3.5 rounded up.

Thank you, Netgalley and Flat Iron Punlishing, for this audiobook.

I'm all about a Kate Alice Marshall thriller. What Lies In the Woods and No One Can Know where great reads for me. A Killing Cold didn't live up to the previous books, but the story kept me engaged. First, I'm not the biggest fan of the narrator. Her tone makes me think she should read romance books. I'm not looking for a sexy voice in my thrillers. Doesn't work for my tastes.

Theo is a young woman who has terrible nightmares about from a time in her childhood that she can't quite remember. She has a whirlwind romance with Connor and is headed to meet his uber rich family at their mountain retreat. Once she arrives, she starts to feel like she's been their before. I found Theo didn't operate from a place of common sense. " I shouldn't be here. I'm in danger, I should leave." She says this several times, yet not only does she stay, her "habit" puts her in precarious situations where dangerous could very well get her. She was frustrating to me, and her back story with her adopted parents served no purpose, IMO. Connor was more like an accent table, cute but just there for show mainly. Would've loved more backstory on Liam and Theo's mom. Kate Alice Marshall will continue to be an auto buy for me. This one just didn't do it for me.

Theo is invited by her fiance Conner to his family retreat in the mountains. When she gets there she realizes that they have secrets and that she has been there before.

This winter thriller is full of twists, secrets, lies and murder. Theo doesn’t remember the first years of the childhood or her biological family. There was also an incident with her adopted family. Connor’s family are wealthy and do not see her as appropriate for him.

The audiobook is narrated by the amazing Karissa Vacker that managed to make me feel all that Theo went through. There is only one perspective and she managed to narrate the different characters very well (female and male).

The suspense is high and the story kept me involved. As it is the first book I read from this author I did not expect to like it so much, but it made me want to read more.
I recomend this to all thriller lovers.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the ALC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

If Karissa Vacker narrates it, I will listen to it. I always enjoy her narration and this one was no exception!

A Killing Cold was my favorite Kate Alice Marshall book so far. It had a few things that didn't work for me, but overall it was still a fun, fast paced listen. Theo is on her way to her extremely wealthy fiancé's familys' remote winter retreat. Something about her fiancé has always seemed familiar and so is this winter retreat. She's starting to have flashbacks of her traumatic childhood that she thought she couldn't remember and now she feels like she may be in danger.

The beginning was fast paced and I was instantly hooked. The things that didn't work for me were just the convenient timing of the memories coming back. This all happened as a child, twenty years have passed and Theo has remembered nothing. Suddenly someone asks her a question and the flashback with the answer comes back perfectly every time? Or every time she confronted someone, she would actually remember the correct answer? It was just all too perfect and so unrealistic. It also really started to drag at the end as the author tried out EVERY single wrong answer before finding out what actually happened. I was ready for it to wrap up by the end.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the gifted ALC!

About the book: Theodora Scott is invited to Connor Dalton's family estate for a retreat. Before she goes, she receives a text to stay away from Connor, and when she's there, mysterious footprints show up outside her cabin window. Nightmares and flashbacks become more vivid and Theodora is left wondering if her relationship with Connor isn't the first connection she has with the Dalton family.

My review: I have absolutely loved Kate Alice Marshall's thrillers over the last few years, but this one takes the cake! I was hooked from the first chapter and binged it in one day. It was particularly good on audio, narrated by Karissa Vacker, who is my favorite thriller narrator! A KILLING COLD had just the right makings for a perfect thriller: the shady, rich Dalton family, the setting of their remote camp in the winter, the amnesia due to childhood trauma leaving some gaps that were revealed throughout the book, and a subtle love storyline. This book is a total winner - make sure it's on your list!

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator is one of my top tier narrators, I actively look for her when I’m choosing books. This one took until about 25% to really get interesting, and from there it just gets better and better. Excellent twists and turns! I’ve read books by this author before and have enjoyed them, highly recommend this one and especially the author in general.

I absolutely love the way Kate Alice Marshall tells the story. She crafts complicated plots and drops complex characters into them in a way that never fails to entertain. That being said, while I found this to be an enjoyable listen, it is probably my least favorite of her books so far because the plot is really absolutely ridiculous - and I say that with love...

It starts out with great promise and potential and feels like one of her classic stories, but as the twists start to roll out they require such radical suspensions of disbelief that even I, a die-hard fan, struggled to keep a straight face. The narration completely sold this one for me. If I had read this I do not know if I would have kept going, and if I had I probably would have skimmed.

