A Killing Cold is a chilling thriller that will have you questioning who to trust, and just what it means to have a tight knit family.

What I Loved
• A secluded setting that leant well to the overall tense feelings of the story
• Beautifully written descriptions that really helped show you what characters were feeling, seeing, and experiencing rather than telling

What Worked Well
• The pacing kept me on the edge of my seat waiting for the next twist throughout the entire story
• The relatively new relationship between Theo and Connor that left Theo questioning if she truly knew her fiancé or had just gotten swept up in the romance

Who I’d Recommend This To
• Fans of The Family Game by Catherine Steadman
• Readers who love thrillers set in a secluded landscape with a “closed room” mystery vibe
• Those looking for a fast-paced story that will have you wondering who you can trust, and most of all- if you can even trust your own memories

I enjoyed the audiobook, and Karissa Vacker really brought this story to life. While it isn’t my favorite Kate Alice Marshall book, I still found myself in awe of her incredibly beautiful writing throughout the entirety of the book.

This psychological thriller immerses you in a chilling, atmospheric winter setting on a secluded family estate, gripping you from the very first page.

Nothing is as it seems in this intricately layered, tension-filled story, where complex characters brim with deep family secrets. With unexpected twists at every turn, it unfolds into a gripping and exhilarating game of cat and mouse.

I alternated between the audiobook and print version of this one, and the narration was outstanding! Vacker masterfully draws listeners into the drama, making this domestic suspense even more immersive!

A Cold Killing by Kate Alice Marshall is a thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end. The story follows Theodora Scott, who is invited to her wealthy fiancé's family retreat in the dead of winter. As she gets to know his family, she realizes that they are hiding a dark secret, and that she may be connected to it in some way.

Marshall does a great job of creating a suspenseful atmosphere, and the characters are all well-developed and complex. The plot is full of twists and turns, and the ending is sure to surprise you.

If you're a fan of thrillers, then you won't want to miss A Cold Killing. It's a page-turner that will stay with you long after you finish it.

When Theo is invited to her fiancé’s wealthy family’s retreat she knows that she is going to have to win them over. Her engagement to Connor has come as a shock to the powerful Dalton family, especially since they have only been together for about 6 months. She knows that they will question her intentions, in fact someone has been sending her threatening messages by text warning her not to go. She ignores the warnings because she loves Connor. She has had a troubled past filled with dark secrets but she feels like she is finally on her way to a happy life. When she gets to the retreat she feels as if she has been there before. Memories begin to gradually fill the gaps from her childhood and she finds herself in terrible danger.

This story had more twists than your favorite roller coaster. Just when you think you had everything figured out something new would slap you in the face!! It was a lot of fun to read. Yes it was a little over the top but I didn't mind at all, I will definitely be adding this author into the TBR stack immediately!!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

4 ⭐️

This book is a difficult book for me to rate. By the end of the book, I felt very confused and unsatisfied, however, while reading, there were parts where I really found myself enjoying the read. I enjoyed the family secrets and mild drama, but everything else just seemed untidy and sloppily put together. A lot of it felt like filler and, unfortunately, pointless. I don't think this was the right novel for me. 2 stars.
Thank you NetGalley and Kate Alice Marshall for this ARC.

Connor brings his fiancé, Theodora, to his family cabin for Christmas. This will be a two week adventure for the couple, along with all of Connor’s family. As Theodora wanders around the property she gets the feeling that she’s been there before. Adopted by not so great parents, Theodora has no memory of her traumatic beginnings despite seeing a therapist regularly. At Connor’s family cabin memories begin to resurface and Theodora learns what really happened to her mother, who she is. Will Connor and Theodora manoeuvre around the strange happenings and keep their relationship in tact? A great thriller read, well read by the narrator, that is well written and thoroughly enjoyable!

I ate this up so quickly, once the story got rolling I could not stop listening. The narrator, Karissa Vacker, did an amazing job portraying each character and bringing the story to life. Kate Alice Marshall is quickly becoming my favorite thriller author and I cannot wait to read the next one.

Review will be posted on Goodreads, Storygraph, and Fable.

Theodora (Theo) and Connor met and had a whirlwind romance. This led to their engagement and Theo's invitation to meet Connor's family. This was not any typical meeting, however. Rather, it was at the family's winter estate-- where only family is invited. When they arrive, Theo discovers a photo of her younger self and is led on the journey of discovering who she was before she was adopted, why had she been here before, and did Connor bring her here will ill intentions?

This book was very enjoyable. The audio kept me entertained, with the fast-paced directive the book took. The main character and setting were very enjoyable, but the twists were a little too "twisty". Instead of a traditional red herring take, Marshall delivered us multiple possibilities that are wrapped up with a pretty little bow. Yet the true ending was not quite as pretty. Overall, I enjoyed the author's writing style and would definitely pick her up again.

On today’s episode of Things Crazy Rich People Do … 😂

I really wanted to only read romance books this month buuut it’s been snowing here and I was just craving a snowy thriller so I picked up A Killing Cold based on all the good reviews here on booksta!

The plot is this: guy brings his fiance to his rich family’s estate to spend a winter retreat.

