Short synopsis: Theo is invited to meet her fiancés family at their remote winter retreat. Things start to go downhill quickly, between the menacing texts she keeps getting and the feeling she’s been there before.

My thoughts: What a great winter thriller! Perfect setting, remote location, fiancés family, and lost childhood memories.

I love how this author writes completely believable, but unexpected twists. Nothing I can guess immediately and lots of red herrings to keep me on my toes. But when everything wraps up, it does so nicely.

I’m not going to lie, I was a little worried there for a minute we were going to have a certain trope (that completely Gives me the icks) but luckily that worry cleared up fairly quickly.

Read if you love:
- Atmospheric writing
- Remote location
- Winter setting
- Red herrings
- Meeting the family
- Childhood flashbacks

I have read the last couple books from this author, so I was so excited when I was able to get this book. I loved the story the characters and the twists it keeps you guessing until the very end because once you think you know, then you don’t know and I always love that about a thriller. It has family secrets with some drama, and it has the perfect setting a winter setting who doesn’t love an isolated thriller such a good book. I recommend it and I cannot wait to see what her next book will be.

A Killing Cold follows Theo Scott, who after a whirlwind courtship, is engaged to Connor Dalton, one of the rich heirs to a massive fortune. Theo's first meeting with Connor's family takes place during the holidays at their mountain estate made up of multiple cabins. While there, Theo begins experiencing memories of a past that she has never been able to recall before and it becomes clear that she has a deeper connection to the Daltons than just through Connor.

Kate Alice Marshall is becoming one of my go to thriller authors between A Killing Cold and What Lies in the Woods. She writes with a sense of atmosphere that really grounds you in the terrifying locales that she places you in and the mysteries always are filled with twists and turns, as well as genuine human pain that her characters are experiencing.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Excellent writing! This is the second book I've read by this author and I know I will be reading anything else she publishes from here on out! Great plot, character building, and lots of surprises that kept me on my toes!

I enjoyed both of Kate Alice Marshall's previous adult thrillers, so I was excited to dive into her latest. A Killing Cold introduces us to Theodora as she travels to a remote mountain lodge to meet her fiance's wealthy family for the first time over the winter holidays. It's clear that she has secrets, but they quickly appear to pale in comparison to what her new in-laws are hiding.

Overall, fans of Marshall will enjoy this book a lot and race through the pages as the twists and turns feel non-stop. Some of the types of reveals you would expect to come towards the end of the book come out so early on that I didn't know what else was to come (turns out it was quite a lot).

Highly recommend enjoying this book while cozy inside during a holiday, since it's hard to put this one down.

Easily my favorite of KAM's adult thrillers. I absolutely loved this one and could not put it down once I started. I have never rooted so hard for a couple in a thriller to make it as I did in this one. I loved the twists and reveals. I loved how every character was flawed and had secrets and I loved the setting.

I highly recommend this one as well as ALL of her other books. I will be thinking about this one for awhile and will likely reread it.

Talk about a book that has twist on mysterious twist. This book was gripping, enthralling and just all around a great read!

Theodora Scott (Theo) meets the wealthy and charming Connor Dalton. He falls immediately for Theo and asks her to be his bride. They decide to attend his family's beautiful estate in Idlewood during the winter months. Upon arrival at Idlewood Theo starts to receive menacing messages telling her to stay away from Connor.

Theo quickly realizes the Dalton clan has many deep secrets they are willing to keep at all costs. One night during a snooping adventure Theo finds a picture of a man and herself when she was a small child, turning her whole world upside down. Which shouldn't be possible as she has never been to Idlewood. She is now in fight or flight mode trying to decide if she keeps digging to uncover this mysterious photo or leave. Let me tell you, Theo is a fighter and dang good at it.

This book was such a great read. Just when I thought I had all the twists figured out Kate Alice Marshall threw in 3 more!

Thank you to the author and publisher for this arc!
This is the perfect wintry thriller. ❄️ Kate Alice Marshall does it again!
I found this book to be intriguing, fast-paced, and the writing was superb. I truly cannot find fault with this one…so it may just be my favorite of the winter season! 5 stars

Theo is engaged to Connor Dalton, visiting his family’s winter estate for the first time. But Theo has a secret, she cannot remember her childhood up until the point she was adopted. A few mysterious texts sent to her phone weave doubt into Connor. But why does the cabin spark slivers of memory like she’s been there before? Why does she recognize members of Connor’s family? There are a lot more secrets to unravel along Theo’s memory, but can she stay alive that long?

I completely binged this book. Kate Alice Marshall will be my do-not-miss author, this is my third mystery of hers and I’m loving them!

Theo is an unreliable protagonist, her childhood recollections slowly reveal the shocking history. While I predicted some events, I loved all the twists I didn’t see coming. It made the whole book hugely satisfying. I really enjoy Marshall’s female characters, I found myself drawn to Theo and rooting for her throughout the whole ordeal. I highly recommend this wintry mystery!

3.75 stars

Incoming fans and newbies alike will mostly be satisfied with this newest thriller from Marshall.

Teddy, the m.c., has a tough upbringing that includes a lot of trauma-related memory gaps. She knows she had a very different life as an extremely young child versus the ways her life evolved once she was adopted by a not-so-delightful second family. All of the memories, gaps, and worries from her early life really start to haunt her when she falls in love and gets engaged to Connor, a wildly wealthy individual whose attachment to his family and money have Teddy worried about her own perceived shortcomings.

