Kate Alice Marshall knocks it out of the park yet again with A Killing Cold. I will literally read anything she writes. The way she twist and weaves her plot lines and characters is insane to me. A Killing Cold was no different.

First off the setting of this book is perfection. I could feel the cold seeping in to my bones while reading. I don’t want to say much about this book because it’s a journey I feel you need to discover on your own. But the vibes are top tier for a winter thriller. The characters are unique and strange and plot just kept getting thicker and thicker the more I read. I will say the middle got a little slow but it definitely picked back up in the last 20% of the book.
4/5 Stars

Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me an arc in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 4/5 Stars
Pub Date: 2/4/2025
•
Kate Alice Marshall is quickly becoming an auto-buy author for me. She just knows how to write a suspenseful and twisty story.
•
I was hooked to this story right from the start. I found myself hooked to the idea of Theodora and Conner being engaged after 6 months and how Theodora had no memories of her past plus of course - extra bonus was the sketchy rich family behavior badly.
•
Absolutely loved the setting of the isolated wintry cabin setting. It is absolutely perfect for this time of year. The start of this is more of a slow burn but as the mystery unfolds I felt that the pacing ramped up and I couldn’t put it down. There are perfectly placed twists to keep you guessing and to give those shocking moments. I love where Marshall went with this one.
•
I listened to this one via audiobook while reading my ears. Karissa Vacker is a phenomenal narrator and she really brought this one to life for me. I love listening to her work. The audiobook is truly fantastic.
•
Overall, if your looking for a chilling, perfect for this time a year thriller - pick this one up you will not be disappointed!! Huge thank you to NetGalley, Kate Alice Marshall, MacMillan Audio and Flatiron Books for the ALC and eARC in exchange for my honest review!

A Killing Cold was a fast paced twisty book that is perfect for the winter time. I have read all of Kate Alice Marshall’s other books and have enjoyed them all, but this one I enjoyed even more. With a large cast of characters that all feel genuine, you are constantly guessing on who could have done what. It was really a great book to read.

Thank you NetGalley, Flatiron Books, and Macmillan Audio for ARCs of this book.

I am a huge fan of Kate Alice Marshall and this book did not disappoint! I love her descriptive words making me feel as though I was at the Idlewood Estate. This book is filled with a cast of crazy, awful, unique characters that wouldn’t trust with my fish. Their personalities felt so vivid and real to me. This was a super quick read because I could not put it down, I love that adrenaline feeling where you just have to know what happens next!

Connor and Theo have a quick whirlwind romance and are now engaged to be married. Connor comes from a wealthy family and Theo is adopted and not so wealthy. They travel to Idlewood Estates to meet the family, soon strange things start happening, warnings and memories are coming in hot. This is the perfect Locked Room mystery and setting.

I've read and loved all of Kate Alice Marshall's books so far. While I did enjoy this one, I feel like it needs a disclaimer that it's a little slower than the others and felt more like a mystery/family drama than a thriller. The ending was very twisty though.

The book centers around Theo, a woman who was adopted at 4 and can only remember fragments (or are they dreams?!) from her past, and Connor, her rich fiance. Connor is bringing Theo to a remote, snowy cabin (before of course he is 🤣) to meet his family, who we quickly learn have tons of secrets. There are lots of strange coincidences throughout the trip, which worked to keep me hooked, but when you stop and really think back on it, are kind of far-fetched.

This is a great atmospheric winter read, with plenty of suspense. I actually binged it in one day. It is a good read for fans of this author, readers who are able to suspend belief a bit with thrillers, and people who believe in fate (I'm still trying to wrap my head around that detail)

Thank you to MacMillan Audio for the ALC, and NetGalley and FlatIron for the ARC.

A Killing Cold was a twisty, intriguing, mystery-thriller. This was another great book by Kate Alice Marshall. I love this author’s writing and storytelling.

This story is filled with secrets, family drama, mystery, murder, and suspense. I loved the isolated setting and the chilling atmosphere. This would make the perfect winter read!

I liked the main character, Theodora. It was interesting reading from her point of view. She slowly starts to recall her traumatic past as she spends time with her fiancé’s family. There were many shocking moments and lots of twists that I loved.

I definitely recommend this book to mystery-thriller lovers.

