A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall


A beautiful wintry setting for murder. It's quiet, snow is falling, cozy cabins on a grand estate and a famously rich family is there to celebrate the holidays.
Theo, the protagonist with a litany of childhood traumas, is brought to the estate by the her new fiancé for show and tell. Except the family discovers that Theo has been here before and so does she. Those fuzzy memories that have always haunted all start to unravel.
This starts a series of flashbacks that become incrementally more and more confusing to the reader. The characters and all of their secrets are eventually exposed but the shock factor wasn't there.
There was no shortage of twists but most were predictable. The female characters were indistinguishable to me. I kept confusing them and had to reread to clarify.
Read it through to the ending but that, too, was inevitable. Would have preferred a not so happy ending.

This was an interesting murder mystery. We have an unreliable narrator, Theo, that has flashes of some horrible event that took place when she was little.
The story was good and interesting. I felt though that there were too many characters and it would tend to muddy up the story. I got confused at times on who was who.
Overall though, I did enjoy it and would read more by this author.

I have enjoyed Katie Alice Marshall’s last books, so I was excited to dive into this one. It was not my favorite of hers, but I enjoyed it. I have been able to introduce friends to this author and I will definitely recommend this one to them as well!

This was a spine chilling book. I loved all the twists & turns. Why are books set in an isolated setting with no cell service always so terrifying? I really enjoyed this thriller.

This was my first Kate Alice Marshall book and it did not disappoint! The premise of a locked door mystery on a remote mountain is my perfect winter reading scenario. I loved how the mystery unraveled and really enjoyed.

Thank you to NetGalley, Flatiron Books, and Kate Alice Marshall, for this ARC of A Killing Cold that came out on February 4, 2025.

I did not see that ending coming! Lots of twists and turns throughout this book. This is my second Kate Alice Marshall book and she is definitely a great dark thriller author. A woman invited to meet her future in-laws finds out that they are hiding a secret, and she has been there before.

⭐️Overall Rating: 4

This novel was provided by the publisher, via Net Galley, in exchange for my honest review.

SOOOO suspenseful and TWISTY! I love Kate Alice Marshall and she did not disappoint with this thrilling read! Full of TWISTS and TURNS that I could kinda see coming, but then BAMN! Theo meets Collins family on their HUGE estate for the first time. She doesn't really get a very warm welcome, but stays the course anyway, for love. Theo, a woman with no childhood memories and no sense of where she comes from, who has named herself after a coveted teddybear, the only thing she has from her blank past, begins to have deja-vu moments and believes she's experiencing memories. Are these memories real? Why now?

You will love this TWISTY thriller!

SOOOO suspenseful and TWISTY! I love Kate Alice Marshall and she did not disappoint with this thrilling read! Full of TWISTS and TURNS that I could kinda see coming, but then BAMN! Theo meets Collins family on their HUGE estate for the first time. She doesn't really get a very warm welcome, but stays the course anyway, for love. Theo, a woman with no childhood memories and no sense of where she comes from, who has named herself after a coveted teddybear, the only thing she has from her blank past, begins to have deja-vu moments and believes she's experiencing memories. Are these memories real? Why now?

You will love this TWISTY thriller!

This twisty, unpredictable, domestic thriller was unputdownable!!! I absolutely loved it!! Love everything I have read by this author. She’s on my #cantmisslist

Rich people behaving badly always gets me. This is exactly that! The narrator, Karissa Vacker is one of my all time favorites and she did an excellent job with the audio. Props to KAM for making it feel super claustrophobic and creepy.

Fast paced, good story! This kept me guessing and turning pages until the end. I haven't heard of this author before but want to read more!

Such an atmospheric and chilling setting, lots of family secrets, a main character with amnesia (such a Y2K YA throwback and I loved it) a touch of the Gothic. Highly recommended for fans of The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins!

A deliciously twisty thriller with a cold-hearted premise, "A Killing Cold" is an absolute roller coaster of a book!

Theodora Scott fell for Connor Dalton instantly and, after a quick engagement, now has to face the family. The prestigious Dalton family owns Idlewood, an isolated camp retreat up in the mountains, where Theodora has to immerse herself in the family over a two-week span. However, upon arrival at Idlewood, Theodora starts to realize she maybe has been here before. With so many holes in her past, could this place be the trigger that brings back all the horrific memories from her childhood that have since been blocked? Full of twists and turns around every corner and an incredibly cold and creepy atmosphere, "A Killing Cold" delivers in every department.

