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Dead of Winter has quite a few tropes that I really enjoy in thrillers, such as strangers being stuck together, a winter storm, not being able to trust anybody, and complete and utter chaos. I did find the pacing of this one to be a bit off as some parts were really quick then other parts felt like they dragged quite a bit.

I did see the ending coming from fairly early on, however I don’t find that twists in thrillers necessarily make or break a book for me. I think that if we’re basing a large part of our ratings and reviews for books on if we can guess the twist, then we’re not really focusing on other important aspects of the writing and novel as a whole.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

And Then There Were None has probably been retold more than any other classic mystery story. Putting a bunch of strangers into an out of the way place and confronting them with a mysterious and supernaturally evil murderer is a common trope. Dead of Winter is another attempt to put a twist on Agatha Christie’s most famous novel. And it’s a worthwhile addition to the list.

Darcy Coates has put a demented-slasher/horror-story spin on this familiar tale. Ten people try to go to an isolated mountain lodge but a freak winter snowstorm knocks everything off the rails. They are forced to take shelter in a rudimentary cabin, kept away from the outside world, and one by one they are brutally and methodically dispatched.

The book hums along at a good pace. The short chapters, combined with the severe weather conditions and the constant peril faced by the characters, all help to keep the story moving and the reader engaged.

This is the first Darcy Coates book I have read, but it is unlikely to be the last. I’m grateful to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read Dead of Winter in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC ahead of publication.

I liked this book. It has excellent atmosphere. The mystery was intriguing. There were maybe a few too many characters to keep track of and the actual resolution was somewhat middling, but on the whole the book was fun.

Four stars easy.

Again another fast paced twisty book from this author. I could not put it down and that’s what I love about Darcy Coates. She does not disappoint!

I did figure some of the twists but then something would happen and I said nope not right but in the end I had some of it correct. I will alway keep reading her books as they are fast paced and twisty.

Darcy Coates is always good for a thrilling suspenseful story and Dead of Winter is no exception. From a raging snowstorm to a cabin full of suspects, any one of them the possible killer that is cutting them down one by one while Christa tries to figure it out before it is too late. You can feel the snow when you read this, and the terror of the people as the tree is filled with heads. I don't want to reveal too much but this book is definitely hard to put down and has a good ending.

I really enjoyed this, especially the twist and hidden connections and I know this author will always be an auto buy for me whenever a new book comes out. Highly recommend!

Thank you to Negalley for the advanced ecopy of this book!

Thank you, NetGalley for providing me an advanced copy of Dead of Winter for an honest review.

My mind is whirling after finishing this horrific thriller, to the point where I don't know where to start with this review. Maybe I'll start by saying: oh my god, this was one of the most intense thrillers I have ever read, with plot twist after plot twist, and you can bet I am rating this 5 stars.

Christa and her boyfriend are eager to spend a vacation in the snowy wilderness for a few weeks. But everything starts to go wrong almost immediately when a tree blocks the planned bus route and an unplanned storm begins pounding down with no remorse.

The groups seek shelter at a nearby cabin that miraculously left its doors unlocked for emergencies. They settle in hoping to wait out the storm and continue on their vacation. However, that hope is quickly shattered once their tour guide ends up murdered, and his decapitated head is put on display for everyone to see.

The stakes are high as distrust grows among this group of strangers, especially since a killer is at large, even possibly among them. There was rarely a moment I wasn't at the edge of my seat, gasping at new evidence or guessing who the killer may be. This story is full of plot twists that I never saw coming, no matter how hard I tried. The obvious is obvious, yet the plot thickens at every turn.

I wanted to savour this story, but it was extremely hard to do so. Once I picked it back up, I was sucked in immediately, rarely wanting to put it down. If life hadn't gotten in the way, I would have devoured this story in one sitting. Every little piece of the story was placed for a reason, from a fleeting thought to a speck of blood in the snow.

Darcy Coates has created a thrilling masterpiece, and I plan on reading more of her books in the very near future. I give this book an easy 5 stars, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a thrilling tale of survival and murder.

Finished ✔️ Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates.

4 ⭐️’s
Publish Day: July 11th, 2023
Kindle Unlimited: No

Love how it takes place in the Rocky Mountains 🤩🤩
It was an interestingly beautifully done story
I think this would be a perfect read for Winter as that’s what’s season it takes place in.
It was definitely a suspenseful novel
I didn’t see any of the twists coming
I also didn’t figure out any of the twists
I enjoyed the characters even though they had their own issues.
Yes, I’d recommend this book

#DeesReading #DeesRecs #DeesBookRecommendations #BookNerds #BookNerdProblems #BookNerdsUnited #BookProblems #BookProblems101 #BookNerds101 #Bookworms #BookwormProblems #BookwormProblems101 #BooksOfFacebook #DeeTheBookReviewer #DeesReadOfTheDay #DeesBookOfTheDay #DeesBookReviewsOfTheDay #BookReviewer #NewToMeAuthor #DarcyCoates #ReadOfTheDay #BookOfTheDay #DeadOfWinter #NetGalley

