Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for gifting me an audio ARC of this wonderful book by Kate Alice Marshall, gorgeously narrated by the wonderful Karissa Vacker. All opinions expressed in this review are my own – 4.5 stars rounded up!

Theo is newly engaged to Connor after a whirlwind romance. Connor is wealthy, a member of the powerful Dalton family, and he brings Theo to Idlewood, his family’s isolated winter retreat, to meet his family for the first time. Theo’s past is a big unknown, which the Dalton’s are not happy about. While at Idlewood, she starts getting messages, seeing footsteps in the snow around their cabin, and a strange feeling about the place. Some people will do anything to protect their secrets.

What a fabulous story and even better audiobook, with the perfect combination of author and narrator. This is a tense thriller filled with family drama. Just what lengths will people go to to protect their family secrets? And there are so many secrets to uncover, from Theo’s past to just what happened at the retreat all those years ago. The setting was perfect – isolated and snowy, making for a perfect locked-room mystery with no shortage of questionable characters and motives. I really liked how everything came together at the end – don’t miss this one!

Thank you Flatiron Books for my #gifted ARC and thank you Macmillan Audio for my #gifted listening copy and snowflake activity kit! #flatironbooks #macmillanaudio #MacAudio2024 #AKillingCold #KateAliceMarshall

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐀 𝐊𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐝
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫: 𝐊𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐚 𝐕𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟒, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

𝟓★

If you are looking for a book to read in one sitting, this is it! I could not put this book down once I started. The was able to pull me in and from the very first page and I was hooked. There was so much tension in this book and I just loved the atmospheric vibes. It’s the type of book that keeps you guessing the entire time, and I was wrong the entire time! Grab a blanket and your favorite snack and get ready for a while ride with this one! I am going to be recommending this one to everyone!

❄️Isolated Setting
❄️Rich People Behaving Badly
❄️Family Drama
❄️Flashbacks
❄️Lots of Twists
❄️Atmospheric

🎧I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Karissa Vacker. Vacker always does an amazing job bringing books to life, and this one was no exception. I love how she is so easily able to transport the reader to the setting of the book, and I just felt like I was with the characters at their Idlewood family winter retreat. I highly recommend this one on audio!

Posted on Goodreads on February 3, 2025: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around February 3, 2025: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on February 4, 2025
**-will post on designated date

Kate Alice Marshall has an insane ability to create the most atmospheric, tense thrillers. A Killing Cold is a fabulous follow-up to What Lies in the Woods and No One Can Know.

Theodora has fallen in love with a member of the important and wealthy Dalton family. Connor brings her home to their estate in the hopes of bringing his family around to accepting Theo. Something about Idlewood unsettles Theo and she begins to struggle with the sense that she's been here before.

A gripping read that will have you flipping pages furiously, A Killing Cold is reminiscent of 2019's Ready or Not. Karissa Vacker did an excellent job with the narration and I would highly recommend the audio version. This was a perfect winter read.

This was my first Kate Alice Marshall and will not be my last. This was such a fun thriller, another isolated and snowy atmospheric read that fit in perfect for the season. This one definitely gave me more of a chill because I didn’t know who to trust with this mega-rich family with questionable morals. I also wasn’t able to predict exactly what happened or all the twists, either. I would definitely recommend this one to any thriller fans out there!

𝘼 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣:
Karissa Vacker did a great job narrating this one. She kept the audio of this chilling and suspenseful. I really enjoyed listening to this one.

4.5/5 rounded up
Review on IG coming 2/4/25 (@thebookandtheboston)

Lies, secrets, twists, turns, and a shocking reveal that I never saw coming!

When Connor and Theodora Scott met in California, six months ago, they fell head over heels in love with one another. Now that Christmas is around the corner, Conner has brought Theo to Idlewood. His family's east coast winter retreat. There is the main house and several large cottages for guests to stay. Connor is excited to introduce Theo to his family.

Theo is met with cold shoulders and a barrage of questions from Connors’ grandmother and Uncle. As Connor shows Theo around the grounds, he can’t help to feel that Theo has been here some time ago. What Theo doesn’t tell him, is she has the same feeling.

We know that something terrible happened at the winter retreat years ago which added to the mystery, the tension, mounting sense of danger and kept my interest piqued throughout the book. It was gripping and had me fully invested from the second chapter. Who could we trust, what would happen next and who really hold the truth to all the mysteries? I loved the setting of the book as well. The snowed in isolated winter retreat gives the reader that locked room feel. For all of the mystery thriller lovers, this needs to go on the top of your list!

