A Killing Cold is a slow burn thriller that is perfect to read in the cold season of winter. The setting is just as important to the story as the characters. Theo is a young woman meeting the family of her ultra rich fiancé for the first time at an isolated compound complete with a luxurious lodge and multiple cabins. Connor appears to be the perfect man but did he have an ulterior motive in arranging to meet her? Theo is also dealing with having no recall of her early childhood except for pieces of dreams. However, something about the family compound is familiar even though she grew up on the other side of the country.

I really enjoyed how the story came together, with the present day mixed with Theo’s memories. There were a lot of characters to keep track of but it all became clear at the end. It was a slow, satisfying reveal.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Flatiron Books for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Thanks to Flatiron Books for the gifted copy!

About the book: Theodora Scott is invited to Connor Dalton's family estate for a retreat. Before she goes, she receives a text to stay away from Connor, and when she's there, mysterious footprints show up outside her cabin window. Nightmares and flashbacks become more vivid and Theodora is left wondering if her relationship with Connor isn't the first connection she has with the Dalton family.

My review: I have absolutely loved Kate Alice Marshall's thrillers over the last few years, but this one takes the cake! I was hooked from the first chapter and binged it in one day. A KILLING COLD had just the right makings for a perfect thriller: the shady, rich Dalton family, the setting of their remote camp in the winter, the amnesia due to childhood trauma leaving some gaps that were revealed throughout the book, and a subtle love storyline. This book is a total winner - make sure it's on your list!

I devoured this book in less than 12 hours if that tells you anything!

Theo arrives at her fiancee's family palatial estate in Upstate New York to meet them for the first time. Theo is nervous to meet them, but not for the typical reasons. Connor doesn't know about Theo's traumatic past, but as the weekend wears on, secrets kept by Theo and Connor's family are revealed, forcing everyone to evaluate who they trust.

The pacing in this book was exquisite. It clipped at an almost frenetic pace, but it never felt too fast, it kept me turning pages. Every chapter left me wanting more.

Theo was an empathetic but also intriguing character. As I learned more about her past, I wanted to know more about the secrets the Dalton family were hiding.

The reveal at the end left me shook, which is how every good thriller should end.

I had sky-high expectations for this, as I do for anything Kate Alice Marshall at this point. I do prefer her YA books to her adult thrillers, but they're always a shocking ride. This one fell a bit short and flat, all things considered: I found it the least shocking of her thrillers, and I found myself guessing the twists and hoping there was more to it (there was not). I also at times couldn't stand the main character's ridiculous decisions, so that made reading it a bit less fun than I prefer for thrillers. It still read super-fast and had a great winter setting, though.

Thank you Net Galley for the ebook copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

I love this author’s writing!! The winter mountain setting was captivating and made the mystery/thriller elements of this story compelling. Theo’s own distrust in her past also made all of the plot twist reveals by the end catch me in surprise - I thought I knew what the sequence of events were until BOOM something came up and shook it all. The last half of the book is where it fully picked up for me and I had to stay up to finish it!

5/5 would highly recommend!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron books for the ARC!

Theodora Scott is recently engaged to Connor Dalton, a son of a very wealthy and powerful family. The "family" has invited the couple to their family camp in the mountains that they own in order to evaluate whether Theo will be a welcomed daughter-in-law or cast off as a gold digger. Theo is an ordinary girl who works at a bookstore. She has no family as she was orphaned as a child and then adopted by a severely dysfunctional family she no longer engages with. Theo also has been receiving threatening texts warning her to stay away from Connor. The longer the 2 are at the camp, the more they realize that everyone in the family is guarding secrets, including Theo.

This is a fast paced, domestic drama that is both suspenseful and chaotic. I found the characters to be relatable. I loved how the secrets were released slowly and yet seemed to be all intertwined. While the ending of the story was a mix of far fetched and predictable, the tension building up to the climax and shocking revelations made the read very enjoyable. Highly recommend!

Thank you Netgalley and Flatiron books for an advanced copy of Marshalls newest thriller! Theodora Scott is newly engaged and so excited to meet her fiances family at Christmastime. She is even more excited when she gets invited to their isolated estate in the woods. She receives an icy welcome, but that is the least of her concerns when she starts having memories of this estate that she has never been to before. While I enjoyed this book, was not my favorite of hers.

