❄️🧣📚 A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall 📚🧣❄️
Genre: Thriller
Length: 304 pages
Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2025
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the e-ARC of this book. The opinions stated here are solely my own.

Synopsis:
Theodora Scott, a girl with a mysterious and tragic past, has fallen in love with Connor Dalton, a man from an extremely wealthy family. After six months, they are engaged and finally going to meet Connor's family at his family winter retreat, Idlewood. While there, Theo tries to win over Connor's difficult family, but has also been receiving mysterious threatening messages to stay away from Connor.

As she gets to know the Dalton's strange memories from her forgotten childhood begin to resurface and she can't help but wonder why Idlewood starts to feel familiar... Will Theo connect the dots? Can she truly trust Connor, whom she has only really known for six months? As the winter weather worsens, Theo tries to decide whether she should stay and dig deeper into the Waltons secrets, or run away and risk never knowing what haunted her past.

Opinion:
I was really invested in this book from start to finish! The more you read, the more complicated and twisted the Daltons' family secrets become. I loved how each character in the family had different motivations and backstories of their own, all of which kind of came together for the big reveal. I always enjoy a rich family's dark drama as part of a thriller and this one was done perfectly. Theo was also a very strong female character and I loved how she was able to trust her own instincts to get to the bottom of her past, present, and future. Great book!

💙I’ve loved this author’s previous two thriller books so I was super excited to get an early copy of her next one!

📘Family drama, devastating secrets, sinister plots, and a claustrophobic setting all combine to make this a page-turner. You never quite know who to trust in this one.

❄️A perfect winter thriller read and the audio is done really well. Definitely recommend it if you like a thriller that is heavier on the family drama and mystery.

*Thank you to Flatiron Books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the gifted ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review*

OKAY KATE ALICE MARSHALL!! This is a fabulous winter thriller. An amnesiac's visit to her fiance's family's cabins reveals more than anyone could've predicted. This book is chilling in more ways than you'd expect: the cold, the terrible crimes that occur(red), and the constant sense that one of Thea's memories is on the cusp of returning. And the narration really helped build the tension of the story!

I love a thriller where you can't know who to trust, especially when the characters are rich people behaving badly. We constantly ping-pong between comfort and stress, I swear this book took a year off my life. The scarf visuals alone? Oh my god. The ending/epilogue was a bit abrupt, but I really enjoyed this quick read.

Wow! It’s been a long time since a book hooked me from the very beginning and had me on the edge of my seat right through to the very end. I devoured this book in less than 24 hours.

This book had a good bit of everything - class struggles, family secrets, a child raised by foster parents with nothing but snippets of her life that flash by in nightmares. I tend to be pretty good at picking up on plot twists, but this one let me guessing. The atmosphere is perfect - stranded on a mountain that’s one part playground for the ultra wealthy and one part a burial ground for deep, dark secrets. The only drawback for me was that the book, at times, could be a little TOO twisty and the lines between people and events sometimes felt abrupt and rushed.

Overall, a great book. Perfect reading for a cozy winter night - especially if there’s snow falling outside.

This was a fast paced thriller that kept me turning the pages. The setting was perfect, a secluded mountain house, snow, and Christmas time. The family is just as you would expect, wealthy and secretive, with multiple character flaws. The mystery was also pretty good. The only reason I didn't give more stars is because the ending was extremely lackluster compared to the build-up from the rest of the book.

Wow! What’s a cold thrilling trip I just took! Amazing read, taking you on a wild adventure of love, lost and truth. Highly recommend, easy to follow and captures your attention out the gate!

Kate Alice Marshall knows exactly how to raise my heart rate with her suspenseful, twisty, and atmospheric thrillers. This one combines rich people behaving badly with a secluded location and long-buried secrets to create the perfect winter read. I was kept wondering what was going to happen next the entire time. I read this one over five days with my booksta besties but you’ll definitely want to binge it on a cold night. None of us wanted to stop each day and it was really hard to stick to our schedule!

If you haven’t preordered this one yet and loved Kate’s previous works…go ahead and add it to the cart because you’re not going to want to miss it!

4.5/5⭐️

This is the third adult thriller that I’ve read from Kate Alice Marshall and I think A Killing Cold is her best yet! Theodora “Theo” Scott and her fiance Connor Dalton head up to Connor’s family’s mountain home for the holidays. However, Theo started receiving threatening texts from an unknown number to “stay away” from Connor. On the mountain, there is a main lodge and some cabins, one of which she stays in with her fiance while Connor’s family members stay in the others. While there, Theo starts to feel like she has been there before and is starting to piece together some memories from when she was a little girl. It starts to become even more clear that someone doesn’t want Theo to remember what happened to her as a kid as she continues to uncover clues that she was there on that mountain before.

