I am of fan of Agatha Christie's and Ten Little Indians. I thought I bet I can figure this out. But just when I thought I have it !...a twist, a red herring, a turn.
Christy and Kiernan are on a bus going on a winter adventure. 10 people on a two week stay. But the bus encourages a tree across the road. They decide to explore a little but a sudden storm separates them from the group and Christy from Kiernan. She is eventually found by the others who are in a small cabin after the bus becomes stuck in the snow. She gets the group to look for Kiernan but the search seems futile. Then the group dwindles as they are picked ofc one by one. Obviously, don't in the group is a killer whose favorite method is beheading.. They find Kiernan's body, beheaded. Will they find the killer or will everyone die?
The only problem I found was the end leaves some some questions. I would have liked an epilogue to wrap it up.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC. Darcy Coates, great book that kept me glued until late to finish

Wow!! This book totally surprised me! I don’t want to say too much about it, but I was completely hooked all the way through to the last page. This is my first Darcy Coates novel and it certainly won’t be the last. Oh the body horror! Everything about this book is not the “cozy horror” vibe Darcy Coates is widely known for. This is a brutal slasher novel that deserves its rightful place on the horror throne.

i received a digital arc of this book from netgalley, and i was excited to read it because i love the whole "and then there were none" premise in thriller books, but i have mixed feelings about this one. i was on board for a while, but it got kind of ridiculous and far fetched at points, and i saw the ending coming from a mile away (like... very early on. none of the other options made any sense lol). but that being said, it was still a fun and entertaining read, and i definitely didn't hate it, so 3 stars seems fitting. bonus points for the gruesome heads-impaled-on-tree-branches image tho. i *did* like that this was a thriller with actual gore at some points bc im tired of the usual non-graphic stab wound/gunshot/etc. idk what that says about me tho LOL

3.75
It’s impossible to say much because it is a mystery…I did figure out some things right away but missed an obvious clue because I got caught up in the violence and frankly I found it hard to always keep the characters straight. At one point during body #4 I’m almost positive there was a name mix up because I reread that part multiple times and it didn’t make sense…overall it was a fun ride, with some gruesome violence and great setting. I knocked it down a little for the ease in which I figured out some things and for the weirdly abrupt ending.

Eight strangers. One killer. Christa and her boyfriend go on a mountain resort trip which turns fatal for many members in their group. A killer is among them. Christa and the surviving members must piece together what connects them and brings them all on the same trip.
This thriller kept me guessing until the very end. When you think you know who the killer is, guess again.

I have been duped! Whatever this book is, it is not horror. It's like if Colleen Hoover wrote horror. Like the husband and kids have gone out for dinner and Mom is going to have a bath and a glass of wine and pick up this thriller. If you like the who-dun-it books with a few (fairly predictable) twists and turns, several beheadings, characters you kind of want to fight, and pages upon pages of descriptions of snow, then this is a good pick for you.

The description tells us that "someone in the group is killing for sport," but that's not exactly the case. I was so hoping that it would only be some maniac out hunting humans just for kicks. Alas, this is a revenge story which becomes clear early on. The unknown killer is (just a little) obvious a short way into the book if you're paying close attention, but the author does a pretty good job of making you doubt that prediction a few times throughout the story.

Most of the characters were annoying. Like, I didn't care about them before or after their decapitation. There was one who had potential, but you don't get to hear much from or about them for most of the book. And right when we do start to learn more from this one person, *SPOILER* our "butcher" buries an axe in her skull (but don't worry, she's still breathing).

I did appreciate that the author chose to just jump right into it in the very first chapter, no slow burn on this one. We are immediately dropped in with the main character and their partner in a panicked search through the forest during a blizzard (which literally never ends). Throughout the entire book, there's lots of snow and a little blood, but mainly there's snow. It's almost like someone thought you might forget that there was a snowstorm if you weren't reminded every other paragraph.

To summarize (because boy do I be rambling), the book is fine. Someone who enjoys mysteries/thrillers more than me will probably really like this book.


Thanks a million to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

***

Finished - review coming tomorrow. Not bad, but definitely not something I would pick up again.

***

04/17/2023: So far so... fine? I'm about a quarter of the way into this book, and I'm mostly finding myself annoyed with the characters. I was hoping for a little more horror and a little less who-dun-it thriller. But we persist!

This is an incredibly twisty story about a group of tourists on their way to a resort who get stranded in the Rocky Mountains. If you enjoyed "Ten Little Indians", this well-crafted story is a masterful telling of a group of potential suspects/victims being murdered. Just when you think one character is the murderer, the writer shifts your thinking to someone else, either through a murder or a clue. I couldn't put this one down because the story just kept moving and pulling me further into all the theories of the main character. All I can say is WOW.

Christa and her partner have embarked on an organised tour of the rocky mountains and he has gone missing. She tries to organise the other group members to conduct a search for him and they find their guides severed head skewered onto a tree outside the cabin. I found the writing really hard to take to and I had to give up at around 40%. It was a fairly quick read but the writing didn't grip me and I had to keep re-reading sentences.

A non stop thrilling novel about a group of strangers stranded in the mountains during a massive snowstorm. Time is not on their side as one by one they end up dead. So many twists it had me guessing till the very end. Couldn’t put it down!

3.5 stars round up to 4

I was excited to receive an eARC copy of Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates, thank you Poisoned Pen Press.

