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Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I think a lot of people are going to enjoy this book. It was more medium paced and packed with twists. I changed my mind about who I thought the “butcher” was so many time.

I wasn’t totally shocked once it was officially revealed. But I wouldn’t say it’s obvious either.

I recommend this one for fans of no exit, unreliable characters, winter thrillers, and gorey scenes. This had plenty and I was fairly unsettled!

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This book kept me up reading well past my bedtime. I always love locked-room mysteries set in blizzards and snowstorms with no way out. These are my perfect reads. This book had a perfect mix of flashbacks and what was currently happening. In my opinion, it has borderline horror elements (but I'm kind of a wimp) but it's mostly thriller suspense. I couldn't it down because it was so fast paced. Thank you very much for this review copy!

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I finished this horror novel in just a couple sittings. Although it was pretty predictable and the characters were a bit one-dimensional, the plot was incredibly propulsive.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-copy.

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When Christa joins a tour group going to a remote cabin in the snowy Rocky Mountains, she is hoping to finally put the past that has been haunting her to rest. Secretly, she is also hopeful that her boyfriend may be planning to propose to her as well. But when a fallen tree and bad storm derail their plans, they are forced to seek temporary shelter. During the night, their tour guide goes missing, and when he is found the next morning, it’s clear someone in the group is a cold hearted killer. With no one to trust and no way to call for help, the group is forced to to do whatever it takes to survive.

This book grabbed my attention from the very first few sentences and didn’t let it go! Christa’s desperation, fear and sense of impending doom were palpable. In true Darcy Coates’ fashion, there was some gore woven into the story as well - definitely not one to read while you’re eating dinner (as I was at the time!) But it was twisty, entertaining and the secluded winter setting added to those factors. I did have an inkling on how it was going to end, but that didn’t stop me at all from enjoying it. With its fast-paced short chapters, I read it quickly. I will say, that while I loved it, I felt like it could have used a little bit more at the end (perhaps an epilogue). Thank you to Netgalley, Darcy Coates and Poisoned Pen Preess for the ARC! “Dead of Winter” releases July 11th!

This will be shared to my instagram blog (@Books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

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✨Book Review✨

Dead of Winter 📚 by Darcy Coates

🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪


😱 OMG!! Best thriller I have read in awhile folks! This is a classic who dun it but it is so geniusly done you will never guess the ending or the twists that keep coming! I will have nightmares over this one but it's a must read!!

Thank you to @netgalley and Poisoned Penn Press for the arc! This book is released July 2023 📖


#thriller #justread #bookstack #booklovers #netgalley #deadofwinter #alwaysreading #readersofinstagram #bookreview #instareads #goodreads #bookworm #bookaddict #readersofig #bookreviewer #bookaddict #bookstagram

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this was a majorly creepy thriller, but so so good! Imagine you are headed to a remote lodge with the love of your life, looking forward to two weeks in romantic seclusion. Suddenly, the bus comes to a halt as there is a downed tree blocking the road. As the snow starts to come harder, it seems unlikely you’ll make it to the lodge tonight, so everyone starts seeking shelter. Someone ends up dead, who is the killer? Stuck in a remote cabin with no way out and no way to seek help, everyone is simply trying to stay alive. SO creepy.

This is my first Darcy Coates book and will certainly not be my last. I love locked room thrillers, and set in a creepy remote setting is my absolute favorite. So so good

This book is released 7/11/23

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

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This was my first Darcy Coates book and I get the hoopla now! A well done, fast paced read with unpredictable twists throughout. I thought it might get repetitive after a few hundred pages but it never did. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be reading more of her stuff now. Thanks to netgalley for the arc!

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I think my favorite thing about Dead of Winter is hands down the setting. An isolated cabin in the middle of a blizzard? Yes, please! Coates does a solid job of creating an unsettling atmosphere.

While I wanted to love the book (the synopsis hooked me!) it definitely had some weaknesses. One of the main issues is the lack of character development. The characters felt flat and under-developed, making it difficult for me to significantly care about their survival.

Another issue is that the story was altogether too predictable. While some parts were genuinely creepy, I guessed the “mystery” and unraveled the entire plot way too early in the book to ever be on the edge of my seat.

Despite this, Dead of Winter was a creepy read with pacing that kept it from being boring. It’s a good choice if you don’t mind predictability in your “whodunits” and you’re looking for a fast-paced wintery thriller.

