Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book. This book was supposed to be a locked room mystery. This is sort of true. It is mostly a bloody, outdoor mystery. Chrissy, who is traumatized and we don’t know why at first, and her boyfriend Kiernan, go on a bus trip to a lodge out in the Rockies. They haven’t been dating long and this is a big step in their relationship. The trip is supposed to be a time for them to get to know each other better. The story starts out with Chrissy and Kiernan trying to get back to the bus in a blizzard. They get separated and Chrissy is found. The group manages to find shelter in an abandoned cabin, nothing like the fabulous lodge that is their destination, and then it starts to get crazy. People die one after another. This is not the locked room mystery that you are expecting. People start dying by having their heads cut off. UGH. There was a lot of gratuitous blood and gore. Not really my cup of tea but I am sure it could be a slasher movie. If you want that, read this. If you don’t, go to the original, And Then There Were None.

This is my first book from the author.

The setting was right (though something that has been used a lot of times before), the twists and turns kept coming (some predictable, some not) but overall the story dragged in places. A good pacing is key to a book like this and the author flags at times.

A good read overall though.

This is my second Darcy Coates read, and I have mixed feelings.

A group of strangers take a private tour bus to a remote lodge in the Rockies. After a bad storm, they find themselves stranded in a one room cabin off the beaten path. One by one they're viciously killed off and come to suspect the only option is that one of them must be the killer.

Pros:
- This stressed me out. As intended.
- I'm indecisive enough that I did not guess the killer correctly bc there was lots of doubt and red herrings thrown in.
- The setting is inherently scary. As said in the Hunger Games, "exposure can kill just as well as a knife" or something like that.

Unsure:
- Ick factor like 8/10. Very visceral.

Cons:
- Is this not And Then There Were None but like in a winter cabin? I guess it's different enough technically, but like, idk... it feels too similar.
- There's nothing graceful about trekking through feet of snow (or climbing trees...) in full winter gear, and I find it really hard to believe these murders would be executed and staged so cleanly. Not to mention, snow gear isn't made for running. There's so much running and not enough tripping and falling.

Over all I really enjoyed this book I could not guess the twist at the end. I gave it 3 stars because I thought the beginning was slow and with about 9 or so characters to remember it was a little different to follow at times. The description of the setting was scary beautiful because it was a place any reader could see themselves curled up by a fire with a good book yet it was the scene of a heinous crime. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC of Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates.
Dead of Winter follows Christa and her boyfriend Kiernan on what is supposed to be a romantic getaway in a remote cabin. However, it turns out to be anything but the trip that they envisioned. Stranded by a snowstorm on the way to their destination, the group is faced with an unseen threat that begins killing them off one by one.
This was my first time reading a book written by Darcy Coates, and I was hooked from page 1. The tension and suspense were well written and had me on the edge of my seat. The descriptions of the characters, surroundings, and the gore made it easy to visualize exactly what was happening. I was invested in the story from the first chapter and continued to guess who the killer was until the very end. I am rating this book 4 out of 5 stars, as I feel it ended abruptly without a complete wrap-up of some of the storylines.
Overall, I found this read extremely enjoyable and tense. Look for this book to be released on July 11th.

This is the first book I have read by this author. I will be reading everything she writes from now on. This book had so many twists and turns from the first page to the very end. I can not stand being cold or cold weather so I don’t know how they survived as long as they did. The way she wrote this book made me feel as if I was stuck freezing with them. I will definitely be telling everyone I know to read this book!

I’lol read anything by Darcy Coates, and Dead of Winter did not disappoint. I had a feeling I knew who the culprit was, and managed to ignore the red herrings throughout the book.
It was descriptive, the characters were well thought out, and I immediately clicked with Christa. I’m also a huge fan of locked room mysteries, and this one will be recommended to everyone.

It’s best to go into this book without knowing much. This review will be as general as possible about my overall thoughts.
I loved the atmosphere of the story, the author did a fantastic job building the sense of isolation. I felt on edge a lot of the time right along with the characters. The setting was the perfect backdrop.
The characters were fine. I didn’t find myself particularly attached to anyone. I find it difficult when books have a large cast of characters. I found I didn’t really care about any of the characters even as the story progressed because I just didn’t get to know any of them well enough before they started getting killed off.
The story did have several twists and turns that ended up surprising me. I found there were several instances that the story was really dragging. It took me almost 20 days to read this book when I typically finish a book of this size in 1-2 days. I just wasn’t enthralled and kept picking up other things instead.

This was a disappointing read for me. I had higher hopes. I was hoping to have fun. The description of the book definitely reeled me in but as soon as I read the first chapter I knew it wasn't going to be a five star read. Firstly, I felt that many parts were over written and did not flow. Too wordy and filled with unnecessary adjectives to try and dramatize the story as much as possible. It became annoying fast. Secondly, I was able to guess the mystery murderer almost immediately. The author tried to confuse us not once, not twice, but three times. I just felt it was overdone. It all felt very surface level.

Even though this wasn't the book for me I could see it satisfying others. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Dead of Winter had me from the very first page. I just knew I was going to love this one. From the title, to the cover, to the characters. Very well written!

Darcy Coates knows what she's doing. She's the queen of haunted, scary stories and Dead of Winter is no different.

A locked-room sort of mystery with a bunch of snow and people who keep dying, one by one.

