What a chilling tale!

If someone you loved paid for you to go on a vacation, wouldn’t you be excited? But how calm are you in a new place that you’ve never been? And how trusting are you in a group of people you’ve only just met?

When I saw that Darcy Coates was coming out with another book, I made sure to make a note of it; I’ve enjoyed every book of hers that I’ve read so I knew I had to read this.

This is very much a page-turning thriller with so much going on and great chapter ending sentences that make you say: just one more chapter!

This fast paced story was so visually descriptive as well. I could feel a chill (even in 80°+ weather) as I read through. Everything seemed so thoroughly thought out. It hit every sense: I could hear the wind of the storm and feel the sting of the snow on my skin.

The emotion of the main character rubs off on the reader and you too feel that panic riddled anxiety of being somewhere new and having no control over what’s going on. It created an internal need to get to the conclusion of the story.

I was so into the story that, come the end, I was shocked I’d finished it already. Now to read the rest of her books!

Thanks so much to the author, Darcy Coates, Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for gifting me an eARC of Dead of Winter in exchange for my honest review!

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Dead of Winter is the perfect Summer Chiller to make your blood run cold on a hot day. If your air conditioning isn't keeping pace with the heat, look no further, this novel will cool you down quickly!

In this story we meet Christa as she embarks on a two-week vacation in the Rocky Mountains with her boyfriend of around six-months, Kiernan. Christa is a woman haunted by her past and this vacation is a big deal for her.

Kiernan has been such a blessing in her life and she feels like she has a little more courage with him by her side. Kiernan is from the area near the mountains they are visiting and Christa is excited to see a place that is so special to him.

As they are making their way to the remote lodge on the tour bus, along with eight other guests and their guide, inclement weather makes the conditions less than an ideal. A fallen tree blocking the road ends up stalling them further. As the guide breaks the tree down to move it out of the way, Kiernan and Christa hike up a nearby ledge to get a private peek at the view.

In the worsening conditions, the couple get separated and the next thing Christa knows she is awakening in a cabin, groggy and injured, with Kiernan no where in sight. As the roads became impassable, the group was forced to take shelter in a tiny rustic cabin they found not far from where the bus is stranded.

They were lucky to find Christa, but the search for Kiernan will have to be put on hold until morning. Their new quarters are tight and claustrophobic, with very minimal supplies. This is not going to be easy.

The group settles in and try to come up with a plan for escape, but they might as well be the last people on Earth. They have no means of communicating with the outside world, and even if they could get a signal out, how could rescue even get to them?

In the middle of the night, their guide goes missing. The next morning the group is shocked to find his decapitated head hanging in a tree just next to the cabin. Fear and paranoia runs high, as each in the group realizes there may be a killer amongst them. As bodies start dropping, the suspect list grows smaller. Who will make it out of this vacation from hell alive?

Dead of Winter is a fun read. This is the second Darcy Coates book that I have read. The first was a DNF because I was bored, so this one is a huge improvement over that. I am an atmosphere girlie first and foremost and Coates absolutely delivered in that category here. I loved the secluded location, the claustrophobic-feeling cabin and the cold, uninviting wilderness surrounding them.

I also enjoyed the unlikable cast of characters being thrust together into tight quarters. These were people who probably otherwise wouldn't have been socializing with one another, but fate brought them together and they had no option than to try to work together.

Further, I was impressed with their interactions. As the tension rose and people's paranoia started to kick in, I found how they were relating to one another really believable. I think Coates did a great job with the psychology behind it all.

For me though, in spite of the fact that it was action-packed, I did feel like it went on a little too long. There were some sections that dragged, or felt repetitive, when I was just wishing to move forward a little more quickly.

Additionally, I felt that it was pretty clear who the killer was and why, so it made certain reveals a little less impactful than I think the author was intending. I was hoping for a bit more suspense to carry me through to the end.

With this being said, I don't necessarily need to be surprised to have fun with a story and I still enjoyed this one a lot. I thought the level of violence and body horror was perfect and as mentioned above, the secluded setting was fantastically done.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a chilling, intense, cold-weather Horror-Thriller story.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I am excited to read more from this author!

Scary psychological thriller!

What may seem as an accident at first, quickly devolves into a suspense novel where peoples lives are in danger. It is clear that people are being killed for sport, and individuals are left to their own devices.

The setting and situation of people trapped in a snowy, hostile environment, without hope of aid because of the winter storms, is not an unusual one for thrillers. However, I found this one very gruesome and hoped the novel would wrap up and be resolved soon.

I thought it was way too long and the book tried my patience waiting for the denouement and wrap up.