If you are fine with a series of seeming coincidences coming together into a web of plot points that defy gravity, you may have no issue with this one in any format. It was still an enjoyable experience, but I'm hoping her next novel falls back into more gravity-bound territory...

I thought this one was so good!!! It is REALLY suspenseful, starting at like 40% and doesn't take its foot off the gas. The story follows a girl, Theo, who is traveling to a remote cabin/hunting lodge with her new fiance to spend Christmas with his family. Theo is an orphan who has a storied past, and her fiance is RICH. You can see where this story might be heading. While at the lodge, Theo starts to think her surroundings are familiar.... but how on earth could she have been here before?

This book was GOOD. I'm a huge fan of Kate Alice Marshall's adult thrillers, and while nothing can top What Lies in the Woods, this a solid thriller to read. I thought I had it figured out less than halfway through (I mean you can kinda easily see where parts of this story is going), but I continued to read it because the writing is just so good and atmospheric. And while I did guess a lot of things correctly, the ENDING! It had so many twists and turns, I was gasping. The queen of last-minute twists strikes again. I loved this book!

This book was a decent read, though it had its slow moments. I appreciated how the author effectively brought the story together, even if it didn’t leave a lasting impression. While not particularly memorable, it was enjoyable enough that I’m open to exploring more by this author. Overall, this book was fairly middle-of-the-road for me.

This had such a great premise, and I loved the set-up and the atmosphere. I was so interested in seeing where it would go... and I waited and waited. There seemed to be a lot of repetition, and the story ended up not making sense. I can suspend disbelief, but there's a limit when it comes to books set in the real world. Also, the main character spent most of her time thinking and doubting herself.
The narrator was great, though, and that is how I made it through.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook

This author was new to me and I received an early edition of this audio book in exchange for my review. The production and narration were well done and easy to follow. The storyline of this book was mysterious without being overly scary. This was a quick finish for me and I appreciated the twists and turns throughout. I would definitely recommend to others

Thank you to NetGalley, Kate Alice Marshall and Macmillan audio for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This was definitely by far my favourite from Marshall! This was twisty and full of action. I love a good locked on an island in the winter type genre and also the rich people acting bad so this was perfect. Totally obsessed and listened as fast as I could.

Mysteries and thrillers have always been my go-to comfort reads. I've never been able to succinctly explain why when asked. I'm still not sure I can explain it in less than a thousand words. Luckily for everyone reading this, I can now just point to A Killing Cold instead of composing an essay. Just read it and you'll figure it out.

The novel centers on the newly engaged Theo and Connor, who have just arrived at Idlewild, the isolated winter compound owned by Connor's insanely wealthy family. Theo's mission? To spend the Christmas trip winning over the Daltons, Connor's famously impenetrable family while keeping her secret past closely guarded. A series of threatening messages and a weird sense of familiarity with her new surroundings spur Theo to start investigating, and what she finds out changes everything.

Theo’s sense of familiarity with the retreat, and the eerie discovery of a childhood photo of herself at the cabin, creates an intriguing mystery. The more she digs into her past, the more dangerous things become, and Marshall expertly builds tension as secrets are slowly revealed. Theo’s struggle to piece together her fragmented memories keeps you on edge, especially when it becomes clear that the Dalton family is hiding something sinister.

Marshall keeps the plot moving along at a fast clip, making it impossible for me to put this one down. There were so many twists and turns, but they all felt organic to the way the story was unfolding, never forced. I think the story lent itself well to the audio format, as well. The narrator was perfect, keeping me fully immersed in this twisty mystery. A Killing Cold is a fast, fun ride and I can't wait to read Marshall's other novels.

#AKillingCold is a twisty and soapy thriller about a family with secrets and the young woman one of them wants to bring into their circle..but she has secrets of her own. It was fun to try and unravel them all as new information was revealed. We eventually get to the heart of the matter: sometimes secrets are there to protect those we love, but other times….
I devoured this in one day, enjoying all the twists and turns.
My thanks to the author, publisher, @MacmillanAudio, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook for review purposes. Publication date: Feb 4, 2025

Theodora (Theo) Scott is nervous about meeting her fiancé Connor’s family at their fancy retreat in the woods. The Dalton family is fabulously wealthy, powerful, and intimidating, and Theo has already received several anonymous texts warning her to stay away. When she arrives at Idlewood, Theo is struck by the strange feeling that she’s been there before, a feeling that grows stronger they longer she stays. As she pieces together long-ago memories, someone in the family is determined to stop her from remembering, putting Theo in grave danger.

