Theodora Scott was adopted by a strict, religious couple when she was 4 years old. She doesn't remember her birth parents or her early childhood, and there is no love lost between her and her adoptive parents. Six months ago, she met Connor Dalton and they fell head-over-heels in love. Newly engaged, Connor takes her to his rich family's isolated winter retreat to celebrate the holidays. Without going into details, to avoid spoilers, Theo soon has more to be anxious about than whether his family will approve of her! Atmospheric, the story starts out slow but quickly ramps up the tension and suspense. The plot is tight, the characters are multilayered, and Marshall does a great job of making you suspect anyone and everyone when bad things start to happen!

This was (mostly) a winner! I enjoyed the story, the characters were interesting and sometimes even likeable. And sometimes an unlikeable character becomes a bit more bearable. Such an unexpected twist in this plot but once set in motion, there was no other way for their lives, especially Theo's, to go.

Now for why I didn't give it 5 stars. As much as I enjoyed reading this book, it's an overused set up - isolation in a snowed in cabin, someone is a killer. I know a story has to be set SOMEWHERE, but really? This cabin is, however, housing an obscenely wealthy family during their 2 week winter holiday. And once you know how wealthy they are, you also know that they didn't get that way by being kind. So - maybe 4 1/2 stars. Enjoyable read, highly recommended!

This ARC was provided by NetGalley and the publisher, the opinions expressed herein are strictly my own.

This was the perfect setting for a mysterious, who can you trust mystery. There was a good amount of characters to keep you guessing, but unfortunately, the characters did not stand out. A few times, I had to think about who someone was because the description of the characters was lacking. This was a quick read, but just not the suspenseful, edge of my seat thriller I thought it would be.

This is a perfect thriller for a winter read! We follow Theodora (Theo) Scott, a girl in her mid-twenties who is freshly engaged to Connor Dalton and currently spending 2 weeks at his family’s lodge, with the entire family. Theo and Connor have only been dating for a few months, and Theo is desperate to keep her personal history a secret from Connor and his family. But the Daltons are a powerful and wealthy family, and they’re not going to let just anyone join their ranks.
But Theo has other things to worry about. Like the foreboding texts warning her to stay away from the family. The footsteps outside their cabin’s window, where someone clearly watched her and Connor. An abandoned cabin that no one talks about. The mysterious whispered conversations the family has about Theo when she’s not in the room. And why it all seems familiar.
The pacing for this book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. As we bounce between Theo’s current predicament, her childhood memories, and the secret she’s trying to keep, the tension gets higher and higher. As we learn more about each of the Daltons, there’s more questions than answers, and it seems like none of them should be trusted.
This has definitely become my favorite Kate Alice Marshall book, and I think it’s a perfect thriller! The cast is fascinating, with every character hiding their fair share of secrets. The main character, Theo, acknowledges that she’s a very unreliable narrator, leaving the reader with no one to wholly believe. The hostile environment of an isolated lodge that only the family can access is terrifying without any context, but becomes claustrophobic as the plot presses on.
I’d recommend this to anyone looking for a classic psychological thriller or to anyone looking to break out of a reading slump. And if you’re very specifically looking for a thriller in a winter setting, this is a perfect pick!
Thanks to Netgalley and Flatiron Books for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

In the past few years, Kate Alice Marshall has become one of my favorite thriller writers. Her newest work, A Killing Cold, did not disappoint.

After only six months of dating, Theo Scott is on her way to her wealthy fiance's family retreat, Idlewood. Connor Dalton, Theo's fiance, is part of the prominent Dalton family and it is clear there are many opinions on this quickly moving relationship. This book is full of twists, more and more questions and an ending I never saw coming.

Thank you Flatiron Books and NetGalley for a copy of this amazing novel in exchange for my honest review.

HAPPY PUB DAYYYYY!!!!!

I freaking LOVE Kate Alice Marshall's stories, so I was so grateful when NetGalley & Flatiron Books granted me an early release copy of her newest read, out today!!!

Marshall has this way of really sucking you into her stories. The character development, the plot lines, the twists and the shocks are just phenomenal. She can write no wrong in my eyes!

While this story did have a little slower pace at times and I did guess some of the twists, I still suggest you give it a read! Always a great story from Marshall!

Thank you to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I've enjoyed several other books by Kate Alice Marshall, and A KILLING COLD was another exciting ride. It follows Theo, a young woman who is going home for Christmas with her new fiance, Connor. His family, the Daltons, are wealthy beyond imagination, and they always spend Christmas together at their remote mountaintop retreat in New York state. When Theo arrives, she begins having nightmares -- the same ones that have plagued her since childhood. Theo has no memories of her life before she came to live with her foster family, but the more time she spends with the Daltons, the more she starts to remember...

