THANK YOU so much Flatiron for the ARC of one of my most-anticipated books!

I've read all of Kate Alice Marshall's adult books and I think they're getting progressively better and better! I think this is her best yet!

Much like her last one, NO ONE CAN KNOW, the story starts out with a young couple happily in love and in similar fashion, they might not actually know each other as well as they thought they did. Connor and Theodora are engaged and so excited to start their new lives together as husband and wife. Unfortunately, someone is set on making sure that doesn't happen and is sending anonymous warnings to one of them to 'get out while they can.'

This story was INSANE! Wherever you think it's going to go, I can almost guarantee that you're wrong. If you thought you've heard about toxic in-laws before then BUCKLE UP, because you haven't seen anything yet!

The snowy cabin setting was immaculate and I'm pretty sure literally gave me chills while reading! The end of this really felt like a true thriller, my heart was racing and I was STRESSED OUT. I finished the book and 1AM because I couldn't sleep until I learned how things turned out.

Marshall kept the surprises coming throughout the whole story and fed them to me constantly which kept me locked in the whole time. Truly a fun reading experience.

A lot of it was definitely PUSHING it as far as believability goes, but I'm always down for CRAZY in my thrillers, so it didn't bother me!

4.5 rounded up for GR

Theo is engaged to Connor and is spending Christmas with his wealthy family for the first time at their mountain estate. Right away she starts to realize that the family has secrets they don’t want revealed and some of these secrets may have to do with Theo.

This book was so good. Incredibly well written and kept me at the edge of my seat the whole time. Great character development and the storyline flowed so well, revealing just enough in every chapter to make me keep turning pages. I did feel like there were a couple of loose ends that were not tied up that I would have liked to see some resolution with, but overall this was a really good book.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Flatiron books for the advance reader copy. This is my honest review. 4.5/5⭐️. Publication date Feb 4, 2025.

Interesting book, there are many different angles that come into play ion this book. I really enjoyed it. The setting was perfect for all that was revealed throughout the book. Multiple string characters with complex backstories. My only downside is there too much backstory with this many prime characters.

Thanks NetGalley great read!

✨review✨

Add this book for February 3, 2025 to your TBR lists 📖❄️❄️

A woman with a secret past, but a new start with her wealthy fiancé. She’s been invited to their beautiful cabins in the woods. Little did she realize they too have secrets of their own. Theo fell in love with Connor in an instant. He was the package deal- sweet, kind, funny, and an added bond….he came from the kind of money she couldn’t even dream of. Life was turning around. She thinks this weekend getaway to Idlewood, would win over his relatives.

But she keeps receiving these texts from an unknown number. To get away from Connor. She then sees footprints outside the cabin, and has this very odd and strange sense that she knows this place.

Theo then finds a photo of herself…..here at Idlewood: she has no recollection of her past and her childhood. But she begins to piece together her past. And thing become dangerous for Theo, because Connor’s family does not lose.

This was such a gripping, and suspenseful story! I couldn’t read fast enough. I loved the main character and the setting of this story made it that much more suspenseful. A great thriller! Thank you @netgalley @katealice1959 @flatiron_books for this advance copy! #katealicemarshall #thrillers #suspensfulreads #akillingcold

This book was amazing!!! I loved every twist and turn!!! I love how you keep getting bits and pieces along the way so it keeps you very engaged and intrigued. I will be running to the stores to purchase a copy of this book!! Thank you Netgalley!!!

When Theodora Scott met Connor (wealthy, charming, powerful)-she fell quickly. Six short months later she is invited to his families winter cabin to try to win over skeptical relatives that doubt her intentions. Before even arriving at the cabin, she receives warning messages from an unknown number-telling her to stay away. Already on high alert, she instinctively keeps her guard up and cautiously tries to figure out which family member wants her gone. Key a little snooping-which leads her to find a picture that looks very much like a young version of herself. Theo can’t remember much about her younger years, but as time passes by at the cabin, certain memories start to come to surface. Each family member seems to have things to hid, and how intertwined their “bad sides” are is hard to figure out.