This is Kate Alice Marshall’s best book yet, and I could not put it down! The snowy, remote setting is so atmospheric and lends such an ominous feel to the whole story that I was hooked immediately. The characterization is great and there are so many motives and red herrings that it kept me guessing the entire time. I suspected just about every single character at one time or another and was still shocked by all of the delicious twists and turns this locked room thriller served up! If you are looking for a bone-chilling wintry thriller, you won’t want to miss this one!

The talented Karissa Vacker does an outstanding job of narrating this audiobook! She perfectly embodies Theo, but in addition, she adjusts her tone and inflection to differentiate the other characters, and also does a great job of voicing male characters.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for providing me an advance copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this thriller! I kept thinking I had an idea of who the villain was but in the end I was surprised. I enjoy a good twist and I appreciate the author’s style of tying everything together.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Oh, I loved reading this book! I really enjoy Kate Alice Marshall's writing, and the mysteries that she crafts, man, are stunning, thrilling, gripping, and addicting! I can't get enough, I have to know how it ends, and this particular one on a remote mountain, not knowing who to trust? Yeah, I loved it!

We get the story of Theo, someone who has doesn't know her past as a young child, and the time between then and when she was a teen was pretty scarring, and I loved how we got snippets of that part. To have her fiance bring her to the family retreat, and finding a picture of herself from the time that she doesn't remember? The need for answers was strong.

Kate Alice Marshall just has a way with mysteries. The way things were set up, with the family, and their secrets, and presenting information so it looked one way, but once you had all the facts, it was almost a completely different picture. I didn't know what to expect, so I had to keep reading.

As the questions and answers mounted about what happened on that mountain all those years ago, to her mom, to his dad, the more apprehensive I became. Because someone didn't want her there, and this is a powerful family, and they're used to coming out on top at any cost-and she was in the way of that. It was so well done, and the way things wrapped up was almost fully satisfying, there was just that one bit that was unfortunate, but I think the right choice was made.

Loved reading this book and I can't wait to read more by Kate Alice Marshall!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review. Karissa Vacker is fantastic as the narrator of this story. I highly recommend the audiobook!

Theodora Scott is recently engaged to Connor Dalton, a son of a very wealthy and powerful family. The "family" has invited the couple to their family camp in the mountains that they own in order to evaluate whether Theo will be a welcomed daughter-in-law or cast off as a gold digger. Theo is an ordinary girl who works at a bookstore. She has no family as she was orphaned as a child and then adopted by a severely dysfunctional family she no longer engages with. Theo also has been receiving threatening texts warning her to stay away from Connor. The longer the 2 are at the camp, the more they realize that everyone in the family is guarding secrets, including Theo.

This is a fast paced, domestic drama that is both suspenseful and chaotic. I found the characters to be relatable. I loved how the secrets were released slowly and yet seemed to be all intertwined. While the ending of the story was a mix of far fetched and predictable, the tension building up to the climax and shocking revelations made the read very enjoyable. Highly recommend!

Thank you Netgalley and Flatiron books for an advanced copy of Marshalls newest thriller! Theodora Scott is newly engaged and so excited to meet her fiances family at Christmastime. She is even more excited when she gets invited to their isolated estate in the woods. She receives an icy welcome, but that is the least of her concerns when she starts having memories of this estate that she has never been to before. While I enjoyed this book, was not my favorite of hers.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book. The narrator did a great job. I felt drawn in to the story and felt I knew the characters. This was a big family secret that ended up being exposed. Lots of unexpected reveals and surprises. Definitely recommend!

I received this audiobook from NetGalley for my honest review.

Wow, this was a fabulous audiobook! I was drawn in by the description of a family both extremely wealthy and extremely private, as this usually means that they have plenty to hide. The premise: when Theo joins her new fiancé’s family for the holidays she does not anticipate quite how her life will change. She is apprehensive and wants to make a good impression, however, what she finds is almost unbelievable. Of course, that makes for a pretty exciting book, and I loved every minute of this very twisty tale. The secrets and lies of the Dalton family are incredible, but I also loved how the story reveals that both Theo and Conner come from truly dysfunctional families, albeit very different ones. The audiobook was beautifully narrated by Karissa Vacker, one of my favorites. This was only the second book by Kate Alice Marshall that I have read, but I’ve loved them both and look forward to reading more by her. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to provide an honest review of this audiobook.