I liked Theo's narration and found her to be a sympathetic character. All of the Daltons are shady and I had so many theories about what was going on, which mostly turned out to be incorrect. The relationship between Theo and Connor was also interesting. In a lot of thrillers, the couple at the center is divided in some way, or one partner finds out that the other has been lying to them all along. But that isn't the case here.

Readers looking for a twisty thriller full of family secrets will enjoy this book. It is certainly a fitting read for midwinter, and I tend to find thrillers that pull me in are a good distraction from real life. Although this isn't my favorite book by this author, I had a good time reading it and didn't predict the ending.

This was the perfect winter thriller to pick up in January! Theodora Scott is an outsider. She was adopted at a young age and doesn't remember much about her life before adoption. She was raised by a dysfunctional, abusive family. Theo is now an adult and quickly engaged to Connor Dalton, a member of a powerful and wealthy family. Connor has decided to take Theo to the family's mountain retreat for Christmas to meet everyone. Will they accept Theo into the family?

Through many twists and turns, you find out that things on the mountain are not as they seem. Everyone has a secret. Theo discovers that this isn't the first time she's been on the mountain and that somebody there knows all about her past and is warning her to run while she still can. Are they out to get her or trying to save her? Does Connor know who she really is?

This thriller was fast paced, full of tension, untrustworthy characters, and atmospheric pressure. The author did a fantastic job of making you suspect literally EVERYONE! Even at the very end, I wasn't sure that I had every little detail figured out until it was explicitly revealed. I did like that everything was wrapped up at the end neatly. I definitely recommend checking this one out!

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the ARC!

A Killing Cold
by Kate Alice Marshall
Pub Date: Feb 04 2025

A Killing Cold is the perfect winter read! Full of twists and turns, secrets and lies, and a shocking ending you did not see coming! My kind of book! I loved the writing style, the characters were likable, the setting was perfect. I highly recommend this fantastic 5 star read!

Synopsis: A woman invited to her wealthy fiance’s family retreat realizes they are hiding a terrible secret—and that she’s been there before. Theo has almost no recollection of her earliest years, but now she begins to piece together the fragments of her memories. Someone here has a shocking secret that they will do anything to keep hidden, and Theo is in terrible danger. Because the Daltons do not lose, and discovering what happened at Idlewood may cost Theo everything.

Many, many thanks to #NetGalley #FlatironBooks & #AKillingCold for providing me with a E-ARC of this 5 STAR Book!

This was a suspenseful page turner that kept me hooked from beginning to end! I love a thriller that takes place in an eerie secluded location and this one delivered just that. Full of unreliable characters, I honestly didn’t know if anyone could actually be trusted and my mind was constantly trying to analyze what was happening! If you love a good locked room whodunnit with an added dose of family drama in which everyone is suspicious, then I definitely recommend adding this one to your tbr now…It’s the perfect winter read!

Thank you to @netgalley @flatiron_books for this advance reader’s copy!

When I started this book, I didn't think I would like it. A winter setting with a rich family and a protagonist with secrets seems a little overdone. But I should have trusted Marshall, because it wasn't long before I was totally locked in. This was twisty and heart-pounding. A very good thriller/mystery all around.

Theo doesn’t remember her earliest years. She knows she was adopted when she was around 4, but no one can really tell her much more than that. Her adoptive parents were difficult people and didn’t really raise her in a loving home, not that she made it easy to love her with her own actions. When she meets Connor Dalton and gets engaged to him, she feels like this is her shot to start over. Connor takes him to his family compound in the mountains where they vacation for the holidays. When you get involved with a family that has money to burn there are often secrets to hide. Theo has no idea how closely these secrets will be to her.

Even halfway through this book I was setting myself up to be disappointed. I was ready for the old poor girl gets engaged to rich boy and the family digs up dirt on her to keep them apart. There was so much more to this story, so many break neck twists and turns and I ended up loving it!

“My whole body thrums with fear. It tells me to run. It tells me that the hunter is here, and I am prey. I have always been prey.”


If you like books about dysfunctional families and lots of twists, this is the book for you!

This one is a wild ride where you’re never quite sure who is the hunter and who is the hunted. Every time I thought I had a piece right, Marshall switched it up!

