Mountains, a group of vacationers are being picked off one by one in gruesome ways. With a raging winter storm and no way out, they have to figure out which among them can’t be trusted.

The thing that I found most interesting about this was that the world building and writing was so vivid that even though I figured out the ending very early on, I was still sucked into the story.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates is a superb read with a superb plot and characters Well worth the time and recommended!

Christa is on a vacation with her boyfriend in the mountains. A sudden severe blizzard leaves them stuck. They think they found a safe haven. Until people start to die. What is happening? Suspense filled read. With great character 's.

Christa's trip to a Rocky Mountain lodge takes a turn for the worst when she and her fellow travelers become trapped on the snowy mountain side. Unfortunately, being stuck in the snow won't be the worst thing about their trip. Right from the start, the strangers go missing one by one and Christa must find out who is behind the disappearances before she's next.

This one jumped right into the action, which I appreciated. It always had everything you could want shock value wise in the first couple chapters. The end was also amazing and definitely delivered "The Shining" vibes I was hoping for the whole time. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the story between the first couple chapters and the last couple chapters was a bit of a drag. I think there were just way too many characters. I love the locked room mystery thing and I love the disappear once at time thing.... but once two or three characters go missing and we're now taking fourth and fifth go arounds, it gets pretty tired. Additionally, when you learn of the killer and their reason, the amount of characters involved is preposterous.

That being said, the twist at the end was pretty good and I admit I didn't see it coming.

Another great Mystery book by Darcy Coates. If you like whodunits and locked room mysteries, you will definitely enjoy this one!

The story begins with Christa and her boyfriend, Kiernan. They are on the way to a winter lodge in the Rocky Mountains along with some other tourists. They get stuck on the way, as there is a snow storm and severe weather conditions.

They manage to find an abandoned cabin nearby to take shelter, where they hope to stay till the storm passes. But to their shock and dismay, the next day, they find their tour guide’s head impaired on a tree. They realize that a killer is among them. It could be anyone and they can trust no one. The body count starts increasing and you’re left wondering who the killer is.

Darcy Coates describes the numbing cold weather in such vivid detail that I could actually feel the dreadful cold weather myself, even though it’s actually hot where I live!
The characters are all interesting and well written. The mystery is great and I couldn’t wait to find out the killer’s identity.

I would definitely recommend this book for all mystery lovers!
Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this book, for an honest review.

Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates is explosive and unputdownable right from the start! 

This isn’t one of those books where the plot gets bogged down by information dumps. The novel starts right in the action, expecting the reader to piece together information as the plot plunges forward. I appreciated this approach, though I did feel a little confused earlier on. Who is the main character? Why is she on this trip with her boyfriend? It didn’t take long for the answers to these questions to be revealed, and I was hooked! 

There are quite a few suspects in this locked room mystery. Most of them are quite unlikable, and I loved to hate them. All nine characters were cleverly crafted, each with secrets of their own, and I kept bouncing from character to character in my quest to figure out who was the killer. 

The heroine, Christa, is strong, yet vulnerable. Right at the beginning, her boyfriend, Kiernan, goes missing in the snowstorm. She’s determined to find him–despite the other survivors’ callous disregard for his life and safety. 

As with any mystery/thriller worth its salt, Christa has her own dark past that she alludes to, and we only find out what happened later on in the book. This, on top of the rocket-fast-paced plotline, kept me turning the pages, devouring this book in nearly one sitting. 

While I did end up guessing the ending, it was one of many endings I guessed, and I was never sure of what would happen until I was finally reading it on the page. 

Darcy Coates typically writes horror, and one might argue that this is a horror. It follows the formula of a mystery/thriller–particularly with how Christa pieces together information about her fellow survivors, trying to figure out alibis, motives, and who could be the “butcher”. That said, the book is fraught with tension throughout, a tension that’s a little more intense than your typical thriller. That on top of the gory ways that the characters are being murdered? I’d classify this as a mystery/thriller with horror elements. If you can’t stand a little bit of gore on your vacation getaways, then you might want to take a pass on this one! 
*This review will be posted to my blog, Goodreads, TikTok, and Instagram on May 16, 2023. Amazon on the pubdate*

Dead Of Winter - Darcy Coates

This is the first book I've read by Darcy Coates, I've seen a lot of praise for this author and the early buzz around this book so was eager to try it.