The vast majority of this novel takes place at Connor's family's estate, and for me, it was a surprisingly engaging affair. I have to assume that some of this is due to Karissa Vacker's stellar narration of the audiobook; she's constantly employed for good reason, IMO. As far as the actual events are concerned, I found myself frustrated with the level of coincidence readers are supposed to accept and with the strangely limited number of surprises and thrills (relative to the genre). I was an engaged listener, but I can't say this is a strong standout for me.

I continue to enjoy Marshall's books and am already looking forward to the next.

Thank you, NetGalley and Flatiron books for this ARC for review. This thriller was fantastic! I have read nearly every book this author has written and this one is by far my favorite!! ❤️ A little coincidental, but ah, sometimes life can be that way. Theodora met rich Connor Dalton at an LA party. After a whirlwind romance, they get engaged and Connor brings Theo to meet the fam at their private winter resort. Of course, there’s a hitch, Theo is getting threatening messages to stay away from Connor. Oh, and Theo has no memories of her past as she was adopted. So how does this all tie together and who is threatening Theo and May want to hurt her? This book has some great rich family drama, reads like a soap opera in the very best way and has some fun twisty endings. I couldn’t put this book down and read it in two days as I had to find out how everything fit together. Kate Alice Marshall will continue to be on my must read thriller list!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review Kate Alice Marshall’s newest thriller! I really enjoyed the isolated setting, and the family dysfunction. There were so many twists throughout the story and they all worked so well! I was on the edge of my seat throughout the whole book.
This is the perfect winter read!

A Killing Cold follows Theodora Scott as she visits her fiancé's family retreat. I enjoyed the setting and the pacing, but I guessed some of the twists early on. I also found one part to be completely unbelievable.

Narration by Karissa Vacker was well done as always.

I received and ARC and ALC from Flatiron Books and Macmillan Audio via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, Flatiron Books for the copy of A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall.. The characters didn’t stand out and felt interchangeable for the most part, and near the ending I was confused about who was who. I loved the mesmerizing writing and how it made an otherwise convoluted story so interesting. Because I loved the writing style this was an enjoyable read. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I was trying to hoard this book because I *knew* it would be good but my bestie harassed me and told me I HAD to read it and alas here we are!

This book was COLD 🥶, JUICY🧃, and DIABOLICAL 🤯! Just when I thought the twists were over I’d realize I still had 200 pages to go and there had to be more in store. Then the twists just kept coming up until the end. The tension didn’t let up in this book. It was THICK.

Every time Theo went into dragonfly (you have to read it), I was on edge. With each new memory that tried to come to the surface of her memory where it would hover just out of her reach, I was on edge. This was a very atmospheric book and I could feel the cold of winter in the woods enough to give me a chill.

Thank you so much to the publisher, netgalley and Kate Alice Marshall for this eARC! Phenomenal!

I'm a big fan of Marshall and she's done it again! I'm so glad I got an early copy of this one. There are so many twists and turns that it makes you dizzy. All the way until the very end it keeps you guessing. I enjoyed the character development and definitely loved to hate a few of the characters. The setting at the lodge on the mountain is fantastic and the name of the book is perfect!
I will definitely be recommending this one to friends! Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

✨This has been one of my most anticipated books, but I forced myself to wait until it was cold here in Texas to read it. THIS TOOK FOREVER. Texas is hot, y’all. But oh…it was so worth the wait.

✨The pacing of this book was just superb. I was hooked from the beginning and fully invested – and then the plot took a turn. The TENSION ramped up into an absolute roller coaster ride, and I stayed up half the night reading because I COULD. NOT. STOP.

✨ Just when you think you know where this one is going, you realize how wrong you are. The author’s misdirection game is on point to say the least.

✨This is a fabulous chilly thriller, and I really enjoyed it.

🌿Read if you like:
✨Chilly thrillers
✨Isolated locations
✨Winter, snowy settings
✨Toxic family drama
✨Secrets and lies
✨Twists and turns

Intriguing, fast paced and complex. This was a great thriller! There was room for more of Theo's backstory, but other than that so very good!.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

A sprawling mountain retreat. A family with dark secrets. A secluded setting.

A KILLING COLD seems to have a lot of things going for it. I loved the premise and how atmospheric the mountain setting was. The characters aren’t particularly likeable but I enjoyed that I never knew quite who to trust. My main issue with the book is that the entire plot hinges on one coincidence that felt very implausible to me. I had a hard time suspending my disbelief with this particular point and it impacted my enjoyment a bit.

If readers head into the story knowing that there are some instances of incredible coincidence then it may help their enjoyment. I’ve really liked Kate Alice Marshall’s previous novels and I’ll be excited to see what she does next.

Many thanks to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book really kept me guessing - to the point that I was up until 1:30 a.m. this morning, because I could not put it down until I knew how it ended! There was so much mystery surrounding all of these characters, and it was hard to know who to trust. I enjoyed watching all the puzzle pieces fit into place as we figured out what happened when Theo was a child. This was full of twists and turns and tension! I highly recommend this one, especially if you are a fan of locked room thrillers!

Thank you, @netgalley and @flatiron_books, for the #gifted e-arc!