
Member Reviews

This book was a whirlwind, in a great way!
Theodora is engaged to Conner. She, along with her fiance, is invited to join the wealthy family at their isolated winter retreat. She goes with the intention of winning the family over, but soon realizes they're hiding some family secrets.
Theodora starts receiving threatening messages and can't shake the feeling that she's visited this retreat in the past.
I highly recommend this book ... good luck trying to figure everything out!

First, I want to start off by saying I never. ever miss a book by Ms. Marshall! And for a very good reason. Gripping, enticing and unputdownable! Love all the characters, even the ones we are not supposed to like. The plot, love it all. I did get a liiiiiiitle bit tired of the storyline about halfway but i pushed on through. And the narrators, perfection. Another great one from Marshall.

This was a soild and enjoyable thriller, but like another reviewer said, also kind of predictable. This is an author who I will probably always read when she publishes a new book because I loved her debut novel What Lies in the Woods. But her other two books haven't been as spectacular and admittedly I am comparing this to her first book.
This had a wide cast of characters. Our protagonist Theo is marrying Connor who comes from a wealthy family. She is hiding secrets from her past and being cagey, and naturally that arouses suspicion in Connor's family who wants to make sure she is joining the family for the right reasons. Theo joins Connor and his family in an isolated cabin, where someone appears to be threatening to reveal her secrets.
Thank you netgalley and Macmillan audio for giving me an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Theo (Theodora) met Connor and fell in love quick. She’s now visiting his family for the first time for a winter retreat. Right before the trip, she got a text telling her to stay away from Connor.
Her past is dark and memory of it is spotty. Yet, she has a nagging feeling that she has been to the winter cabin before. Too much isn’t making sense like the childhood picture of herself she finds, the familiarity of the isolated cabin.
Even though she suspects someone from Connor’s family is sending the texts, she turns a blind eye to her worries because of her love for him. It’s only fair considering she has secrets she’s hiding from him, too.
Okay so this family is something else !! Holding obvious secrets about how their dad died, the weird uncle who swooped in to become “dad”, the brother who hits on his brother’s fiancé.. lots of dysfunction there! I felt this was fast paced and kept my attention as I tried to figure it all out. Loved the narrator as well!
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. Release date 2/4/2025!

Snowy isolated mountain mysteries always make for decent reading.
When Theodora "Theo" Scott meets Connor Dalton they fall head over heels in love. After a shockingly short romance, they become engaged. Now she's headed to meet the extremely wealthy Dalton family at their isolated Winter retreat where they are scheduled to stay for two weeks. What she finds while there is that this family is hiding more secrets than she could have ever imagined and figuring out what they are is utterly shocking.
The audiobook is narrated by Karissa Vacker who is quickly becoming one of my favorite narrators. Her voice just adds that "something" to the story you feel other narrators are missing sometimes.
This was my second Kate Alice Marshall book and I am definitely adding more of hers to my TBR. This audiobook kept me entertained and questioning what would happen next. Perfect for a night in during the winter months.
Thank you, NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to and enjoy this audiobook before its release on February 4, 2025. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for early access to A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall and narrated by Karissa Vacker.
Theo and Connor are engaged, after just a short time dating, and Connor brings Theo to stay at his family's resort. His family is not the most welcoming, as they question why the couple is getting married, especially so quickly. Theo is hiding things, but it may not be what Connor's family thinks. And there are more secrets, considering Theo is receiving text messages from an unknown number telling her to stay away from the family. And little by little Theo begins to realize she has been to the resort before, as deep seeded memories start to be brought to the surface. Why is so much being hidden, and why? And should Theo have stayed away?
Let me just say that I am happy to listen to ANYTHING Karissa Vacker narrates, and I listened to this one in under 24 hours. I tried to make myself stop and enjoy the journey, but I just had to go back and find out what happened! Marshall wrote a thrilling story, and Vacker's narration makes it even more compelling. I can't recommend this one enough!

This book is a thriller that I found enjoyable, but not all that surprising. I felt the twists and turns were a bit lackluster and I felt the setting could have been utilized more to the writers advantage. That being said, I enjoyed the pacing of this story and the back and forth storylines. While I'm only rating this 3 stars, I think people who enjoy mystery stories will enjoy this one.

I was very excited to be able to review a Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall. I especially liked her novel, What Lies in the Woods. A girl, now a young woman, has no memory of her early life, except for some clues that she gets in nightmares that have her wake up screaming. When she is invited to her fiance's family's campground in the woods, everything seems too familiar and at least one person knows who she really is. This audiobook was very suspenseful and I especially enjoyed the narrator.

