I have heard so many good things about Darcy Coates. This however was so underwhelming, I was expected to be shivering and scared the whole time. This game me a little more graphic one by one but Ruth Ware. Which I hated. I have no opinions on any of the characters because I was so disinterested. This felt more thriller than horror.

I will read Darcy Coates again though I want her to make me terrified.

Dead Of Winter
Darcy Coates @darcybooks
Genre: Horror/Thriller/Mystery
Page Count: 341

A remote cabin in the snowy wilderness thriller that will teach you to trust no one. There are eight strangers. One killer. Nowhere left to run.

"Technically, the statistics on that are ugly on a regular day: the average person is likely to cross paths with three to ten murderers in their lifetime, including not-insignificant odds of having one inside their broad social group."

O-EMM-FREAKING-G Darcy delivered. This is SOOO unlike the paranormal gothic vibes Im used to seeing from Coates and I absolutely loved every danm minute of it. From start to finish. EVERY SINGLE SENTENCE.

Isolated location with a snowy setting, say less. I'm here for it. Jam packed with characters you will love, loathe and despise. Atmospheric descriptions that had my fingers frozen with frostbite. Gorey scenes that just gave you the ick. And OMG the intensity of it all. There was no way I wasn't on the edge of my seat the entire time.

Hands down one of my favorite Coates books I have read so far

Huge thank you to @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress
for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honost thoughts and opinions. 🖤

The premise for this one had me excited however the execution fell a little flat for me. There were parts of the story I did enjoy such as everyone being a suspect, the gruesome killings and the atmospheric setting however I did also feel the story was a bit too out there and unbelievable. This was my first book by this author and I would be interested to read more.

Christa is part of a tour group on their way to a resort in the Rocky Mountains, but when a brutal winter storm interferes, the group has to take refuge in a remote cabin -- and then things get even worse.

This had me on the edge of my seat, doing whatever the kindle version of furiously flipping pages is called (frenzied poking?) -- anyway, there were a zillion well-executed red herrings, nonstop tension, and some truly gruesome moments (a head! in a tree!) - loved it!

Somehow this was my first Darcy Coates book (?) I definitely need to hit up her backlist -- and will be the first in line to read whatever she writes next. What a treat!

This was such a fun story filled with the familiar tropes you see in the one by one style of story.
If you've read a Darcy before you know she is the best at setting up atmosphere and this was no different than any other book of hers. From the start of the book I felt the chilly vibes. I was on the edge of my seat. I found myself flipping through the pages as fast as possible to see if my guesses were right. I will say it is at times very predictable if you've read other one by one stories. However this didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the story.

It reminds me of if One By One by Ruth Ware and Near The Bone by Christina Henry had a book baby.

I have always enjoyed Darcy Coates’s writing, and her characters! While this story was suspenseful, immensely atmospheric and very quick paced, I found it to be a plot that is a bit overdone.

All in all, the horror of how each member of the group was being picked off and the couple twists that Coates threw in made for an enjoyable read! If you enjoy Locked Room Mystery and Psychological Thriller then this is a great read for spooky season!

I have been putting off reading this because it happens in the snow and I don’t know what’s it is about snow, but I hate snow lol. Anyways, finally picked this up and I regret not reading this sooner!!
Christa is on a trip to a mountain lodge with her boyfriend when their bus gets stranded. They merely went for a walk when the weather got worse and she got separated from her boyfriend.
The remaining people somehow find an abandoned cabin nearby to rest. Everybody decides to rest till they find help. The book follows Christa trying to find him while something/someone is killing all her tour mates one after another. Christa needs to find the killer if she has any chance of survival. But who can she trust?
This book had me up all night. And I devoured it. The character development is amazing, all the characters were different and very interesting. Even though the plot seemed so simple in the beginning, the author managed to keep us interested and guessing till the very very end. . Definitely recommend.
4.5⭐️/5. Dropping half a star only because at one point I guessed the perpetrator.
Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Press for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion!