While there is one big “coincidence” that only a book/movie can get away with, this was honestly one of my favorite new book reads. It was a super easy to get through, I enjoyed the characters, and it was definitely twisty/turny. I would most definitely recommend this book to friends and would read other books from this author. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the advance copy to review.

A newly engaged woman goes to meet her future husbands' wildly wealthy family for the first time, staying at their long standing compound. What could go wrong? This story is filled with the kind of unexpected twists and reveals that make it hard to put down. Highly recommend for travel or poolside reading. A total page turner.

A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall was a fast paced thriller which drew me in from the very beginning. Although it was the first book I have read by Kate Alice Marshall, it likely won't be my last. It kept me guessing until the very end!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The story starts with Theo Scott, newly engaged, and her fiancé who is taking her to meet his family at their mountain retreat. But somebody is sending Theo threatening text messages and her soon-to-be-in-laws have secrets they'll do anything to protect.

This might have a perfect beginning if, like me, you sometimes want instant gratification. There was no long-winded character intro to open the story, instead KAM throws her readers right into action, beginning with an exciting commute through the mountains. The setting is both idyllic and haunting. Imagine: a beautiful cabin in the woods, surrounded by snow... Romantic solitude. Unless of course you're being stalked, then that quiet wooded landscape becomes a hunting ground for monsters.

Theo avoids speaking of her past; raised by abusive stepparents, the details of her childhood are painful to remember. More painful than what she remembers is what she forgot: she has no memory of her real parents. Connor Dalton comes from an affluent family that's immediately suspicious of the woman with no money and no family history. Each conversation is an interrogation. KAM manages to create a situation that would be tense even without the stalker, child abuse, family secrets, and flashbacks to a memory that barely exists.

I like how shady the characters all were. Everyone wanted Theo gone, which meant everyone had motive, and the majority of them were all keeping secrets from the next guy, which meant nobody could be trusted. Not even Theo could be trusted, keeping her past a secret from everybody, including Connor.

And then as we approach the end: plot twist. Followed by another one. And another. The author kept me guessing (and surprised) right up until the last sentence.

It was an enjoyable read, I couldn't put it down once I picked it up. If you're looking for a mystery that is suspenseful and surprising this is it.

Not this author's best book that I have read but it was fast paced and kept my attention!

Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read this ARC!

This book did not disappoint! I’ve been a huge fan of Kate Alice Marshall’s thrillers for a few years and I was ecstatic to have the opportunity to receive an advance reader copy of her latest. The first teaser page had me snuggling in for full day of blissful reading. I was immediately hooked! Well thought out character development and plot twists and turns make this an easy book recommendation. I truly didn’t want to put it down! This one is my favorite Kate Alice Marshall book so far!

*I received an advance reader copy of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

Six months after Theo Scott’s whirlwind romance with Connor Dalton, he brought her to Idlewood, his wealthy family’s estate, to meet his family and announce their engagement. Days before their arrival, she began to receive text messages warning her to stay away from Connor.
Upon her arrival, she was met by a family that was skeptical about having her as a family member. The atmosphere was tense.
Soon after her arrival, strange things began to happen. The text messages warning her to stay away from Connor continued, and after observing footprints outside of her cabin window, she was gripped by a chilling fear someone was watching her. The area surrounding the estate was eerily familiar to her, and she began to feel that she had been there before
Curious about her familiarity with her surroundings, she explored a nearby empty cabin and, inside, found a photo of herself as a child. The photo was taken at Idlewood. As she began to piece together the memories she had of her childhood, she soon learned that the Daltons knew who she was and were protecting the shocking secret surrounding her past at Idlewood. A secret that has put her life in danger.

A Killing Cold provided exactly what I was looking for when I started it: a fast-paced, twisty thriller. No matter how many times you think you've figured it out, there's another twist just waiting to be unveiled. I will continue to look out for new releases from Kate Alice Marshall.

I love ANYTHING by Kate Alice Marshall and this book was no exception. Pulled me in right away and didn't let go until the end. I feel like this was even better than her last "No One Can Know". Pick this one up if you like a fast paced thriller!

