I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Every time I thought I knew where the story was going, my expectations were subverted. I sat at the edge of my seat during the last 100 pages wanting to know what happened. Coates was able to tie the story up wonderfully and I liked that everything was connected.
I have yet to be disappointed by a Darcy Coates book! I highly recommend this novel to anyone who likes thrillers and murder mysteries.
Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with a copy of Dead of Winter in exchange for an honest review

Was this plot a little silly and did I have to suspend a lot of disbelief? Yes. Did it also keep me turning pages as fast as I could? Yes. This is one where you just have to go along for the ride. But it loses a star because it has my least favorite type of ending.

Okay... breathe. Count to 10. 1, 2, 3... No, nope, sorry, not helping. I still cannot steady my heartbeat, my breathing isn't even close to be back to normal, I'M NOT THE SAME! after finishing this absolutely fantastic, amazing, chilling, tense, eerie, phenomenal book!! MY GOD!!

Darcy Coates is now my #1 thriller and suspense writer, because I honestly never felt so many chills as I did when reading Dead of Winter.

The story follows Christa, who alongside her boyfriend Kiernan, join a tour group of 11 people in total for a 2-week-holiday in the Rocky Mountains. The bus ride to the lodge seem to be going pretty smooth, until they come across a falling tree blocking the road which forces the bus to stop.
As this wasn't enough trouble, the snow starts to fall quite heavily, so the travelers decide to look for some shelter where they can spend the night to wait out the storm. And fast.

Fortunately for them, they do come across an abandoned cabin which will serve its purpose perfectly. Unfortunately for them, they aren't as safe as they thought they'd be. At all.

In the morning our travelers notice that the tour guide goes missing, the shock, fear becoming more real when they find his head impaled on a tree outside the cabin. 🤯 and it's only just the beginning...

What the hell happened?! What's going on? Who did this?? Is there anyone else going on a killing spree?? Did anyone of the group did it??? Why did anyone do it in the first place?? Who can they trust? Can they even trust anyone???
Oof! Tell me about the tension throughout all 380 pages!!

This book was SO FREAKING GOOD!! I literally couldn't put it down, I devoured each page as if I were a starving person. I absolutely loved the tension! I loved watching the travelers building their suspicions towards each other, not wanting and not being able to to trust anyone, but to also rely in one another to be able to survive. GOSH!! IN CASE YOU COULDN'T TELL YET HOW EXCITED AND OVERWHELMED I AM WITH THIS BOOK!

I loved the author's writing SO MUCH! It was such an easy read, terrifying at times (hell, I'm admitting right here, right now, that at times I was scared and even nauseous when going through some parts of the book - THAT'S HOW GOOD IT IS!!), amazingly detailed, full of twists, suspense, shock. I absolutely could NOT tell who the killer is until it was actually revealed! And the pace in this book? PER-FEC-TION!

This book was so much more than I expected - and I did suspect I'd love it A LOT -, it was everything I would hope a good suspense/thriller book would deliver - and it delivered even more!

I just wish I had one more chapter, one more page, to get a "better" closure in the end. It's an open door to reader's imagination, and I'm holding onto mine with very high hopes. However it deserves all the freaking stars out there regardless!

Thank you so much NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press and Darcy Coates for providing me an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Coming out July 11th, 2023

Dead of Winter reminds me of Agatha Christie's novel And then there were none, so for me the plot and the ending of the novel were familiar.

A small group of strangers goes on a short vacation to a cabin in the middle of the wilderness. When a fallen tree prevents them from taking the bus and the winter storms are raging outside and visibility is zero, they seek sanctuary in a small, abandoned cabin. It quickly becomes apparent that one of them is the murderer, but it is not at all clear who or why.

The novel is cinematic, full of action, suspense, and terrible deeds that only a human can do. The characters are well-described, and their stories are relatable.