3.5/5 stars - This is a fast-paced yet somehow also slow-build one-by-one murder thriller. The deaths are gruesome, the claustrophobia is real, and the cold is harsh, and everyone is a suspect. I guessed the answer pretty early on, but it didn't actually take away from the compelling jaunt of the read. Darcy Coates has certainly found a rhythm in these books, and I will continue to seek out her new works.

A remote cabin in the snowy wilderness thriller that will make you question who can you actually trust. Christa joins a tour group heading up into the snowy mountains in hopes to get a clean escape and figure out her demons. After the weather takes a turn the group is required to take up shelter in an abandoned cabin in hopes of letting the storm pass before going back out. Sometime during the first day of the trip and the cabin stop their tour guide going missing and later found dead with his head cut off. The group starts to get concerned and wonders if someone within their group is dangerous. Through their time in the cabin more people go missing and then turn up dead. Some of the group wants to stay and some wants to leave before more people are killed. Do they escape? Who is the killer?

WOW!! Such a captivating, thrilling, and scary book! I read this book in one sitting and I couldnt stop reading. I wanted to know what happened and who was to blame. This kept you on your toes the entire time and you never knew what was going to happen next. It had the perfect winter stormed trapped thriller that you would expect. It wasnt just the suspense but the secrets you discovered through this book that made you fall in love with this book. I would 100% recommend this book!

I found this book of people stranded in the middle of a snow storm full of edge of your seat suspense, I was totally invested. The end was a bit predicable. Overall it was a good suspense.

Take "And Then There Were None" meets slasher flick meets claustrophobic winter storm, and you get this book. I had a great time reading this. A page-turner with lots of twists and turns. Extremely thrilling and heart-pounding inducing. I had guessed the killer, but because of all the twists and red herrings, I had forgotten my original guess until the reveal. My only complaint was that the book was a bit too long, with some scenes dragging on and being repetitive. Nevertheless, an enjoyable read and recommended to anyone who likes locked-door-like thrillers.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Whew, I don’t even know where to start with this book. I’ve had to sit with this book for a while before I could actually condense my thoughts into a format that makes sense. This book was truly a wild roller coaster of a thriller.

As a thriller I can honestly say that I loved the complexity of the story and the way the tension built up. The story started strong and was quick to deliver action and add in details that left me in a constant state of stress. The author truly had a way with words that made the story come to life. With such a strong start, I really expected the action to continue, but the middle of the story lagged. Nonetheless, while the action lagged, the tension didn’t lag for a second. It was an interesting juxtaposition to feel both bored and tense at the same time.

The tension in the middle stemmed from the horror elements that were threaded throughout the plot. While I absolutely loved the thriller part of the story, I had a very hard time separating the gruesome details from the parts that I enjoyed. When I started the book, I did not realize that it was also labeled as horror. If I had known, honestly, I never would have picked it up. Separating the thriller from the horror was part of the problem I had with deciding how I felt about the book as a whole.

After the high high of the beginning and the lows of the middle, the ending was everything I’ve ever hoped for in a thriller. It was both expected and yet still twisty, and most importantly, it was mind blowing-ly suspenseful.

I didn’t touch on the characters because honestly, they are a cast that is to be expected in a “middle of nowhere” thriller. The characters themselves really fit many of the tropes one may expect, but they each share their story in just the most fascinating of ways. It’s not the cast that makes this book, it’s the writing and the mastery of storytelling that really makes this a fantastic, albeit gory, novel.

⅘ stars- taking one away for the graphic gore.

Please make sure to check trigger warnings on this one!

Thank you to Netgalley and Poison Pen Press for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review

And Breathe!!!!

Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates was an excellent book from start to finish. This book was so gripping and chilling it was hard to put my kindle down.

When Christa joins a tour group heading deep into the snowy expanse of the Rocky Mountains, she's hopeful this will be her chance to put the ghosts of her past to rest. But when a bitterly cold snowstorm sweeps the region, the small group is forced to take shelter in an abandoned hunting cabin. Despite the uncomfortably claustrophobic quarters and rapidly dropping temperature, Christa believes they'll be safe as they wait out the storm.