I think it would have been a better thriller one third less long.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
*

I hope the day never comes where I don’t enjoy a book that Darcy Coates has written. I absolutely LOVED Dead of Winter and I’m pretty sure that I finished it within a day because I didn’t want to put it down and I NEEDED to know how it was going to end. Her books always know how to get my heart racing fast and increase my anxiety in the best way possible. If you liked locked room thrillers, then this is one that you are going to love! She knows how to capture your attention from the very first page and includes the most gruesome details that you don’t want to turn your eyes away from! Love this book and will never not recommend one of her books!

This review will be posted to my Instagram blog (read_betweenthecovers) in the near future!

Thank you NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, & Darcy Coates for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was an action packed, heart pounding thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time! I absolutely loved this one and couldn't put it down. This was my first Darcy Coates novel but it 100% won't be my last! Five stars all the way!!

Dead of Winter plunges straight into the action, with Christa and Kiernan struggling through a bitter snowstorm. We're given no details of their backstory or relationship until later in the book. The two were on a tour bus, bound for a lodge higher up the mountain. With the bus stranded, its occupants have to take shelter in a run down cabin... Almost immediately, someone starts killing them.

The plot moves fast and the setting immerses the reader, but I had a hard time getting into it because I knew so little about the characters.

Christa and her boyfriend joined a tour group heading into the Rocky Mountains, Colorado, to Blackstone Alpine Lodge, where they were set to have two weeks of adventure, off the grid. On the way there, Brian, their tour guide and coach driver, lamented the wild storm which they were surrounded by, but also affirmed their safety. When they were brought to a standstill by a large tree across the road, Brian set to with his chainsaw, and volunteers from the group. Taking shelter in a nearby cabin, with little to eat, no comfort for sleeping and the bitter cold keeping them company, they hoped the following day to head to the lodge.

But there was a killer out there - or among them? One by one the group was picked off, murdered in a gruesome fashion, starting with Brian, their guide. They were all terrified, but Christa was trying to work out who she could trust - not knowing any of them made it difficult. With no phone reception, they couldn't call for help. They should stay together, isolated in the cabin with the storm continuing to rage around them...

Oh my goodness!! High adrenalin from the very first page - Dead of Winter by new to me Aussie author Darcy Coates (who lives less than an hour from me!) was brilliant! The thrilling tension was electric, I had trouble putting it down. Fast paced, an excellent plot, great characters - I could feel the chilling cold! Highly recommended.

With thanks to Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

Dead of Winter is a captivating and fast-paced thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. This gripping page-turner is perfect for fans of horror and thriller fiction, as it skillfully combines magnetic storytelling with vivid descriptions that will send shivers down readers' spines, both from the bone-chilling cold and sheer terror.

Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates comes out today! It's a thriller mystery -cabin -psycho murderer -and then there were none -locked room mystery book.

A group of people are traveling on a bus to a lodge in the mountains when a fallen tree keeps them from continuing. While removing the tree a blizzard appears and the travelers find shelter in a one room cabin. That's when the murders start and won't stop until all of them are dead.

This was fun to read during the summer because I could just feel the chill coming off this book. It had some pretty gruesome scenes that made me wish I didn't play movies in my head as I read.

This book will keep you guessing the entire time. I ended up guessing who it was, but it definitely had me questioning the whole time. Plus I love yelling "I knew it!" at the end.

It has Agatha Christie vibes, which I love. This is my first book by Darcy and now I want to read her backlist.


Thank you @netgalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this one, the opening scene fully had me, but I quickly lost interest thereafter. I found the writing too choppy, with very blunt sentences. I think the short chaotic sentence were meant to give the reader insight to the mental state of the protagonist, but I was just incredibly bored. I struggled to be invested in any of the characters which contributed to my lack of interest in the plot elements.

This book was not the normal Darcy Coates I have read before. This book was filled with tension and gore. The twist was incredible! My jaw dropped when I reached the crazy twist. Each implied “suspect’ ended up not being who the killer was. The fact that the whole situation took place in the mountains during a snowstorm was what made the book that much more appealing. I would recommend this to anyone wanting a great psychological horror set in a dangerous location.

this was a thrilling mix between thriller & horror and would be the perfect winter read. This was definitely an edge of your seat, whodunit with twists and turns. There was one part of the ending that I had figured out, but then other plot twists that I was not expecting.
I did find the middle to get a bit repetitive and maybe it could have been a teensy bit shorter, but all and all I loved it.

Eleven people, mostly strangers, board a charter bus for a private holiday at the Blackstone Alpine Lodge located in the remote Rocky Mountains. In the winter. The bus encounters an obstacle and a big storm rolls in with icy winds and blinding snow. Death is assured if they stay outside. If shelter can be found, will they be any safer? Some strange things are happening.