This is a not to be missed thriller.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Darcy Coates’ words have a way of creeping into your mind and channelling your imagination.

From the first page itself, her descriptions are so vivid that you can clearly visualise the scene. I loved reading about the setting regardless of how extreme the weather conditions were.

Once the murders begin, the writing becomes jarringly gory. If you are easily put off by such details, I wouldn’t recommend this book to you.

Even though I didn’t connect with Christa’s character, I could feel her angst, fear, and frustration. I chalked it up to the narrative being so well-framed that you can’t escape its impact.

One aspect of this book that worked superbly to heighten my apprehension is how the author uses human intuition in the storytelling.

Christa often has these powerful gut instincts that guide her. And the moment you read her thoughts, you know that something horrible is going to happen. Somehow this technique of foreshadowing was more thrilling than, say, if there had been paranormal elements in the plot.

There are so many plot points that work in tandem to tap into your survival mindset and elicit a reaction, such as:
- everyone is trapped in an uncomfortably small cabin
- the outdoors being unsafe
- but then the indoors aren’t safe either because there’s a serial killer among them
- they’re completely isolated from civilization, and there’s no help coming

The book is written from a third-person omniscient point of view. And you’re essentially following 10 characters as they struggle to deal with the circumstances.

This might seem a bit too much for some of you, but I felt that the author eased into the story without making the presence of all these characters too overwhelming.

Plus, there are certain aspects of their characterisation that distinguished all of them.

To make the narrative more layered, the author keeps hinting at some incident in Christa’s past that weighs on her conscience.

Unlike the wonderful ambience of the book itself, the build-up about her mysterious past wasn’t as atmospheric as I would’ve liked. Probably because of how much is revealed to us through short glimpses; the sense of mystery is lost.

One other thing that prevented this book from being a 5-star read for me is that I guessed who the killer is WAY TOO EARLY. That part of the puzzle stood out like a sore thumb throughout the novel.

All in all, Dead of Winter was certainly an engaging read. Moreover, I really like Darcy Coates’ writing style, so I have discovered a new author whose works I plan to binge-read.

I love Darcy Coates' books and this was just as enjoyable as the rest. Loved the winter vibes, the anxiety, it's a definite yes from me. Great book.

The synopsis is absolutely fantastic: You have eight strangers who are forced to take shelter in a brutally cold and snowy winter. But, unfortunately, them being there is no accident as someone starts killing them one by one. Horribly bad….. Like chopping off their heads bad and hanging them on a big ole tree right outside the cabin they are trapped in. Like a messed up Christmas Tree.


Darcy Coates is a gifted writer. This book is deeply atmospheric and creepy. When they are outside the cabin you feel just as lost as the characters do in the freezing snow. The chapters are short and the pace of the book is perfect. She is truly a great horror writer and this book is a entertaining read.

And the bad: While this is a fun book to read somewhere around the middle you realize you really don’t care who lives or dies in this one. There is really no character depth at all. Even with the main character you're kind of just going through the motions with this one. And holy predictable ending! I’m not going to even going to go there. Just be prepared to be let down. But at least I warned you……

This was my first read by Darcy Coates and I liked the story overall.
Trapped in a snow storm, a group of people start getting picked off.
It had all the creepy vibes and I loved it.

hanks NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC that will be released July 11, 2023!

1. So tense!
2. Perfectly paced.
3. Unguessable.
4. Beautifully crafted.
5. Immersive and atmospheric.

Christa and her boyfriend Kiernan join a tour group in the Rocky Mountains. When the group is on their way to the lodge, they are stopped by a fallen tree on the road and forced to stay in a small hunting cabin nearby until the snow storm passes and they can get the tree moved. The members are picked off one by one in a terribly gruesome way. Christa has to decide who to trust and fight to survive in this eerie, winter thriller.
I love a thriller that is set in a remote, snowy location where you have to figure out who the killer is among the group of people. I had an idea early on who I thought the killer was and their reasoning, but certain events kept making me change my mind. In the end, it turned I had it right all along. I really enjoyed it but wish there was a little more closure about a couple characters at the end. I took off one star for that reason.

This book was jaw clenching to say the least. The fear of being stranded in a secluded cabin in the mountains with no way out and being hunted one by one is downright frightening. Without spoilers I will say they eliminate their victims in a gruesome way. This book was tense every step of the way without any breathers. If you want to be chilled to the bone this book is for you! Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC!

𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐲 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬

Oh boy! This book was graphic! I am not a huge thriller/gore fan but I have to be honest.. this book got my attention.

Christy and her boyfriend take a trip to the Rocky Mountains wi try h a tour group. When a bad snowstorm leaves the group stranded in an old hunting cabin, they discover a killer is among them as they start being brutally murdered one by one.

My heart was in my throat the last half of this suspenseful thriller! Definitely did not expect that ending.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Do you like thrillers or are you a chicken like me? 🐔

Thank you #netgally and Poisoned Pen Press, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Look out for this one on 7/11/23 ❄️
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#deadofwinter #netgalley #darcycoates #thriller #bookreview #arc #ebook #suspensethriller

Dead of Winter is a closed circle slasher suspense set in the remote Rocky Mountains when a tour party gets stranded in a blizzard. People start dying left and right, beheaded gorily.

I'd rate this higher but I could not suspend my disbelief; the author seemed inconsistent about the setting - the device meant to keep them there. It would probably be just fine for people who don't live anywhere close to mountains.