I received this book from NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press in exchange for myhonest review.
"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 night, their tour guide goes missing...only to be discovered the following morning, his severed head impaled on a tree outside the cabin. Terrified, and completely isolated by the storm, Christa finds herself trapped with eight total strangers. One of them kills for sport...and 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."
I found this book to be well-written with a fairly well developed primary character
The secondary characters were diverse in their characterizations and behaved in manners appropriate to their characterizations. Their interactions seemed realistic.
The plot was a bit "over the top" and implausible, but if you can suspend belief for the story, it was highly engaging with the suspense building steadily to the end. I guessed the"villain" before the reveal, but was engaged enough to watch it play out.
Was it gory? A little. Was it suspenseful? Yes. Did it hold my attention and keep me thinking about it between reading sessions? Yes. Overall it was a fun read. I recommend this book to anyone who would enjoy a combo psychological thriller and horror story.

Darcy Coates returns with a locked room thriller. Christa and her boyfriend venture into the mountains with 8 other travelers and a guide. When their trip gets halted by a severe storm, the group takes shelter in a nearby cabin. But they find themselves in greater danger as they are murdered one by one.
I have enjoyed Coates's other horror novels and was excited for this one. It falls more to the thriller side of the spectrum but still has some gore. The story moves along quickly, with short chapters, making this a quick read. The author does a great job of creating suspense and dread that doesn't let up from the first page. I really enjoyed this, but the ending is VERY predictable. It is hard to create a shocking twist with locked room scenarios because you know it has to be one of the characters, but the motivation of the killer was apparent very early in the book and the red herrings seemed to be obvious.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Unfortunately, this book did not work well for me. I found the characters to be one dimensional, with the heroine making completely implausible decisions. I know readers have mixed feelings about alternating timelines, and the first chapter was a great “hook,” but I think the plot line here would have benefitted from a bit more set-up early in the book. The positives: the author did a great job creating the wintery atmosphere, and there were some surprises as I turned the pages. Thank you very much for allowing me to read and review this advanced copy.

I've read several of Darcy Coates' books at this point, but unfortunately this one just didn't hold my interest as well as some of the others.
I honestly didn't care for any of the characters and there were a few plot issues that bugged me throughout.
Overall, not a bad read, just not one that I really loved.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher/author for letting me review this book!

Alright so first off, Darcy Coates kills the thriller/horror genre. I have not found one book of hers that doesn't just suck me in and control my life for the next few hours. I have been reading her books in a day or less. They are that captivating. This particular book is no different!

The setting is spectacular, she gets the vibes for whatever setting she chooses down to a T. The characters are so relatable and realistic that you end up rotting for or rooting against whichever characters she brings to the table. The plots she chooses are amazing! Simply put, she knows how to keep the audience entertained while also making a plot line that is so intricate and falls in place so well that the endings she chooses are just handed to you on a golden platter.

I loved this book so much, it was intense and scary in the best way. I was so happy I guessed the antagonist right and how the book ends is just so intense and deep that it blows my mind even if I guessed correctly.

I highly recommend this to anyone who loves horrors and thrillers! I can promise, you will not be able to put down this book once you start it!

I was really excited to read this. I've never read anything by this author before, though her other books have been recommended to me.
I guessed the exact outcome at 11% through the book. Great red herrings though! Overall, 2 1/2 starts for me. I think that before it's published the editors need to do a bit of work. It was hard to stay in the story when there are so many jarringly obvious continuity errors.


Thank you NetGalley, for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! In some ways, this was my favorite 2023 read so far. In others, I can see why it was a little overdone and dramatic, but as a modern-day Agatha Christie And Then There Were None, Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates was brilliant. Slasher horror story with several sub-plots, the tale is a familiar one. Ten people brought on a mysterious winter tour where one by one they are picked off. I knew from early on who the killer was and why it was happening but there were 10 different connections to make, and that was the truly fun part. It's 100% similar to Agatha Christie's most famous book, and it's definitely a great way to tell the story. Of course you don't have time to get to know all the characters but figuring out which one has a secret to hide was quite enthralling. Loved the winter setting, and the deaths are gory but not graphic. Lots to suspend for disbelief, but the book gripped me and I kept slowing myself down to experience every great moment. WOW!

If you are a fan of books with a claustrophobic winter storm setting, you won't be disappointed! This had the same vibe and intensity of similar backdrop setting books like No Exit and The Overnight Guest.