Obviously, the atmosphere is perfect, this is a book that gets your heart racing, your adrenaline pumping, and your teeth clenched.

Good read!
3,5/5

A book that cannot b put down until the end. Full of suspense and fear, reminds me a little of Christie's "10 Little Indians" bur much more exciting.. The snow is ever present and mood is of mistrust and fear.
Not what I usually read but was very enjoyable. . Thanks you NetGalley and the publishers for the DRC .

Great story, but I guessed the twist and it went on about 100 pages too long. This book felt like an absolute drag to get through, which I think is in direct opposition to what I typically enjoy about Coates' books. The short size of them and the action-packed pages are a good combination. There was a lot of action here, too, but it just dragged. Part of the problem is that there is little to no connection to any of the characters; this whodunnit story has so many suspects with little to no defining characteristics that make it hard to follow or initially narrow them down.
Like I said, I managed to figure out the twist, too, which doesn't make it a particularly good story for me. I don't expect tons of profound-ness in a quick horror or thriller, but I do like to be surprised, and I just wasn't really.
The gore was also far above a level I would usually take, and it definitely gave me nightmares. So points for that!
Overall: definitely not my favorite, perfectly fine but not the best, and certainly not the best I've read by the author. Just too dang long!

A two week trip to a beautiful isolated lodge in the mountains. A snowstorm that leaves the tour bus stranded on the road. Then people start dying….is it one of them? Is it a random psychopath?

I’ve read several Darcy Coates books and I’ve loved them, but this one was definitely a great thriller! So intense. You had no idea what was going on. Kept me from putting it down to go to bed. I just had to know how it ended!

Thank you Net Galley & Poisoned Pen Press for allowing me this ARC to read and review!!

Wow! This was great - the perfect Sunday Winter Read.. Coates paints the picture of being stuck in the woods with total strangers, that begin to get pick off one by one. My favorite type of read.

This book will not disappoint...it will keep you guessing until the very end.

When Krista and Kirrin set off for the winter vacation Krysta has a feeling he will pop the question and although they haven’t been together a very long time she knows she will say yes. they’re going to a resort in the dead of winter and there won’t be a crowd there is only eight people in their party and Krista is happy about that. it’s in a place Kiirrin knows well and he can’t wait to show Krista. When the bus stops due to debris in the road they decide to take a walk soon after they start the walk in the woods a storm begins and it causes them to get lost. A blizzard is whipping up and soon they get separated. after a horrible ordeal she finally makes it back to her group but Kirrin is nowhere around. The leader tells Chris the while she was unconscious they looked for him it cannot spare any more time and must go to the resort but she refuses to leave. when the leader finally relents and they look for Kirrin Krista will know there is a murderer among them and to make matters worse the blizzard isn’t letting up and they have no cell service and cannot contact the outside world can crystal figure out who the murderer is before she two becomes a victim and who can she trust when everyone is a stranger and one of them is a murderer? This isn’t what I have come to expect from Darcy Coats The books I have read from her in the past have been paranormal books and I have loved all of them but I think it’s a thriller writer her talent still shine through I do think this book was on the long side but there’s always something happening in there no lull moments and throughout the book detention bills and you can really feel you’re wanting her to get out of it. To me a great mystery is when you cannot figure out who did it and the person who is responsible was a total shock to me and I mean I really couldn’t believe it I did not see that coming. I definitely recommend this book and I’m glad I got to read it. I received it from NetGalley in the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Oh my gosh. This book was AMAZING. The twists and turns were left field crazy town express. I was so absorbed in this book that I felt like I was watching a movie. Truly, honestly, Darcy Coates is one of my all time favorite authors and I have read at least 6 of her books, but this one was just mind blowing.

The ending was so unexpected and I felt every emotion under the sun by the time I finished. This is by far one of the best thriller/mystery (kind of horror?) books I’ve read this year. I don’t want to take any trips to the snowy mountains anytime soon after finishing Dead of Winter.

