Julie Adler is a former Olympic biathlete (skiing + target shooting) living in California. When her life is thrown into turmoil after her husband dies by suicide and she finds out she has no money, she returns to Canada and gets a job from an old friend, working as a maid in a picturesque Banff ski resort. When a hotel guest turns up dead, everyone suspects Julie, and she has to stay ahead of the police (and the real killer) to clear her name.

This was a fun one! Fast-paced, super cool setting, and a unique main character! The early reveal of the killer wasn't my favorite while I was reading, but the more I've thought about it, getting that business out of the way (because it was honestly pretty clear who it was going to be) and focusing instead on the action (and wondering when Julie would wise up to what was going on) led to some harrowing moments! Julie was an interesting, intense character -- love that her Olympic training is what got her through the roughest moments -- so few people could do what she did, that it made it all the more impressive. I did have a few flashbacks to watching the Tori Spelling movie, Alibi, but in an "I love this and I wish I had some popcorn" way.

Overall, this was an engaging, fast-paced thriller in a killer setting. It *almost* makes me want to ski!

(3.5 rounded up)

Atmospheric, action-packed, and full of twists!

I received an ARC of Running Cold in exchange for an honest review, and it was such a gripping ride! From the isolated, snowy setting of Banff to the tangled mysteries surrounding Julie Adler, this story had me hooked from start to finish.

The narration in the audiobook was top-tier. Each voice brought the characters to life and added depth to the story. Hearing the different POVs—Julie, her California friends, the hotel manager Remy, and Detective Monique Montpelier—kept the pacing dynamic and made the twists all the more engaging.

While I figured out the killer about halfway through, the “why” behind the murder and the additional reveals about Julie’s husband’s death and his secrets still surprised me. The layered plot gave me just enough breadcrumbs to keep me invested without spoiling the surprises. And the ending? Let’s just say it kept me thinking long after the last chapter.

What I Loved:

The Banff setting was incredibly vivid, with the treacherous mountains and luxurious yet eerie hotel adding to the tension.
Julie’s character arc, as she went from shattered and hiding to determined and resourceful, was compelling.
The unique biathlon background for Julie was an unexpected twist that added an extra edge to her survival skills.
The blend of action, mystery, and character-driven drama was seamless.
What Could Be Better:

Some moments toward the end felt a bit rushed or over-the-top compared to the slower, more suspenseful build-up.

Final Thoughts:
If you’re looking for a winter thriller with heart-pounding action, multidimensional characters, and a snowy, atmospheric backdrop, Running Cold is the perfect pick. Highly recommend, especially as the colder months set in!

This is the best winter thriller you likely haven't heard of! I love thriller books on audio and this is narrated by a full cast. Full review coming soon!

Synopsis: Julie Adler’s perfect facade is shattered by grief when her husband commits suicide. His death reveals that their luxurious California life was a house of cards, and his secret business dealings have left Julie penniless.

As she strikes out on her own, Julie feels drawn to her old stomping grounds in Banff, a charming and isolated ski town where she once trained for the Olympics. She finds work as a housekeeper at a luxury resort, but just as she starts to piece together a new life, an eccentric guest turns up dead. And Julie, the last person seen in her hotel room, is the prime suspect.

The evidence is stacked against her, but even in the encroaching blizzard, Julie knows her way around these mountains. She just needs to evade the police long enough to find the truth behind the murder…and before the real killer finds her first.
Julie Adler recently lost her husband to suicide. His secret business dealings have left her penniless. She escapes to Banff, an isolated ski town where she once trained for the Olympics. She starts working as a housekeeper at a luxury resort and when a guest ends up dead, she is the prime suspect. Julie is on the run to evade the police long enough to find the truth about the murder.

Everyone over at @thrillerbookloversthepulse has been raving about this book, but I somehow missed the original sign-up. So when the audiobook was offered up, I grabbed it!

This was such an enjoyable thriller! I loved that it was set in Banff and that Julie was a former Olympic skiier. There were so many great characters, and the audiobook was so well done with multiple narrators. Izzy was my favorite because I love characters with a dry sense of humor! This was a fun and fast read!

I loved the setting of this book and was sucked into the plot from the very first chapter.
The narrators were all good, but I especially loved the Frenchman, whose voice was like velvet.
I found the storytelling a lot of fun, and the interactions between the friends were frothy and lively.
There were action sequences that got my heart racing. Such an entertaining book!

What an enthralling and entertaining mystery thriller! The fast-paced, action-packed plot kept the adrenaline surging from beginning to end!

I thoroughly enjoyed the cold Canadian setting and appreciated the richness and vividness of the atmosphere.

I found Julie to be a uniquely intriguing protagonist and heroine, someone you quickly become invested in and can’t help but root for.

A thoroughly solid and tense thriller set against a chilling winter backdrop!

Thank you @thrillerbookloversthepulse for the #gifted copy.

I plowed through the audio on this one! I was already a fan of Susan Walter having previously read Lie by the Pool so I immediately wanted to read this book. It did not disappoint. She knows how to write a good thriller that keeps you guessing! And of course it makes you question how well you really know people!! Don’t miss this book!

