I’m surprised I read this book! It was very gruesome for me, but the storytelling was so intriguing I had to keep reading to find out how it ended. I kept trying to figure out the connection between the tourist on the bus and the killer. I also feared they would never be rescued from the isolated cabin. This is not a book for the faint of heart!

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I was surprised to actually choose a book in the horror genre. I don’t read much horror, because I like to be able to sleep at night. Even when I watch a horror movie (nothing too scary, think Scream or Paranormal Activity) I have to watch something light and airy (think Chuck, or Alias) before I actually go to sleep.

Luckily, Dead of Winter wasn’t so much scary as it was thrilling. The mystery, also, was fun to try to solve. I ran into a couple twists that enhanced my enjoyment of the story in ways I didn’t expect.

I also don’t read many character-driven stories, but even when a book is full of action, I prefer well done characters. In Dead of Winter, their interactions with each other and relationships with the others as the story progresses is what carries the story. Without their various personalities and perspectives on what’s going on, the book would be SO boring.

Christa is the main character, and it’s her eyes through which we watch what’s going on. She has plenty of baggage from her past, but she desperately wants to move on from mistakes she’s made. When people start dropping dead, Christa finds herself determined to find out what’s going on, despite the premonition she keeps getting, “We’re all going to die here.”

I didn’t like Simone. I just didn’t. I can’t even really tell you why. I liked Blake more than Simone, and she was probably the laziest of the entire group. When Brian died, Simone took it upon herself to take charge, but didn’t do so in a very grown up manner. She was just really grouchy about everything. I get her motivations, I just didn’t like her personality.

Along with characters, setting means a lot in a book like Dead of Winter. You can have the most villainous characters this side of Hannibal Lecter, but without a good setting, the book can fall apart. Dead of Winter has a great storm scene in the beginning, when Christa and Kiernan get separated. I could almost imagine I was right there with her, freezing myself. It’s the kind of scene that makes you want to turn your space heater on.

I’m pretty sure I can call Dead of Winter semi-predictable. No, I wasn’t able to predict the entire book, because dear Darcy did a good job of throwing some twists in along the way, but at the same time, when I got to the end, I sighed in relief because I had been right. It’s a good feeling, being right.

I had an idea of who the villain was at the beginning of the book, because it seemed too unpredictable not to be correct. My opinion changed about 4 times through the course of the book, because of so many twists and turns. Unfortunately for the author, the villain ended up being who I had thought at the beginning of the book.

Do you love “not quite scary” horror novels? Dead of Winter is for you. If you, like Cat, enjoy the more disturbing aspects of human nature, you might enjoy Dead of Winter as well, but it’ll be a little more hit or miss. I do hope you give it a chance, regardless of which side of the fence you fall on, because it is a very interesting read, and I think you’ll enjoy it.

"Dead of Winter" by Darcy Coates is a chilling and suspenseful horror novel. This book masterfully combines elements of supernatural horror, mystery, and psychological tension to create a narrative that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

The story revolves around a small, isolated town called Shiloh, where the arrival of a new resident, Cora, coincides with a series of strange and unsettling occurrences. As the town becomes blanketed by a relentless winter storm, Cora and the other residents find themselves cut off from the outside world, with no way to escape the creeping fear and darkness that has descended upon Shiloh. The townsfolk must confront their deepest fears and the haunting secrets of the past as they struggle to survive the unrelenting winter and the malevolent forces that threaten their lives.

Darcy Coates excels at building an atmosphere of dread and uncertainty. Her vivid descriptions of the eerie town and its surroundings, as well as her skillful character development, make it easy for readers to immerse themselves in the story. The characters are multi-dimensional and relatable, which enhances the emotional impact of the unfolding events.

The pacing of the novel is well-crafted, with a gradual increase in tension as the mystery deepens. Coates is skilled at maintaining a sense of unease, and she keeps the reader engaged by revealing just enough information to maintain the mystery and suspense.