Kate Alice Marshall always does a great job of writing a thrilling, hard to put down story with a wild twist that you never see coming! Placing this novel at the private mountain resort of a wealthy family is a great location because I know in the mountains, it is hard to get cell phone reception and nowadays, that is one of the scariest things for the younger ultra connected generation. That aside, you get beautiful scenery that can turn deadly in an instance, especially in the middle of winter. It is a great setup for Theo and Connor and their trip up there to meet up with Connor's family after the new engagement. You get mostly polite and welcoming family members, but also secrets, threats, and mysterious "accidents" that will keep you glued to the page until the end! I will admit that I liked most of the family, which made it hard to decide who to trust about the truth that Theo didn't even know she would be looking for about her own past. Lots of twists, secrets, death, and suspense for the reader about who might or might not be leaving that mountain resort!

So, a great book to read, especially in the middle of winter when it is snowing outside. It really adds to the story. :) Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this book!

While visiting her fiancé Connor’s family retreat, Theo realizes that the very wealthy family is hiding a terrible secret—and that she has a connection to this place.

A Killing Cold explores the secrets, lies, and dysfunction surrounding the very wealthy Dalton family. The tension slowly builds, pulling you deeper into the dark side of the Daltons. In time, the secrets of every character are exposed, leading to a wild ending filled with shocking revelations.

If you’re into slow burn thrillers where everyone’s hiding something, you definitely need to check this one out!

Thank you Flatiron and MacMillan audio for review copies (gifted). I have been a fan of Kate Alice Marshall since her debut and appreciate her moody, tense and twisty plots. I loved how well this was narrated on audio, I could almost hear the crunch of cold snow and felt pulled into the winter cabin setting and the moody rich people privileged lives of many of the main characters. Marshall always satisfies indeed with interesting ways to connect a past wrong with a present day unraveling of secrets.

I struggled though with this one despite appreciating the stylish writing, the well crafted winter setting, and the complex connections and character backstories; I just never quite got into the pacing and characters, no one seeming all that like able and something that just kept me distant from the plot, not quite ready to feel I couldn't put it done, needed to know how it all came together. I am giving this four stars as I appreciated the moodiness, the slow burn engagement with the intricate plot. but also note that something was just kind of missing for me, I suspect it was not feeling connected to the characters as I am the kind of reader who just loves character driven, cheer on someone, vibe.

How far would you go to uncover the truth? Would you go so far as to hurt someone you love or even compromise yourself in some way? Would you take heed to threats and warnings or brush them off?

This book is full of mysteries and intrigue and does a nice job of meandering while helping you piece together the story. The author did a good job with giving you little pieces here and there to make you think you had it solved.

Having the audiobook brought a different tone to the story that stressed the anxiety of the main character which was mirrored in oneself while listening; it helped bring the story to life.

There was some nice world building with small details that really helped to bring out aspects of the book. Makes me think about different traditions within my friend and family groups. It also happened to take place near Christmas and I read it just after Christmas so still have the family loyalty and quality time on the mind.

Thank you to Flatiron Books for the eARC copy, Macmillan audio for the advance audiobook, the author, Kate Alice Marshall, and NetGalley!

This kept my attention - so much so that I read it in one sitting! Twists and turns that I didn't see coming...and at times I thought I had everything figured out, but then would quickly be proven wrong.
Theo and Connor are engaged...Connor is from a wealthy family and he's bringing Theo to meet his family at their remote, mountain retreat. What could go wrong when everyone is cut off for the holidays? The story was very descriptive and I could feel the cold and snow! Theo was adopted at a young age and doesn't know much about her birth parents or what happened to her before adoption. She starts to learn more about what happened to her and her mother and this is where the twists and turns started to come out in the story.
I didn't like the trauma storyline of what Theo experienced with her adoptive parents. But I did like the overall mystery and will be seeking out more books by this author.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Flatiron books for the ARC. this was SO good. I read What Lies in the Woods and absolutely loved it so I was so excited to read this book.
It had so many unexpected twists, secrets, lies, and suspense. It was fast paced, with relatively short chapters to keep you on the edge.
I actually really liked Theo and Connor, and thought they were good together, though their relationship was originally based on lies.
This kept me on the edge of my seat, just like her other book did, and it was truly a fantastic, thrilling read, with a completely twisted, unexpected ending.

I've been very picky about my mystery/thrillers recently. I’ve only been reading authors that worked really well for me before which is why I was excited to pick this one up. This one is probably my favorite by her yet, I had a lot of fun with it. The winter setting and the seclusion was done really well, the MC was endearing. I really liked how it ended up playing with some tropes and how the twists worked out.

4.5 stars rounded up.

Straight away we meet Theo and her wealthy fiancé Connor. Theo is nervous to meet his family due to their wealth and her lack of family and modest lifestyle.