*A huge thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for providing me with the ARC e-book in exchange for an honest review.*

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(3.5 rounded up for NetGalley)

My full review of this book will appear in Rise Above - A Community Sampler, publishing in April 2023 by Wintry Monsters Press.

"Dead of Winter is a mix drink of Scream, The Shining, and Clue concocted in the mountains during a snowstorm. It’s violent, exciting, and cold. There’s no doubt heads will roll."

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Great atmosphere, I'm a sucker for snowed in horror. Coates does a great job creating a claustrophobic setting for this survival tale. I found it an overall fun read, somewhat predictable, but still page turning.

Arc received from Net Galley

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Wow. Wow. Wow. Darcy Coates does not disappoint. I could not put this book down. If you are looking for a very intense, terrifying thriller this is it. Christa and her boyfriend Kiernan join a private tour group as it heads to a lodge in the Rocky Mountains for a romantic 2-week winter retreat. The bus soon comes across a fallen tree on the highway. As the group attempts to clear it a brutal snowstorm quickly sets in… forcing them to take refuge in a nearby remote cabin. When their bus driver goes missing the next morning, they make a horrifying discovery. Could it be one of them? A brutal tale of survival. The tension building was crazy. I’m pretty picky with thrillers and this certainly delivered. I could not predict the ending at all. I absolutely loved it. A perfect rainy day read. This comes out in July, so I highly recommend pre-ordering. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

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I love Darcy Coates. I think her books are exciting, thrilling, and super creepy. This one had all my favorite things. Cold, wintery setting, strangers stranded in an isolated area, people being picked off one by one. The beginning had me very interested. I couldn't stop reading. The middle slowed down a little. I skimmed some parts because I felt there was just too much description. I didn't guess the twist ending but I don't put much thought into them anyways and just go with the flow. This was a great read!

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Being a fan of Darcy Coates, I requested to read this book straight away. and when I was given it to read, I was under the moon. I loved the story and the way Coates can describe a scene that will make you shiver as you imagine the cold or just through the creepiness of the moment. But it felt like I had guessed the plot too easily, who the killer(s) were, and how it would end pretty much. But despite that, it was a fun, skin-tingling, cold blasted ride of fun.

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I really liked this book but be warned…it starts with a bang and really never lets up. Sometimes it was almost too tense for me to continue. I did figure out who the ultimate killer was about 1/3 of the way through the book, but additional twists had me questioning whether I was correct. There’s a bit of the….”if they’d only communicated more” situation going on. That being said, I think it was an engaging read.

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The description of this book gripped me right away and I was not disappointed!! This is the kind of book that you read all in one sitting simply because you cannot put it down, there is non-stop action and the twists just keep happening one after another. There is a perfect amount of suspense and tension that is built up throughout the story, and while there is some gore with the deaths involved, I felt like it was just enough to get to point across to instill that cr5eepy feeling without it being just for shock value purposes.

I have read books with the basics of the plot similar to this one, however this has been the best execution I have experienced so far. A group of strangers, all connected by one mysterious thread, stranded together and one by one they start to get killed off.

Your heart will be pounding, your mind will be racing and you feel like you yourself are being stalked by the mysterious killer as well!

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This is my favorite Darcy Coates book! She writes spook, cozy horror, but this is more of a thriller and it has some violence in it. It was nonstop and kept you guessing through the whole book. It's a closed-door mystery where the characters are killed off one-by-one. These always make me anxious.

Christa and her boyfriend are on a bus to a weekend getaway in the mountains. The bus gets stopped by a tree in the road and the passengers have to take refuge in a remote cabin in the middle of a snow storm. One by one, they are brutally murdered. Christa has to figure out who the killer is in order to stay alive.

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"Never mistake my silence for weakness. No one plans a murder out loud." (Linda Nee)

Slam the door and take a seat. This one will rattle chains inside your head all night.

Think about it. You've boarded a tour bus in the midst of a furious winter storm in the surround sound of the Rocky Mountains. There's still a chill in the air within these walls even with the heat blasting. You're a city girl who has packed city clothes. No one gave you the hardcore definition of COLD.

Christa sits next to her boyfriend, Kiernan. He's all about country life and the Rockies. It's his thing, but not necessarily hers. Oh, but love overrides all. She's wrapped up in those deep blue eyes and that crooked smile. This will be a weekend in a remarkable lodge with breathtaking views. Memories will definitely be made.

