This was an insane ride of a novel with twists and turns that had my head spinning. My first book by KAM and it won't be my last. She knows how to write toxic characters! The ending was crazy!

Great wintry read for fans of Lisa Unger or Lucy Foley. Orphaned young and with little memory of her "before" childhood, Theo is nervous about meeting her fiance's powerful family over the holidays. Turns out, with good reason. As soon as they arrive at the Dalton compound, Theo immediately feels familiar, and several members of the family and staff feel the same about her. Does she have a connection to these people? And will she figure it out before whatever happened to her mother repeats?

Okay, so this is getting to be a trope. Destination holiday at rich boyfriend's family enclave. Throw in battling the elements for some locked-room suspense, and voila. But it really works here, and the twists were ... twisty.

a fast pace thriller with twists and turns! What more could you want! I definitely did not see the ending coming and that’s fantastic to me. Thanks to this book for convincing me not to marry the rich man I just met.

Orphaned Theodora Scott is on the way to spend the holidays with her wealthy fiancé, Connor, at his family's compound. She receives a text: Stay away from Connor Dalton. Furthermore, she follows some footprints in the snow leading to an abandoned cabin on the property. Inside, she finds a photo of herself as a child. She realizes that she has been at this compound before.
This book is a suspenseful thrill ride through a forgotten childhood, family politics, and murder. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of reading this one!

I read this with my bookclub and I really enjoyed it. It was binge-worthy and we had a lot to talk about. I heard that the audio was excellent for this as well.

This was a great mystery with good pacing however (stop reading for spoilers) I do not care for endings that have like 17 different reveals. Like oh actually it was this person. But wait, Sike, it was this person. No. There are so many characters to keep track of also.

If Knives Out had a sinister love child with The Bourne Identity and raised it in a snow-covered family estate packed with secrets - A Killing Cold would be that unsettling, twisty little thriller.

Kate Alice Marshall has already made a name for herself as a master of moody, atmospheric suspense, and with A Killing Cold, she doubles down on the psychological whiplash. This is the third book I've read by her, and she's cemented herself as one of my go-to authors for a reliably wild ride.

The story kicks off with Theodora Scott, swept off her feet by Connor Dalton and whisked away to meet his "you-may-never-be-good-enough-for-us" family at their remote estate, Idlewood. But things start going sideways immediately. An eerie photo, footprints where there shouldn't be any, and a hint of forgotten memories suggest that Theo's past might be tangled up with the family she just met.

It took me a little while to get grounded - there are a lot of Daltons to keep straight, and everyone's got secrets on secrets. But once the story found its rhythm (about a quarter in), I was in! Marshall excels at creating morally ambiguous characters who are compelling even when you want to throttle them. It was impossible to know who to trust - just when I thought I'd figured someone out, BAM - twist!

What I particularly loved about A Killing Cold was how well the final act paid off. Marshall stuck the landing and had me turning page after page, desperate for answers, until the very last word.

So, if you're into family drama, memory gaps, and a protagonist you genuinely want to root for, A Killing Cold is definitely a thrilling story worth reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for an advanced reader's copy; all opinions expressed in this review are my own.

🤔 𝕎𝕙𝕪 𝔻𝕚𝕕 𝕀 ℝ𝕖𝕒𝕕 𝕀𝕥: I am a huge fan of Kate Alice Marshall especially when it comes to her adult novels, so of course I had to grab her newest release.

🍿 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴: There is nothing I love more than rich people behaving badly and mixed together with a winter wonderland and a girl whose memories aren’t fully intact makes it a recipe for disaster. The mystery of Theo’s past along with Connor’s overbearing family drove this plot at a very quick pace and the snowy setting just amplified the atmosphere further.

👏🏼 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒫𝑜𝓈𝒾𝓉𝒾𝓋𝑒𝓈: The atmospheric qualities of this book were utterly fantastic, and unlike certain books I have read recently, I felt like Idlewood was a character in itself along with the woods surrounding it. The secrets were one of my favorite parts of the book as well as the mind-blowing twists I never saw coming. These were some of my favorite unlikeable characters to read about and I had a mantra going in my head telling Theo to watch her back. I also loved the fact that the storyline felt very unique, especially with the inclusion of Theo’s strange nightmares.

🫤 🇹‌🇭‌🇪‌ 🇳‌🇪‌🇬‌🇦‌🇹‌🇮‌🇻‌🇪‌🇸‌: Marshall didn’t do me wrong with this one and I personally could find no fault in it.

🎧 𝒜𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝒩𝒶𝓇𝓇𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃: Karissa Vacker is one of the most talented narrators I have ever had the pleasure of listening to and she gave these characters the vibrancy they needed and deserved. She was very engaging to listen to, there were no audio issues, and her voice was the perfect fit for Theo.

💭 𝘊𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴: The pacing, cleaver plot, and a mix of themes kept tension high in this story of forgotten identity and the revelation of secrets and lies was only the tip of the iceberg. A Killing Cold is definitely my new favorite by Marshall and if you like endings that are wrapped up in a neat bow (like I do), this is for you.

T͏h͏i͏s͏ B͏o͏o͏k͏ i͏n͏ 5͏ E͏m͏o͏j͏i͏’s͏ o͏r͏ L͏e͏s͏s͏: 🧣📷🌲🤐💲

𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
𝙰𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚘𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I'm a huge fan of Kate Alice Marshall and was so grateful to receive this book! A gorgeously atmospheric and twisty thriller, it's not my favourite of hers (that spot is reserved for 'Rules for Vanishing', but this kept me turning the pages at speed, losing myself in her world as always.

