A whirlwind romance.
When Theodora Scott met Connor—wealthy, charming, and a member of the powerful Dalton family—she fell in love in an instant. Six months later, he’s brought her to Idlewood, his family’s isolated winter retreat, to win over his skeptical relatives.

As soon as they arrive things don't seem right and there's a really strong sense of foreboding. Clearly everyone is hiding something and this powerful family doesn't want any of those secrets to come to light. Theo also had no memories of her early childhood, that is until she stumbles upon a deserted cabin on the property where she finds a picture and memories start to surface. This one was full of so many twists and turns and I really didn't see where it was going. It was a perfect Winter read, with the snowy lodge and cabin setting. Especially after a big snow storm traps everyone there, this really bumps up the tension, keeping me on the edge of my seat.

The audiobook narration was great as always with Karissa Vacker, she's one of my favorites. Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillanaudio for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. Out today, 02/04/2025.

HAPPY PUB DAYYYYY!!!!!

I freaking LOVE Kate Alice Marshall's stories, so I was so grateful when NetGalley and Macmillan Audio granted me early release copies 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!

The narrator did a great job bringing these words to life as well. I loved being able to really feel the emotion and be even more drawn into this story.

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!

As much as I enjoyed having Karissa Vacker read me this new release, I am finding it to be a hot mess of a plot. That is obviously a me problem as so many have loved this one.

Here are three things I liked:

🎧Narration by Karissa Vacker was top notch as I knew it would be.

🐕Duchess is a faithful companion (a black lab?) who recognizes the true victim.

👏The ending was quite well done, it was just so messy getting there!

I know I am an outlier on this one. The book is aptly named. You will feel the chill of the mountains around the Dalton family compound.

Happy Publication Day! Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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. The narration was fantastic as well! I definitely recommend checking this one out!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC!

TW/CW: Language, drinking, toxic family relationships, death of parent, anxiety, sex, abusive relationship, toxic relationships, sexual assault, blood, violence]

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
A whirlwind romance.When Theodora Scott met Connor—wealthy, charming, and a member of the powerful Dalton family—she fell in love in an instant. Six months later, he’s brought her to Idlewood, his family’s isolated winter retreat, to win over his skeptical relatives.

Stay away from Connor Dalton.Theo has tried to ignore the threatening messages on her phone, but she can’t ignore the footprints in the snow outside the cabin window or the strange sense of familiarity she has about this place. Then, in a disused cabin, Theo finds something impossible: a photo of herself as a child. A photo taken at Idlewood.

I’ve been here 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.
Release Date: February 4th, 2025
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 304
Rating: ⭐

What I Liked:
1. Very atmospheric
2. Winter/snow setting

What I Didn't Like:
1. Boring
2. Paint by numbers thriller/mystery
3. Hate the characters - all feel basic

Overall Thoughts:
{{DISCLAIMER: I WRITE MY REVIEW AS I READ}}

I'm convinced that all rich people are written the same way. Very bland characters so far.

Come on like Connor didn't see her - she's in a bright orange vest!

Why is Theo saying they won't let her go when Rose was literally paying her to leave. She even finds out that the grandfather was sending her warnings to leave.

Nick that had her teddy is the one that murdered her mother and killed the Liam. oh it was Alexis.

Yep let's have sex with everything going on right now lol

Love that Connor is able to remember at 7 years old a conversation with a 5 year old that je mentioned that she should move to LA and then this 5 year old talking about school books.

Haha why does she keep coming back to these people to explain what they already know!? They have tried to kill her over and over. This is ridiculous.

I find it funny how far Connor would side with Theo over his own family for a woman he has known for a few months. Money sticks together.

Final Thoughts:
Unsufferable characters in a plot that feels like it's paint by numbers. I have read this plot so many times.

IG | Blog

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A Killing Cold starts out as a darkly atmospheric thriller as Theodora Scott travels with her fiancé Connor to an isolated winter retreat owned by his wealthy family. Even its name, Idlewood, sounds ominous. Then she receives some threatening messages and starts seeing things that look vaguely familiar. Theo also has some secrets in her past and we learn more about these at the same time as Theo does, through flashbacks.

There are so many twists to this story that I'm surprised it wasn't confusing, but it had a great flow and the characters were all really interesting, they just kept developing throughout the story which kept me guessing right up to the end

Karissa Vacker did a fantastic job of narrating the audiobook, portraying all the different characters in the story and keeping it suspenseful, she is one of my favourite narrators, especially for thrillers!