But as they travel into the mountains, a giant tree has fallen across the road. The eight other passengers climb outside the bus as Brian, the guide, provides a chain saw to clear a path. Brian tells them to stay close, but Kiernan is anxious to show Christa the views. Tragedy will find its way to visit upon the love-struck couple. They become separated in the raging storm.

The rest of the passengers climb to a higher elevation where they find a cabin closed up for the season. With no other recourse, they hunker down. No electricity. No food. No running water. But at least it gets them out of the storm. Hours later, Christa spots the cabin. She's had no contact with Kiernan since she fell into a ravine. Christa is determined to find Kiernan. Until she does.......

WoWzers! Don't even leave your footprints in this packed down snow if you're weak of heart. This is a brutal one. It's straight out of Agatha Christie on high volume steroids. Red will become a part of the decor and not as a fashion statement here. Keep a score card handy to hold count of these players. It's a hyperventilating time in the Rockies. Someone likes to play with sitting ducks.

Darcy Coates is known for her thriller mindset. Coates has outdone herself in this one. The fear factor is relentless. Toasted and terrifying. And we're clueless until the final pages. Packed like a macabre picnic lunch. Who'll get the first serving?

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and to Darcy Coates for the opportunity.

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Christa hoped that a vacation on the snowy Rocky Mountains with her boyfriend may put the ghosts of her past to rest. When her boyfriend goes missing in a snowstorm, she is forced to take refuge in a remote cabin along with total strangers, waiting for the raging storm to subside and for an elusive rescue mission. But heads start popping and when she realise that one among her cabin mates is a serial murderer, she has to decide whom to trust before the worst happens.
Dead Of Winter is an upcoming thriller novel by best selling writer Darcey Coates, which I got an opportunity to read, thanks to an advance copy by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange of an honest review. I am reading Coates for the first time. The book is a locked door suspense mystery with cabin in the wood kind of horror elements heavily thrown in.
Story is narrated in the first person perspective of Christa. The narrative style of Coates puts the reader in the midst of the events. While reading through the eyes of Christa, we are aware of only that which she knows about. At the same time we are part of all the paranoia and anguish that she feels. This made me as a reader, more immersed and invested in her perilous journey.
Ever prevalent suspense is the biggest asset of the novel. The writer has ensured that there are no dull moments in the plot by keeping it thriving and eventful. Right from the opening chapter, the book pulls the reader into its maze. The terror and paranoia that inhabits every character and the atmosphere of uncertainty and confusion that prevails in every page are sufficient to hook the reader. As bonus there are enough gore and jump scares thrown in to spice up the story. Constant presence of a merciless nature- never ending snowstorm and ice clad mountains that hinders every effort of the characters, disallowing any respite also serves as an antagonist in the tale.
I have read many suspense thrillers that pull rabbits out of thin air. But the best ones always take care to stud sufficient clues (and of course some misdirections also) in the narrative for the more adventurous reader to pick on their way and attempt to decipher the final reveal. The credibility of a fine suspense writer, according to me, lies in making their reader feel 'why didn't I think of it' instead of 'I didn't see that coming'. Dead of Winter made me regret all the missed clues that I ignored, though to my credit, I was able to crack atleast a crucial one.
In any locked door thrillers, it is crucial to have interesting characters because most of the thrills happens by the suspicious interaction among these characters. My singular objection with the novel is the lack of riveting characters other than the protagonist. All other characters where mostly one-note kind, and serves only the purpose of carrying the plot forward. More meaningful and complex interactions among them would have added layers to the book and whetted the appetite of serious readers who are interested in something more than a racy ride.
Dead Of Winter is ideal for a reader who wants to read a relentless, atmospheric suspense thriller that features some gore. It is an easily readable book, with a complex protagonist who shoulders the plot effortlessly and a dense atmosphere saturated with paranoia.

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This book is fantastic. Atmospheric, creepy and a really good page turner. You could almost feel the cold leeching from the pages. A brilliant who done book. Although I did work it out, still a great read. I love Darcy Coates's books. They never let me down

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Darcy Coates never disappoints! This novel is quick-paced, gory, and full of anticipation from beginning to end. I was able to figure out who the killer was and why, but I never consider that to be a negative thing when I leave reviews because I love being right. Christa is an interesting protagonist, and she’s an adequate narrator for the setting. If you love gore, you’ll love this book, but if graphic descriptions bother you, then this might not be the book for you. Personally, I loved all of it! I continue to be a hardcore Darcy Coates lover, and I would highly recommend this book!

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