This book is a twisted and chilling thriller set on a mountain property in the winter. I liked the complex backstory of the main character, Theo, and her soon-to-be inlaws. The family drama and secrets are hidden so well, yet they eat away at some of the characters who are less prone to violence and pain. I enjoyed the gradual unravelling of events in the past and the present and the sense of danger and suspense that had me wondering which characters I could trust. The narration was also wonderful and entertaining—a thriller fan's delight.

This was a very good book and kept me engaged for the whole thing. It kept me guessing throughout the whole book up until the very end. I would definitely recommend this book for someone that loves a quick thriller!

As soon as I see the names Kate Alice Marshall and Karissa Vacker, I know I'm in for one great ride. And A Killing Cold was absolutely that!

This book follows Theo, who has her secrets and forgets her traumatic childhood, but she loves Connor Dalton and will do anything to win over his wealthy, skeptical family. So they head to his family's isolated winter retreat to do just that. Only Theo is getting threatening messages and has a strange familiarity with Idlewood. She starts to piece together her fragmented memories when she finds a photo of herself at Idlewood as a child. Someone is hiding something. And Theo is going to find out who, even if it costs her everything.

This book was full of secrets, lies, twists and turns in all it's isolated, locked door glory. I was completed swept up in the story and couldn't put it down. I ping ponged between who had what secret and which person was guilty. I love that it's set in winter and detested each member of the Dalton family in all the best ways!

This was a thrilling ride with a tiny bit of romance thrown in for good measure. You won't be disappointed with this one.

4.5 stars and a high recommendation from me!

While I wanted to enjoy this one, I felt like there were a lot of missed opportunities to make it great and a lot of it was too far of a stretch in coincidences for me. I guessed the ended early on and did not find it thrilling. I did enjoy the writing style though and would love to read another one by this author.

Rating: 4.5

A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall had me on my toes in this new thriller! I have enjoyed Marshall's previous works and was very excited to receive an ALC for A Killing Cold.

The juicy family drama had me swept in and so invested. When Theodora (Theo for short) Scott travels up to Idlewood with her new fiancé, Connor Dalton for a family trip, memories come rushing in about her past as his family tries to figure her out. This book was so twisty and addicting that I could not put it down. The small bits of information about Theo's past was so interesting and I found it all tied in so nicely. Marshall's writing is so easy to follow along with and pulls you in right away.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio & NetGalley for the opportunity to read A Killing Cold early for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this thriller. There were a lot of twists and turned as the story progressed. I also enjoyed the atmosphere Marshall created along with the pacing. Themes of family, loyalty, and trust were explored. Marshall stands on her own long side Alice Feeney, Lucy Foley, and Ruth Ware.

4.5 stars, rounded up because Karissa Vacker's narration and Duchess are everything.

I've been a fan of Kate Alice Marshall for awhile now and have enjoyed her adult, YA and even middle grade books (seriously, I love Extra Normal and the oldest sibling representation). And A Killing Cold is up there. It was 12:30 in the morning last night and I had two hours of the audiobook left and had to argue with myself about going to sleep. And the first thing I did when my dog woke me up at 6:30 am was finish the audiobook.

So I feel like Marshall does elevated thrillers? Not pretentious or inaccessible or anything like that. But this is just as much about a dysfunctional family as it is about the mystery of Theo's past. There are plenty of flawed characters making terrible decisions that still somehow remain sympathetic to a degree. I was almost moved to tears at one point. Also, Marshall really does a nice turn of phrase. There were several times throughout the story where I was like, ohhh, that was said so prettily.

And Karissa Vacker! One of my favorite narrators. And I love that she continues to collaborate with Marshall on her stories and hope she does so for the foreseeable future.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this. Made my day.

If you liked the Netflix show "The Perfect Couple" you will probably like this one. Personally I was bored and didn't care about the central mystery or characters.

