This twisty, unpredictable, domestic thriller was unputdownable!!! I absolutely loved it!! Love everything I have read by this author. She’s on my #cantmisslist

Rich people behaving badly always gets me. This is exactly that! The narrator, Karissa Vacker is one of my all time favorites and she did an excellent job with the audio. Props to KAM for making it feel super claustrophobic and creepy.

Fast paced, good story! This kept me guessing and turning pages until the end. I haven't heard of this author before but want to read more!

Such an atmospheric and chilling setting, lots of family secrets, a main character with amnesia (such a Y2K YA throwback and I loved it) a touch of the Gothic. Highly recommended for fans of The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins!

A deliciously twisty thriller with a cold-hearted premise, "A Killing Cold" is an absolute roller coaster of a book!

Theodora Scott fell for Connor Dalton instantly and, after a quick engagement, now has to face the family. The prestigious Dalton family owns Idlewood, an isolated camp retreat up in the mountains, where Theodora has to immerse herself in the family over a two-week span. However, upon arrival at Idlewood, Theodora starts to realize she maybe has been here before. With so many holes in her past, could this place be the trigger that brings back all the horrific memories from her childhood that have since been blocked? Full of twists and turns around every corner and an incredibly cold and creepy atmosphere, "A Killing Cold" delivers in every department.

I was a huge fan of Kate Alice Marshall's "What Lies in the Woods" because it dared to be different in that the answer was never just flat-out in front of you. "A Killing Cold" does much of the same, keeping readers engaged from the first gasp-inducing moment to the final reveal. I still felt like there were unanswered questions that I would have loved to receive but the book was entertaining and absolutely delightful (in the most thriller-y way).

Last year, thrillers were disappointing. This year is off to an incredible start with "A Killing Cold" leading the ranks.

Thank you to NetGalley and FlatIron books for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

I almost gave up on this book. Fifty pages in, and I just wasn’t feeling it. But somewhere along the way, the story completely hooked me, and I’m beyond grateful I stuck with it. This is hands-down the most twisted book I’ve read in ages. Books with countless twists can sometimes feel overwhelming, but this one was bloody brilliant. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, another twist blindsided me, hitting like a sucker punch to the gut. I have no doubt this will end up as one of my top reads of 2025. I highly recommend it.

I knew going in that I was probably going to love A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall because her first two thrillers, What Lies in the Woods and No One Can Know, completely blew me away. And guess what? I was not disappointed! A definite page turner with its suspenseful narrative and atmospheric setting.

This book had me hooked from the very first page—I flew through it and couldn’t put it down. So much so that my husband woke up at 2am one night to find me still reading. He thought I was crazy, but I just couldn’t stop!

The characters are so compelling and the plot had me fully invested. Plus, I’m a sucker for rich people behaving badly, and A Killing Cold delivered on that front in the best way.

If I hadn’t had an ARC, I would’ve absolutely listened to the audiobook (narrated by the amazing Karissa Vacker). She always does such an incredible job bringing the story to life!

This was a definite five-star read for me. A Killing Cold solidifies Kate Alice Marshall’s presence in the thriller genre. I’m already eagerly awaiting her next book, whenever that may be. If she writes it, I’m reading it!

"A Killing Cold" by Kate Alice Marshall is a gripping thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. The author expertly blends suspense with rich character development, creating an immersive experience. The unexpected plot twists made it hard to put down, and I appreciated the depth of the protagonist's journey through personal demons and external threats.

While the pacing was strong overall, there were a few moments that felt drawn out, leading me to give it four stars instead of five. Nonetheless, Marshall's writing captivates, evoking a sense of dread and urgency.

Overall, "A Killing Cold" is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers, offering a chilling story that will keep you guessing until the end!

As a fan of an isolated mystery and rich people drama, I was interested more in this story than What Lies in the Woods. It had some amazing atmosphere with that secluded wooded area during winter time. Definitely pick this up during the winter! I did not like any of the characters, but I wanted to know what was happening with them. There were flaws in the story as the main character seemed to have a lot of convenient memory recovery moments at the perfect. The ending felt rushed and a bit unsatisfying. Overall, it was a quick mystery that entertained me that I would recommend.

Thank you to MacMillan and Flatiron for an eARC in exchange for a review.

I was able to read finished copy of this one and it was just alright. I've learned that I'm not a big fan of romance thrillers. This one also a bit slower paced. I've haven't been a big fan of her other books so I should have skipped. This has an audience though and I would recommend it to others.

This novel focuses on Theo and Connor, a newly engaged couple who are visiting with Connor’s family at their isolated, mountainside retreat during the winter. Theo, who was adopted at the age of four by horrible “parents,” knows little of her real family background. She does know, however, that she loves Connor — part of the wealthy, powerful and influential Dalton family. Her natural “fear” of not being liked by Connor’s family becomes heightened because of mysterious texts she continues to receive as well as the strange sense of familiarity that envelops her after she arrives at the Dalton family estate. Both Theo and the Dalton family harbor secrets, and as the plot progresses, the reader comes to see how those secrets are intertwined. The storyline has its share of good twists and turns, and the atmosphere/setting definitely contributes to the suspense. Overall, this was a compelling story and a good read that kept me turning pages, but a bit too much of a slow burn for me.

From beginning to end, there were so many twists and turns, and secrets being unraveled. I couldn't keep up with it all and couldn't even guess what would happen next and who was involved in everything. Everything was just so perfectly portrayed in this book, and the cold, winter vibes very much added to the thrill of this story. I also did like the fact that the FMC didn't take the easy way out at the end. It gave a great sense of justice, even at her own expense, and at the expense of her finding where her was mother. I actually really did love Theo, and her intense need to find out what happened to her mother, and how the tragic events in the past, related to her.

