SYNOPSIS
- Connor and Theodora have had a whirlwind romance and are now engaged to be married.
- Connor comes from an extremely wealthy family, while Theo, who was adopted, has no connection to her adoptive family or any information about her birth family.
- The couple travels to Connor’s family’s remote winter retreat—an isolated, snow-covered estate cut off from the outside world.
- Tensions rise as Theo meets Connor’s family, who are less than welcoming.
- As secrets start to unravel, Theo realizes she may not know Connor—or his family—as well as she thought.

MY THOUGHTS
- This is a classic locked-room mystery with an atmospheric setting that heightens the tension. No cell service, snow piling up outside, and a house full of secrets—what could possibly go wrong?
- The dysfunctional family vibes are strong in this one. Everyone has something to hide, and the class divide between Theo and Connor’s wealthy family is obvious.
- Be prepared for a cast of unlikeable characters. Outside of Theo, there aren’t many redeeming qualities among them, which might make it tough to root for anyone.
- There are plenty of flashback moments and nightmares, which help fill in Theo’s mysterious past and add to the eerie atmosphere.
- You’ll have to suspend a lot of belief to go along with some of the coincidences and twists, but if you can, it’s a fun ride.
- The writing itself is solid—Kate Marshall knows how to build suspense and atmosphere, even if the story doesn’t feel all that unique.
- The isolated setting works well for creating a claustrophobic, unsettling vibe, but some of the plot points feel a bit predictable.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫3.5 Stars. A suspenseful, atmospheric locked-room mystery with an icy, isolated setting and plenty of family drama. While the writing is solid and the tension builds nicely, the plot doesn’t feel particularly original, and the story isn’t really unique.

Thanks to Flatiron Books and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchanges for an honest review. This book will be published on February 4, 2025.

This was a clever & entertaining suspense / mystery. Not only was it a fast-paced read, it was well-plotted, with a number of unpredictable twists. I liked the family dynamic & how the story unfolds.

If you like books filled with family secrets, lies, deception & deceit, then this book is for you.

Favorite Line: “Some secrets stay that way because of the trouble they could cause. Others because the pain of silence is slightly more bearable.”

Thank you to NeGalley, Flatiron Books & the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Theodora Scott is on her way to meet her future in laws for the first time. She finds herself extremely nervous as she makes the journey to her fiancée Connor’s wealthy family winter retreat.Not only is she anxious with first meeting jitters but she keeps receiving text messages of a threatening nature.Ones of warning, telling her to stay away from Connor at all costs and to leave.When Theo spots footprints in the snow outside her cabin herself and decides to follow them,leading her to a disused and long forgotten cabin.Inside she find more questions than answers. Because in this very cabin which she has never seen before is a picture of her as a child.How could this possibly have gotten here when even Theo herself knows so little of her youthful days. With questions mounting and the threating texts continuing Theo decides to stay to find out what secrets are hidden beneath this snowy mountainside.

A Killing Cold was a perfect twisty wintery thriller read filled with layered secrets, lies, and suspense that kept me guessing until the very end.I will say admittedly tho I am a sucker for a good locked room thriller or in this case a snowed in mystery.The setting of this story being a secluded mountainside made for perfectly chilly scenes of anxiety that had me turning pages quickly to see what would happen next.The cast of characters that you are introduced to are beyond wealthy and exclusive,only allowing family and a small amount of staff to be present for their family holiday.It becomes apparent very quickly that everyone in this uber rich family all are hiding something and our FMC Theo is determined to get to the bottom of each and every single one.While at times I found myself screaming at the pages for her to just run away I ultimately really enjoyed seeing how it all played out and the tension the plot brought.Overall I really enjoyed this icy thriller and highly suggest it as a read to indulge during the wintery months for peak immersion.

A Killing Cold comes out Feb.4th, 2025. Thank you NetGalley and Flatiron Books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

(4.5⭐️) This is my third book by Kate Alice Marshall, and it has only solidified in my mind how great of a thriller writer she is!

First of all, the setting was great. A snowy winter estate with a secretive, shady, rich family? Yes please. Theo was such an interesting MC. For the most part she was likable, but there were times I was yelling at her in my head to make a different decision😂 All of the other characters added a lot to the plot, and there were such different personalities to each person to keep things interesting.