Another winner from an excellent writer.

Kate Alice Marshall is an auto buy author for me! I was so excited for this one set in a snowy landscape – unfortunately it fell a bit flat for me.

When Theo Scott falls fast for the charming, wealthy Connor Dalton, she doesn’t expect a snowy retreat with his powerful family to turn into something sinister. But Idlewood isn't just a remote getaway—it's familiar. Too familiar. And when Theo discovers a childhood photo of herself taken there, her forgotten past begins to surface. Someone at Idlewood knows what happened all those years ago—and they’ll do anything to keep it buried. As snow falls and danger closes in, Theo must uncover the truth… before it’s too late.

It was definitely more suspense and family drama than thriller and I figured it out pretty quick. Though I enjoyed the fast paced nature of the book it did drag a little in the middle due to the secluded landscape and limited characters.

A real page turner! The setting has an eerie feel to it that I could feel. The mind is a mysterious thing as proven in memories or lack of them. Loved following the discovery of the past and the secrets that have been kept.

PHENOMENAL!!! Thank you NetGalley and Flatiron Books for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

MIND BLOWING!! INCREDIBLE!! ADDICTIVE!!
Kate Alice Marshall delivers once again!! "A Killing Cold" is an utterly gripping, chilling, and atmospheric psychological thriller that I could NOT put down! It had me on the edge of my seat, constantly wondering who I could trust. Just when I thought I had it figured out, another crazy whirlwind twist hit me.

This book is packed with everything I love in a thriller! From dark family secrets, dangerous and deadly lies, a dysfunctional wealth family, no cell phone service, a secluded, wintery mountain retreat, threatening messages, suppressed memories and a shocking reveal!! OH MY!! 😮

The tension builds page by page until you're holding your breath. I devoured this in one sitting! I just wanted to scream to get out!! Easily one of the most suspenseful, bingeable reads I've picked up in a long time. I wholeheartedly recommend this unputdownable, stunning masterpiece and it deserves all the stars!!!⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What Lies In the Woods is one of my favorite thrillers, and I've since been enjoying Kate's other books. A Killing Cold is no exception.
I enjoyed the storyline showcasing how essentric some families are, especially when they have money to fall back on. Each character was distinct and easy to differentiate between. I liked Theo, our FMC, a lot.
And, this may be a mild spoiler, but it is SO refreshing to not have the main character's significant other be the bad guy! That plot twist is overly used in thrillers, and I was worried throughout the story Conner would turn out to be behind it all. But the way he protected Theo made me happy.

This book had me completely gripped—tense, eerie, and layered with just the right amount of emotional depth and creeping dread. A Killing Cold starts with what feels like a classic setup: a whirlwind romance, a secluded estate, and a family that’s just a little too perfect. But from the moment Theo sets foot at Idlewood, you can feel that something is off—and it only gets more unsettling from there.

Theo is such a compelling protagonist. You feel her disorientation, her curiosity, and her growing fear as the story unfolds. Her vulnerability never makes her weak—it makes her real. Watching her confront both the literal danger around her and the foggy fragments of her past was incredibly powerful. She’s unraveling a mystery, yes, but she’s also reclaiming her own story—and that added a whole other layer of meaning to the suspense.

The atmosphere is just... chilling. Snow-covered woods, locked rooms, hushed conversations, and the constant sense that someone is watching. Kate Alice Marshall is brilliant at building tension without ever needing to go over the top. Every clue, every moment of recognition or doubt, pulled me deeper into the story.

And the twists? Completely satisfying. Some I saw coming in bits and pieces, others knocked the wind out of me. But it all fits—tight, smart plotting with emotional stakes that hit hard.

If you're into thrillers that balance mystery with memory, isolation with intensity, A Killing Cold delivers in every way. I couldn’t stop turning pages, and I didn’t want to leave Idlewood—even if it terrified me.

Got about half way through this one and just couldn't connect with the story or characters so I put it down for now. I will try to revisit it at a later date. I seem to be in the majority and think I wasn't in the right headspace for this one right now.

On pause

This was another quick and twisty novel from Kate Alice Marshall. She has a way of setting up a story that will bring a reader in right away! I inhaled this novel from start to finish. The relationship between the main characters allowed for me to get sucked into the family drama.

This book had me hooked and unable to put it down - i read the whole thing in 3 hours. The plot was fantastic, and the twists were great to keep you guessing without being too frustrating or unbelievable. I appreciated the way the characters were built and truly enjoyed this book! Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you so much to NetGalley & Flat Iron Books for allowing me to read this novel early. This is my second book by this author and I really enjoyed it! The plot twist at the end definitely got me!

Slow start but very immersive atmosphere. I am a little over the rich people secrets trope. Recommend.

Another great book by Kate Alice Marshall! Filled with secrets, lies, deception, and family bonds this book touches on all the feelings. With each twist more and more secrets are revealed, and the lengths a wealthy family will go to to protect each other becomes evident. Add in a miscommunication trope, and its a recipe for a great thriller. Atmospheric and dark this book had me gripped from the beginning!

Karissa Vacker did an amazing job of bringing this book to life! One of my favorite narrators!

Thank you to NetGalley, Flatiron Books, and Macmillan Audio for an advanced reading and listening copies of this book.