Their weeks spent with family at their remote cabin start in a frightening way with messages and notes showing up for Theo. As the puzzling events unfold, Theo feels uneasy and investigates on her own.

Eventually, we learn the truth about so many parts of the story and it’s not as great as it seemed.

Advanced reader copy provided by Flatiron but all opinions are my own.

Kate Alice Marshall writes it know imma love it.

I have been eating up her adult thrillers and this one I think is the best. (Could be that it’s the freshest in my mind) all are great.
In this one the Fmc doesn’t know her birth parents and is no contact with her adoptive parents and is hoping to make a good impression with her fiancés over rich family.

Murder mystery, family drama, twisty and fast paced.

Ate.

Thanks to netgalley and Macmillan audio for an alc

When Theodore Scott goes to meet her fiancé’s family, she is nervous. They are extremely wealthy, not open to outsiders, and it’s been a fast romance. When she arrives at their cabin winter retreat, she can’t shake a feeling of familiarity.

Those that enjoy locked room thrillers in cold atmospheres (seems a new trend), will enjoy this one. Personally it wasn’t for me. I’ve read too many thrillers lately of mysterious women coming home to meet the boyfriend’s fabulously wealthy family. There wasn’t anything wrong with this novel, so give it a try, I just wasn’t feeling the plot as much.

“This isn’t a family that sees something flawed and fixes it up. No. When something breaks, it needs to be gotten rid of, in order for something better to take its place. So I must not let them see the ways in which I’m broken.”

A Killing Cold comes out 2/4.

A Killing Cold
by Kate Alice Marshall

The story is about Theo Scott, who visits her fiancé Connor Dalton's family at their winter estate called Idlewood. What starts as a nice vacation quickly turns dark as Theo discovers secrets about the Dalton family and her own past.

I highly recommend this book. It is a thrilling read with fast pacing, a creepy atmosphere, and a complicated family. The many twists keep the reader interested and guessing throughout the story.

#aKillingCold #NetGalley

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Kate Alice Marshall's "A Killing Cold" is a riveting psychological thriller that expertly weaves together romance, memory, and deadly family secrets into a tapestry of suspense that will keep readers glued to every page. Set against the backdrop of an isolated winter retreat called Idlewood, the novel masterfully plays with themes of identity and buried truths.

The story follows Theodora Scott, whose whirlwind romance with the wealthy Connor Dalton leads her to his family's secluded estate. Marshall brilliantly constructs a sense of unease that builds from the very beginning, using the winter setting to create both physical and emotional isolation that becomes increasingly claustrophobic as the story unfolds.

What sets this thriller apart is Marshall's sophisticated handling of memory and identity. The discovery of a childhood photograph that shouldn't exist serves as a catalyst for a deeper mystery, one that forces Theodora to question everything she knows about herself and her relationship. The author's skill in slowly peeling back layers of truth while maintaining tension is remarkable.

A twisty ride that has you questioning every character and their motives.

A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall is the ultimate winter thriller—a dark, twisty ride perfect for a snowy night (but if you're a scaredy-cat like me, maybe not one to read if you’re home alone). The story follows Theo Scott as she joins her fiancé, Connor Dalton, at his family’s remote winter estate, Idlewood. What starts as an escape into luxury quickly turns sinister as Theo begins to uncover secrets about the Dalton family—and about her own forgotten past. The stakes are high, and the danger feels chillingly real.

This book completely hooked me. I couldn’t put it down and ended up reading until 3 a.m.—which is always the sign of a solid thriller. The pacing is relentless, the atmosphere deliciously creepy, and the Dalton family? A fantastically messed-up, morally bankrupt group you can’t help but love to hate. Every time I thought I had a handle on the story, another twist hit, and I just gave up trying to guess where it was headed (and I mean that in the best way). Kate Alice Marshall’s writing is razor-sharp, and it’s been a while since a book pulled me in this deeply, this quickly.

Highly recommend this one if you’re looking for something gripping and chilling—literally and figuratively. Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

When the queen of winter-set thrillers releases another mystery, you dive in with high expectations. This is yet another twisty, intriguing, fast-paced, and well-developed thriller I couldn’t put down, much like her other works, despite my strong dislike for the entire Dalton family. The Daltons seem determined to keep a dark secret buried, and Theodora must uncover the truth about who she really is and what happened to her mother, even if it puts her life in danger. Overall, the last third of the book was truly mind-blowing. While some of the explanations felt far-fetched and coincidental, the pacing, building tension, climax, and shocking revelations made the journey worthwhile.