The mystery element of the story kept me engaged through the whole book. The flashback scenes that Theo had added some suspense, especially mixed in with the weird vibes she was getting in the present day setting. This is definitely a “I don’t know who to trust” type of book, which I enjoy. There were also several twists along the way, all of which I didn’t see coming. The ending had me turning pages as fast as I could just so I could see how it all turned out.

If you want a bingeable thriller perfect for winter reading, pick this one up!

A wintery mystery thriller full of rich family drama! So many twists, lies, secrets and a few red herrings. Theo is a compelling main character whose complex memories and moral dilemmas drove the plot forward and kept me interested.
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I enjoyed this thriller overalls it had a few twists that were unexpected and I liked the character development throughout the story. Would rec for a beach read

Another great one from Kate Alice Marshall 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 a snowy isolated mountain, a family with many secrets, and a girl with no memory of her childhood before her adoptive parents got her. Sounds like an amazing winter vacation right?

I was hooked from the beginning until the end! The pacing was fast and gave just enough information away to keep you wanting to know the whole story. The twists were unexpected and done well. You have a full array of characters with interesting personalities and a secret to keep. You think you have the whole situation figured out but do you really?

This novel is full of suspense and has a shocking ending. Highly recommend putting this one on your TBR and reading it asap!

A Killing Cold by Kate, Alice Marshall, this book is about Theo Scott, who had a whirlwind love affair with Connor Dalton, because it’s Christmas time she’s going to meet his family at their isolated winter retreat on top of the mountain. although she’s never met the Dalton family before when this holiday is over, it will have turned into a nightmare and her history and the history of the Daltons will be linked and not in a good way. Despite Theo was warned instead of retreating, she double down and found out things the family tried to keep hidden. I read the Kindle version and listen to the audiobook narrated by Karissa Vacker, and if I had to pick one over the other, it would definitely be the audiobook because I thought the narrator set a great tone for this tense action, packed thriller. I did find the book a bit long and not the ordinary thriller. I am used to with this author, but I still enjoyed it and will definitely read her books in the future. She is so good and really knows how to keep you on the edge of your seat. #NetGalley,#FlatIronBooks, #McMillanAudio, #KateAliceMarshall, #AKillingCold,

Synopsis | A woman invited to her wealthy fiancé's family retreat realizes they are hiding a terrible secret—and that she’s been there before.

Review | I really enjoyed this one! The twists kept me hooked and I thought the story moved at a good pace. I never felt bored and I definitely wanted to know what would happen as well as what happened in the past. I love stories where you don't know who to trust and this was definitely that. I don't think it's the most memorable story as it's definitely been done before, but it was still an enjoyable and engaging read. This one was a very strong 4 stars for me!

Thank you to NetGalley, Flatiron Books, and Kate Alice Marshall for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this fantastic book. I have loved all of Kate Alice Marshall’s adult thrillers and I think this one is her best yet! It is full of twists and turns and keeps the reader guessing throughout the novel. I think this is one of those books where you shouldn’t read too much of the synopsis beforehand. Trust me you will have a great reading experience with this one. I especially loved that this was such a unique twist and perspective that I have not read before in other thrillers. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys thrillers that keep you guessing. I can’t wait to read more from this author. Thank you again!

What is more scary than meeting your future in laws? Meeting them while having a daunting feeling that you have been here before. This book will have you wanting to turn the page while rethinking ever wanting to join a family through marriage! Sit down in your favorite spot, curl up into a blanket and enjoy this chilling yet thrilling ride.

Amazing audio. I love this narration. The story was great and helps me guessing. Thank you for allowing me to listen!

2025 continues to be a fabulous year for thrillers! This book had me hooked from the first chapter. Secrets, lies, and family drama abound in A Killing Cold. It had hints that reminded me of the horror film, Ready Or Not, in the best way. I’ll be thinking about this one for a while!

Keeping with my personal little game of connecting this year’s reads to Taylor Swift songs, this one for me is I Know Places.

Thank you Flatiron Books and NetGalley for my copy.