A locked-room mystery, a tour group headed for a luxury Rocky Mountains lodge gets stranded in the snow and are forced to take shelter in an isolated cabin. It's not long before they members start getting murdered.

Firstly, I've never been the biggest fan of locked-room mysteries. It usually feels like one main character and a supporting cast of victims / suspects.

Dead Of Winter breathes new life into the genre with gruesome death, severed heads, blood and gore - a snow bound locked-room slasher movie type thriller if you like.

It held my interest, kept me reading and entertained. It's atmospheric, you can feel the cold and smell the blood. There are plenty of twists, it's well structured and keeps on moving.

I'll definitely read more by Darcy Coates.

Mixed feelings and a general recommendation, bear in mind it's a locked-room mystery and if you like the idea of blood dripping onto crisp white snow this is well worth a look.

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press

Instagram post will be posted and linked here closer to pub day

Dead of Winter has quite a few tropes that I really enjoy in thrillers, such as strangers being stuck together, a winter storm, not being able to trust anybody, and complete and utter chaos. I did find the pacing of this one to be a bit off as some parts were really quick then other parts felt like they dragged quite a bit.

I did see the ending coming from fairly early on, however I don’t find that twists in thrillers necessarily make or break a book for me. I think that if we’re basing a large part of our ratings and reviews for books on if we can guess the twist, then we’re not really focusing on other important aspects of the writing and novel as a whole.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

And Then There Were None has probably been retold more than any other classic mystery story. Putting a bunch of strangers into an out of the way place and confronting them with a mysterious and supernaturally evil murderer is a common trope. Dead of Winter is another attempt to put a twist on Agatha Christie’s most famous novel. And it’s a worthwhile addition to the list.

Darcy Coates has put a demented-slasher/horror-story spin on this familiar tale. Ten people try to go to an isolated mountain lodge but a freak winter snowstorm knocks everything off the rails. They are forced to take shelter in a rudimentary cabin, kept away from the outside world, and one by one they are brutally and methodically dispatched.

The book hums along at a good pace. The short chapters, combined with the severe weather conditions and the constant peril faced by the characters, all help to keep the story moving and the reader engaged.

This is the first Darcy Coates book I have read, but it is unlikely to be the last. I’m grateful to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read Dead of Winter in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC ahead of publication.

I liked this book. It has excellent atmosphere. The mystery was intriguing. There were maybe a few too many characters to keep track of and the actual resolution was somewhat middling, but on the whole the book was fun.

Four stars easy.

Again another fast paced twisty book from this author. I could not put it down and that’s what I love about Darcy Coates. She does not disappoint!

I did figure some of the twists but then something would happen and I said nope not right but in the end I had some of it correct. I will alway keep reading her books as they are fast paced and twisty.

Darcy Coates is always good for a thrilling suspenseful story and Dead of Winter is no exception. From a raging snowstorm to a cabin full of suspects, any one of them the possible killer that is cutting them down one by one while Christa tries to figure it out before it is too late. You can feel the snow when you read this, and the terror of the people as the tree is filled with heads. I don't want to reveal too much but this book is definitely hard to put down and has a good ending.

I really enjoyed this, especially the twist and hidden connections and I know this author will always be an auto buy for me whenever a new book comes out. Highly recommend!

Thank you to Negalley for the advanced ecopy of this book!

Thank you, NetGalley for providing me an advanced copy of Dead of Winter for an honest review.

My mind is whirling after finishing this horrific thriller, to the point where I don't know where to start with this review. Maybe I'll start by saying: oh my god, this was one of the most intense thrillers I have ever read, with plot twist after plot twist, and you can bet I am rating this 5 stars.

