This book was written so well. Even though it was a tad bit slow, especially in the first portions of the book, I was still hooked from the first chapter. I loved the whole plot, and while I did guess the killer from the beginning, once I got about half way, I second guessed myself and thought each of the persons might have been the killer. I never guessed the twist tho! That was great! Really well written, it made me shiver even in the hot summer.

Frankly, I found this book tedious and sanguinary in extreme and therefore disappointing.. The characters seemed to closely mirror one another and were not individually developed in any significant way, and the plot was rather absurd. There were also multiple grammatical errors that one does not expect from a published (or from a soon-to-be published) book, making it challenging to read.

I do appreciate being able to read this book from Poisoned Pen Press and Net Galley.

I enjoyed reading this fast paced thriller that kept you guessing who the killer was. I loved the suspense that was used while you were reading to keep you guessing who the killer might be. I

When a group trip to a snowy, mountainous location turns deadly, who’s to blame when everyone is mighty questionable…and slowly being picked off one by one?

❄️

The way my jaw dropped while reading this…and then continued to stay dropped throughout the whole book???

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dead of Winter is EASILY my new favorite by Darcy Coates and probably even the best horror I’ve ever read. It was truly one I couldn’t put down.

The setting was picture perfect. It was snowy, remote, and eerie. Coates described it in a way that I could picture it as if it were right in front of me.

The characters were interesting, quirky, and not confusing (thank goodness lol). With some books like this, it can be hard to differentiate between the members of a group — not this time. They all had their sus moments but were different enough that you could keep who was who, straight.

The plot was easily the best part, as to be expected! It was suspenseful, bloody, and kept me guessing who the killer could be. The twists really had me going. To me, they were true twists and caught me off guard. The whole time I was like, how can this get any wilder??

I could go on and on about Dead if Winter. I really could. It’s the first thriller/horror I’ve read in awhile that truly kept me on the edge of my seat. I will be recommending this one to everyone from here on out 😂

Thank you NetGalley, Darcy Coates, and Poisoned Pen Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Christa is expecting a getaway with her boyfriend in a secluded mountain lodge. What she gets is a vacation from hell, stranded with strangers in bitter cold howling winds after their bus gets stuck. The snow is drifting ever higher, there's very little food, no cell phone service, and a psycho killer is on the loose.
Taking refuge in a small hunting cabin, these strangers must band together if they hope to outlast the storm and the killer.

Dead of Winter is a survival horror that overlaps with the slasher genre. Personalities clash in the claustrophobic little cabin. As the tourists get picked off one by one tempers flare and trust flies out the window when they suspect the killer must be one of their little group. I had my own suspicions before the halfway mark that turned out to be correct. Towards the halfway point, I began to wish they would just get on with it when it began to feel too long and drawn out to get to the reveal. So while I loved the premise and the set up I think I would have enjoyed this more if it was a crisp and clean 300 pages instead of dragged out to 384.

A Grizzly Whodunit

A tour group is caught in a blizzard with two of their members lost while hiking the nearby mountain. The group miraculously finds shelter—they even find one of the hikers. They breathe a collective sigh of relief as they think they have found a safe place to ride out the storm. Until their tour guide turns up dead.

As they search the surrounding area, it becomes abundantly clear there is no one else around. Then another person is killed. Someone in their group is a killer. Mistrust and fear become rampant. Who is killing members of their group? And why?

Dead of Winter is, in many ways, a classic whodunit. The reader can feel the tension and horror building in the group as they realize they are trapped with a killer with no way out. However, the macabre and gruesome details of the killings affected my enjoyment of the book. Dead of Winter may not be the choice for people with a weak stomach.

I have heard so many good things about Darcy Coates as a writer, but never read any of her books until this one. And now I wonder what took me so long??? This book was great! A classic who dunnit set in remote woods during a blizzard. Christa and her boyfriend take a trip for a little romantic getaway. There are other couples/guests also going. They get caught in a blizzard, and the bus cannot make it any further due to a downed tree in the road. They find an abandoned shack, and decide to hole up there to get out of the elements, but one by one, her companions start to die. I definitely went through each character at certain points, sure I knew who the killer was. There are so many twists and secrets in this book, it was never a dull moment. Fast paced, easy to read, keeps you guessing. Can't wait to check out more from Coates!

Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (out of 5)
Genre: Thriller
Plotpoints: Strangers trapped in a wilderness cabin
Scary or Gory? There's some of both but it's only mildly descriptive
KU/Library or Buy-worthy? Library
Similar vibe: The Drift by CJ Tudor and No Exit by Taylor Adams

***Warning Mild Spoilers Follow***
Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates is the milder, easier version of The Drift by CJ Tudor: A bus, a blizzard, a rural lodge, a secret,a mysterious killer. Even though the details of the plots differ, I couldn't help but note the similarities. I can never have too much of strangers trapped in the wilderness during a blizzard though.  <Start creepy music, Enter killer stage left>

In Dead of Winter we are seeing the events unfold through the eyes of Christa, who becomes lost after her tour bus has to stop for a downed tree. When she and her boyfriend went for a short hike while the others clear the road right (before the beginning of a snow storm) a "too stupid to live" refrain started running through my head. As we learn more about Christa's life her quirkiness and anxiety make more sense. Her character at least exhibits some sense of the danger around her. There are issues with realism here too but as slashers go, that's part of the fun. The twist and who the killer was seemed pretty obvious to me but I enjoyed the Hitchcockian style, dark panic that Darcy Coates built into particularly claustrophobic scenes. By the halfway point I was all the way into it. Overall this was a really enjoyable read. I had trouble putting it down. If you like Clue type murder mysteries check this one out.