3.5 stars, rounded up 🌟
First of all, I loved that this book took place in the winter/somewhat holiday season. Great timing. I also went into this book knowing absolutely nothing!!! It's hard to do, especially when you're super critical and don't want to waste time reading something you don't end up liking. An early shoutout to Netgalley as the surprise invitation helped keep that mystery alive. I hadn't even read the blurb, but I was hopeful after reading another novel by this author. I did end up liking this book, though I also had some notes...
- Great element of suspense in the beginning. We were thrown into the beginning and got to learn about the characters as we went. There was no need for heavy early backstory as it unfolded when it needed to instead. The premise can be overdone, but fiancée with a mysterious past meeting mysterious and sketchy fiancé's family still felt relatively fresh within this story.
- The suspense carried through as my interest continued throughout the story.
- Characters were good as you never really knew who to trust. Even right up to the end.
- Most twists were good, but I also found there were too many! Especially since many of the recovered memories seemed <i>too</i> convenient at certain plot points. And that some of them were "wrong" before, but then later became more accurate... that was hard to believe at times. It was also the main reason I couldn't actually rate it 4 stars.
Overall, it was an enjoyable story with good suspense. The action kept it moving along at a nice pace. I appreciated the winter landscape and double mystery coming together. Some eyerolling moments but otherwise nicely performed as an audiobook.
Shoutout to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for early digital access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this twisty thriller, where every revelation leaves you questioning who to trust. Theo’s journey to uncover the truth about her past and the Daltons’ dark secrets kept me hooked until the chilling conclusion. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley, the audio house , narrator and author for the amazing opportunity to listen to a complimentary copy of this audio book.
Theo is in love, but before she and Connor can get married she has to be approved and accepted by his family, but most of all, Louise the grand matriarch. Theo is nervous but Connor assures her they will love her as much as he does.
Theo isn’t so sure they will accept her, as someone texted her telling her to stay away from Connor Dalton. When they arrive at Idlewood, the family’s mansion on an isolated mountainside she is nervous. When she meets the family, things start to go from bad to worse, someone is trying to make her leave and she is sure Louise hates her. But most importantly the feeling that she has been there before is terrifying. As Theo tries to figure out what is going on and who she can trust, the twists just keep on coming. I thought I had guessed the events many time and was wrong most of them. Great book!
This was a great listen! The narrator was excellent, great cadence and inflection. I look forward to more books by this author.

Thank you Netgalley & Macmillan Audio for an ALC of A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall. What a great book to become immersed on on the week of Christmas. A true wintry novel, Marshall’s writing lets you feel like you’re with the Dalton family.
Theo is engaged to Connor Dalton, son and member of the powerful Dalton family. They are getting together at their retreat for Christina’s. When she arrives, though, it doesn’t feel like the first time. Why does it feel like she’s been there before? Not only that, but Theo’s been receiving messages to her phone telling her to stay away from Connor. Are those messages a warning, or a threat?
I liked the direction this one took - It wasn’t predictable. Great narration and will recommend!

Kate Alice Marshall's "A Killing Cold" is a gripping thriller that blends elements of mystery, suspense, and the supernatural. Set in a remote Alaskan village, the story follows a young woman who returns home after years away, only to find herself embroiled in a chilling murder investigation.

Is there anything us "common people" love more than a story of rich people behaving badly? Such is the case in "A Killing Cold," a high-paced thriller where Theordora Scott (Theo for short) gradually unearths the dark secrets that have long been hidden by the Dalton family. And it's clear that Theo, too, has secrets herself. Which tragic history will be the darkest, and which secret the most damaging?
When Theo arrives at the Dalton winter residence on the arm of her new fiance, Connor Dalton, the wealthy family is immediately suspicious of Theo's motives in marrying their beloved son. Theo, however, is distracted from their suspicions by her own growing unease; the winter resort they are staying at is starting to feel uncomfortably familiar. Could this resort be part of unlocking the early childhood trauma she has mentally walled off?
I loved the high tension and atmospheric feel of this winter thriller. Enough people behave badly in the book that you can spend a good chunk of time questioning just about everyone's movites. The audiobook was well produced with strong narration by Karissa Vacker. Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Katie Alice Marshall for an advance copy for honest review. A perfect book to cozy up with during winter break!

This book had ALL THE THINGS. It was a perfect read for winter. I love a locked-room mystery and this did not disappoint. A great title and can't wait until it's in print to pick it up for my readers!

A mystery thriller that kept me guessing. Who can you trust? And what happened at this lodge? This was about a wealthy family with many secrets and the power to silence anyone in the way. I chose to listen to this as an audiobook and Karissa Vacker did a great job delivering the narrative. I recommend listening to this snowing, wintry mystery thriller that had characters to love and characters to hate. It twists and turns were enjoyable.
Thanks Macmillan Audio via NetGalley.