This thriller was truly so fast paced that I read it in less than 24 hours—I kept needing to know what happened next. The twists and the layers to the story were done so well. I really didn’t know which characters to trust and every time I thought someone was the culprit, there was a new twist and even more tension added to the story. This thriller is also very atmospheric with the wintery mountain setting, making it a perfect book to curl up with during the winter. Overall, definitely one of the best fast-paced, high-suspense thrillers I’ve read in a while!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

TW: miscarriage, abuse of a minor
While the abuse depicted was very short in the book and not super central to the story in my opinion, it was a little jarring to me and probably what kept me from rating it a full 5 stars.

When Theo meets Connor, she hopes to leave her troubled past behind. Although things are moving fast, she’s happy to spend the holidays at Connor’s supremely wealthy family’s mountainside retreat called Idlewood. When Theo arrives, however, her soon-to-be inlaws are a bit intimidating - maybe even menacing. And then the Idlewood begins to feel familiar. Theo can’t remember anything about her early childhood, but she starts to think she may have been there before.

This is the third KAM book I’ve read, and it’s my favorite so far. A KILLING COLD is twisty, well-plotted and well-written. There are juicy secrets, multiple points of view, and shifting timelines, but the plot is easy to follow. As the plot thickens, everyone becomes a suspect and I stayed up way too late finishing it because I needed to know how the story ended.

I highly recommend this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher Flatiron Books for the early digital ARC of A KILLING COLD in exchange for my honest feedback.

4.5/5

Thank you Flatiron Books for the advanced reading copy!

I loved Kate Alice Marshall's 2023 novel WHAT LIES IN THE WOODS, but found myself a bit disappointed by her 2024 release NO ONE CAN KNOW. Luckily for all of us, 2025 is bringing with it another phenomenal, dark and atmospheric thriller. This was a great one to read at this time of year, as it has a sometimes-cozy-sometimes-ice-cold setting with lots of wintery vibes. I was hooked from the start, despite feeling that the story was going to be predictable and overdone. I was so wrong! There were so many surprises in this shocking and twisted story, and my interest didn't wane in the slightest from beginning to end. This was a quick read that I could not put down, and really nailed what I was wanting from an end-of-the-year read: entertainment, shock value, and creepy winter vibes. Loved it!

Kate Alice Marshall knocks it out of the park yet again with A Killing Cold. I will literally read anything she writes. The way she twist and weaves her plot lines and characters is insane to me. A Killing Cold was no different.

First off the setting of this book is perfection. I could feel the cold seeping in to my bones while reading. I don’t want to say much about this book because it’s a journey I feel you need to discover on your own. But the vibes are top tier for a winter thriller. The characters are unique and strange and plot just kept getting thicker and thicker the more I read. I will say the middle got a little slow but it definitely picked back up in the last 20% of the book.
4/5 Stars

Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me an arc in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 4/5 Stars
Pub Date: 2/4/2025
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Kate Alice Marshall is quickly becoming an auto-buy author for me. She just knows how to write a suspenseful and twisty story.
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I was hooked to this story right from the start. I found myself hooked to the idea of Theodora and Conner being engaged after 6 months and how Theodora had no memories of her past plus of course - extra bonus was the sketchy rich family behavior badly.
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Absolutely loved the setting of the isolated wintry cabin setting. It is absolutely perfect for this time of year. The start of this is more of a slow burn but as the mystery unfolds I felt that the pacing ramped up and I couldn’t put it down. There are perfectly placed twists to keep you guessing and to give those shocking moments. I love where Marshall went with this one.
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I listened to this one via audiobook while reading my ears. Karissa Vacker is a phenomenal narrator and she really brought this one to life for me. I love listening to her work. The audiobook is truly fantastic.
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Overall, if your looking for a chilling, perfect for this time a year thriller - pick this one up you will not be disappointed!! Huge thank you to NetGalley, Kate Alice Marshall, MacMillan Audio and Flatiron Books for the ALC and eARC in exchange for my honest review!

A Killing Cold was a fast paced twisty book that is perfect for the winter time. I have read all of Kate Alice Marshall’s other books and have enjoyed them all, but this one I enjoyed even more. With a large cast of characters that all feel genuine, you are constantly guessing on who could have done what. It was really a great book to read.

Thank you NetGalley, Flatiron Books, and Macmillan Audio for ARCs of this book.

I am a huge fan of Kate Alice Marshall and this book did not disappoint! I love her descriptive words making me feel as though I was at the Idlewood Estate. This book is filled with a cast of crazy, awful, unique characters that wouldn’t trust with my fish. Their personalities felt so vivid and real to me. This was a super quick read because I could not put it down, I love that adrenaline feeling where you just have to know what happens next!

