This is my first Darcy Coates book and it did not disappoint. What pulled me first and foremost was the cold and unsettling winter isolation vibes of the title and the book cover itself. Initially, I thought this was of the supernatural genre but boy, was I wrong! It had me hooked from first page up to the big revelation. Coates was very clever in misguiding all my hunches, I had to jump from one culprit to another thinking he/she could be it but ended up being wrong.

Overall, a very good mystery/thriller to keep those neurons and detective skills on power mode.

3.5 stars

Dead of Night by Darcy Coates caught my eye as I felt in the mood for something of the horror genre, and this sounded like it would be a fantastic fit. I will say it definitely hit a lot of the areas I was really looking for in this vein and I quite enjoyed certain aspects of it. I would highly recommend this book for someone looking for some good horror movie, blood and fire type vibes as it was definitely an A+ in terms of that.

Where this book worked well, is in the sheer terror and tension it elicited in the reader all throughout. I honestly feel like I spent a vast majority of this book clenching my teeth because I was so affected by everything the characters were going through. There were so many moments that had me so tense. I also found their sense of paranoia creeping in to me, I was back and forth guessing who might be the culprit murdering people and felt like small things would set me off on one character or another until I felt just like Christie, whose POV this book is in, unable to trust anyone. Which emphasizes the fact that the author did a very good job of keeping the reader guessing all throughout. I was admittedly very surprised when an early theory of mine ended up being true, despite constantly jumping around being suspicious of everyone.

Where it lacked a bit more for me was probably in the characters. I found it very hard to connect with any of them or truly feel sorry for them. Admittedly this may very well be intentional both to generate suspicion, and to lead up to the climax, but regardless it took me out of it a bit. Beyond that, the start was a bit slow for me as it took a bit before I really got into the story (though I flew through the end which is where I felt this book truly shone.

Altogether it was a nice, quick read with a strong air of horror and I did enjoy it in the end. I definitely do recommend it for lovers of horror because it was fantastic in this aspect, and it is a tense, murder filled read with the main character trying to figure out who the killer is. All in all, this was enjoyable and a quick read.

I have just finished reading Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates.

I must say that I did enjoy this book. I do not usually gravitate towards books about characters lost in the snow, and cold as a whole. But am glad that I read this one.

The main character Christa is with a tour group that is heading into the snowy Rocky Mountains.

The story is a thriller, filled with suspense, who did it, and lots of intrigue to keep a reader going.


Thank You to NetGalley, The Author and Poisoned Pen Press for my advanced copy to read and review.

#netgalley #poisonedpenpress #darcybooks

My first Darcy Coates novel and it was decent if unspectacular.

A familiar format here. A group of strangers are drawn together and start to die one by one. One of them being the murderer.

Here it’s set in the snowy Rockies where our group think they are on their way to holiday in a chalet. When their bus is forced off the road they find shelter from the snow and storms in a shed where they proceed to lose their lives one by one.

It’s an old trope given a new lick of paint, an Agatha Christie homage no doubt. The format itself didn’t quite work for me as it’s told from our main protagonists point of view for the whole story. She is a somewhat uninteresting and slightly annoying character so spending the whole book with her wasnt fun.

The first half of the book really drags and becomes repetitive. They go outside. One gets killed, they retreat back to the shed. They do it again. The same thing happens. Rinse and repeat.

In the second half the pace picks up and becomes a lot more readable and indeed exciting as the back story is finally fleshed out.

It’s a decent if utterly forgettable read. I wanted to like it more than I did. Weak characters, repetitive and a format that didn’t quite work for me being the weak points here. The second half makes up for it somewhat as it finally resolves the story.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.

What an amazing ride! Incredibly suspenseful, this book does not have a single dull moment. Not a slow burn at all! Every page is filled with action from start to finish at breakneck pace. The writing is easy to get into and the plot is solid. Plenty of clues left by the author so the twist is predictable but this does NOT AT ALL affect the quality of the story or enjoyment of the book. It's fun to see how the story pans out even after/if you've guessed the ending. I can totally see this being made into a movie! If you love locked room mysteries this book IS FOR YOU. I read it in two days and could not put it down!! Thanks, netgalley, for this ARC!

Phew! I couldn't put this down! I love books like this with heaps of mystery, back-story, direction and misdirection. I was kept guessing and then changing my mind about who was responsible for the targeted and gory events in this book. Loved every second.

I've seen people refer to Darcy's books as "cozy horror." This book is NOT cozy. I read an interview where Darcy basically said she intentionally writes more positive books, & I have to wonder what drove her to write this. I'm not complaining. I was not surprised by who the killer was at all, but I still enjoyed it. I do think it ended too abruptly for my tastes. I've read Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, & some other one-by-one books. This story was good enough that it didn't feel like a copy

First off, I’d like to thank Poisoned Press and Darcy Coates for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was so excited to receive this one, as thrillers are my favorite and I’ve heard great things about Darcy’s previous work. The setting is so atmospheric and vividly described which really sets the stage and the shorts chapters made this easy to binge fairly quick. One of my favorite movies is Identity and this gave me a lot of identity vibes which our course I loved. And I must say I really enjoyed this one. The beginning was a bit slow to get into but it picked right up and I was so invested at the end, staying up late until I passed out to try and finish. This one is one I can’t wait to recommend and would rate 4.5 stars ONLY because the ending left me wanted a couple more details. While this is my first Darcy Coates book, it will certainly not be my last! I can’t wait to get my hand on some of her previous work now.

This was a fantastic read! I personally am not a winter person and this whole scene of being stranded in a blizzard is just so unsettling for me. I loved the whole locked room mystery aspect of this as well.