Thank you to Kate Alice Marshall, Flatiron Books, and NetGalley for the eARC of this book. This is my honest review.

Kate Alice Marshall is one of my auto-read authors. Her newest novel, A Killing Cold is atmospheric and full of things I love in a story.

I recommend if you like thrillers with:
❄️ remote settings with no contact with the outside world
❄️ rich people who behave badly
❄️ messy family relationships
❄️ dual timelines
❄️ unreliable narrators
❄️ winter/snowy weather

A Killing Cold is a well crafted mystery/thriller that keeps the reader guessing until the last page. On the surface the story is simple enough Theo Scott and her fiancé Collin Dalton travel to his family’s mountain holiday estate to spend Christmas together. This will be the first time Theo will be introduced to his family and the two are rightfully nervous.
 
Behind this simple story are a host of characters, all of whom hide secrets. For Theo it is a highly dysfunctional childhood that includes being present at her single mother’s murder and subsequent adoption by a cruel and demanding tightly religious couple who regularly used abusive punishments on Theo in hopes of forcing her into line. All it managed to do is drive her away from them at her first opportunity. To make it worse, Theo has no functional memory of any events prior to her adoption—only dreamlike memories that are disjointed and do not make a lot of sense.
 
Upon arriving at the family compound, Theo learns of the tragic death of Collin’s father a number of years prior and the effort the family made to keep the whole story hidden. The longer Theo is there, however, memories surface that hint at her mother’s murder and the story begins to unfold in her mind. And it is connected both with the Dalton family and the mountain compound.
 
My only problem with the book is that the first part of the book moves at an incredibly slow pace and while I see why the author felt that was necessary, it made it difficult for me to continue my excitement for the story. By the midway point in the story, things began to pick up and moved at a quicker and tighter pace toward the finish.
 
Overall, I enjoyed the book and recommend it to anyone who is interest in digging into the psyche of a young woman  who experienced an unbelievable tragedy and an early age and is then forced to relive it in order to make peace with her past. Along the way we find ourselves having to deal with a rich family with a sense of self-entitlement that does not feel bound even by the law with it comes to life and death.
 
I appreciate the opportunity NetGalley game me to read this book with my promise of a free, fair, and honest review.

A Cold Killing by Kate Alice Marshall is a thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end. The story follows Theodora Scott, who is invited to her wealthy fiancé's family retreat in the dead of winter. As she gets to know his family, she realizes that they are hiding a dark secret, and that she may be connected to it in some way.

Marshall does a great job of creating a suspenseful atmosphere, and the characters are all well-developed and complex. The plot is full of twists and turns, and the ending is sure to surprise you.

If you're a fan of thrillers, then you won't want to miss A Cold Killing. It's a page-turner that will stay with you long after you finish it.

A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall is an engaging thriller with a lot of potential, but it falls just short of being truly great. The story follows Theo, who travels to her wealthy fiancé’s secluded family retreat and starts uncovering unsettling secrets. The isolated setting of Idlewood creates a strong atmosphere, and Marshall does a solid job building suspense throughout.

The plot is intriguing, and the mystery surrounding the Dalton family kept me interested, though there were a few moments along the way that the story started to drag. The pacing slows down in the middle, and while the twists are interesting, they didn’t always pack the punch I was hoping for. Theo’s motivations sometimes felt a bit unclear.

Overall, it’s a good read, but not without its flaws. While the Dalton family is full of interesting characters, I found the setting to be more of a draw to keep going with the book than the people staying there. Still, it’s a solid story with plenty of twists (maybe too many) to keep you on edge.

Thank you to Kate Alice Marshall, Flatiron Books, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the isolated snowy vibes setting of this book and was hooked from beginning to end. The storyline was intriguing and there was just the right amount of breadcrumbs sprinkled throughout to keep me turning the pages. The characters were very well developed without being overbearing and I feel like I was able to understand each character separately throughout.
Where it went wrong for me was that it was so unrealistic. The odds of this situation happening are so unbelievable that it had me rolling my eyes a bit and the ending just added to it.
Overall, I liked it because it kept me engaged, but I will say that it’s my least favorite Marshall book so far.

Amazing from start to end! I loved the atmospheric feel and the many twists that keep you guessing.

Theo is a character you can root for and relate to while the Daltons are as toxic as they come. The locked room mystery really works and overall I liked this better than the author's first book.

I recommend it to everyone especially fans of thrillers.

Thanks to Netgalley and Flatiron Books for the advanced e-copy!

4.5/5

This pains me to say but this was a miss. It was SLOW, and I'm a girl that likes slow burn psychological thrillers. Unfortunately, this had too many elements that I dont like in fiction: memory loss, convenient remembering, and dream sequences. I think if you don't read a lot of thrillers it could work, but I didn't see anything new here.

Juicy family drama, secrets, lies, murder, and a wealthy family. First off, I picked this up around Christmas and I am glad I did because Theodora and Connor head to Idlewood to a isolated family winter retreat that takes place during the week of Christmas. The family is not too happy about Connor bringing Theo along because Idelwood is only reserved for family, but Theo and Connor are engaged so she will be considered part of the family soon enough.

Before Theo and Connor arrive at Idlewood, Theo receives anonymous texts to stay away from Connor. She begins to suspect that it is someone from his family. Theodora has no recollection to her earliest years as a child and she doesn't like to talk about it either. When they arrive at Idlewood she slowly begins to remember things that don't make sense and she sets off to uncover the truth.

Overall, this thriller had me on edge and trying to figure out all of the twists and turns. I wasn't blown away by the twists, but I had so much fun with it.

Thank you so much to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of A Killing Cold!
3.5 ⭐️