Thank you to Net Galley and Flatiron Books for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
When Theodora Scott is invited to visit her wealthy fiancée's mansion, there is more than meets the eye. As Theodora gets to know Connor's family, she realizes they are hiding some secrets. She also realizes that she has been there before. It was a fun read discovering the family's secrets and Theodora's background. I enjoyed this mystery. It was well-written with a lot of twists along the way. Highly recommend!

What waits in the woods was one of my favorite reads from 2023, so I was very excited to dive into the author's newest story. Our main character, Theo, is newly engaged after meeting her person not so long ago. Her fiancés family has invited them to their very isolated compound in the middle of the woods for the Christmas holiday. Theo realizes that this place seems familiar but does not know why. Her fiancé's family is not super welcoming and Theo tries to understand their family dynamics. Everyone has something to hide, including Theo, when memories start to resurface and secrets come to light. The past can be terrifying. This story hooked me from the first page and I could not stop until everything was revealed. I loved the wintery, woodsy atmosphere. I also liked the way this story smoothly weaved in and out of two timelines. This is a fantastic, chilling read for October. Kate Alice Marshall is killing it! 4 STARS!

Thank you to NetGalley, Kate Alice Marshall, & Flatiron Books for this ARC!

A wealthy family will do anything, and I mean anything, to protect their
reputation. But things become very complicated when it turns out the family
has been hiding things from each other. The setting of a camp like compound
on an isolated private mountain in the dead of winter helps make this twisty
tale of family, lies, and murder a thriller you won’t be able to put down.

Wow! This book kept me on my toes the entire time. Every time I thought I had it figured out a new twist. A few times the twist was so shocking I audibly gasped. This is definitely worth the read and may be her best book to date. I loved the characters and loved that you were still trying to understand them along the way. The suspense kept you guessing the entire way. This is a perfect winter read that will keep you guessing.

3.5/5🌟 my second kate alice marshall did not disappoint! this was a quick, thrilling ride that’s perfect for people who love to curl up by the fireplace during winter with a good mystery book. I did not guess the plot twist/ending but I also didn’t find it to be super mind blowing either. there were some slower parts that didn’t offer much, but overall it was a good read! thank you to NetGalley and flatiron for the arc!

Getting Murky Family Affairs in Order

Dead of winter, a young woman and her fiancé are making a trip to introduce her to his wealthy family at their mountain retreat, Idlewood. Even before they arrive, cryptic messages warning her about coming are ominously showing up on her cellphone.

And she brings her own hazy unresolved mysteries from her past: “I’ve always liked to know the names of things. It’s the next best thing to knowing my own.” Who is Theodora Scott, aka Theo, the narrator of this tale?

Kate Alice Marshall’s 2024 twisty thriller, “A Killing Cold”, moves back and forth between the present drama of meeting and spending time with three generations of the Dalton clan – patriarch Magnus and his wife, Louise; Rose and Nick; the newest generation, Alexis, Conor and Trevor – and Theo’s hazy early life recollections and later growing up adopted in Los Angeles. And of course, Daniel Vance (no relation to the present), the longtime dependable caretaker.

At first, it’s a lot to track, a little confusing (probably by design) but then the story’s pace picks up once a rhythm between past and present gets established.

From the get-go, it is clearTheo has packed more baggage than her suitcase holds: "I have a few bad habits. A history of looking where I shouldn't." As she recalls after being adopted, "The Scots called me Dora. Theodora Hosanna Scott, their gift from god, the child sent when they could have no children. Maybe to another girl they could have been kind, but I was too wicked from the start. ...It didn't take them long o conclude that I wasn't a miracle after all, but devil-sent."

There is a suspicious death at Idlewood years earlier that casts a shadow on the motives for the seemingly secretive behavior of the Dalton gang despite their enormous success and wealth. They do not take kindly to outsiders even if one of their own is bringing her to the compound. With its remote location think Overlook Hotel from Stephen King’s 1977 “The Shining”.

As Theo’s past amnesia lifts, her understanding of what’s happening and who she is gets better but not without its many unexpected twists – like Alfred Hitchcock’s 1945 film “Spellbound” with Gregory Peck and Ingrid Bergman.

Meanwhile, the Daltons seem to be experiencing something akin to an updated version of the 1956 gothic melodrama film, “Written on the Wind”, with Rock Hudson, Lauren Bacall, Robert Stack and Dorothy Malone.

Pushing the limits of credibility, sure. But engaging while you sit to read by the fire during the storm, definitely.

📚 A Killing Cold
✍ Kate Alice Marshall
📖 Mystery/Thriller
⭐4.5/5

➡ Though it's only been six months since their initial meeting, Connor Dalton and Theo Scott are madly in love and anxious to begin their lives together. For their first holiday season, Connor invites Theo to his family's isolated east coast estate and into all the drama that ensues when his multi-generational uber wealthy family gets together.