A Killing Cold is yet another masterpiece of suspense from Kate Alice Marshall. Theo is a girl with a troubled past. She meets and falls in love with Connor Dalton. Connor is from an extremely wealthy family. Their backgrounds have nothing in common, or do they?
When Connor and Theo visit his family for Christmas at their winter cabins, things begin to unravel. The story unfolds with family secrets, dangers that lurk in the wintery woods, and mysterious happenings at every turn. It is an exciting thriller that leaves you guessing at every turn. Absolutely a 5-star read! Perfection!

First, let me beg you to take this review with a grain of salt. Why? Because I've LOVED her other books, and I went into this one with MASSIVELY high expectations. With that being said, while it's not my favorite of hers (nor, do I believe that it is her best), it was a quick and gripping read and definitely kept me entertained.
With that being said, let's get into some of the not-so-great things about this one (PS, there's going to be spoilers in this review):
First, the amount of times our narrator says something along the lines of "Connor lied to me" got a bit excessive. I get that she's trying to create suspicion around the character, and an untrustworthiness to Connor's personality, but I feel that this phrase was way overused (like, used on every other page, overused). It ended up feeling very repetitive and made the book slightly annoying to read.
Okay, now here come the spoilers... Trevor, absolute jerk. But why, if she trusts Connor, does she burn her hand to cover what Trevor did? If Connor loves her, and she believes he's not involved, then she should SHOW Connor her hand and explain what happened. This was just a really weird aspect of the plot, and it had me very annoyed with Theo's character.
In addition, I would put to you that the ENTIRE plot is incredibly unrealistic. Sure, Theo doesn't remember anything from her past. And sure, Connor didn't put all the pieces together either. But you're really telling me they met and fell in love by shear happenstance?! No... just, no. Yes, yes, we do hear about these crazy connection coincidence stories every now and again, but this is really outside the realm of plausibility.
Speaking of realistic, we also need to talk about this ending... what are the chances that she actually survives this? The whole snow mobile down the cliff thing just didn't seem super plausible. And then, she's being chased by a murderer and has enough wear-with-all to remember she has a knife and figure out (very quickly) how best to use it? Doesn't seem super likely to me.

I am giving four stars because I did like the overall story, and I do think she does a really nice job with character development. Slow burn, but overall, a quick read (but if you're a mood reader, I'd plan on this one in the winter).

Note: this review is now posted on my GoodReads account and I am going to encourage my bookclub to add this to the list after it's published in February!

Kate Alice Marshall does it again- Five stars 👏🏼 👏🏼

When Theo travels to the mountains where her wealthy fiancés family awaits to meet her, things feel all too familiar. She starts receiving texts and gifts telling her to leave. All her childhood memories she lacks slowly start to come back to her while visiting this mountain.

You can only imagine all the crazy twists and turns that unravel in this book. Don’t even get me started on all the secrets everyone has!

Wowwwee, I loved this thriller. Highly recommend reading this but good luck putting it down once you start.

Huge thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this advance readers copy in exchange for my honest review!

I found much to enjoy in the initial 60% of this book. The ominous atmosphere and the remote, mountainous setting kept me gripped throughout. The main character resonated with me, and I eagerly anticipated her unraveling the mystery of her past and its impact on her present. I initially believed this would be a solid 4-star read.

However, beyond the 60% mark, the pacing of the conclusion felt rushed and poorly executed. The narrative seemed hastily constructed, with too many obvious red herrings and unresolved storylines.

I was also disappointed by the romance subplot, which relied heavily on "fate" and felt overly contrived. The convenient alignment of events felt unrealistic and detracted from my enjoyment of the protagonist's journey.

The story is intense, and I love how the author sprinkles bits and pieces along the way. I have read prior books by this author, so when I saw that she had an ARC available, I immediately requested it!

4.5 stars for the genre

KAM is unstoppable. Her books just get better and better. This one was unputdownable and I loved every minute. Great characters and a great story to boot!