I was really hooked from the beginning! I loved the remote cabin setting and the compelling family secrets exposed little by little. Connor’s family was wealthy, pretentious and entitled, making it hard to like and trust them. The slow burn worked in this story because it left me wanting more at the end of each chapter. Once some big secrets were revealed, the story picks up and chaos begins. My head was spinning til the last page and I’m still not sure how I felt about the ending, which would definitely make for a great conversation!

A KILLING COLD was a solid thriller. Grabbed my attention from the start as meeting the future in-laws is an unnerving experience to begin with so the character already had my sympathy. Add in the fact the family is super wealthy and she’ll be staying at their secluded estate in the middle of winter, well, that’s some built in tension right there folks! A wild ride with some bumps here and there but still a good read.

I rarely read the publisher synopsis before diving into a thriller especially when it’s an author I’ve read before. So I was pleasantly surprised there being a possible connection between Theodora’s past and the family’s retreat was brought out early on instead of being strung out. I’m glad the author realized most readers would have picked up on it anyway so it never could be some grand reveal if left until the end. There was still the matter of the details which were given bit by bit and were enough to keep me invested in the story. There’s a lot of craziness you need to roll with but somehow it works out. It was an entertaining read and that goes a long way.

Recommend if you enjoy thrillers.

is a gripping psychological thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Theo's whirlwind romance with the charming Connor Dalton quickly turns into a suspenseful nightmare when she arrives at his family’s secluded winter retreat, Idlewood, and begins to uncover unsettling clues about her past. With messages warning her to stay away and a haunting photo from her childhood, Theo’s search for answers spirals into a high-stakes mystery, where nothing is as it seems. Henry masterfully builds tension, weaving together an atmospheric setting and a web of secrets that keeps readers guessing at every turn.

The novel's strength lies in its strong, determined protagonist and its twisty, unpredictable plot. As Theo pieces together fragments of forgotten memories, the stakes grow higher, and the danger becomes more real. With sharp writing and an engaging mystery, Stay Away from Idlewood is a page-turner that blends romance, suspense, and intrigue in a way that will captivate fans of psychological thrillers. Perfect for those who love a fast-paced, twist-filled read, this book is a thrilling ride from start to finish.

She's done it again! Kate Alice Marshall is one of my favorite thriller writers. Her books never fail to keep me engaged. I always fly through them. This was a great addition to her list. I enjoyed the winter setting and how the story was paced.

Kate Alice Marshall has rapidly become one of my favorite authors! This book was everything I hope for in a fast paced thriller.

We are introduced to Theo as she is headed to her fiancé Connor family’s estate in the woods to meet his family. Before they start out on their travels Theo starts receiving warnings to stay away from Connor and to definitely not go to the family estate. Wearily, she goes anyway. We’re introduced to an array of family members and the beautiful set of cabins the family has owned for decades. While exploring, Theo finds an abandoned cabin, called Dragonfly, and can’t help but feel like it’s not her first time inside that particular cabin. Her distant memories set off a chain of events that come to a screeching reveal! I loved every second of this book and will absolutely read anything Marshall publishes. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Let’s paint the picture of this story: secluded winter retreat filled with wealthy people that will do anything to hide their secrets. Add in repetitive narrative, unlikeable toxic characters and overall, my opinion is an outlier.

While not a new premise, the snowy secluded backdrop did give some edge to this story. Where I struggled was the suspense felt forced and the story unrealistic. I did finish the book, but I almost wish I hadn’t. You know the thrillers where the twist actually ruins the story for you? This is that book. It just didn’t add up.

One of the saving graces is Karissa Vacker as the narrator. She does a superb job of embodying the character of Theo. I don’t think I could have enjoyed any of this book if it weren’t for her. She has a skill for embracing suspense and is one of the best female thriller narrators out there!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this digital ARC & ALC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you Flatiron Books and Netgalley for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I had an incredibly hard time liking this book. I have read and enjoyed two of her others, so I was excited to see what she pulled out of her back pocket. I listened to most of it, so it was hard to follow the characters vs what timeline we were in. All the characters were unlikeable and quite frankly annoying. I finished listening to this a day ago and couldn't tell you what the big twist was. I think the plot just fell flat for me and I was unimpressed by the end. Because I liked her other books, I am interested in continuing to read her releases, I just think this book was not for me.