I did like this one. The short chapters helped me get through it quick. It started a little slow for me in the beginning but then once you get to the interesting parts you’d feel like you couldn’t read fast enough 😂

I rated it 4⭐️, I like the twists and the snowy setting but it did take me awhile to be really invested in the story because I find the beginning to be more of a slow burn and I also keep getting distracted with the jumping timelines.

I would still recommend it if you don’t mind slow burn beginnings and would love to pick up a snowy thriller for the season!!

💭 What are you guys reading?? Are you just all reading romances for this month?

Having recently read another Kate Alice Marshall, I was excited to get started on this book.

The book was full of twists and turns, but it often got muddled and I felt like the first half dragged. The characters sometimes fell flat for me, so I feel like this affected my interest.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC!

Loved this book. Loved the struggles, the love, the fear, the unknown. Not many people can understand the connection that children make and the desire to keep that alive.Didn't end the way I expected it and it was worth every twist.

Theo goes to the mountains before Christmas to meet the family of her super rich fiancé, Connor. Connor and his sister, Alexis tell her that the only person she needs to win over is their Grandmother. Between not knowing about her past before she was adopted, and the terrifying years during her adoption, everything starts to come together on that mountainside.

Connor's dad, Liam, "fell" off the roof of one of the cabins, when Connor was young. But the family and the groundskeeper can't seem to decide WHICH cabin it was. The comes the news it was a suicide and not an accident at all. This family will stop at nothing to protect its name and reputation.

I wasn't so sure if Connor could be trusted, as much as I wanted to believe he was a good guy. Same with his mother Rose. The Grandmother rules the family with an iron fist. Connor's brother is the stereotypical rich kid who seems to get away with everything. Uncle Nick scared me, but I really like Grandfather. I was really surprised to learn what really happened to Liam and why.

I was really excited to dive into this book after seeing all the great reviews on Instagram! Like so many others, I was hooked right from the beginning! The story was fast-paced and packed with twists and those surprise moments that just kept me guessing. I found myself questioning who to trust among the characters, which made it even more thrilling. The narrator did an amazing job of building up the suspense and keeping me engaged throughout. I ended up finishing it in just two sittings because I couldn't stop listening! Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook—I can’t wait for her next book!

This is just what I needed to get out of a slump!
Winter thriller 🙂‍↕️ please!
Kate Alice Marshall never fails me.. I stay entertained the entire time.


A getaway to go meet the family from hell!
The power of rich people but their secrets never cease to amaze me.
Secrets, lies, lies and more lies. But Theo starts uncovering the truth when she starts getting a sense of being there before but how since she was adopted as a child.

The audio was phenomenal!

TW:
Child Abuse (off page)
Death of a parent
Drugs
Abusive relationships

Wow 🤯!!! I looooved this book!

The concept of this was so good. There are so many mystery parts to this… That has you just trying your hardest to figure out what’s going on! And just when you think you figured it out, something happens and you were way off!

It’s a very interesting look into the lives of very rich people and shows what they will do to protect their legacy and their name!

and talk about family secret after family secret…

if you like fast paced, twist and turn type thrillers this is for you! I did love this on audio. The narrator was brilliant and made the story come to life! But I know if I were to read the actual book on this I wouldn’t be able to put it down… It is a binge worthy page turner for sure!

This was a quick, suspenseful read that I finished in just a couple listens. The narration by Karissa Vacker was smooth and pleasant, keeping my attention throughout. The story itself moves very quickly, handing out new clues and twists at a good clip right from the start. As always, I enjoyed the multiple timelines and slow revelations from our main character Theo's mysterious, hidden past. Overall, I think this is a fine entry in the classic thriller subgenre of "rich people keeping secrets and behaving badly," so if that's your thing, A KILLING COLD may be right up your alley!

Thank you Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for this gifted audio book, in exchange for an honest review! A Killing Cold is out now!

A Killing Cold was a 3/5 stars for me. I loved the atmosphere in this one! It was such a fun snowy and secluded setting. The narrator in this one was great as well! I did think that parts of this one were on the slower side and there were so many random characters, with not a lot of development to them, that is was hard to keep track at times. Overall a fun, but fairly average thriller!

This audiobook delivers a chilling, atmospheric mystery that keeps listeners on edge from start to finish. The narration brings the suspense to life, perfectly capturing the tension and eerie setting. While the pacing slows in parts, the gripping plot twists and complex characters make it a compelling listen for fans of dark thrillers.

The beginning was a bit slow but when it picked up, it was a twisty wild ride that I enjoyed. The slow beginning wasn’t very long, which is good because I worried I couldn’t continue. Theodora is a likable protagonist and I was ultimately shocked at actually liking another character as well. You root for her journey to discover the missing years of her childhood, with multiple curveballs I didn’t see coming. Thank you to NetGalley for an early ALC of the audiobook.

This book was very twisty and had a lot of intense moments! There were many surprises along the way and you didn’t know what was going to happen until the very end. The twists kept coming up until the end. I had a hard time staying interested and following some of the middle parts. It was kind of hard for me to keep every character straight in the audiobook, and I wasn’t invested in them. However, the premise was really good and I really appreciated the suspense built in this one!