I would give this 100 stars ✨ if I could.

But obviously 5/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟.

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for letting me read the early access of Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates.

Sadly it was too slow for me. I truly enjoyed the chilling atmosphere and setting for the story and it were mainly why I felt intrigued to read this one.
But I felt it was too slow for me.

First off, thank you Netgalley, Poisoned Pen Press and Darcy for letting me receive this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I typically get detailed in my reviews but try to keep them as to the point, as I can. However, with this book it starts actioned packed and ends actioned packed, but the middle was too much self pitying and drawn out, for my liking.

The winter, setting makes the book perfect for reading on cold weather days.

I did think the story was interesting but very predictable.

I wouldn’t not read it, as it is a simple read. But too slow and has so many unlikeable characters.

Dead of Winter, releasing 07/2023!

Big thank you to the author and publisher for letting me receive an ARC!

My total rating for it would be a 4.5 - I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! It's a thriller and the author did a fantastic job of making me feel like I'm in the mountains with our characters and had me so ingrained in the story that I didn't notice how much time had passed.

The MC, Christa, is such a good character. She starts off with a lot of guilt and struggles and feels weak but she’s fiercely loyal to people she trusts and loves. She did frustrate me a bit in the beginning but I understood why she felt the way she did about certain things as we get more insight into her background. She becomes such a strong and level-headed person throughout the course of the novel and by the end, I was 100% cheering her on and was so happy to see her overcome some of her difficulties. She had a great development and it was easy to follow along in her head. She's a character you can relate to and root for.

The author is really great with descriptions - I could picture the scenes and images the characters were seeing as if i was there too. The detail and presentation dialed up the creepy factor for sure. One of my favorite parts was the presentation of the scenes and how easy it was to picture them

*****There are some graphic and brutal scenes depicted so a warning for that*****

The end reveal was surprising but also not. The person revealed to be behind everything was my first guess and the reasoning behind it was my first assumption too, but the twists and turns that pointed to other characters made sense and there seemed enough evidence to rule out my suspicions. In the end, it was satisfying to have guessed it but takes away that feeling of surprise and shock . The villain is seriously messed up - normal people don’t react that way to situations and that also added to the dread and dangerous factor in the story because of how unhinged the character is.

The one thing I noticed was the really short sentences. They took me out of the flow a little bit but it wasn’t something I noticed at all once I got a few chapters in; it was really only noticeable in the beginning. It kind of just felt like abrupt sentences but it could also just be the way i’m used to reading in my head. A minor issue that wasn't even a factor after the first few chapters.


**minor spoilers**

The MC often says she has premonitions but she phrases them as if they're bound to happen. I'm assuming they're more likely gut feelings than actual premonitions.

And one of the most impressive part about their survival story is how long their phones lasted for multiple days without charging and while being used for light. Or maybe my phone is just dying and needs an upgrade!

**end of spoilers**


Overall this was a fantastic thriller read and I would recommend it if you like thrillers, survival stories, wilderness settings, and suspense . I couldn’t put it down and the story, the characters, and descriptions had me on the edge of my seat to see what would happen next and how they’re getting out of their predicament. The ending was satisfying as well.

This was an action-packed book, full of suspenseful moments. I spent 3/4 of the book unsure who the killer could be but then unfortunately guessed right at that point, which is the only reason I can’t give it 5 stars. All in all, an excellent book regardless and I highly recommend it!

I've loved almost every book that I've read by Darcy Coates so when I requested this one I didn't even read the description. All I did was check to make sure it wasn't part of a series. I assumed this was another ghost story but I was oh so wrong. I literally could not put this book down. It was amazing and so unexpected. Christa is going on a remote vacation with her boyfriend. The resort is in the middle of a snowy mountain range and not easy to access. They will be with a small group of people. But things start go wrong. The road is blocked by a tree, then Christa gets lost in a blizzard with her boyfriend but some how makes her way to the remote cabin everyone from the bus is taking shelter in, but she makes it there alone. Then people start being murdered. Who is killing them? Is it one of their own? Or a total stranger? The more they discover, the more they realize that this was not coincidence. They were brought here for a reason, they just don't know what that reason is yet.