Upon arrival, something seems oddly familiar to Theo, who has no memories of her early childhood but was brought up on the other side of the country. When she finds a picture that she's sure is of herself as a child in an abandoned cabin, she's convinced that the estate must hold the key to her mysterious past. But someone is determined to keep her away from the answers she seeks and the more she pushes for clues, the bloodier the week becomes. As days pass and the mountain resort chills to its coldest, Theo gets closer to connecting the dots on what happened years ago but the Daltons will protect each other at any cost- and that may mean Theo won't make it down the mountain at all.
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🙏 Thank you to Flatiron Books, NetGalley and Kate Alice Marshall for the advanced copy of A Killing Cold. All opinions are my own.
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🎯 What I loved: This book was SO twisty. Every time I thought the other shoe had dropped, something shifted and another secret was revealed. Between the sinister characters, steady revelations and the intensely isolated setting, this was easily one of the most propulsive thrillers I've read this year. I was fascinated by Theo and loved the way that readers were finding about her past the same time that she herself was discovering things. Though the book was written in third person, there are lots of little snippets of memories or flashbacks, so it keeps you on your toes. My only caution: make sure you read this by the fire because you'll definitely get the chills while reading!
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Read if you love:
*uber wealthy families with LOTS of secrets
*secluded settings with no way out
*class clashes
*'meet the parents' drama
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See also: The Family Game, The Heiress, One by One

I love a good mystery and enjoyed the author's debut novel What Lies in the Woods. A Killing Cold is cut from the same cloth: it's engaging, well written, and is a page turner. This one felt like it covered much more familiar tropes from mystery novels: marrying into a rich family, sinister secrets, a chilly mountain retreat that you can't easily leave from with no cell service, etc. I still enjoyed it though and was good fun.

Like the author's other novels, what I didn't like is how incredibly intricate the mystery ends up being, with 80% more twists than are needed, to an almost outlandish degree. It's kind of like watching a soap opera. If you're in the mood for the dramatic music and cheesy endless backstabbings and twists, it's good fun. I prefer my mysteries to be closer to Tana French's style (one or two twists max, and that don't bring to mind a red string diagram for how complex they are plotted out), so it could be personal preference. I felt that way about both other books from the author, and this one turned it up to 11 with new twists and changes so often in the last 20% of the book.

Overall still an enjoyable read. My personal enjoyment level went down from a 5 to closer to a 3 due to the last 20%, but was still a quick, engaging, and fun mystery.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to review this.

This is my first book by this author. An enjoyable snowed in who done it mystery. There were a lot twists and I might dare say too many twists. Overall I enjoyed the characters as they were well fleshed out. Good winter mystery and I will be checking out the authors other books.

Thank you to Netgally and Flatiron Books for providing this ARC.

A Killing Cold is the perfect winter suspense thriller! I loved the atmosphere of Idlewood and the chilling mystery behind Theo’s identity. The characters were the ideal mix of unlikable and sympathetic, and I was fooled several times by those I emphasized with most. With more family secrets revealed with every twist, this novel is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. My favorite novel yet by Kate Alice Marshall!

Thank you to Netgalley and Flatiron Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

read if you like:
🏡 family dynasties
😱 traumatic pasts
📚 books by Lucy Foley or Lisa Jewell

summary:
This book follows Theodora “Theo” Scott, who is engaged to Connor Dalton, a member of the Dalton family dynasty, when he brings her to his family’s isolated winter retreat for the holidays. After only knowing each other six months, Theo knows their relationship is rushed — and immediately faces the wrath of his family for the same. But there’s something more. She’s been getting threatening messages, warning her to stay away, when she finds something suspicious in one of the cabins — a picture of herself as a child. Has she been there before? Her childhood was traumatic, to say the least, but she wonders how her adoptive family may be closer to the Daltons than she could have ever imagined. And now that she’s stuck with them in the middle of the woods, she’s bound to find out the truth before she leaves.

This book feels like it follows a fairly normal trope — poor girl meets wealthy guy and his family disapproves — but it has its own twists that make it unique. First off, all of the characters have their own backstories. Every member of Connor’s family comes with baggage, and I spent most of the book trying to figure out whose side everyone was on. The story also cuts between the present and memories of the past, which explain Theo’s family and how she found herself at the estate so many years ago. The story is definitely more complicated than your average thriller, but it’s easy to follow and moves quickly. There are a LOT of back and forths and red herrings, and up until the last page, you won’t truly know what happened. The ending itself is also bittersweet in a way that doesn’t feel totally resolved. While I typically need a “happy ending” all wrapped up, it worked well for this book.