Thank you to Macmillian Audio, NetGalley and the author, Kate Alice Marshall for the opportunity to read and review an advanced reader's copy of this audiobook.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ An Absolutely Chilling and Addictive Thriller!

Kate Alice Marshall delivers yet another masterful psychological thriller with The Killing Cold. From the very first page, the tension is palpable, and the icy, atmospheric setting of Idlewood Lodge only adds to the sense of unease.

Theo is a compelling protagonist—strong yet vulnerable, determined yet haunted by a past she can’t quite remember. As she navigates the treacherous world of the powerful Dalton family, every revelation keeps you on edge, making this an unputdownable read. The mystery surrounding Theo’s forgotten past is expertly woven, with twists that left me breathless.

Marshall’s writing is sharp, immersive, and full of chilling suspense. Just when you think you have everything figured out, she throws in another twist that turns everything on its head. If you love thrillers packed with secrets, eerie settings, and jaw-dropping surprises, The Killing Cold is an absolute must-read!

The writing style and characters just didn't work for me. Felt kind of new-adult-romance-novel and the mystery aspect was just not holding my attention. I did think the narrator did very well with the material, but this book was not to my tastes.

Lots of drama in this psychological thriller mashup.

An oft used trope is involved here -- innocent young woman is taken to meet wealthy future in-laws at a secluded mountaintop retreat in the middle of winter. Theo doesn't know her fiance, Connor, very well as they've had a whirlwind romance. His entire family is there to celebrate Christmas but Theo knows she's going to be tested. Immediately upon arrival, and in addition to threatening messages she has received on her now useless phone (no signal), Theo feels that she's actually been to this place with the cabins in the woods before.

As the suspense is supposed to build, you will have to suspend an incredible amount of disbelief at the coincidences and plausibility of the plot. I might have been more invested had I liked any of the stereotypical characters. I couldn't even fake that much interest in Theo or feel empathetic to her situation. The endless red herrings, Theo's angst, and the repetition of the fact that her memories are hazy got on my nerves. Sure there were revelations as the secrets and lies were finally revealed, but I bet you guessed most of them already.

This is the second I've read by this author and doubt there will be more. There's just nothing new to see here. It wasn't a bad book per se, but it was just too similar a story to so many others I've read.

I was able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book, both provided by the publishers. The narrator was OK but her attempts to voice all the characters sometimes fell flat and the extra oomph she put into the really dramatic scenes seemed a bit too much. This is a production that could definitely have been enhanced by a larger cast.

I listened to the audio of this (narrated by Karissa Vacker), and it pulled me in right from the first few minutes.

One-sentence summary: After a whirlwind romance, Theodora Scott is engaged to the wealthy son of a powerful family, but when he brings her to his family’s isolated winter estate, the secret warning she’s been getting to stay away from her fiance leads her to uncover dark family secrets that some might kill to keep hidden.

I LOVE all things gothic, and the setting, pacing and characters in this story have a feel that scratched that itch. This is a slow-burn mystery, but even though the breadcrumbs were dropped steadily and gradually, there was an eeriness to the tone and situations that kept me hooked right from the start. The well-defined and flawed characters – along with the setting – were the stand-outs for me, and there are plenty of great twists that will keep thriller fans happy.

This is my first time reading anything by Kate Alice Marshall, but after reading this, I’m thinking I need to get my hands on What Lies in the Woods!


Thank you MacMillan Audio for the advance listen!

This is the perfect winter thriller!

When Theo goes home to her finances family to meet them for the first time, things feel and look familiar. I am usually not a big fan of the "i dont remember my past" troupe, but this one had an interesting twist. Just proves again that rich people will do anything to cover up a secret.

As for the audiobook, I thought the narrator did a fantastic job bringing this story to life!

Thank you NetGalley! This book had me by the first pages. The twists and turns provided one shock after another. I could not put it down

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC audiobook! I thoroughly enjoyed the slow burn of A Killing Cold. Mysterious, intriguing and not TOO scary. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.