It’s also an atmospheric story as it takes place at an isolated mountain mansion family property around Christmastime where there is of course, no cell reception. The characters stay in their own cabins on the property and the snow is its own element in ‘A Killing Cold.’



The main premise is this:

Theo and Connor are recently engaged (after having only met a few months ago) and headed to Connor’s wealthy and influential family’s property in the mountain woods of New York where Theo has a couple weeks to impress them and be accepted into their curated life.

“All I have to do is convince them that I love him, that I’m charming, that I’m not just interested in his money.”

“All I have to do is ignore the text on my phone… The text that arrived last week from a number I’ve never seen before. ‘Stay away from Connor Dalton.’”

Theo has her own secrets she’s been keeping from Connor— her name isn’t really Theo. And her parents aren’t really dead, but if Connor finds out the truth about them, he might leave her forever.

“The story isn’t about what happened in the attic. It’s about what happened after— what happens when I feel trapped. It is dangerous to corner a wild animal. Even a wounded one.”

There is also part of her childhood she knows must have been traumatic because she barely has any memories of that time and most of them come in the form of nightmares with an ‘antler man’ and running away.

“I’ve never minded blood. It’s a trail to follow, back through my memories.”

The mysteries and secrets pile up as she meets the various family members and learn of their vices and their tragedies, including the mysterious death of Connor’s charming father and the desolate cabin that is no longer used or talked about.

Even as Theo confronts the reality that someone is trying to keep her away from Connor, she’s also discovering that parts of the family property are familiar. Snippets from her memories come back and she realizes the chilling fact: She’s been here before.

“I thought all of this was a coincidence, too wild to be true. But what if it wasn’t? What if I didn’t stumble my way here? What if I was led?”



I will say that if abuse is a trigger for you, you may want to pass on this one as it depicts both adult and child abuse.

I will mention here that it was really hard to read about what happened to Theo with her adoptive parents, especially when the parents attempted to justify their heinous behavior and parenting with what I’m assuming Marshall is portraying as a Christian Bible.

“Holy words wound their way through it, but it was pure punishment. It was like something had been set on fire in Beth’s soul and decades of being a demure and submissive wife became nothing but kindling for her rage.”

She never identifies what religion they claim to be; there are elements of their beliefs surrounding gender and sex that are associated with Christianity but it’s clear that if the Bible is their ‘foundation’ they’ve discarded and twisted most of it because there is nothing biblical about what they said and did to Theo.

It’s hard to read about child abuse but it’s even harder to read it knowing someone had the words of life but were blinded by evil and instead offered only pain, violence, and a wrong theology about sin that not only hurt that child physically but emotionally, spiritually, and in every sense of identity and security.

“I’m a devil-child; my parents are alive, they just don’t want me.”

“Who am I? Maybe I’m no one. Maybe I didn’t come from anywhere at all. Maybe there’s nothing inside me except all the little pieces I’ve collected from the people I’ve wanted to love.”



There were some reviewers who thought the plot was tired and relied too much on fate. I guess I haven’t read a lot that are similar to this one— probably the most similar would be The Family Bones, The Alone Time, or The Fury but even those have their own thing— so it didn’t feel overdone.

There was perhaps an element of fate but truly so many stories require that because ultimately stories set out to answer the question ‘what if’ such and such happened, not ‘here’s how this could legitimately happen’ so for the most part I take no issue with that either.

However, when she unlocked the phone after only a few tries by using the mother’s birth date I was like— nope, no one uses that and even if they did, how would she know this lady’s birth date? She wouldn’t.


A couple times I was nervous that the author was playing up the main character’s recklessness or the mystery of what she did in her past too much so that the culmination of everything was going to be explained in a stupid or stereotypical way or just be not a big deal in general. I’m pleased that Marshall didn’t do that. The direction she took was disturbing and tragic but was a better way to tell the story than how many other authors opt to do.



Recommendation

This story is a pretty tangled web of secrets and is definitely a thrill ride. I found it all very compelling, however there was some content in it that I usually avoid and may be something that would keep certain readers from picking it up, including a decent amount of swearing and a few brief, but graphic sexual encounters.

The reviews are a bit mixed on this one and several mentioned they loved her book What Lies in the Woods better (which had also been on my to-read list) so I might still give that one a shot. I liked the complexity and unpredictability of her book but am still deciding if it’s worth wading through some of the other stuff or not.


[Content Advisory: 41 f-words, 18 s-words; some brief but graphic sexual encounters, a couple prominent characters are LGBTQ; some gore; adult and child abuse; miscarriage]

Secrets are kept because of the trouble they might cause .