Wow! This was a thriller that I could not stop listening to! It kept me guessing and my heart pounding as Julie tried to figure out who the killer was before they found her. Add in the beautiful but deadly setting of Banff Canada in a blizzard and it is the perfect setting for this tale of survival. The characters were well-written and I felt like I would recognize them if I ran into them. Julie, the main character, a former Olympic biathlete is strong and resourceful and as a reader I wanted her to figure out what was going on. The story was told from multiple characters points of view and I felt like I was always finding out something new. I listened to the audiobook and the narrators did an excellent job giving voice to the characters. I highly recommend this thriller!

I enjoyed my first book by Susan Walter here! In it, she shows her talent with words to craft an engaging thriller. The setting plays a big part in creating the atmosphere at the center of the tension. Told through multiple points of view adds to the action that makes this book move at a fast pace with brilliant narration by Selah Victor, Erin Moon, Jess Nahikian, & Braden Wright. Running Cold piqued my interest from the beginning to the satisfying end!

Thank you, Susan Walter, Lake Union, Brilliance Publishing, Netgalley, & #thrillerbookloversthepulse, for my #gifted early copy & audiobook & including me! All opinions are my own.

Thrills and chills were brought into my life through this book. The descriptions of the arctic cold directly transported me to the dead of winter. Snow coming down so hard that it takes your vision, the roads slick under your tires, the cold setting into your bones. I am so excited for winter, can you tell? Former Olympian, Julie Adler, has moved to LA after living so long in Cananda. The weather never changes, she feels the gentle pull of snow, and skis waiting for her. But alas she has married her dream man, Jeff. Who has settled them into a glorious life of glitz and glam. Well as much glam as a former biathlon Olympian can handle.

Jeff has been a bit standoffish lately. Leaving Julie to wonder what is going on. She has her close group of girlfriends who are always there for her. On the day she finds her husband dead. She runs right into a wall. When she uncovers that her and Jeff are broke. She does not know what to do. She runs back to Banff and all that she left behind. She looks up an old friend to help her find work as a housekeeper. The plus side is that she now has room, board, a job, and can hit the trails. Keeping her mind off from the mystery of Jeff and what happened to their money. Trouble seems to have attached itself to her. As an accusation that is beyond insane occurs, and Julie is left trying to clear her name.

This book held my attention. The multiple point of view always adds a depth that I love. Making me want to listen as fast as I possibly can. This is my second audio book, and I have a hard time focusing. It is just me and the way my brain works. Thank you to Susan Walter, Thriller Book Lovers The Pulse, and Brilliance Audio for my #gifted copy.

Summary: Julie Adler is a former decorated Olympian in the biathlon. She met and married her biotech wiz kid husband Geoff and then moved to California, where she became a sports physical therapist. One terrible day she comes home to find her husband dead of a self-inflicted gunshot in the bathroom. Then she discovers that she is flat broke as Geoff has been emptying their bank accounts over the last few months! Reeling from grief and shock she goes to the only place that ever felt like home - Banff National Park - where she used to train. But Julie’s troubles aren’t over. More dangers await her in Banff.

Thoughts: I listened to this novel on audiobook from Brilliance Audio. The voicing was quite well done and helped me to keep the characters straight as there were quite a few. A lot happens in this story! Just when I thought I knew the way things were going it took another turn. A lot of challenging events have occurred in Julie’s life and I don’t think I could have as positive and trusting an outlook as she does. She is very forgiving of betrayal and she is on the receiving end of quite a bit in this novel.

The pace is quick and the chapters are short with multiple POV, which I enjoyed. However I did have to go back and listen to some chapters a couple of times to be sure I wasn’t missing anything. The villain of the novel isn’t really a surprise but the ending is satisfying. A solid thriller.

This is all the atmospheric vibes a winter read needs. I’m sweltering in GA, so send me to Canada and call it a day!

I honestly love toxic friendship books or rich friend drama tropes, so this was perfect. Keeping up with The Joneses and it’s all what it seems to be has me like a moth to a flame. Again, the vibes! They were it and I just flew through this one.

The audio was wonderful! There were multiple narrators which you know really gets me excited. I felt it was easier to follow along with audio, and glad I had that option.

A twisty, multiple POV, domestic thriller slash murder mystery that has tons of Desperate Housewives/Real Housewives vibes and sees Julie, a former Canadian biathlon Olympic gold medalist finding her husband dead after an apparent suicide and discovering she's now completely broke.

With no money and nowhere to go, she drives back to Banff and begs for a job from a former ski friend turned hotel owner, Remi. Unbeknownst to her, some of her fellow California socialite friends follow her and they find themselves all wrapped up in a murder mystery where Julie is the prime suspect.

Full of action, secrets, affairs and multiple suspects, this story kept me on the edge of my toes and was also great on audio narrated by a full cast. This was my first book by Susan Walter and I really enjoyed it! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Running Cold audiobook is the perfect winter read for chills and thrills! I personally found it to be the perfect combinations of believable and extraordinary, red herrings and real clues, relatable characters and incredible characters. While I guessed at some of the reveals, by the end I knew I only guessed what the author wanted the reader to guess but I didn't predict any of the real twists.