A dark, suspenseful family drama full of twist and turns, yes please! When Theo arrives at her new fiance's family retreat she realizes she has been there before, and the secrets this family has been holding onto for years start to come out. The narrator of this audio was wonderful! This was my first novel by Marshall, and I will be reading all of her books! There were so many twists and turns, and just when you think you know where this is headed, it goes somewhere else. Highly recommend.

While some depictions of winter in movies and books of gently falling snowflakes and fireplaces crackling warmly, A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall is not that type of story. The winter becomes more of an ominous backdrop to a gripping thriller filled with secrets, deception, and unexpected twists.
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.
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.
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.
I first stumbled upon Kate Alice Marshall nearly a year ago with her USA Today bestseller No One Can Know. A book that truly had me hooked from the outset. With A Killing Cold she has outdone herself. Marshall weaves an enthralling story set against the stark beauty of a snow-blanketed landscape that also had us gripping each page from start to finish. The psychological thriller crafted by Marshall quickly unfolds with breakneck pacing and twists that almost gave me whiplash.
The author truly excels at character development with its ensemble cast of both likable and unlikeable characters–which I ended up liking anyway. Marshall expertly crafts personalities that are both relatable as well as deliberately mysterious to maintain suspense. You feel for Theodora's story from the outset and continue to rout for her as a strong protagonist whose determination to uncover the truth resonates deeply. While the supporting cast adds to the story, I really don't know how I feel about them until the conclusion of the book.
A Killing Cold has great pacing and tension-building throughout the book. Each chapter adds to the previous keeping us turning the pages late into the chilly night. The twists have you thinking you have figured out and knowing where the story is heading, but yet another twist is thrown into the mix–tossing you assumptions to thew wind. This unpredictable nature makes for an electrifying story which kept me on edge.
While some plot points may feel coincidental or overly convenient, these moments do little to detract from the overall impact of the story being told. Instead, these moments serve as jolting reminders not tot take anything at face value—a testament to Marshall's skillful manipulation of reader expectations. The author's ability to conjure atmospheric tension enhances even the most boring scenes by imbuing them with unease.
A Killing Cold hits bookshelves in early 2025, but it was nice to read our advance copy during the holiday season of 2024. While we knew the story would take place during a winter retreat, the slight nod to the holiday season was a wonderful revelation. This book became an unexpected Christmas read that offered more seasonal escapism.
Kate Alice Marshall's A Killing Cold is an engaging thriller filled with unexpected twists set against wintery isolation. With its intricate plot and well-crafted suspense, this novel truly invites us into a world where nothing is as it seems and every revelation leaves you breathless.
The audiobook, narrated by the phenomenal Karissa Vacker, adds to the depth of the tale with excellent pacing and wonderful storytelling. Vacker is one of the best in the audiobook game.

Kate Alice Marshall does it again! This is the third book I've listened to/read by Marshall and I was not disappointed and am looking forward to the next.
This book was full of twists and had me hooked from the start. I love a "locked room" mystery thriller and this book delivered on every level. Secrets, lies, revenge and love all packed into a suspenseful, unputdownable package. There was nothing I didn't enjoy! The audio narration was excellent, the characters were perfect in their roles and this book was excellent - a one day binge listen for me! I highly recommend putting it on your 2025 "Must Read" list - you won't be sorry you did!

Rich family
Poor girl
Perfect couple
Secret past
Secluded family "camp"
Mysterious Notes
......and death.
What more do you want?
When I tell you I was hooked from page one, I am not lying. Kate Alice Marshall gets you immediately in this book by setting a completly "chilly atmosphere".
You have Theo and Connor driving up to his family's camp (Yes rich people have camps--I love it) and No one without the Dalton DNA has crossed the property line.
Theo is immediately greated by the family and they have made it perfectly clear they are not comfortable with her being there. Theo begins to experience odd flashbacks of possibly having been to the family camp along with threatening messages. But how is that possible when she grew up in foster care?
As the threats become more real and the temperatures plunge it stops being a question of will she be accepted as a Dalton and more into will she make it out alive before it is too late?
This book was fast paced and keeps your interest. She shifts from flashbacks, to present day, With each shift in time you are given a puzzle piece. As you work through the novel you begin collecting pieces all which come together to create exactly what you could ever want in a Domestic Thriller. The ending was like whiplash but very satisfying!
This was a great book to finish up the year!
Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to review this advanced copy read of A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall. I was not influenced or paid in exchange for my honest review.