What started as a snowy 2 week getaway for a bunch of strangers, quickly turns into being stranded in a small cabin during a blizzard while horrifying murders are occurring every day. This was an awesome 5 star read ! It was gripping and nail biting until the very end!! The end was a bit predictable but the ride was intense!! A must read. The best thriller I have read in a long time! Thank you to Netgalley, the author and poisoned pen press for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Although it was fairly easy to guess the outcome, I still read this every chance I got because it moved along at a good pace, was exciting, and, of course, I had to be sure the killer was who I thought it was. I’ll be checking my library to see if we have more by this author.

I have read this type of "plot" in a few other books, but this one by Darcy Coates is far and above the best. Without giving anything away, I will say that I couldn't wait to get back reading the book when I had to put it down. Another author I will definitely follow and read more of her books!

Suspected the ending but still shocking since the author kept planting seeds of doubt. Super suspenseful, cliff hangers kept me reading well past bed time. Very enjoyable.

Dead of Winter

When the bus taking Christa, her partner and eight others, to a luxury mountain lodge retreat is forced to stop by a fallen tree on the snow covered, winding mountain road in The Rocky Mountains. Before the tree can be cleared a blizzard hits and the group are able to find shelter in a small hunting cabin. It isn’t long before one of the group of strangers is brutally murdered, and put on display for everyone to find. With the snow storm still raging on, making it impossible to leave and seek help but staying out is just as dangerous with the group being picked off one by one. Which of their group can be trusted and which is a murderer, enjoying the terror and torment they are putting the others through?

This book was intensely atmospheric from the very first chapter and it continued throughout it the entire book. The isolation of the characters was palpable and I spent so much of the book trying to work out who the killer could be. I enjoyed the mix of different characters with different personality and watch them be thrust together with the crisis of being snowed in but also being hunted by one of their own.

This was my second book from Darcy Coates, and I enjoyed this one even more than Hunted. Both books were set in nature, with the environment being an added danger adding to the suspense and intensity. The murders were gruesome but not over the top, as someone who doesn’t read a lot of horror the description of the murdered bodies were not off putting but only added to the anxiety around finding the killer before someone else is murdered. I loved the cat and mouse game, not knowing which characters were trustworthy and also the secrets the characters were all hiding, which began to unravel throughout the story. Highly recommended for fans of locked room thrillers, atmospheric reads and psychological thrillers.

Thank you to NetGally and Poisoned Pen Press for my ARC eBook copy.

For someone who loves isolated settings, I am very sad that I find this book to be the best. It was interesting in the beginning but it got kind of repetitive with everyone getting picked one by one in the middle of nowhere. The book would really have benefitted more if it was multiple POV since there were so many characters mentioned but we were told the story from only one woman Christa's POV.

Very tense with lots of twists and turns. Main character, Christa, is strong, deductive and loyal. With death all around her she keeps her head while trying to help solve the killings of her companions. The snow and brutal cold is just one more enemy to survive.

I DNF'd this book at 30%. Both the main character and the plot were not vibrant enough to keep me entertained. I often found myself reaching for and finishing other books while this sat off to the side and waited. I'm sure there is an audience for this book, but unfortunately I am not one of them despite loving the horror and thriller genres.

There is nothing I love more than a book that makes me go WHAT? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? If that is you, this is your book.

Meet Christa. She’s had a rough couple of years after being in a car crash where a young man went over the side and died. It was a tragic accident and multiple people stopped to help, but there was nothing they could do. It has stuck with Christa. She never leaves her house. She has huge guilt.

When she is invited to join a tour group headed to the Rocky Mountains and a lodge in the middle of nowhere with a lot of snow. Her boyfriend is going as well and she feels safe with him. She should not.

As they get closer to the lodge a storm has kicked up a lot of snow. With a downed tree on the road, they will have to find another way to the lodge.

Christa and the boyfriend set out on their own and that will be a mistake. Lost in a blinding storm, unfamiliar with the terrain, one false step could be their last.

When Christa returns to the group alone and in bad shape, the others have found a cabin to shelter in. With a storm raging outside, searching will have to wait. Things get real in the morning when they find their tour guide's head in a tree. Yes. Now Christa is trapped with a bunch of folks she does not know and fears one of them is a killer.

That’s all I’m sharing. This was a thrill ride all the way to the final page! And I read it twice. So many red herrings and sketchy characters. I loved every minute of it!

NetGalley/ Poisoned Pen Press July 11, 2023

Ehhh, this just wasn’t my thing.

I had thought this would be more horror/supernatural based, like the author’s other stories I’ve read.

This was a “whodunnit” survival thriller. The killer seemed kind of obvious to me despite the red herrings and misleading plot points. None of the characters really stood out to me. More information and description about the area would’ve benefited the book. It didn’t seem that much research had gone into the setting for the story.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Poisoned Pen Press for a copy.

Wow! That was a wild ride! For some reason, any thriller set in the snow always goes at the top of my Want to Read list and this one perfectly scratched that itch.

It was pretty darn gruesome so be prepared for that. But I really loved how the story unfolded. The ending took me by surprise and was more open ended than I typically prefer but, you know what, I think wasn’t that mad at it.

Seriously well done on this book, it finally took me out of a several book reading slump and is exactly what I needed!

Thank you to net galley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to get my hands on an ARC, this one was a thrill!

As a mystery I'd give this 3.5 stars; as a horror thriller, I'd give it 4 stars

This is a non-stop action fest of an isolated closed circle thriller that throws you right into the fire (or snow in this case). While I found the "whodunnit" immediately obvious, I think the tense vibes and effective setting made this a really entertaining read, and there was some body horror in here that I think made things even more intense. Recommended!