Christa and her boyfriend are eager to spend a vacation in the snowy wilderness for a few weeks. But everything starts to go wrong almost immediately when a tree blocks the planned bus route and an unplanned storm begins pounding down with no remorse.

The groups seek shelter at a nearby cabin that miraculously left its doors unlocked for emergencies. They settle in hoping to wait out the storm and continue on their vacation. However, that hope is quickly shattered once their tour guide ends up murdered, and his decapitated head is put on display for everyone to see.

The stakes are high as distrust grows among this group of strangers, especially since a killer is at large, even possibly among them. There was rarely a moment I wasn't at the edge of my seat, gasping at new evidence or guessing who the killer may be. This story is full of plot twists that I never saw coming, no matter how hard I tried. The obvious is obvious, yet the plot thickens at every turn.

I wanted to savour this story, but it was extremely hard to do so. Once I picked it back up, I was sucked in immediately, rarely wanting to put it down. If life hadn't gotten in the way, I would have devoured this story in one sitting. Every little piece of the story was placed for a reason, from a fleeting thought to a speck of blood in the snow.

Darcy Coates has created a thrilling masterpiece, and I plan on reading more of her books in the very near future. I give this book an easy 5 stars, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a thrilling tale of survival and murder.

Finished ✔️ Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates.

4 ⭐️’s
Publish Day: July 11th, 2023
Kindle Unlimited: No

Love how it takes place in the Rocky Mountains 🤩🤩
It was an interestingly beautifully done story
I think this would be a perfect read for Winter as that’s what’s season it takes place in.
It was definitely a suspenseful novel
I didn’t see any of the twists coming
I also didn’t figure out any of the twists
I enjoyed the characters even though they had their own issues.
Yes, I’d recommend this book

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I received this book from NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press in exchange for myhonest review.
"When Christa joins a tour group heading deep into the snowy expanse of the Rocky Mountains, she's hopeful this will be her chance to put the ghosts of her past to rest. But when a bitterly cold snowstorm sweeps the region, the small group is forced to take shelter in an abandoned hunting cabin. Despite the uncomfortably claustrophobic quarters and rapidly dropping temperature, Christa believes they'll be safe as they wait out the storm.

She couldn't be more wrong.

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. As the storm grows more dangerous and the number of survivors dwindles one by one, Christa must decide who she can trust before this frozen mountain becomes her tomb."
I found this book to be well-written with a fairly well developed primary character
The secondary characters were diverse in their characterizations and behaved in manners appropriate to their characterizations. Their interactions seemed realistic.
The plot was a bit "over the top" and implausible, but if you can suspend belief for the story, it was highly engaging with the suspense building steadily to the end. I guessed the"villain" before the reveal, but was engaged enough to watch it play out.
Was it gory? A little. Was it suspenseful? Yes. Did it hold my attention and keep me thinking about it between reading sessions? Yes. Overall it was a fun read. I recommend this book to anyone who would enjoy a combo psychological thriller and horror story.

Darcy Coates returns with a locked room thriller. Christa and her boyfriend venture into the mountains with 8 other travelers and a guide. When their trip gets halted by a severe storm, the group takes shelter in a nearby cabin. But they find themselves in greater danger as they are murdered one by one.
I have enjoyed Coates's other horror novels and was excited for this one. It falls more to the thriller side of the spectrum but still has some gore. The story moves along quickly, with short chapters, making this a quick read. The author does a great job of creating suspense and dread that doesn't let up from the first page. I really enjoyed this, but the ending is VERY predictable. It is hard to create a shocking twist with locked room scenarios because you know it has to be one of the characters, but the motivation of the killer was apparent very early in the book and the red herrings seemed to be obvious.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Unfortunately, this book did not work well for me. I found the characters to be one dimensional, with the heroine making completely implausible decisions. I know readers have mixed feelings about alternating timelines, and the first chapter was a great “hook,” but I think the plot line here would have benefitted from a bit more set-up early in the book. The positives: the author did a great job creating the wintery atmosphere, and there were some surprises as I turned the pages. Thank you very much for allowing me to read and review this advanced copy.