I was a huge fan of Kate Alice Marshall's "What Lies in the Woods" because it dared to be different in that the answer was never just flat-out in front of you. "A Killing Cold" does much of the same, keeping readers engaged from the first gasp-inducing moment to the final reveal. I still felt like there were unanswered questions that I would have loved to receive but the book was entertaining and absolutely delightful (in the most thriller-y way).

Last year, thrillers were disappointing. This year is off to an incredible start with "A Killing Cold" leading the ranks.

Thank you to NetGalley and FlatIron books for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

I almost gave up on this book. Fifty pages in, and I just wasn’t feeling it. But somewhere along the way, the story completely hooked me, and I’m beyond grateful I stuck with it. This is hands-down the most twisted book I’ve read in ages. Books with countless twists can sometimes feel overwhelming, but this one was bloody brilliant. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, another twist blindsided me, hitting like a sucker punch to the gut. I have no doubt this will end up as one of my top reads of 2025. I highly recommend it.

I knew going in that I was probably going to love A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall because her first two thrillers, What Lies in the Woods and No One Can Know, completely blew me away. And guess what? I was not disappointed! A definite page turner with its suspenseful narrative and atmospheric setting.

This book had me hooked from the very first page—I flew through it and couldn’t put it down. So much so that my husband woke up at 2am one night to find me still reading. He thought I was crazy, but I just couldn’t stop!

The characters are so compelling and the plot had me fully invested. Plus, I’m a sucker for rich people behaving badly, and A Killing Cold delivered on that front in the best way.

If I hadn’t had an ARC, I would’ve absolutely listened to the audiobook (narrated by the amazing Karissa Vacker). She always does such an incredible job bringing the story to life!

This was a definite five-star read for me. A Killing Cold solidifies Kate Alice Marshall’s presence in the thriller genre. I’m already eagerly awaiting her next book, whenever that may be. If she writes it, I’m reading it!

"A Killing Cold" by Kate Alice Marshall is a gripping thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. The author expertly blends suspense with rich character development, creating an immersive experience. The unexpected plot twists made it hard to put down, and I appreciated the depth of the protagonist's journey through personal demons and external threats.

While the pacing was strong overall, there were a few moments that felt drawn out, leading me to give it four stars instead of five. Nonetheless, Marshall's writing captivates, evoking a sense of dread and urgency.

Overall, "A Killing Cold" is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers, offering a chilling story that will keep you guessing until the end!

As a fan of an isolated mystery and rich people drama, I was interested more in this story than What Lies in the Woods. It had some amazing atmosphere with that secluded wooded area during winter time. Definitely pick this up during the winter! I did not like any of the characters, but I wanted to know what was happening with them. There were flaws in the story as the main character seemed to have a lot of convenient memory recovery moments at the perfect. The ending felt rushed and a bit unsatisfying. Overall, it was a quick mystery that entertained me that I would recommend.

Thank you to MacMillan and Flatiron for an eARC in exchange for a review.

I was able to read finished copy of this one and it was just alright. I've learned that I'm not a big fan of romance thrillers. This one also a bit slower paced. I've haven't been a big fan of her other books so I should have skipped. This has an audience though and I would recommend it to others.

This novel focuses on Theo and Connor, a newly engaged couple who are visiting with Connor’s family at their isolated, mountainside retreat during the winter. Theo, who was adopted at the age of four by horrible “parents,” knows little of her real family background. She does know, however, that she loves Connor — part of the wealthy, powerful and influential Dalton family. Her natural “fear” of not being liked by Connor’s family becomes heightened because of mysterious texts she continues to receive as well as the strange sense of familiarity that envelops her after she arrives at the Dalton family estate. Both Theo and the Dalton family harbor secrets, and as the plot progresses, the reader comes to see how those secrets are intertwined. The storyline has its share of good twists and turns, and the atmosphere/setting definitely contributes to the suspense. Overall, this was a compelling story and a good read that kept me turning pages, but a bit too much of a slow burn for me.

From beginning to end, there were so many twists and turns, and secrets being unraveled. I couldn't keep up with it all and couldn't even guess what would happen next and who was involved in everything. Everything was just so perfectly portrayed in this book, and the cold, winter vibes very much added to the thrill of this story. I also did like the fact that the FMC didn't take the easy way out at the end. It gave a great sense of justice, even at her own expense, and at the expense of her finding where her was mother. I actually really did love Theo, and her intense need to find out what happened to her mother, and how the tragic events in the past, related to her.

Thank you to Kate Alice Marshall, Flatiron Books, and NetGalley for the eARC of this book. This is my honest review.