I have loved every one of Kate Alice Marshall’s books and this one is no different. I was immediately drawn into our FMC’s story, the past she couldn’t fully remember and just what kind of secrets were being hidden. Our MMC had a family full of unsavory characters and I really enjoyed not knowing who to trust. The final twist was truly jaw dropping - I’m not being dramatic when I say, I never would have guessed how this story was going to play out. And the way this author wrote it, it just worked! The slow burn type of pace definitely played up to what was going on in the story. I loved the isolated winter setting too!

Thank you to Flat Iron for the ARC! “A Killing Cold” is out January 14, 2025. This review will be shared to my Instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

I read this in October & forgot to review it here and unfortunately I remember almost nothing about the book. Not a good sign lol. I do remember finding it similar to the family game by Catherine steadman which I absolutely loved but this one clearly did not do it for me. I loved this authors first book but all the following books I haven’t loved. Hopefully the next one wins me back

I was super excited when I received this ARC. I have read this author’s previous books and they were amazing. She has written one of my favorite thriller books of all time. No surprise Kate Alice Marshall delivered again!

Connor Dalton and Theodora Scott have a quick engagement and are going up to Idlewood to meet Connor’s family for a winter retreat. Theo has had a traumatic childhood and is unable to recall her formative years. She has certain images from her past but can't discern them. Once in Idlewood, she can't help but feel she has been there before. Her memory slowly starts to unravel, revealing terrible secrets from the Dalton family.

I was on the edge of my seat! This book was super fast paced and kept me guessing till the last second. So many twists and turns! I could not put it down! All the characters were super distinct and everyone looked suspicious. I would highly recommend reading A Killing Cold!

Thank you Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

If you're looking for a fast-paced thriller you'll enjoy this book. I liked the family secrets and the mystery of discovering what happened to Theo's mother. I think the audiobook was well done and I highly recommend it.


Many thanks to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for my gifted copy.

This review will be shared to my Instagram (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

Kate Alice Marshall is an auto buy author for me. I was so excited to get my hands on early digital and audiobook copies of this story. Five stars for this thriller/mystery with way too many secrets to count. It is the perfect winter read!

Theo Scott is in love with Connor Dalton. They have not been together long when they decide to get married. Connor's family has questions, and they want to meet Theo. Connor takes her home to Idlewood, his family's retreat in the mountains for the Holidays. Theo is nervous because she wants to make a good impression, but from the start, things are not what they seem deep in the mountains.

The twists come early and often in this tense, immersive story. You will feel cold throughout due to the incredible way this author puts you onto this mountain. There are secrets and dark corners everywhere. And just when you think you have something figured out, she throws something else at you.

The Dalton Family is a lot, to put it mildly. It is difficult for the reader to get a read on any one of them. And just when you do, you are thrown for another loop. This book is fast-paced, and you will have difficulty putting it down!

I really liked Theo a lot. She was honest, sometimes brutally so. She has so many secrets of her own, and she is truly just looking for a place to belong. Theo is one of the toughest characters I have read this year. I was rooting for her from the beginning.

If you enjoy audiobooks, this one is spectacular. Karissa Vacker does a phenomenal job voicing Theo as well as the other characters in the story. You feel all of the feelings that Theo describes. I highly recommend the audiobook for this one!

Thank you to NetGalley, Flatiron Books, and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read and listen to this one! It is the absolute perfect winter read. This one releases on February 4th, so preorder it today!

First winter thriller of the season? Check! ☑️ A Killing Cold was everything I wanted it to be! It grabbed my full attention from the first chapter and kept me guessing through the entire book. The isolated snowy setting was perfect and the drama with this rich family was messy and I loved every second. I can’t wait to get to more of Kate Alice Marshall’s backlist! 👏

Read if you like…
❄️ Snowy thrillers
🔪 Tons twists and turns
🩸 Isolated settings
🧸 Family drama
🧣 Secrets and more secrets

Thank you to Netgalley and Flatiron Books for the ALC and eARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rounded up

Definition of a page turner! I was hooked from the first page. Something else I commend is the author’s world building. Usually this is important in fantasy but the people and the crime scenes in this story feel so real.