I found this book to be a scary, thrilling adrenaline rush from page 1. It is in the vein of Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None". There are elements of horror. I read it in one day. I had to finish it before I went to sleep!

This is my first book by Darcy Coates. I look forward to reading more!

Christa and her boyfriend are on a bus tour to a lodge in the mountains when a tree is downed across the road and a blizzard strikes. Things turn sinister when the group seeks refuge in a remote cabin when it becomes apparent that a serial killer is on the loose. With nowhere to run in the bitterly cold wilderness, how will Christa and her tour mates survive?

I could not stop turning the pages of this bloody suspense story. Coates knows how to keep you on the line until the last page. No character was above suspicion, and terror rang through this locked room mystery.

My only hangup was a medical situation that persisted throughout the story that I found distracting. I tried to research the condition, but it was more complicated than I wanted to pursue to satisfy my niggling questions. That's just me, though.

This one fits the bill if you want to curl up with a chilling, wintery suspense story. As you follow Christa's harrowing ordeal in the remote, blustery wilderness, you'll get the shivers despite the summer heat!

Pulse pounding suspense, very atmospheric and claustrophobic feel set to the back drop of a giant snowstorm and a killer on the loose. The pacing lagged just a bit towards the mid point of the novel but really gained traction. Overall a solid and entertaining read.

What an amazing, gripping, nail biting thriller!! I loved it. I was literally hooked from the first page!!! I'd definitely describe it as a horror.
I literally could not put it down!!

Dead of Winter is an engaging whodunnit with elements of a “locked door” mystery, people being stranded at an isolated cabin.

Christa and her boyfriend Kiernan are on a bus headed for a remote cabin getaway when a storm derails their bus, and they get stranded. Somehow along the way, Kiernan disappears, and Christa ends up inside a remote cabin with a bunch of strangers. One by one, people come up dead, and the author spares no details in describing the grisly details of their deaths.

Told from the point of view of Christa, readers are taken on a twisted mystery of whodunnit and along the way, the people inside the cabin must try to figure out who is doing the killings, who they can trust, and how do they survive. Perhaps I’ve read enough of these types of stories over the years that it was obvious to me from the start who the killer was, but the author does a really great job of leading the reader along and throwing a few misleading clues into the mix along the way to make you question who you think it is.

This was a horror story not in the paranormal sense, but in the grisly graphic details of each murder and in how the elements played such a huge role in all that was happening. It certainly gave me shivers along the way. The story was gripping, and I stayed glued to the pages until the very end. Not sure this will be a book I’ll ever reread, only because I don’t want to read all the gory stuff again, but I am impressed with the author’s writing style and delivery.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

his book is very similar to another murder mystery 'whodunnit' that seems to get a lot of retellings, but I'm not going to name it exactly because I feel like this 'twist' in this one will be guessed pretty much immediately after I say it. Pretty much every book based on that has the same twist, which isn't a bad thing, but it is hard to keep suspense or surprise because of that. That being said, I had a great time reading this one. Even though I kind of knew the twist, the pacing, gore, and survivalist aspect made it so fun. I very nearly finished it in a single day. I can't say it really added anything new or that it is one of my new favorites, but it was really fun and a great time I think, despite the lack of the shocking aspect. It still served the thrilling feeling that I wanted out of it, with the killer being meticulous and specifically doing things that they know would scare their targets.

Happy publication date 7/11/2023 !
Thanks to Netgalley , author Darcy Coates & Poisoned Pen Publications for sharing the ARC in exchange for honest review.
Dead of winter a big group of travelers stranded because of breakdown of their bus end up finding a remote unoccupied cabin to take shelter only to be hunted by ruthless and sly killer who butchers them one by one ! It’s down to survival now and with no help on sight and sign of anyone else close by , it’s pretty clear that one of them is the butcher and will anyone survive?
How crazy good was this pageturner! I couldn’t put it down until the very end , my detective cap was one from Page 1 trying to figure out the killer , motive . The snow ridden mountains , secluded cabin , people in peril with one of them to be killer captivates your attention. The author managed to transport me mentally to the location and ongoing events , my stomach churned with dread of next kill and a feeling of urgency to figure out who was responsible and why ? I though I had it all figured out and the reason to , but towards the end it turned out not to be the case! But ultimately turned out to be right , what a ride !!!
This would be great thriller to read during winters or Halloween time to make it more atmospheric.
This is first book I am reading from this author , turns out she’s got lots more of her books out there , I am checking them out for sure .
It’s a 4.5 / 5 star read .