This is my first Kate Alice Marshall book but definitely won’t be my last. Thanks to Flatiron Books and Net Galley for the ARC, and check this out when it releases on February 4, 2025!

Connor and Theo’s whirlwind engagement takes a dark turn when she visits his family’s estate, Idlewood. Theo starts receiving mysterious texts warning her to stay away from Connor. As she unravels her past, Theo finds a photograph of herself as a child—with Connor’s father. Haunted by questions about her forgotten past, she becomes determined to uncover the truth: Why is her photo hidden in a cabin on Connor’s family property? Can Theo trust Connor, or is he part of a dangerous secret?

The BEST book I've read this year. This book kept me guessing and literally on the edge of my seat the whole time. I can't recommend it enough for anyone looking for a twisty captivating book about a rich family with serious secrets.

Thank you to NetGalley and flatiron books for the ARC ebook for my honest review.

Kate Alice Marshall is an autobuy for me, so I was thrilled to get an ARC from NetGalley for her book coming out in Feb 2025. I already loved her books, but this one blew me away. The atmosphere, the characters, and the twists all hit exactly the right note. It was one of those books where I had my Kindle with me all the time and anytime I had a spare minute, I would get a few more pages in. Highly recommended!!!

Many thanks to the author, NetGalley and the publishing company for the advanced copy of this book. This is one of my top reads this year and is definitely going to be one that sticks with me . Honestly , who can resist a past lost to amnesia , juicy in-law drama, & a mysterious secluded setting ?

Kate Alice Marshall is an absolute queen when it comes to building tension ! This book is one that keeps you on the edge of your seat start to finish. Even as parts of the story unfold and you speculate about the truths of each part of the story , you can’t help but be skeptical of your assumptions. While I did piece a few things together I didn’t guess one of the larger twists .

I love that despite a very full cast of characters I was able to identify each character and form a full visual based on Marshall’s excellent descriptions and character development !

The last 20% will have you spinning a bit with all the twists but it is worth every minute.

I look forward to reading more by Kate Alice Marshall. What a way to come out of a reading slump!

She's back with another hit!! Kate originally won me over with What Lies In The Woods and this latest book filled the need for a chilling wintry escape. Messy family drama, web upon web of lies and secrets that not only end relationships, but end lives.

* Thank you NetGalley & Flatiron Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. *

A Killing Cold is about Theo, a girl with no memory of her past who arrives to meet her future in laws - and suddenly realizes there may be more at play here than your usual holiday get away.

Another great read from Kate Alice Marshall. It was, at times, a bit unbelievable, but to be honest, I never care about that with most mystery books and especially not KAM's, because I am here for the ride, not for the small details. And the ride of this book was as fun as ever. I LOVE her mysteries, because they never quite go where you think they will, and they always take a detour to crazy town (in the best way possible).

Highly recommend to anyone who likes twisty thrillers, and especially if you like them set in cold, desolate places, like I do.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

A Killing Cold actually delivered a handful of unexpected twists. It started a bit slow but the pace picked up as the pieces of Theo’s memory started to fall back into place. This would be a great book for a snow day.

Kate Alice Marshall is basically an auto-request at this point, but add in a snowed-in plot, deep family secrets, and a cast of very suspicious characters — and I. Am. In.

Unlike some of Marshall's previous books, this one took me a little longer to get into. Theo's flashbacks and vague references to her past were a bit distracting because they were so (seemingly) out of context. Around the 25% point, the story really picks up and I flew through the middle part. Without revealing spoilers, the ending gave me a bit of whiplash. The author clearly constructed a very nuanced mystery, but the reveals were so back to back, even after finishing the book, I have to stop and try to recall what the actual truth was. And while I love being surprised, I do wish the ending could have been a bit easier to get through.

That said, I still loved this book and am anxiously awaiting Marshall's next one.

I couldn’t turn the pages of this book fast enough! This was twisty and turny in all the right places!

Theo is adopted and doesn’t know her real name or who she really is. She goes to meet her fiancé’s wealthy family for the first time at their estate of cabins in the mountains. While she’s there she begins receiving disturbing messages from someone on the estate that start ignite memories from her past and who she really is. She discovers more and more about her past whiles she’s there and soon realizes she may be in real danger for her life.

This book will make you question everything and everyone! I love the feeling of isolation the author created with the snowy mountain setting. It makes the plot so intense and compelling. I adore a good rich vs. poor trope and this one was well done.

Additionally, the twists in this book just kept on coming once they started and I kept on being shocked at the unpredictability.

Loved this!

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron books for this advanced e-copy in exchange for my honest review.