Packed with twists and turns, this book had me hooked from start to finish! I absolutely adored Theo and Connor—such compelling characters. Every reveal left me genuinely shocked, keeping me on the edge of my seat the entire time. It was so gripping I couldn’t stop listening and finished it in one sitting.

Kate Alice Marshall’s writing is phenomenal; her world-building pulls you right into the story, making you feel like you’re living every moment alongside the characters. The suspense was masterfully done, and the way everything unfolded was just brilliant. Huge thanks to NetGalley for the early release of the audiobook—such an outstanding experience! 5 stars!

This new release is a fabulous atmospheric winter thriller, as Theo travels with her new fiancée to his family's isolated upstate NY mountain retreat. The slow burn mystery includes a winter storm isolating the guests from civilization, anonymous threats telling Theo she isn't safe, and jarring new memories from her repressed childhood trauma. Theo quickly realizes her past might be interlinked with Connor's family's secrets putting her life in danger.

I really enjoyed this one! I love rich families behaving badly, and this was one messed up family! I'm pretty sure I suspected every darn character and thought I had it all figured out, only to get a new twist. The setting was claustrophobic, the flashbacks/ incomplete memories kept me guessing, and the tension slowly built to a heart pounding conclusion. Vacker's narration was perfection. She perfectly captured Theo's complex personality, and brought the tension/fear to a palatable level.

Thank you to @macmillan.audio #macaudio2025 for my complimentary ALC of A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall, read by Karissa Vacker! This book releases on 2/4/25.

This one had all the winter vibes and I was here for it. It helped me embrace the season even with the killing cold we are currently experiencing.

I was not such a big fan of Theo honestly. She was a little “meh” for me, I could honestly take her or leave her and really wasn’t rooting for her in this novel but I was super curious about her backstory.

There are a lot of twists, turns and lies in this one which kept me guessing.

The narrator (I won’t say names) is not my favorite audiobook narrator so I tried to only go to the audiobook when needed and crank up the playback speed to help distract me from the narration. I’m sure this is an unpopular opinion because she is everywhere and I hate to say it but I cannot connect with books by this audiobook narrator as much. Good thing I had a physical copy!

Overall a great winter thriller that will keep you guessing. So grab a warm blanket and a hot beverage and dive in!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

Karissa Vacker really helps me get into the audiobooks. She does an absolutely brilliant job narrating! Right from the beginning I was into the story. Who is Theo and what happened to her mother? What happened to her boyfriends dad? Who murdered [character]? (no spoilers lol) I wanted to know everything and blew through this audiobook! I would recommend this book to people who like winter thrillers with lots of family members.

3.5 rounded up to 4 because the audiobook narrator carried.

I had high hopes for this book, but it was too convoluted and coincidental for my liking. I found myself not really caring who did what as the story went on. Decent but not my favorite.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced audiobook.

Despite possessing both tropes and themes that decidedly aren't my favorite, I really enjoyed myself with this one. No, I don't usually like it when a character has amnesia that lifts miraculously at convenient plot points and yes, I do struggle to enjoy books with themes of religious trauma. A Killing Cold gets a pass from me in being wildly entertaining, keeping me on the edge of my seat to the bitter end.
Though I did guess some of the novel's twists, I was surprised by plenty, which is a big part of my enjoyment in thrillers. The atmosphere was top-tier—I felt the cold temperature and sense of isolation in equal measure. It presented many familiar ingredients that may feel a little overdone to some, but may be tried and true for a reason.
I'm very eager to read more from this author, as I've heard lots of good things about her previous books.
Thanks so much to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy!

Kate Alice Marshall is quickly establishing herself as a connoisseur of dark family dramas. If you enjoy unlikable characters, moral gray areas, rich people behaving badly, and a gothic winter setting-then this book is for you. Marshall once again asks "How far would you go to protect your family?"
Overall, I enjoyed the book. It was suspenseful at times. The eerie images created by the isolated setting along with the locked room mystery lent itself to a atmospheric read. I enjoyed the narrator. And even though most of the characters were highly unlikable, I enjoyed not liking them.