One of the novel's strengths is its ability to blend supernatural horror with psychological elements, making it a compelling read for fans of both subgenres. "Dead of Winter" also explores the themes of isolation, community, and the human capacity to confront and overcome fear.

While the book is highly engaging and atmospheric, some readers might find the plot to be a bit formulaic, as it follows certain conventions of the horror genre. However, Darcy Coates's writing and her ability to create a palpable sense of dread make "Dead of Winter" a worthy addition to the horror literature. If you're a fan of suspenseful and spine-tingling horror stories set in a chilling winter landscape, "Dead of Winter" is a gripping and terrifying read that will keep you up at night.

Christa and her boyfriend Kieran take a tour bus to an alpine lodge during the snow season. What was meant to be a vacation and maybe the next step in their relationship quickly tuns into a terrifying ordeal. Keiran goes missing during a storm then the tour group is stranded at a remote cabin. The situation escalates when the head of one of the group is found speared on a branch and that is just the beginning.
I had a few suspects in mind for the killer including the one behind it all (or most of it). The author skilfully crafted the storyline in a way which threw me off track leaving me uncertain till the end.
Some might find this book a little gory in parts but I love that sort of thing. The murders had me on the edge of my seat wondering who would be next. I also enjoyed discovering the personalities of each person and their reactions under extreme circumstances?
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free digital copy of the book in return for an honest review.

In the vein of And Then There Were None or One by One, Dead of Winter is a “locked room” mystery. I think it was supposed to be horror, but the only thing horrible was the descriptions of what had happened to the characters. This book was only ok for me. I didn’t really care for the main character and the rest of the cast was pretty unlikeable as well. I do read a lot of thrillers/mystery so the ending wasn’t too shocking for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

An amazing edge of your seat don’t want to put down thriller! Even with the large cast of characters I didn’t have trouble keeping track and figuring out twists. This story is gripping and a perfect winter read.

Christa and her boyfriend along with a group of travelers are heading deep in the snow-covered Rocky Mountains to a lodge for a getaway.
As the wind and snow continues to hammer the area, their bus must stop when there is a tree blocking the road.

Stranded in the bitter cold, the travelers must find shelter and fast.
They find an abandoned cabin and take shelter hoping to wait out the storm.

From the beginning, the twists literally do. not. stop. coming. And when I say I couldn't put this book down, I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN!!!

This is easily one of those books that has you on the edge of your seat and you can't help but read through one more chapter.

If you like mystery, thriller, horror, suspense or anything in between.... this is a must read! Like ASAP!

Darcey Coates is one of my favorite authors and I will always read what she writes. I absolutely loved this book! I can’t wait for the next one and the next one!!

Dead of winter is a modern homage to the classic locked room thriller. Eight people are trapped in a snow storm when their tour guide goes missing and turns up dead. What follows is a claustrophobic novel of suspense and whodunit. In classic closed circle mysteries, suspicion mounts on everyone and everyone can also become a victim at any time. What separates this from others in the genre is Coates background in horror. There is a touch of the tone of a horror novel here (readers will understand upon reading!)
Overall, a fun mystery and a great entry into the genre by an established horror author.

Thanks to publisher for the arc on NetGalley. in exchange for an honest review

Talk about an atmospheric book! The perfect book to start the colder season with! I devoured this book and wanted more!

Christa and her boyfriend are heading up to the Rocky Mountains on a tour bus with a small group of people. Forced to set up camp in an abandoned cabin due to a fierce snow storm.
All hell breaks loose when they realise one of them is a crazed killer who is picking them off one by one.
I love this author and her ability to have you on the edge of your seat.
The story flowed and the characters were well developed, what truly amazed me was how the author was able to link all the threads of the story together and bring a jaw dropping conclusion to the end of the story. Definitely one ending that I did not see coming.

Dead of Winter is another Coates book that left me speed reading and flipping pages throughout the night! Taut, eerie, keep-you-on-your-toes suspense paired with characters that made you feel as if you wanted to crawl into their brains to figure out where their heads were at.