She couldn't be more wrong.

Deep in the dark of the night, their tour guide goes missing. Only to be discovered the following morning, with his severed head impaled on a tree outside the cabin. So terrified, and completely isolated by the storm, Christa finds herself trapped with eight total strangers. One of them kills for sport. They're far from finished. As the storm grows more dangerous and the number of survivors dwindles one by one,

Christa must decide who she can trust before this frozen mountain becomes her tomb. WoW.....this book is Sooooooo good!

I highly recommend it. 5 stars for this book!

Big Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press, Darcy Coates and Netgalley for my ARC.

Darcy Coates my fave spooky author! you can never go wrong with DC thank you for the free e-ARC. loved this read and definitely felt the spooky vibes which DC never disappoint.

One of my favorite thriller/mystery tropes is when people get picked off one by one. So, I was very excited for this one, when I heard about it. However, this one wasn't my favorite.

The pacing was not my favorite. We start so strong, but then too fast. And then it slows down too much for me.

It also become a little more surivial than I like. What I like about the one by one trope is the impending doom and tension of who is next, but this one seemed like we were checking bodies off of a list.

However, I did like Darcy Coates writing style and I will read more of her books. Especially her haunted house books.

It's still a good book, but just not for me.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book for my honest review.

OMG, I don't even know where to start!!

This was the first Darcy Coates novel I've read, and I can tell you, it won't be my last.

'Dead of Winter' is a horrorfest, filled with blood and gore, but it was the mystery that captivated me the most.

Just when I thought I'd figured out who the psychotic murderer was, I was thrown off the trail in a completely different direction.

I also found myself sucked into the story, almost like I was there, and began planning how and when I was going to escape.

By the end I was reeling, shocked at who the murderer was and how eight strangers had more in common than first thought.

But I neeeeeed to know, what the hell happened to the remaining characters in the end??????

Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates is the first book I have read by this author, but certainly won’t be the last. This was a great murder mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I was hooked from the first page and couldn’t read it fast enough. I recommend this book and its shocking ending. Thanks Netgalley for this arc.

Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates is a suspense thriller banger for fans of Ruth Ware and Agatha Christie. Main character and kick-ass Christa is traveling to a remote winter lodge with her boyfriend and several other supposed strangers. Something happens and they are stranded, then the deaths begin. Like similar books, this one could easily be adapted into a screenplay and at times you do almost have blocking for scenes, but it doesn't deter and helps to define the scenes. The fear and claustrophobia are real, this reader's bitten fingernails can attest. Overall this is a pretty good book and I would read more by this author and watch this movie!

Favorite quote:
"Life can be mean some days."

It’s so freaking hot out (STILL) so it’s the perfect time to take a mind journey into the snowy Rocky Mountains which is the setting of Darcy Coates’ most recent thriller. The story follows Christa who is traveling with her boyfriend to a remote lodge in the mountains. As they and the eight other guests wind their way up the pass, their charter bus is stopped by a fallen tree across the road. The skies darken and soon the snow starts coming down fast. The group luckily finds shelter in a small cabin nearby. Things go from bad to worse and Christa begins to wonder if any of them will make it out alive.

This locked-door thriller kept me on edge and flying through the pages to find out what happened next.

The characters are well-written with interesting backstories that keep you guessing what their motives are and where their loyalties lie.

Don't miss this one! I know Coates is mostly known for her ability to tell a great haunted house story, but her thrillers are just as good!

I think you can skip this one. Tori marries a charismatic popular minister she has know only a week because the sex is good. She takes her young daughter and moves from New York City to Maine where he has his church. Very soon the reader knows she has made a mistake because he is manipulative, controlling and possessive. Tori ignores all the red flags because the sex is good. When she does realize how much trouble she is in getting free becomes a difficult problem. For this reader, Tori's character was not well enough written well enough to develop any sympathy for her. I received this as an arc from NetGalley and am under no pressure for a positive review.