Why this was only a three star then (perhaps a 3.5 if I'm being generous)? The dual timeline between now and the past was a bit overdone. It felt at times that neither that nor the present was really advancing the plot overly much, especially since I realized VERY early on who the little girl in the narration was (I don't think it was meant to be a total surprise to the reader?). Then it just became a bit redundant and self-serving. We got the same memory/dream/snippets of images over and over and over. We get it - red scarf, dragonfly, teddy bear. I've also been feeling lately that thrillers are choosing a trauma and really, really leaning into that trauma -- meaning basically every character experiences that trauma. In this one, it is physical abuse. So much physical abuse.

Another thing that bothered me was the ending. **SPOILER INCOMING** - how many different endings/twists do we need? It's this person - no wait, it's this person - just kidding, its this other person - although maybe it's a few different people. Too much. And unnecessary.

But the journey along the way was enjoyable overall. It was a fast, easy listen. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC copy.

I enjoyed how fast paced this book was. Once I got the audio for it (thank you NetGalley), it was hard putting it down! Rich people, family drama, secrets, & lies- pretty much sums this book up! I did find parts to be predictable and a bit blah imo. 3.5 ⭐️
Thank you NetGalley for the audio!

I have a love-hate relationship with Kate Alice Marshall's books. I'm always intrigued by the concepts and engaged while reading, but by the end the book is always just okay. I enjoyed the setting of this book but wanted the snowy, isolated atmosphere to be stronger. I also didn't connect with the characters as much as I would have wanted. I can always count on Kate Alice Marshall for a reliable and bingeable thriller, though it is never earth shattering for me.

Thank you to Flatiron Books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for an audio arc copy in exchange for an honest review. A Killing Cold will be out on February 4th!

This is the second book that I've read from Kate Alice Marshall, and after really enjoying her debut adult thriller, What Lies in the Woods, I was looking forward to her newest release.

I am actually going to remain very vague in my review of this thriller because I went into this story completely blind, having not read the synopsis, and I highly recommend doing the same! My biggest complaint is that I read the synopsis after I finished the book and found it gives away one of the twists! While this is not the most original thriller, it has been done before, I found the story to be very atmospheric and perfect for a cozy winter read. I personally listened to this on audio while following along in my BOTM copy, and the narrator Karissa Vacker did an excellent job in conveying the tension throughout the story. I would highly recommend this for fans of Catherine Steadman's The Family Game, or if you just like reading rich people murder vibes.

I have consistently enjoyed Kate Alice Marshall's work and "A Killing Cold" did not disappoint. Lots of twists, throughout the book which keeps the pages turning quickly. This is a perfect cold weather read! Has a solid, satisfying ending which I haven't gotten in many recent reads.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in advance of publication.

❄️𝗔 𝗞𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗖𝗢𝗟𝗗❄️
𝔱𝔥𝔯𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔢𝔯
𝙿𝚞𝚋 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎: 𝙵𝚎𝚋𝚛𝚞𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝟺, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟻
🎧𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽..𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗒 𝗐𝖾𝗅𝗅 𝖽𝗈𝗇𝖾👌
🤩𝕄𝕪 𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘: 𝟜 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕤 ★★★★

🤏𝚃𝚎𝚎𝚗𝚢 𝚝𝚒𝚍𝚋𝚒𝚝...she was invited to her rich fiancés family retreat only to find major secrets & that she has actually been there before…

❄️𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚊𝚢...As much as I hate winter I always LOVE a good winter thriller! 🙌This one checked that off my list. Locked in “room”vibes with a side of who in the hell do I trust in this (almost) family of mine? 🤷‍♀️The pacing was fast & the last third was just delectable👏..I was constantly guessing & loved all the blizzard-y tension! 👊I am also a sucker for crazy ass rich people in books😆. Add this one to your TBR! It’s out in 12 days! 🎉🥂