A huge thank you to the publisher, Darcy Coates, and NetGalley for this ARC!

The last book I read by Darcy was not for me, so I was hesitant to give this one a try. I was in the mood for a snowy thriller and this does not disappoint!

I loved the short chapters, I loved how this story flowed, I loved the blizzard setting! This was an absolute perfect read for winter!

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book needs to come with a warning - Please ensure you are tucked up under a cosy blanket with a hot chocolate (and preferably a sleeping pet near by). Told from a first person perspective, you will feel the cold and the fear through every page. Absolutely brilliant read!

I was so excited to get this book because it checks all my “favorite type of thriller” boxes:

✅Snowy atmosphere
✅Locked room mystery
✅Akin to 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘞𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘕𝘰𝘯𝘦

Unfortunately that’s where the love affair ends. While I still was flipping pages fast to see what was going on, I ended up being right from the start…bummer. It also was quite repetitive and you are going to need to suspend quite a bit of disbelief to get through this one. There were SO many things that didn’t add up or simply made so little sense I was left muttering to myself in annoyance. I’m not going to go into details because I don’t want to spoil too much but suffice it to say that if there’s a killer knocking us off one by one and I find a big ass ax, I’m not leaving it behind because it’s too “big”. That thing is coming with me and I’m going to be bench pressing it while waiting for it to be my turn.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this one early.

Summary - Christa is part of a tour group headed to a remote mountain resort for a two-week vacation with her boyfriend. However, after a fierce snowstorm derails their drive to the lodge, Christa and her group of eight fellow travelers are forced to take shelter in what appears to be an abandoned hunting cabin in the woods. The path forward seems simple - stay put and wait for the storm to pass. Until their tour guide is somehow brutally murdered overnight, One by one, the mysterious killer seeks to eliminate each member of the group which forces Christa and the others to figure out if the killer is someone in their own group.

I loved that this book had not just one big twist at the end (which it absolutely did), but at countless other twists throughout. It kept the pace of the story fast and it kept me turning the pages. There was a new twist and reveal at least every other chapter, and it gave the story a very chaotic and frenetic energy. The thing that makes a thriller effective for me is when you can't see the final twist coming at all, and that's exactly what happened. All the pieces fit together in hindsight, but the twist is completely blindsiding!

This was the kind of book that makes you want to stay up all night reading just to find out what happens, and it was so worth the read!

I enjoyed this book. I like that it didn’t take long to get right into it and definitely had me guessing until the very end.

A group of strangers heading into the wilderness for a retreat find themselves trapped in an abandoned cabin. As they wait for the winter storm to pass; they start disappearing one by one. The tension was unbelievable and the ending is top notch. I could not put this one down. Thanks to NetGalley and @SimonSchuster for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Darcy Coates is such a great writer and I love almost everything she reads. And this book is no different. Its pretty great .

4.5 Stars 🌟

This was such a thrill of a story to read. It was incredibly claustrophobic and Darcy Coates does such an amazing job setting the scene. I loved the setting of a snow storm in the middle of nowhere.

This story follows Christa, she's with her boyfriend on the way to a winter lodge retreat with a group of others when their bus gets stranded in the snow. Christa and Kieran some how get separated from the group and the book open with them lost in the wilderness. Then they both get separated from eachother.

Christa is able to randomly find a log cabin where also the other people from the bus have also come across. Everyone except Kieran he is still lost. Christa has a bad feeling that they all will die and never leave this cabin. Just like her a premonition one of the others disappears and is found mutilated. Now they're stuck in the snow with no hope of rescue in sight. Anyone could be a murderer or is there an outsider taking them out one by one,

I had so much fun with this book, The writing style quickly pulls you and never lets go, I really appreciated also the short chapters. Coates does an incredible job setting up the claustrophobic atmosphere and engaging the reader. I was terrified for these characters.

My only con was that some of it was a bit predictable and sometimes felt very repetitive. This didn't take away from my overall enjoyment.

I would specifically highly recommend this book to isolation thrillers lovers or fans of Then There We're None. It's a really fun time and will make a perfect winter read,

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

I will be posting my review to my Instagram page the.floofs.booknook and retail sites close or on publication date.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview Dead of Winter.
Wow. This is a book I could not put down.
Christa has met the man of her dreams and they are on the way to a lodge nestled in the Rocky Mountains. Two weeks alone with a great guy he could be the one.
But the trip to the lodge is halted as the bus they are on is stopped by a tree in the road.
Eight others are on the bus and they are still miles away from the lodge
Christa and her boyfriend Kieran decide to take a walk while the others are moving the tree but a storm ensues and they are lost in the storm.
Christa somehow survives but Kieran. Is lost and she makes way to a small cabin where the others have found shelter.
But soon the survivors start to die and one of them is a killer.
Christa is determined to survive but as the others become victims she knows she may not live to see another day and she may die in the wilderness. But why is someone targeting this group and Christa will fight to find out
Great till the ending. 4 stars

Thank you Net Galley for this ARC. I don’t know what my deal with this book was, but it just wasn’t grabbing me. Maybe it has something to me reading it in Minnesota. I may have to circle back in the summer.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Dead of Winter releases July 11, 2023


I just cant say no to a claustrophobic winter thriller! I really enjoyed reading this book, the wintery, chilly and creepy atmosphere was just amazing and I really could imagine myself in the little cabin in the middle of nowhere. Shivers! I highly recommend this book for lovers of claustrophobic thrillers.
I wish the characters had more depth and were more worked out. That is my only critique.

#netgalley #arcreview #deadofwinter #darcycoates