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.

Thank you to Netgalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Darcy Coates for allowing me the opportunity to preview and review this book! It’s my first book of hers, though I have heard great things about her! They all definitely held true!

Christa accepts a trip to a remote and isolated lodge in the snowy Rocky Mountains with her boyfriend and a group of strangers. It’s supposed to be a relaxing 2 weeks, but it’s anything but relaxing.

They get stranded in the immense snowy mountains and one by one they each start getting picked off, the heads of the victims impaled on a tree. They have to figure out who is killing them and why.

There are so many twists that it was almost impossible to figure out the killer. They each seemed like a perfect suspect. I absolutely loved the dark thrill and mystery that kept me fascinated from start to finish.

HELLL YESS. BEST book of 2023 so far. I loved everything about this book - Who can you trust? Who’s next to die? Everyone is a suspect. This is written with such vivid imagery - I loved the “isolated cabin in the woods” style setting. This book is highly mysterious, leaving the reader guessing the entire time. I could feel the emotional roller coaster Christa was on. The ending is not at all able to be guessed - seriously, this one has a WOW ending that will take your breath away and make you question everything. Someone needs to make this a movie. I NEEEEED to read more by Darcy Coates!

Wow! This was my first book by Darcy Coates and I was completely blown away by it - I loved it!
The writing was amazing and the pacing was perfect. It was incredibly atmospheric; I felt like i was in this horrible situation with the characters. From the first chapter I was hooked. It was a very intense beginning and that same level of danger was present throughout the entire book. It was a lot more gory and creepy than I was expecting but that just made it better!
This book is the definition of a page turner - my heart was pounding and I was on the edge of my seat to see what happened next. I read it all in one day and audibly gasped at the twist! The twist was something I had a little thought about but I definitely was not expecting it to actually happen. The ending did feel a little rushed and abrupt but overall it didn’t effect my enjoyment of the book too much.

My rating is 4.5/5 stars!

Look, I need to be honest here, I have a love/hate relationship with Darcy Coates's books.

Their stories always have a plot that I love, characters I can get behind, and an atmosphere that I enjoy...at least for the the first two-thirds of the book.

Everytime they reach the two-thirds checkpoint they start to drag on. The reveals are never surprising as you see them coming from a mile away which is fine, but Coates contines to drag out the reveal with exposition and recaps that are completely unnecessary.

I'm going to keep reading Coates's stories because when I say I enjoy the first two-thirds, I mean, I really enjoy them! They're worth the read even if I expect to be disappointed with the final third of the story.

One day, Coates is going to write a story that doesn't have me jumping from dialogue to dialogue by the final chapters and it probably going to be my favourite book, ever.

As for "Dead of Winter", it's a pretty standard whodunnit plotline set in a snowstorm.

With no escape and no telecommunications, the members of a holiday tour need to work together to survive the freezing weather...and each other.

I do recommend this book, and I'd love to hear how other people found the last third of the story.

I will say that there's a couple of loose ends that make no sense to me but they're not really relevant to the overall plot.

Thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Darcy Coates for giving me a free digital copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review.

I want to firstly say thank you to Netgalley and the Author for the early copy of this book. I really appreciate the chance to read and review this early.

There were some really enjoyable parts about this book. The initial suspense of trying to figure out who was committing the murders and the gore factor was great for a horror fanatic like myself.

Unfortunately with a plot like this it can become a little repetitive. Each murder was pretty much identical and with a setting like a snowy mountain even the description of everything became repetitive. With this the story became slow and harder to get through as it reached 50%.

The ending was a little more exciting with the change in location but having already figured out who the killer was about half way through it didn’t change my view on the overall book.

I decided to give it 3 stars because I enjoyed the gore factor, the initial suspense of the the few few murders was fun but ultimately it won’t be a particularly memorable book amongst the others I read this year.

Holy wow!!!! Ya’ll are in for a treat with this beauty of a book! First book I have read by this author and I am running to read everything by her!

Christa accepts an invitation with her boyfriend to an inclusive lodge in the Rocky Mountains along with 8 other strangers. As everyone is on the bus in the mountains a heavy storm breaks out and the bus becomes trapped on the road by a giant tree. They retreat to a nearby cabin where they start being murdered one by one. Who is the killer? Will anyone survive and be rescued in time? Read to find out!

Dead of Winter is a brilliantly written thriller. While reading, especially at the end, I thought my heart might explode in my chest. The ending was beautifully executed that I never expected coming!

I want to thank Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for giving me this advanced copy to read and review. Darcey Coates thank you for giving me the best thriller so far of 2023. This one will definitely be hard to beat!!

WOW!! READ THIS NOW!!! This book was absolutely terrifying! I'm a sucker for "snowed-in" thrillers, but this one went above and beyond my expectations. Eight strangers stranded in the remote wilderness. Blizzard-like conditions with freezing temps and close to zero visibility. A decapitating killer taking them out one by one. YES!! Coates did a phenomenal job portraying an extremely horrifying, pulse-pounding, atmospheric thriller. I felt everything that Christa was experiencing. It was very intense! I had a feeling about the ending and who the killer turned out to be, but you won't know for sure until you know. This fast-paced horror will keep you guessing until the very end! I'm so glad I took a chance on this one. This is my first Darcy Coates read and I will definitely be seeking out more! I absolutely loved it!!

Thank you to the author, Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for allowing me free access to this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I received a free copy of, Dead of Winter, by Darcy Coates, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Christa thought she was going on a semi relaxing vacation to the Rockies, but that quickly changed. This was a chilling thriller, set outside in the winter, so much snow, cold, and wind, glad I was inside reading it.

What’s your favorite thing to do in the winter?

Sit inside and look at the snow outside. But we don’t get a ton of snow and it isn’t usually until February. I’m hoping that isn’t the case this year as we have vacation planned mid Feb.

Christa joins a tour group that goes into the snowy expanse of the Rocky Mountains. She’s hoping that this trip lets her get over some things in her past. When a snowstorm sweeps the region, they are forced to go indoors to a cabin in the middle of nowhere. Thinking they’re safe the group realizes they have no reception and limited supplies. Then one of them turns up dead – their severed head impaled outside the cabin. As the group wonders if they have a killer in their midst more go missing and turn up dead. As Christa grapples with how to survive, she wonders if she can trust anyone. Will she make it out with her life? Or will be just become a casualty?

This one was fantastic! This was my second Darcy Coates novel. The first one I read disappointed me, but it had enough potential to want to read more. Then I saw this one on @netgalley and it seemed right up my alley. I am a huge sucker for snowstorms and being trapped. Like it gets me every time and this one did just that.

The premise of this one was fun because you were constantly guessing who the killer was. Was it someone part of the group? Or someone stalking the group? It was constantly back and forth – so fun. This book was just a fun tension filled ride and I will definitely be reading more from this author in the future.

Check this one out July 11th.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press (@poisonedpenpress), NetGalley (@netgalley) and the author, for my e-ARC in exchange for this review.