I always enjoy this author. Listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narrator. The story felt a little slow in the middle and I had a little bit of a hard time following the characters. Liked the ending and was really glad Connor stayed a good guy

I have to admit, I love Kate Alice Marshall and her books but this book didn’t give me the vibes that her others did. Although I did enjoy the narrator minus the multiple characters played by one narrator, she was great. As for the book, it felt like there wasn’t the exact thrill that Kate usually brings to her books. This could possibly be due to listening to the audio with multiple characters versus reading the book with multiple characters, and I’ll be able to tell when I receive my physical book in the mail on release day.

After a whirlwind romance, Connor Dalton is taking Theodora (Theo) Scott to meet the family. The wealthy family owns a mountainous winter retreat. She has no recollection of her earliest years, but her memories start to come back while at the retreat. She quickly discovers the family may not be all they seem and are hiding secrets.

This was a fast paced locked room thriller that kept me turning the page! Everyone is a suspect and you are never really sure who to trust. It took me a little bit to remember the relationships of the large cast of characters, but they all had their own voices. I listened to this on audio and loved how Karissa Vacker made the book come to life. This is an enjoyable read for a winters night.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

With this release, Kate Alice Marshall is officially in my top 5 favorite thriller authors. I devoured the audiobook in one sitting! I adored Theo and Connor. All the twists kept me on my toes and I think the best part was the setting. Reading this while its freezing outside was perfect. The only thing that would have made the experience better would have been if it was snowing while I read.

I will read whatever book this author comes out with. Can't wait for the next one!

Kate Alice Marshall's A Killing Cold is a chilling (pun intended) thriller about a woman who doesn't remember her past until pieces come back to her on a winter retreat with her new fiancé. Theo Scott doesn't have a family of her own and Connor is optimistic that this vacation will bring them all together. Unfortunately Connor's wealthy family has a long history of lies and dangerous secrets.

Everyone in Connor's family seems to be hiding something. Trouble follows his brother everywhere he goes, and his sister seems desperate to have a private conversation with Connor without Theo around. Even his grandparents seem determined to make Theo's stay as uncomfortable as possible. To complicate things further, one of the cabins brings memories of Theo's traumatic childhood rushing back, and a photograph confirms her worst fears....

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this audio book that kept me.hokding my breath for the entire thrill ride. The narration definitely made this nail-biter all the more captivating.

Theo and Connor are engaged, even though they haven't known each other very long. When he invites her to his family's remote cabin estate for the holidays, Theo starts to feel like she had been there before. Through a series of strange actions, leading to even stranger memories of a place she feels like she knows, Theo starts putting the pieces together and it's not a puzzle she wants to remember.

I'm giving the audio version of A Killing Cold 3.75 stars, but the book itself, I believe deserves 4.0 starts. The audio felt monotonous and sort of drug on in places with little inflection in the narrator's cadence, but I think reading this novel with my eyes would have made for a good time. There were a lot of pieces that didn't seem to fit or make sense in some places, but it wrapped up nicely in a way that made sense. Even if the journey getting there felt forced at times.

Nonetheless, it was a good time and I would recommend to a reader that is new to this genre or likes lighter versions of this genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Publishing for the Advanced Listener Copy of A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall

Thanks to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for an ALC. I loved this one so much that I bought a shelf trophy of it from BOTM.

Remote location thrillers are one of my favorites. Add in some family drama or a shady family and it is even more fantastic!

Theo and Connor had a bit of a whirlwind romance. They fell in love fast and he is now taking her to meet his family. And the Daltons a quite a family! She has some childhood trauma and amnesia due to that. She's getting some odd messages about the Daltons and starts having some memory flashes at their family compound.

This is fast paced and gripping. The Daltons are overall just an awful family and you are on the edge of your seat waiting for Theo's memories to come full force.

Karissa Vacker did an amazing job on narration and bringing this story to life.

If you love a good thriller, especially remote location with family drama, grab this one!

This was a solid 3.5 (rounded to 4 for GR) thriller! Thank you to the author, Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed the narrator of this one (Karissa Vacker).

Theodora Scott is in a whirlwind relationship with Connor Dalton, after just 6 months they’re engaged. Shes going to meet his family at their annual winter retreat where they stay in the Dalton’s cabins. She knows his family is going to be skeptical of their whirlwind love. Before she goes she starts receiving anonymous texts telling her to stay away. When she arrives it all feels oddly familiar but she has no idea why.

This reminded me a bit of one by one by Ruth Ware likely because of the winter setting and secludedness. And to me also had vibes of the Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley except you know everyone is related.


Would recommend this one if you enjoyed either of those!