Kate Alice Marshall writes fantastic thrillers but this one just wasn’t for me. I found it to be a bit repetitive and prolonged. I enjoyed the “trapped in the mountain” trope but guessed pretty quickly what the twist would be and didn’t particularly like the characters. I feel like this could have been significantly shorter and it would have been more enjoyable. I did however enjoy confirming my theory was correct and I enjoyed that the main character got some closure.

Thank you to Flatiron books for an advanced readers copy of this title via NetGalley.

I adore Kate Alice Marshall! She is one of my favorite authors and she knocked it out of the park on this one. It was a quick read with lots of suspense. It did not take me long to read this one at all as I just couldn't put it down. Great setting and great characters. There weren't in my opinion any crazy unbelievable twists which is ok by me. Great book and I would highly recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley and Flatiron Books for allowing me to read this ARC.

This was a fast paced, atmospheric, winter thriller that kept me on my toes. There were so many twists and turns that kept me guessing how everything would play out. The main character was compelling and likable and the side characters ambiguous enough to keep me guessing but still well developed. If you’re looking for a winter thriller that will surprise you, definitely give this a try!

Theodora (Theo) Scott is engaged to Connor Dalton, whose family is fabulously wealthy. In "A Killing Cold," by Kate Alice Marshall, Connor invites his fiancée to Idlewood, the Dalton retreat, for the winter holidays. Theo is nervous about meeting Connor's relatives. It is clear that they consider her to be a gold-digger who is unworthy of joining their distinguished clan. If the Dalton's knew details about Theo's harrowing childhood, they would be even more horrified.

This is an atmospheric psychological thriller in which the occupants of Idlewood are cut off from civilization by limited cellular service and inclement weather. Connor is devoted to Theo, but she fears that his family will succeed in turning him against her. We sympathize with this young woman, who is treated badly by Connor's intimidating grandparents, Magnus and Louise; Connor's arrogant uncle, Nick; and Connor's selfish and malicious younger brother, Trevor. Theo soon suspects that there is a sinister reason for the Daltons' excessive hostility towards her.

Marshall does a fine job of creating a mood of impending doom. Theo's frequent nightmares stem from hazy memories that give her no peace. When she begins to recall episodes from her childhood, we sympathize with her intense anguish. Red herrings abound, there are several violent deaths, and the author wraps things up with an overly melodramatic and convoluted finale. Although readers will root for Theo to survive her ordeal, accompanying her on this distressing journey into the past is more exhausting than entertaining.

This book was set up to be a perfect winter read for me! A remote setting, rich people with dangerous secrets, unlikeable characters all over, and a mystery to keep you guessing. A Killing Cold has plenty of twists and I was invested in finding out what happened to Theo with her new, creepy family. The story almost has a claustrophobic feel (set in a blizzard) that lends to the suspense. I did figure out how the story would wrap up before I got there but it still a very fun, engaging read. Thanks to Kate Alice Marshall, Flatiron Books, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I have said before that Kate Alice Marshall can do no wrong and this title was no exception. Twists, turns, scandals, murders-what else could a girl want?! I thought I knew where it was going to end up, and the end still got me!! 4.5/5!

I quite enjoy Kate Alice Marshall's books as a rule, and this was no exception. I'll tell you the one thing I struggled with from the start: the "I should tell them but nah" trope. Idk what to call this honestly- I have called it the "lack of communication", "lie of omission"... it needs a proper name and I am posting a discussion about this now because it is bothering me. Anyway. That is my one issue. Theo has some stuff that she keeps not telling Connor, and while I get it, it is just one trope that irritates me.

That said, everything else about the book was fabulous! I loved the atmosphere, and the unhinged vibe Connor's family gives off from the start. Like you know they're messy, but you have no idea just how messy it all gets. I really enjoyed unraveling the secrets and mysteries, too. Theo was definitely an entertaining character, as she herself was missing a lot of information about her own past, so it made her a bit... not unreliable, but just unknowing, I guess. Whatever the case, I found it very readable.