I flew through reading this because there is constant action, right from the first page. It reads like a blend of a psychological thriller and a traditional slasher horror which I loved but it was, in my opinion, a bit predictable.

📚 There is a lot of foreshadowing that is maybe a bit too telling as I figured out who the killer was nearly right at the start HOWEVER the constant action and desire to see how the reveal would play out kept me turning the pages!

🙋 The characterisation is very good, I like how it brought together a very diverse group of people and threw them into this situation together. It's interesting seeing how each of them responds to it.

📍For me the setting was the magic here. It's beautifully described and you can nearly feel the chill of the snow as you read. The isolation also reads in a very realistic way which is sometimes a failing of this genre.

👩‍🎓 This was a good, quick, easy read with loads of plot and just the right amount of introspection.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this and it would be perfect to curl up by a fire with on a cold day but I wish the twist had been a little but less obvious.

Claustrophobic with a hint of a closed room mystery in the middle of a snowstorm.

There are only a handful of characters in this story which I enjoyed as it made following the story much easier as your focus could be on the main characters. Kiernan was dating Christa who was loyal, likable, and strong. Brain was your typical tour guide, Hutch was easy going, Alexis was shy with a story of her own, Miri was married to Steve who was obnoxious, Denny was overbearing and his son Grayson was a typical surly teenager, Blake was bitter, and Simone was bossy and angry. And one of them was a murderer.

The plot was gripping and entertaining as the reader tries to figure out, along with the characters, who the murder is. I liked how the author let you form first impressions of the characters and then slowly gives you the backstory on each of them. The author takes you in one direction, and then an abrupt curve changes the whole scenario as you slip and slide trying to get traction again.

My review is voluntary and all comments and opinions are my own.

WOW! This book was a WILD ride! There were a few slower parts but the ending was amazing. I never guessed any of the twists. Everyone was a suspect the whole time! I wish I would have read this book in Winter but it was SO good!

Chrissy and her boyfriend, Kiernan, have joined a tour set deep in the Rocky Mountains. While driving there they run into a bad storm. Chrissy and Kiernan leave the stranded bus to hike a bit. They end up at a spot where Chrissy slips off, is rescued by Kiernan and then he disappears. She unsuccessfully attempts to look for him and discovers a cabin where the other nine people from the bus have gone to keep out of the weather. She has also gotten frostbite in one hand. People begin dying grotesquely and everyone is suspecting each other of the murders. Going further would lead to spoilers, but I got so involved in what came next and the plot twists that I read the majority of the book in an afternoon. Thanks to Net Galley and Poisoned Pen Press for an ARC for an honest review.

Dead Of Winter is a grim but riveting mystery. The characters are first introduced to each other as they travel together for a winter getaway. As the book progresses and the reader gets further inside their minds, the suspense builds. One by one they are killed in a very grisly fashion, but who is the murderer. The people know that they are in danger as they await who is the next victim. Unfortunately, the ongoing snowstorms make it impossible for any of them to escape. They doubt each other, search everyone for weapons, stay together, keep an eye on one another, but none of these works. The page-turning plot is well-crafted, and the ending is unexpected. Nothing less than a true gem.

This is a well-written, horror-filled whodunit that I just couldn't connect with. It was a struggle for me to finish it, and I didn't really care much about any of the characters. I absolutely can see its appeal - it just didn't resonate with me. Could I see this as a movie? Yes.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher and Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very dark murder mystery with some interesting twists. Even though I figured out the murdered in the beginning, I still found the book intriguing and intense.

I have read a few other Darcy Coates books and I will definitely be reading more of her books.

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy!

I will start off by saying I am so mad at myself that this is my first Darcy Coates book! I will be reading her other books for sure.

This book was completely right up my alley as far as, creepiness, gore, setting, and character development.

Christa and her boyfriend Kiernan are taking a trip to Blackstone Alpine Lodge deep in the Rockies in the middle of winter. They get on the private bus tour with 10 other people including Brian the tour guide.

Of course, a winter storm comes in and blows them off path.

What follows is what would be anyone’s worse nightmare out in the wilderness with no help in sight. The first body turns up. Missing a head! Pretty soon, the bodies are piling up. No one knows who to trust. Someone in their midst is a killer. And not only are they fighting against the unknown person, they’re fighting for heat, and food during the middle of a snowstorm. No phone service, roads impassable, someone lopping off heads makes for a really atmospheric, terrifying read. This is one of those books that plays out as a movie in my head as I’m reading.

As a huge locked room thriller fan, I do know sometimes these can get a bit boring in the middle part. This one had NO boring parts at all. The plot was really meticulously planned out. The only thing I didn’t like as much was the very very ending part was abrupt. I wanted an epilogue.

Highly recommend this one. Thank you again NetGalley.

Darcy coates has done it again! This book was amazing ! I was hooked the entire time and just as I thought I predicted everything I was wrong. So good.

Eight strangers go on an adventure to the wilderness and all of a sudden, one goes missing. Then, another and so forth. This had me guessing all the way through and I could not put this book down. I really felt like I was in the woods with them! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. To be published July 2023.

SHUT UP. Okay I’m not gonna lie it took me like 15 chapters to realllyyyy get into the book but once we got to the initial kill I was HOOKED. It kept me guessing going back between its a crazy person in the woods to no it’s definitely one of them. And the ending?????? I did NOT see that coming but made sense now knowing what I know now. 5/5 stars will be pushing it onto all my friends!!