I found the details compelling; the characters made decisions that couldn't be rationalized from the outside, so the action had to unfold just right in order for the characters to put all the puzzle pieces together.

I didn't note any major content warnings either; maybe some mild language but I don't actually remember for sure; no se% on the page, violence is graphically described; etc.

Narrated by Selah Victor; Erin Moon; Jess Nahikian; Braden Wright:
The narration is amazing! Braden Wright narrates the male character's French accent. I'm not sure which woman narrator narrates which character, but they brought a different vibe and fit so well.

Th@nx to NetGalley and Brilliance Audio for an audio-arc to read and review. All opinions are my own. THIS WOULD MAKE SUCH AN AMAZING MINISERIES. I am BEGGING someone to make this happen!!!!!!

It was still a hot and humid summer when I read this thriller taking place in a ski town in Canada. It was the perfect immersive read to make me forget about everything. From the start I could feel there was more to what was happening to Julie and boy was I right.

Her husband commits suicide and she realizes he blew all their money and that is just the start to her problems. Dead bodies seem to follow her from CA to Canada.

It’s gripping and pulse pounding and kept me guessing. I connected with Julie and wanted to know what was causing her bad luck.

Toxic friends and an old friend/potential new beau povs gave me plenty to think about as I tried to guess what would happen next.

This played out like a movie in my head. The rich atmosphere. The polarizing characters. I enjoyed this one from start to finish.

With a full cast of narrators, the audiobook is a great listen. Selah Victor, Erin Moon, Jess Nahikian, and Braden Wright bring the story to life and make it easy to follow. There was never any doubt who was narrating the chapter and is one of the reasons this seemed so movie like.

It’s the perfect popcorn thriller to read this spooky season.

Very fast-paced thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed. I could picture myself in beautiful Banff surrounded by snow!!!

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read and review this book. I did the audio version and the narration was perfect for the story!!!

I recently finished the audio version of Running Cold by Susan Walter. The book was narrated by Selah Victor, Erin Moon, Jess Nahikian, and Braden Wright. The narrators did an excellent job narrating their characters POV. I did find myself chuckling a little bit at the Canadian accents (I am from Michigan, so I am very familiar with these accents).

The beginning of the book grabbed my attention. The ladies are gabbing away at lunch and Julie Adler is surprised to learn that her husband did not join the other husbands for golf. When she returns home after lunch, she is shocked to discover that her husband has ended his life.

Julie had no clue that her husband was struggling and feels completely lost. She discovers that their finances are not what she thought they would be and due to his cause of death, she will not be receiving money from his life insurance policy. Julie leaves California and heads to her old stomping grounds in Banff, where she previously trained for the Olympics.

At Julie's hotel in Banff, Julie has an issue with a guest. The guest ends up dying, and Julie is the last one to see her alive.

Julie is the prime suspect.

The premise of the book drew me in. I was curious why Julie's husband ended his life. But the book fell short for me. I feel like the book had a lot of potential but fell flat and dragged.

Thank you to NetGalley and Brillance Publishing for the advance listen in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating 2.5 stars
Running Cold by Susan Walter is about a former Olympian grieving her husband's recent loss. Wanting to escape, she returns to Banff, an isolated ski town where she once trained for the Olympics. Staying at a hotel run by a friend, she soon becomes implicated in the murder of one of the eccentric guests.

I enjoyed the premise of this story, the setting of Banff, Alberta, and the inclusion of Banff Springs. I became easily distracted, and the characters lacked depth. I couldn’t relate to them enough to get through, and I found them unrealistic. Some of the plot was contrived. The slow-medium pacing didn’t help; my mind wandered, and I skipped ahead, which wasn’t a good sign. 

Although described as a ‘heart-pounding story,’ it didn’t have that effect on me. It was a solid story but could have been executed better with a great atmosphere, especially in Banff's picturesque setting. Unfortunately, I found the murder mystery too clear, even from the beginning. Perhaps this was the intention; however, I would have enjoyed an unreliable narrator being misled and thrown off track rather than having it be the most straightforward and predictable answer. It was my first read by Susan Waters.

I paired the e-arc with the ALC for a fully immersive experience. It had an entire cast: narrators Selah Victor, Erin Moon, Jess Nahikian, and Braden Wright. I didn’t enjoy Izzy's character's narration; it was monotone.

I want to thank Lake Publishing, Brilliance Audio and NetGalley for the e-ARC and ALC for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

Wow, this was such a great mystery thriller. I did not see the twists coming, and I definitely didn't see who the killer was till it was revealed. The friends were awesome besides one, and I don't know how the main character worked through it, but overall, such a great book. The ending was also awesome.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #BrillancePublishing for the book #RunningCold by #SusanWalter. This chilling book lis about an ex Olympian whose husband has committed suicide and left them broke. She goes back to Canada, where she was before, to get a job and back on her feet. She then gets arrested for murder, and then keeps getting worse. Who is behind all this and why? Can she figure it all out before it’s too late? I read this book in one sitting and it’s amazing!