Connor and Theo have a quick whirlwind romance and are now engaged to be married. Connor comes from a wealthy family and Theo is adopted and not so wealthy. They travel to Idlewood Estates to meet the family, soon strange things start happening, warnings and memories are coming in hot. This is the perfect Locked Room mystery and setting.

I've read and loved all of Kate Alice Marshall's books so far. While I did enjoy this one, I feel like it needs a disclaimer that it's a little slower than the others and felt more like a mystery/family drama than a thriller. The ending was very twisty though.

The book centers around Theo, a woman who was adopted at 4 and can only remember fragments (or are they dreams?!) from her past, and Connor, her rich fiance. Connor is bringing Theo to a remote, snowy cabin (before of course he is 🤣) to meet his family, who we quickly learn have tons of secrets. There are lots of strange coincidences throughout the trip, which worked to keep me hooked, but when you stop and really think back on it, are kind of far-fetched.

This is a great atmospheric winter read, with plenty of suspense. I actually binged it in one day. It is a good read for fans of this author, readers who are able to suspend belief a bit with thrillers, and people who believe in fate (I'm still trying to wrap my head around that detail)

Thank you to MacMillan Audio for the ALC, and NetGalley and FlatIron for the ARC.

A Killing Cold was a twisty, intriguing, mystery-thriller. This was another great book by Kate Alice Marshall. I love this author’s writing and storytelling.

This story is filled with secrets, family drama, mystery, murder, and suspense. I loved the isolated setting and the chilling atmosphere. This would make the perfect winter read!

I liked the main character, Theodora. It was interesting reading from her point of view. She slowly starts to recall her traumatic past as she spends time with her fiancé’s family. There were many shocking moments and lots of twists that I loved.

I definitely recommend this book to mystery-thriller lovers.

Kate Alice Marshall always does a great job of writing a thrilling, hard to put down story with a wild twist that you never see coming! Placing this novel at the private mountain resort of a wealthy family is a great location because I know in the mountains, it is hard to get cell phone reception and nowadays, that is one of the scariest things for the younger ultra connected generation. That aside, you get beautiful scenery that can turn deadly in an instance, especially in the middle of winter. It is a great setup for Theo and Connor and their trip up there to meet up with Connor's family after the new engagement. You get mostly polite and welcoming family members, but also secrets, threats, and mysterious "accidents" that will keep you glued to the page until the end! I will admit that I liked most of the family, which made it hard to decide who to trust about the truth that Theo didn't even know she would be looking for about her own past. Lots of twists, secrets, death, and suspense for the reader about who might or might not be leaving that mountain resort!

So, a great book to read, especially in the middle of winter when it is snowing outside. It really adds to the story. :) Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this book!

While visiting her fiancé Connor’s family retreat, Theo realizes that the very wealthy family is hiding a terrible secret—and that she has a connection to this place.

A Killing Cold explores the secrets, lies, and dysfunction surrounding the very wealthy Dalton family. The tension slowly builds, pulling you deeper into the dark side of the Daltons. In time, the secrets of every character are exposed, leading to a wild ending filled with shocking revelations.

If you’re into slow burn thrillers where everyone’s hiding something, you definitely need to check this one out!

Thank you Flatiron and MacMillan audio for review copies (gifted). I have been a fan of Kate Alice Marshall since her debut and appreciate her moody, tense and twisty plots. I loved how well this was narrated on audio, I could almost hear the crunch of cold snow and felt pulled into the winter cabin setting and the moody rich people privileged lives of many of the main characters. Marshall always satisfies indeed with interesting ways to connect a past wrong with a present day unraveling of secrets.

I struggled though with this one despite appreciating the stylish writing, the well crafted winter setting, and the complex connections and character backstories; I just never quite got into the pacing and characters, no one seeming all that like able and something that just kept me distant from the plot, not quite ready to feel I couldn't put it done, needed to know how it all came together. I am giving this four stars as I appreciated the moodiness, the slow burn engagement with the intricate plot. but also note that something was just kind of missing for me, I suspect it was not feeling connected to the characters as I am the kind of reader who just loves character driven, cheer on someone, vibe.

How far would you go to uncover the truth? Would you go so far as to hurt someone you love or even compromise yourself in some way? Would you take heed to threats and warnings or brush them off?

This book is full of mysteries and intrigue and does a nice job of meandering while helping you piece together the story. The author did a good job with giving you little pieces here and there to make you think you had it solved.

Having the audiobook brought a different tone to the story that stressed the anxiety of the main character which was mirrored in oneself while listening; it helped bring the story to life.

There was some nice world building with small details that really helped to bring out aspects of the book. Makes me think about different traditions within my friend and family groups. It also happened to take place near Christmas and I read it just after Christmas so still have the family loyalty and quality time on the mind.

Thank you to Flatiron Books for the eARC copy, Macmillan audio for the advance audiobook, the author, Kate Alice Marshall, and NetGalley!