Theodora Scott doesn't know much about her life before she was taken in by the Scott family when she was four. A few things come to her in her dreams (nightmares, really)...images of a forest in winter, a man with antlers, and the instinct to run...but they are hardly reassuring. The couple who raised her weren't ideal parents either, immersed in their fundamentalist religion and rigid in both their beliefs and forms of discipline. Its was little wonder that Theo left them behind as soon as she was able to do so and has worked hard to create a new existence for herself. When after a whirlwind romance she finds herself in love with and engaged to wealthy Connor Dalton it seems like a dream come true, and she has told him as little about her. past as possible. They are headed to Idlewood, the Dalton family's estate on a mountain in New England (which they for all accounts and purposes own in its entirety), to spend the Christmas holidays as is the family's tradition. It will be the first time that Theo has met Connor's family apart from a brief encounter with his sister Alexis, and she is more than a little worried. She doesn't have the money, family or connections that the Daltons would expect in a fiancée, and is in fact hiding more than a few dark secrets. Coupled with the fact that she and Connor have only known one another for a few months, it is only natural that the family is less than convinced that Connor has made a good choice. His formidable grandmother for one is not impressed....and then there are the anonymous text warnings (threats?) that Theo has been receiving. Once ensconced in their cabin, Theo also starts having more vivid nightmares. Why do these surroundings seem so familiar to her, when she grew up on the other coast? What secrets are the Daltons hiding both from her and from one another? A tragic suicide, an extramarital affair, and more come to light....but someone clearly wants Theo gone and will do whatever is necessary to make that happen.
A gripping thriller set in a remote area in the dead of winter, A Killing Cold features a female protagonist who survived a brutal upbringing and seems to have found her happily ever after. Life isn't like fairy tales, however, and as much as she has longed to be part of a large and loving family her reception with the Daltons is not of the welcomed-with-open-arms variety. Nor are they as a family straight out of a Norman Rockwell family portrait, Theo is far from an innocent ingenue, but she is less interested in Connor's bank account than she is in the power and safety that it brings to his, and by extension her, life. As she struggles to be accepted by the Daltons she senses that there are things happening around her to which she isn't privvy (she's correct), and the questions she has had about her earliest years may be on the verge of being answered. Connor has scars from his past that become more obvious when he is with his family, and there isn't a soul whom Theo thinks she can trust except him. The ne'er do well younger brother, the angry uncle, the tightly wound sister, and the feared matriarch....all have secrets they want to keep hidden and each might have reason to want Theo out of the picture. As the plot takes numerous twists and information about events from years ago is revealed as the story unfolds, this is a story that is hard to put down once started. There are plenty of potential villains from which to chose, but even veteran suspense readers will find at least a few surprises await in the final chapters. Fans of author Kate Alice Marshall's earlier books as well as readers of authors like Lisa Unger, Riley Sager and Frieda McFadden will likely enjoy this taut thriller as well, My thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for allowing me early access to A Killing Cold in exchange for my honest review.

Lies, secrets, twists, turns, and a shocking reveal that I never saw coming!

When Connor and Theodora Scott met in California, six months ago, they fell head over heels in love with one another. Now that Christmas is around the corner, Conner has brought Theo to Idlewood. His family's east coast winter retreat. There is the main house and several large cottages for guests to stay. Connor is excited to introduce Theo to his family.

Theo is met with cold shoulders and a barrage of questions from Connors’ grandmother and Uncle. As Connor shows Theo around the grounds, he can’t help to feel that Theo has been here some time ago. What Theo doesn’t tell him, is she has the same feeling.

We know that something terrible happened at the winter retreat years ago which added to the mystery, the tension, mounting sense of danger and kept my interest piqued throughout the book. It was gripping and had me fully invested from the second chapter. Who could we trust, what would happen next and who really hold the truth to all the mysteries? I loved the setting of the book as well. The snowed in isolated winter retreat gives the reader that locked room feel. For all of the mystery thriller lovers, this needs to go on the top of your list!

Thank you to Flatiron Books, NetGalley and the author, Kate Alice Marshall for the opportunity to read and review an advanced reader's copy of this e-book.

Due to a traumatic incident, Theo doesn’t recall her early childhood or even who she is…so why is her fiancée’s remote family compound triggering alarming memories? 🏔️

This one was just okay for me, but take that with a grain of salt as the rich people behaving badly trope isn’t my favorite. I found myself pretty bored for most of the book and couldn’t really get past how much of a stretch everything was and how reliant the author was on coincidences and conveniences to move the story forward. By the end, everyone was unlikeable, so it didn’t really matter “who did it” because the whole time you’re thinking it could have been any of them.

My thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for a complimentary advance copy of this eBook, out 2/4/2025.

Kate Alice Marshall's "A Killing Cold" is a masterclass in atmospheric tension. From the first page, you're plunged into a world where the biting cold is as much a character as the people themselves. The setting is so vividly painted that you can almost feel the chill seeping through the pages.

At the heart of this wintry nightmare is Theo, a protagonist whose apparent nervousness about meeting his partner's family masks deeper, more intriguing secrets. Marshall's deft handling of memory as a plot device is truly impressive. As the story unfolds, the unreliability of recollection becomes a haunting presence, leading to a grand reveal that's both shocking and deliciously twisted.

The pacing is relentless, with not a single page wasted on superfluous detail. This economy of storytelling, coupled with Marshall's gift for sustaining unbearable tension, makes it nearly impossible to put down. The twists and turns will keep you guessing until the very end, with a denouement that's as satisfying as it is unexpected.

For mystery enthusiasts who appreciate a well-crafted, atmospheric thriller, "A Killing Cold" is an absolute must-read.

Thank you, Flat Iron Books and NetGalley, for my free book for review.

4.5 stars

Many thanks to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for the early release copy of A Killing Cold. I throughly enjoyed this thriller! It had everything I love in it - a twisted family with decades of secrets, an unreliable narrator, and a mystery just dying to be solved.

Newly engaged Theo is brought to her fiancé Connor's family retreat to meet her soon to be in-laws. After arriving Theo realizes that this family has many things to hide and will stop at nothing to keep their family secrets at bay. Theo feels a connection to the retreat location almost as if she has been there before - which is impossible since this is the first time being brought here by Connor. While exploring the family's land Theo stumbles across a photo of a young girl on Connor's family's grounds. This photo isn't just any girl it is in fact a photo of Theo herself as a child. Now confirming her sudden deja vu Theo will stop at nothing to uncover the truth behind this diabolical family and what her as a child has anything to do with them.

This book was incredibly fast paced and easily a bingeable read. I had many theories throughout and was kept captivated the entire time while reading. I enjoyed the characters and found myself really rooting for the good ones. The author Katie Alice Marshall's descriptive writing had me feeling like I was right in the story with the characters. I felt anxiety when they did and felt the cold winter chill of the setting. I look forward to reading more of this author's work.

If you enjoy an isolation thriller, this one is for you! Set at a remote family retreat during the height of winter, this story has lots of layers. It's a fun whodunit, but there's also the intrigue of trying to figure out exactly whodunwhat.

This one takes a while to slot together, and I really liked that. While there is a relatively small cast of characters, I was left guessing right until the end, which is definitely something I'm always looking for in a thriller.

Overall, this was a fun, quick read and I enjoyed it! Definitely one to pick up for a weekend when you're snowed in and just wanting to curl up and relax with an easy book!

Theodora Scott was adopted. She doesn't know much about her birth parents or her early years. The childhood she can remember with her adoptive parents, was traumatic and dysfunctional. When Theo meets Connor, she is smitten. Connor is part of the wealthy and well known Dalton family. When Connor invites Theo to meet his family and spend the holidays at their families winter retreat in Idlewood, Theo is excited. Until she starts getting threatening messages from an unknown number. "Stay away from Connor Dalton." Once at Idlewood, Theo cannot ignore the sinking feeling that she has been there before. When she finds a picture of herself as a young child in one of the abandoned cabins, Theo cannot ignore that feeling anymore. She has been there, but how? And why? What secrets are the Dalton's trying to hide? And at what cost will they try to keep those secrets buried?
Review:
This is definitely a read for anyone that enjoys family drama. It is packed full and I really enjoyed trying to put the pieces together (I did not!). As soon as I thought I had it figured out or knew where it was going, it changed up and I was completely wrong. Lots of whiplash! The suspense was absolutely top notch and well written. It did take me a little bit to get into, but once it picked up, it does not slow down at all. I loved the family property, cabin, and lodge vibes. The setting is described in a way that I could clearly picture and was its own character all in itself. You should also pick this one up if you enjoy morally gray characters. I found the ending to be satisfying, but not satisfying at the same time. You won't understand that unless you read it!
A Killing Cold publishes on 2/4 and I highly recommend adding this one to your TBR.
Thank you to NetGalley, Kate Alice Marshall, and Flatiron Books for this ARC of A Killing Cold in exchange for an honest review!