I’ve been reading this author’s thrillers for the last few years and they are always full of twists and very enjoyable! This one was no different! The way the story unfolded kept me engaged and on the edge of my seat! Unpredictable psychological thrillers about family secrets are some of my favorite to read and this one is perfect for winter, with its icy, secluded setting! It’s also phenomenal in audio format, with one of my favorites, Karissa Vacker narrating! 4⭐️

I've liked previous books by this author, so going in I knew I would probably like this one. It was a quick read, with lots of twists and turns, so I'd recommend it to anyone looking for that. I did find myself having to suspend my disbelief a few times because "fate" just seemed too easy, but I think it's hard to find a good thriller/mystery where that isn't a requirement.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The title of this book drew me in since it is winter where I am. Connor Dalton and Theodora "Theo" Scott are a newly engaged couple. Connor is taking Theo to go meet his very rich family at their winter retreat where they spend 2 weeks at Christmas there. Idlewood is the name of the retreat and there are several outlying cabins as part of the property. Theo doesn't know much about her life before age 4, but when she gets to Idlewood she has a feeling that she has been there before. Then in an abandoned cabin, she finds a picture of herself as a child and some of her memories start coming back and she tries to figure out who she is. I felt that most of the book up until the last quarter was more of a mystery. Once I got to the last quarter, things started to really pick up and it became more of a thriller with lots of twists and turns. I was not sure who the true villain was. I felt the ending was tied up nicely as well.

Theodora Scott (Theo) is engaged to Connor Dalton. The Daltons are a very wealthy, powerful family. Theo and Connor travel to Idlewood, the Dalton Family winter retreat so Theo can meet the family and hopes to win them over. Theo works in a bookstore and does not come from money - far from it. She was raised by adoptive parents that were cruel and abusive. She doesn’t remember much of her childhood or her real mother, only little fragments of memories that seem to recur in nightmares she has had all her life. As Theo meets the Dalton family, she has a strange sense she has been on this land before. The Daltons are a strange bunch to say the least. The author does a good job describing all the characters and some are very unlikable. As Theo’s curiosity grows and she starts finding clues and trying to piece together her past, someone is also sending her text messages that she should stay away from Connor and get away. I won’t give away all that happens, but it is a very suspenseful plot that kept me eager to find out how it would all end. I really loved this book even though some elements were rather far fetched. I give the book 4.5 stars out of 5.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. The book is set to be published on Feb. 4, 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley for my latest thriller read and eArc!

A Killing Cold has all the vibes that would make it a perfect fit for some cozy winter reading. However, this book fell flat for me as much as I wanted to love it. I DNFed this book at 54%.

Theo, our narrator, is newly engaged to Connor, the son of a wealthy family who owns a shipping company. The story begins with them traveling to Connor's family's land, where Theo will meet them all for the first time. I found the first 15% or so of this book to be very engaging, and I was curious about all of Connor's different family members that we meet. However, as things went on, Theo begins experiencing strange dreams, finding footprints in the snow, and catching some contradictions about Connor's father's death.

My interest started to wane around 25% of the way through the book. Theo, having a complicated childhood and history, continues to allude to "secrets" and how no one in Connor's family knows how "bad" she truly is. Suddenly it felt like nothing about this story was original, and it was just a repeat of common thriller tropes mashed into one. Unfortunately, I haven't had good luck with any of this author's books, so I think I'll take this as my sign and stick with other thriller authors I know I'll love.

⭐️: 4/5

There’s a certain niche of thriller books where the main character has a tragic and mysterious background that they don’t like to talk about, and within that, a subcategory where the main character herself (because it’s almost always a girl) doesn’t even remember what happened to her. Without such a backstory, the book and plot would not exist. They tend to skew a little unbelievable for my taste, and rely a little too much on coincidences that only happen in fiction books, but can still be wildly entertaining to read. Luckily, this one was one of the more entertaining ones of this subgenre that I’ve encountered recently.

I’ve read two other books by Kate Alice Marshall, No One Can Know and What Lies in the Woods, and I really liked the latter and didn’t much care for the former. A Killing Cold was my favorite of all three though, and I really enjoyed the main character of Theo, and the flashbacks that slowly revealed pieces of the puzzle. There were enough sketchy characters with different motivations and things that they valued that I was kept guessing throughout most of the book about what really happened in Theo’s past, and who was pulling the strings in the present. I really enjoyed how there were layers to how involved various characters were, playing into how family dynamics can be messy sometimes. I do wish that the ending was a bit more verbose and left me with more closure, but ultimately I suppose most strings were tied up so I was mostly satisfied.

Thank you to @netgalley and @flatiron_books for this eARC for my honest review!!

If The Duttons & The Kennedys somehow morphed into one family, they would be The Daltons. I read this book in less than 2 days because I just had to know what was going to happen with Theo. The Dalton’s are the family you watch from the outside and are just dying to peek behind the curtain. I’m becoming a huge KAM fan!