I loved that I never knew who we could trust, who was out to get Theo, or what would ultimately happen with her and Connor. There are just so many fun things to find out, and I definitely could not put this one down. Also, highly recommend reading it in the winter, I loved the snowy setting!

Bottom Line: Another exciting and compelling thriller from Kate Alice Marshall!

Kate Alice Marshall is particularly excellent at writing settings, which remains with this fast-paced, atmospheric thriller that kept me turning the pages. I love an isolated, snowy mountain setting, especially when it is vital to the story.

Despite my initial guess at who the "bad guy" was being correct, I second-guessed myself throughout the entire book. I was pleased by how easy it was to follow all the characters. Typically, when you have this many characters, especially several badly behaving rich people, it becomes hard for them to distinguish themselves.

Yet, while The Killing Cold was a fun way to spend an afternoon, I did have a few issues. I'm not a fan of characters' memories conveniently surfacing to move the plot/mystery along. There has to be a better way for a character to discover secrets from their past. Further, you have to suspend disbelief to buy how the story unfolds. I know this is common in thrillers, but even I was surprised by the setup and how much I had to buy into the storyline.

I believe thriller lovers will enjoy this a lot, as I often have issues with thrillers in general.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book kept my interest and was a very quick read. Would recommend to people looking for a fun thriller

A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall is best enjoyed in front of a fire or under a fluffy blanket to keep you warm while reading this snowy slow burn.

While meeting her fiancé’s family for the first time at their winter retreat, Theo has the weirdest feeling that she has been there before. As she explores the compound, she starts recovering her memories and unearthing long buried family secrets.

I really enjoyed the isolated mountain setting as it gave the story some extra character. The Daltons were the perfect rich family behaving badly, with plenty of secrets and money to backstab and manipulate others and Theo was a compelling protagonist, whose past is slowly revealed through flashbacks. If you love twists, this one had plenty, but there was maybe one too many for me. Overall, this was a solid read that made me glad I have a normal boring family.

This was a fine but forgettable thriller for me. It was an entertaining listen for sure and the audio narrator did a good job, but this is the second book I have read by this author and I think her books are just kind of middle of the road for me. It's a quick listen though - so if you need a palette cleanser after a long or serious book, this might be a good one for you. Especially if you love her other books - because I did enjoy this one more than What Lies in the Woods.

4.5 stars
A Killing Cold, by Kate Marshall, drew me in and kept me mesmerized from the opening sentence—“In the house in the woods, the girl waits for the monster to come.”
This is a fine psychological suspense with a chilling menace that never lets go!
Main character Theo is engaged to her dream guy Connor Dalton, who is handsome, sexy and wealthy. They met in Southern California at UC Irvine, fell in love quickly and became engaged. Little does Theo know how dark her world will become when Connor takes her to his family’s expansive, isolated, mountaintop retreat for their annual Christmas get-together. As she is dropped into the family drama, she becomes increasingly disquieted by the mostly hostile Dalton clan and their mysterious backstories.
I consider this novel equally plot driven and character driven. I enjoyed the twisty drama and plot tension that ramps up the intensity and feeling of mounting dread throughout, all the way to the conclusion. Yet I also appreciate the author’s insightful exploration of the natures of the characters, especially Theo. She is complex and conflicted, and she exudes a damaged girl/woman persona. This woman, however, does not need rescuing—her scrappy self-preservation in desperate moments is admirable and exciting to follow. The rest of the characters—Connor, Magnus, Mrs. Dalton, Uncle Nick—are generally unlikeable and portrayed as corrupted by their wealth, while also intriguingly sinister.
This is an enjoyable, well-plotted thriller that I could not put down! Readers who like the intense psychological suspense of a locked-room scenario on an isolated mountaintop in a blizzard will be very happy with this book!

Thank you to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.

I loved the wintery setting in this book. And the story was interesting enough to keep me invested. But it didn’t blow me away, and the ending dragged on for way too long. Ultimately I think the plot was a bit too complicated, so the ending required way too much explanation. But overall it was a decent book. Still worth your time if it’s one you’ve been looking forward to.