Wow!
I enjoyed this book. I read it in a couple of sittings. I kept telling myself, one more chapter, one more chapter. I have read four other Darcy Coats books and have enjoyed them. This one is my favorite. It may be a little darker than Darcy Coats’ other books, but I liked it—a lot of twists and suspense. I don’t want to give spoilers away, but it kept me guessing. Thank you, Net Galley, for letting me have the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader Copy.

Dead of Winter is the story of a group of travelers on their way to a winter holiday in the Rocky Mountains. Their tour group gets waylaid by a storm and a downed tree so they are forced to shelter in a nearby cabin. Then heads begin to roll as they are picked off one at a time. Is it one of them or someone else?
The tension in this book was fantastic. Endless snow, heads hanging in trees, a creepy resort that bears no small resemblance to the Overlook Hotel in The Shining all made this a page turner. It was heart stopping right up to the last page. Thanks Netgalley for the ARC..

Palpable Tension..
A tour group in the Rocky Mountains, a snowstorm, an abandoned cabin and a small group of walkers. What could possibly go wrong? Christa firmly believes that the storm will pass and that they’ll all be fine - but soon enough the group begins to diminish in the most terrifying way possible. Pacy, edgy and swiftly moving suspense with an overtone of menace and a creeping, palpable tension. Characters are deftly drawn and the author succeeds in creating an atmospheric and wholly chilling setting.

I am a huge fan of Darcy's books and she's absolutely smashed it once again. This is a atmospheric, claustrophobic and thrilling read that left me feeling chilled and not just because of the snow filled location it's set in!

Christa and her boyfriend are setting off for a romantic get away with another small group of travellers to the snow covered Rocky Mountains. It quickly becomes a snow filled nightmare when it soon becomes clear that there's a murdering maniac on the loose who's determined to pick them off one by one whilst they're trapped in a cabin with little hope of escape.

There's plenty of gruesome action and paranoia runs rampant as the characters despately battle against the clock to work out who is determined to slay them. I did work out the ending (there's tiny crumbs of clues if you look hard enough) but I was thoroughly impressed as how well it was played out and it did leave me second guessing myself at every chapter. This is such a well plotted book that I finished it in one sitting desperate to keep reading on for the answers. The inhospitable conditions that the book is set in really heightens the terror as there's no escape from the murders with them being trapped in a cabin like lambs to the slaughter.

Revelations, paranoia, murder and claustrophobia are all mixed in together to make this an absolute page turning, stomach churning and head spinning read!

I received an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 4.5/5
Note***May be a bit spoiler-y...
This story captured my interest from the beginning. We start off with our main character, Christa, and her boyfriend caught in a deadly winter storm, lost and cold. They were traveling to a ski lodge with a few others when they got caught in the blizzard.
The characters varied for me. A lot were really fleshed out and a couple were only sprinkled in here and there with some back story. With that being said, you can't trust anyone. Everyone has a past, their own motivations, paranoia, and unlikability.
One thing that I did appreciate was that you can really get their frustration, sense of isolation, and "cabin fever" from the story. However, I do feel like there were occasions where people venturing off alone just seemed plain dumb. At that point, you know you're safer in numbers even if one of them is a murderer, but still want to walk out for a smoke? What?
I also questioned the logistics of some things like how the culprit managed to achieve certain things in such a short time frame considering the snow, height, cold, number of people around.
Overall, I did enjoy the ride. These few things weren't really enough to impact my experience in a negative way. I just paused occasionally and questioned what I'd read. So, I feel pretty confident in a 4.5. Most of that half star is because I guessed who it was pretty early on.