Family drama. Lies. Deception. A repressed and traumatic past… With all of the twists and turns, this book is nothing short of captivating. The nonlinear time line is a nice little surprise that kept me on my toes but made sense for the story - drawing together the past and present. Furthermore, the remote cabin in the dead of winter gave that suspenseful locked room feeling. Throughout the book, Kate Alice Marshall really built the characters personalities to the point where I loved to hate some of them. She made me question my own thoughts and if I could trust what I was being told. A Killing Cold had many twists and turns I almost got whiplash!

The audio production by Karissa Vacker was on point. She effortlessly gave each character their own voice and personality.

This is an audiobook that I would definitely listen to again (maybe during a snow storm to set the mood).

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book brought all the creepy vibes, rich and powerful people, and an isolated setting. The backstory was tragic and honestly made me feel very sad...not my usual emotions during a thriller. I kept thinking it was so clear what had happened, but I never quite got the twists right. I do wish it was a little more atmospheric and winter-y, but definitely a solid thriller!

The audio narration was good - nothing unusual or standout, just solid narration.

I really enjoyed A Killing Cold. The story was full of twists, turns, secrets, lies and shocking reveals! I was constantly trying to figure out who was behind all the lies and secrets! Thank you Macmillan audio and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Audio narration was very clear and easy to follow and I throughly enjoyed the narrator’s voice.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy of A Killing Cold. I loved it! *4.5 stars rounded to 4

Set on a cold, remote mountain estate, A Killing Cold is a gripping, eerily atmospheric mystery. Theo joins her fiancé, Connor, for a two-week stay at his family’s estate, meeting them for the first time. But despite the dissociative amnesia caused by childhood trauma, she can’t shake the feeling that she’s been here before — and that terrible things happened on these grounds.

While most of the big revelations came toward the end, the beginning and middle were compelling enough that I never felt like I was just waiting to get to the “good part.” I love a story where "it’s not over til it’s over," and this one kept me guessing, unsure who could be trusted, who was just apathetic, and who was truly evil? I can’t say much about the overall message without giving away key plot points, but trust me — it’s a powerful one.

I’d absolutely recommend this to mystery/thriller fans looking for something atmospheric and wintry. It’s out now!

Audio: Karissa Vacker (one of my all-time favorite narrators) delivers a phenomenal performance. Her voice is so immersive I forget I’m listening to an audiobook and just get completely lost in the story. She nails Theo’s calm demeanor, her joy, and her fear and suspicion brilliantly. A must-listen!

A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall

A quick and eerie, thriller, perfect for wintertime. TBH, I wasn’t terribly impressed with this one, but I can appreciate the snowed-in, claustrophobic vibes. The suspense just didn’t really pay off well for me, and was a little bit predictable. The family drama and secrets that everyone had were the big OMG moments for me and kept me wanting to continue the story. It’s a solid book, just not my favorite, but maybe that’s just me.
Thank you Macmillan Audio & Net Galley for my ALC

A Killing Cold is the newest adult thriller from Kate Alice Marshall.

"Theodora Scott has a whirlwind romance with Connor Dalton and now they're engaged. He brings her to the family's winter retreat to meet his relatives. Theo gets messages ahead of time warning her to stay away from Connor. It'll take more than that to scare her off.
At one of the cabins she stumbles upon a photo of herself as a small child. But it's a photo of her with Connor's dad. Did she know the Daltons before? Do they know what happened to her mother? As the memories come flooding back Theo realizes she is in terrible danger and needs to convince Connor to leave."

This is a slow burn. There are a cascade of twists. Marshall does a nice job with the setup. The ending is the best part - rich people behaving badly - putting their family name ahead of truth and justice.

Karissa Vacker does her usual phenomenal job with the narration. There are multiple male and female characters (not too many) and she has voices for all of them. Her performance adds a lot to the enjoyment of this book.

Another nice slow-burn thriller from Marshall.

I listened to this as an audiobook and the narrator was amazing!!! This book was fantastic and definitely one I would suggest to my fellow thriller readers.

Theos new finance Connor has invited her to the family retreat for the holidays. Theo is beyond nervous as to what they will think of her. And it doesn’t help she’s been getting some odd text messages. Anyways, Theo meets Connors family and jives with a few of them, but is also unsure about a lot of them. As time goes on, Theo starts to have some recognition of her surroundings, and from there, she’s determined to find out just what’s going on.

Pros
Setting/atmosphere
Easily engaging


Cons
Some things a bit predictable
Lots of characters involved.

Would have been 5 stars if it wasn’t for trying to keep track of the amount of characters and who they are

A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall in quick, rapid fire thoughts.