This gave me such good locked room vibes and I was here for it. A trip to the Rockies for a group of friends only to get lost and found themselves at an abandoned cabin, yeah, sign me up. The story telling and the narrative were so well written that I had no idea who was the killer, and I LOVE that. It was refreshing to get into a thriller where I’m stuck on who it is.

An excellent whodunit thriller about friends who are on a getaway in the Rocky Mountains. They get lost but find an abandoned cabin and thats where things go south. What I loved most about this was that it was not predictable. I honestly didn’t know who the killer was until it was revealed. Excellent story. Perfect for a cold, winter day.

Hoo boy this one started off strong and was intense the ENTIRE way through. This one is a locked room thriller and it is a doozy. Our girl Christa is joining a tour group that is heading deep into the Rocky Mountains, and they are hit with a snowstorm on the way there, forcing them to take shelter in an abandoned hunting cabin. Folks, if that doesn’t get your spidey senses up already, then I don’t know what will, and we are barely past the introduction here. Night one someone goes missing, and as they set out to find them, they do the next day, well, they find their severed head. Umm, WHAT? And from there bodies are dropping like lightning, folks are scared, trust is gone, and everyone thinks they are the next victim.

This was heart pounding good, I could not stop reading and there is a twist at the end that I did NOT see coming, and it left me with my jaw dropped open. I mean this ending got me and boy did I love it. Overall this was fantastic, chilling, and so suspenseful that I had to do some deep breaths to relax once I finished. I’m not sure how this was my first read by this author but I need to go back and fix that now.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for the digital copy to review.

A young woman, Christa, and her boyfriend Kieran are headed to a lodge for a romantic vacation. Their bus has to stop because of a downed tree, and while Christa and Kieran are stretching their legs nearby, Kieran becomes lost and Christa injured.

Christa is frantic that everyone help her look for Kieran, though most just want to take shelter in the cabin the tour guide found close by. Christa fruitlessly wanders for hours before returning exhausted and falls asleep. Then, the tour guide is found butchered outside. Gradually, various other strangers Christa is with are murdered by someone they feel is part of their tour group, and the tension and tempers ramps up.

Darcy Coates' gory riff on Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" was such a disappointment. From its frequently irritating main character, to the extremely easy-to-figure-out identity of the murder, this book never came together for me. The first moment I fell out of the narrative: Christa is wandering around, injured, not dressed all that well to handle a blizzard, has no real understanding of how to navigate a forest, and she DOESN'T get lost and succumb to hypothermia?!? Or fall off a slope or something far more believable than returning to the cabin cold and tired? Nope.

I also never cared about the other characters, much less Christa's emotions as the situation fell apart. And when the murderer was revealed, I was totally underwhelmed, having long known who it was.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC in exchange for my review.

I have already read this book twice and recommended it to everyone I know . Darcy Coates never disappoints with spooky stories that draw you in and captivate you . Revenge is a dead shot best served cold in this unique story.

This one was so fun! More of a thriller than Darcy Coates usually writes, but still gory and kept my attention. I think that there were some predictable aspects of this but that did not impact my enjoyment. I do think it got a little repetitive in some moments which is my main complaint about Dead of Winter. I do appreciate how certain things that happened impacted the entire story and didn't magically fix itself like I feel like books typically do. Not my favorite from this author but still would recommend and will continue to read anything Darcy Coates writes!

I absolutely LOVED this . I could not put this book down . Crazy thing is I guessed the ending but the plot twist was amazing . I loved how all the pieces of the stores fell into place . Definitely a 5 star read

Well this was certainly a thrill ride! The heads literally start rolling from the beginning and the gruesome suspense continues to the end. There were times that this felt one-note because the murders were all so similar, but it was still an intense story. If you’re a fan of survival thrillers, you’ll definitely want to read this. Despite being set in the mountains during a snow storm, this is a perfect read for spooky season.