Just like I have all of Kate Alice Marshall’s previous novels, I loved A Killing Cold. If I could give it more than five stars, I would, because, from the very first sentence to the very last, I was completely and thoroughly riveted.

Theo is my favorite kind of character. She’s strong, and she’s flawed. She’s tough and resilient, and she’s the kind of character that just worked her way in and kept me anxiously flipping pages until the bombshell conclusion.

The setting of a snowy mountain with a spectacular lodge and one lonely ramshackle cabin…perfect. There isn’t a single thing about A Killing Cold that I would change.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #FlatironBooks for the book #AKillingCold by #KateAliceMarshall. Theo is going to meet her fiancé, Connor’s family for the first time. While there she gets threatening messages telling her to leave and stay away. She finds a photo of her as child in an empty cabin and memories start coming back to her as if she has been there before. She has flashbacks of her mother, and is trying to put it all together. There are secrets this family doesn’t want revealed and they will do anything to keep them hidden. Is Theo in trouble? Should she just run away from them all?

YES. Okay, now THIS is a THRILLER. I absolutely loved this one. You might think you have things all figured out but I can almost guarantee that while you might predict some of the twists, there’s no way you’ll see everything that’s coming. A Killing Cold had me absolutely hooked from beginning to end. Not only is it filled with unpredictable twists and heart-pounding suspense, but it is also such a character-driven story! The FMC will have you rooting for her all the way while simultaneously questioning her motives. Add this one to your lists and get ready for a crazy ride!

Huge thank you to Kate Alice Marshall, Flatiron Books, Macmillan Audio, & NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for this audio edition of A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall.

Talk about a great winter read! The atmosphere alone will chill your bones.

When Theodora goes to meet Connor's family at their winter property, she has no idea what is in store for her. Not only is his family dripping with wealth, they're also dripping with suspicion towards her. Dismayed, Theodora does what she can to win their favor, but something is niggling at her. She can't shake the feeling that she has somehow been at this place before, but that's impossible, especially given how random her meeting with Connor is. Are these memories fabricated, or is something more sinister going on...

This is a solid three star mystery in my book. It's easy to follow, great with the backdrop, compelling character development, and yet nothing especially out of the ordinary. It was a good winter mystery.

Thank you, #Partner @flatiron_books, @macmillianusa, and @netgalley for my #gifted (free) copies. Pub date 2/4/25.

If you're looking for a chilly snow setting thriller, this is definitely the book for you! This was a quick fast read, and I could feel the tension in the cold, chilly air when it came to the Dalton family. I love reading books with a snow setting while it's actually snowing, so I read this book at the perfect time. Get your pre-orders in!

Newly engaged, Theodore Scott and Conner Dalton have not been together long before their engagement. Conner is bringing Theo to meet his family for the first time up in the snowy mountains to the Dalton's beautiful family home at Idlewood. The Dalton's are wealthy and Theo had a challenging upbringing, and Theo needs to impress grandma so she will be accepted into the family. Theo keeps getting strange text messages, and she can't shake the feeling that she has been to Idlewood before, has she? You won't know who to trust in this chilling new thriller!

Theodora (Theo) Scott is nervous about meeting her fiancé Connor’s family at their fancy retreat in the woods. The Dalton family is fabulously wealthy, powerful, and intimidating, and Theo has already received several anonymous texts warning her to stay away. When she arrives at Idlewood, Theo is struck by the strange feeling that she’s been there before, a feeling that grows stronger they longer she stays. As she pieces together long-ago memories, someone in the family is determined to stop her from remembering, putting Theo in grave danger.

This is Kate Alice Marshall’s best book yet, and I could not put it down! The snowy, remote setting is so atmospheric and lends such an ominous feel to the whole story that I was hooked immediately. The characterization is great and there are so many motives and red herrings that it kept me guessing the entire time. I suspected just about every single character at one time or another and was still shocked by all of the delicious twists and turns this locked room thriller served up! If you are looking for a bone-chilling wintry thriller, you won’t want to miss this one!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for providing me an advance copy of this book.