-intriguing main character backstory (or lack of!)
-messy family drama of the wealthy
-chilly and secluded setting
-far too many characters to keep straight
-tangled web of memories and deceit
-an altogether overly snoopy main character
-extremely convenient plot points
-"twisty" ending that comes off over the top and confusing

One of my favourites, Karissa Vacker delivers yet another amazing audiobook performance! With a voice that can go from nostalgic and reminiscent to threatened and terrified, Vacker nailed her delivery!

Overall, I think my thoughts can best be summed up by: fantastic audiobook but who were all theses characters and who really was the villain?

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the complimentary audio copy to read and review.

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!

The narrator was fantastic and definitely kept me engaged!

Thank you #MacAudio2025, Kate Alice Marshall and Netgalley for the chance to experience this audiobook. I was engaged from the first 5 minutes to the very last 5 minutes, finding myself looking for opportunities to press play constantly. I thought the narration was incredible and I really liked the story. I thought the twists were well done, my heart broke a few times and was mended a few more. I was angry and confused, I hated characters and then loved them and vice versa. Overall, I really liked this one!

This book is filled with twists, secrets and bad behavior. It kept me on my toes the whole time and it’s so fast past which I love in a thriller. The setting was cold and eerie. I didn’t trust any of these characters. Every time I thought I knew whodunnit , I was wrong! I really enjoyed this one!

Karissa Vacker did an amazing job as always narrating this book!

Read if you enjoy:
▪️secrets
▪️rich people behaving badly
▪️atmospheric setting
▪️plot twists
▪️whodunnit vibes
▪️snowed in

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

A Killing Cold is a gripping mystery thriller that kept me hooked from start to finish. It follows Theo and her new fiancé, Connor, as they head to his family’s secluded retreat for the holidays. This book has everything I love: a rich, dysfunctional family making terrible decisions, loads of drama, and plenty of secrets. The family’s obsession with maintaining their image has them hiding more than just their flaws—there's something darker lurking beneath the surface.

The setting was definitely one of the highlights for me. Being trapped on a snow-covered mountain with a wealthy family, each member with their own secrets, made the suspense even more palpable. The twists kept coming, and just when I thought I had figured it out, another curveball would throw me off balance.

This was my first book by Kate Alice Marshall, and it definitely won’t be my last. Her writing is fantastic, with vivid descriptions that bring the story to life. The pacing was spot on—just when the tension seemed to dip, a new reveal would pull me right back in. I would recommend this to any mystery/thriller reader, especially if it’s cold outside!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for gifting me an audio ARC of this wonderful book by Kate Alice Marshall, gorgeously narrated by the wonderful Karissa Vacker. All opinions expressed in this review are my own – 4.5 stars rounded up!

Theo is newly engaged to Connor after a whirlwind romance. Connor is wealthy, a member of the powerful Dalton family, and he brings Theo to Idlewood, his family’s isolated winter retreat, to meet his family for the first time. Theo’s past is a big unknown, which the Dalton’s are not happy about. While at Idlewood, she starts getting messages, seeing footsteps in the snow around their cabin, and a strange feeling about the place. Some people will do anything to protect their secrets.

What a fabulous story and even better audiobook, with the perfect combination of author and narrator. This is a tense thriller filled with family drama. Just what lengths will people go to to protect their family secrets? And there are so many secrets to uncover, from Theo’s past to just what happened at the retreat all those years ago. The setting was perfect – isolated and snowy, making for a perfect locked-room mystery with no shortage of questionable characters and motives. I really liked how everything came together at the end – don’t miss this one!

Thank you Flatiron Books for my #gifted ARC and thank you Macmillan Audio for my #gifted listening copy and snowflake activity kit! #flatironbooks #macmillanaudio #MacAudio2024 #AKillingCold #KateAliceMarshall

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐀 𝐊𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐝
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫: 𝐊𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐚 𝐕𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟒, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

𝟓★

If you are looking for a book to read in one sitting, this is it! I could not put this book down once I started. The was able to pull me in and from the very first page and I was hooked. There was so much tension in this book and I just loved the atmospheric vibes. It’s the type of book that keeps you guessing the entire time, and I was wrong the entire time! Grab a blanket and your favorite snack and get ready for a while ride with this one! I am going to be recommending this one to everyone!

❄️Isolated Setting
❄️Rich People Behaving Badly
❄️Family Drama
❄️Flashbacks
❄️Lots of Twists
❄️Atmospheric

🎧I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Karissa Vacker. Vacker always does an amazing job bringing books to life, and this one was no exception. I love how she is so easily able to transport the reader to the setting of the book, and I just felt like I was with the characters at their Idlewood family winter retreat. I highly recommend this one on audio!

Posted on Goodreads on February 3, 2025: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around February 3, 2025: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on February 4, 2025
**-will post on designated date