Christa (main character) and her boyfriend Kiernan join a tour group heading up to a lodge in the mountains....in the dead of winter. The bus breaks down during a fierce winter storm, Kiernan and Christa become separated and everyone is forced to find shelter in a near by cabin. The plan seems simple, wait out the storm then get help. But nothing is simple. The bus driver is found dead...beheaded. And soon, Kiernan's body is found without a head as well. And one by one, the other members in the tour group are being killed. A serial killer is seemed to be among the group...but who is it?

The book starts off intense and had my heart racing. I had the claustrophobic feeling from the get go. The storyline grabbed me right away and had me on edge for most of it.

However, I did find it took me a while to figure out who was who. I did a lot of flipping back at first to reacquaint myself with characters. I also found it a little unrealistic people are dying yet still heading outside alone "going for a walk". If this was me, there is no way I would ever be walking around outside alone with a tree full of severed heads nearby. Again....just me. Perhaps other people would do this...lol...

I also had this figured out very early on. Regardless, the book is very well written, had me stressed right out and perhaps I should not have been reading this before bed as my dreams were quite distorted thanks to the storyline lol.

Solid 4 star read and recommend! Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the electronic digital advanced copy to read and review.

Publication date is July 11, 2023 -add this to your TBR pile!

Right from the start, Dead of Winter grips you with its harrowing tale of being stuck in an unforgiving wintry world. We meet Christa, who has gone on a mountain trip with her boyfriend, Kiernan. They are joined by numerous others who end up slowly being killed off, one by one.

I have read Coates before, and her writing always makes you feel as if you are experiencing the same things as the people in the story. I felt as if I were stuck in a cabin with others, I was suspicious of everyone, and I was so cold and tired.

While I did predict the ending, the journey there was exciting and terrifying, so I didn’t mind. I really enjoyed this story, and it stuck with me days after.

A thank you to NetGalley, Darcy Coates, and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC of Dead of Winter.

Darcy Coates is a new author for me, but I picked this book up because the description was interesting. It sort of sounded like Agatha Christie's [book:And Then There Were None|16299], only more gory.

Description:
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 night, their tour guide goes missing...only to be discovered the following morning, his severed head impaled on a tree outside the cabin. Terrified, and completely isolated by the storm, Christa finds herself trapped with eight total strangers. One of them kills for sport...and 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.

My Thoughts:
It seems to me this book should be classified as horror rather than mystery/thriller, although I guess they all fit. I'm not usually too squeamish, but some of the scenarios in this book really got to me. The scenario with the tour group stranded in the Rocky Mountains in a snowstorm with no one around to help them and nowhere to run to was bad enough, but with one of the group probably a killer who could they trust?

If you like gory, nightmarish stories, this one is definitely for you. The plot moves at a fast pace and had surprising twists and turns. It was well written and flowed well. I liked Christa's determination and courage. There was plenty of tension in this book.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on July 11, 2023.

A big thanks to Net Galley for an early ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars!

Sad to give this 2 stars because early on, i already knew the murderer and the plot twist. One star added because the writing was soo creepy and chilly and even when I know the plot twist early on, I found I could not stop reading. This would have been soo good if only it wasn’t so predictable. For someone who devours horror and thriller books almost all her life, nothing (i think) fazes me anymore and maybe it is because of this that I guessed the killer and the plot twist pretty early. It was so obvious and that’s what irked me because the writing and the ambiance of this book was soo soo good!!

Shout out to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, what a ride! This claustrophobic who-dun-it is set in the Rocky Mountains during a winter snow blast and involves a number of characters that are well-drawn and established. This group of disparate characters were off on a resort/retreat to a secluded lodge in the Rockies when disaster hit. Their tour bus is stopped abruptly by a huge downed tree and can go no farther. Adding to their problem is that they are in the middle of a blizzard. Once the group leader realized that they could no farther, he leads them out into the snow toward a lonely cabin that he remembers is in the area.

Along the way, the protagonist of the novel, Christa, and her boyfriend, Kiernan, become separated from the group. The snow is so thick that these two soon become separated from one another and Christa is torn over searching for Kiernan or saving herself from the elements. Frostbite has already set in, so Christa plods through the snow and luckily finds the rest of the group and the cabin. Once inside, she is adamant about continuing the search for Kiernan but is dissuaded by the group.

The novel takes off like a rocket from that point and becomes "Ten Little Indians" in a winter setting. Without giving away any other details, let me suffice to say that author Coates does an excellent job keeping this reader on the edge of his seat trying to figure out what will happen next and if the group will survive. The plot twists are tremendous and keep the novel fresh and vibrant. Highly recommended.

Overall I liked the Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates. I will say that I had it figured out very early in the beginning who was doing it all. It was most definitely confirmed when I got around 32% in for sure. I only needed to figure out why. I will say that I was intrigued by the book from the beginning but since I knew I had the “who” question figured out the reason I kept reading was for the “why”. It is hard for me to keep my interest when I have deduced from the beginning what I did…but Darcy Coates did it spectacularly. I really enjoyed her style of writing and hope to read more from her in the future!