This is my second book by Kate Alice Marshall
And both thrillers were so good. This book has just about everything that makes a good thriller. Twists, turns and many lies.
It was gripping from the start. So many different outcomes with a twist you won’t see coming!

I’m a big fan of Kate Alice Marshall but I have to be honest, this one just didn’t grip me… I enjoyed the setting, but the pace felt drawn out and the characters didn’t couldn’t hold my attention, and the mystery generally speaking wasn’t all that thrilling.

The narration here is terrific. The story just didn’t quite work for me. It seemed so much like others I’ve read and the twists weren’t overly surprising. It was just okay for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC.

I simply adore Karissa Vacker’s performance. She’s brilliant.

This story was addictive. Listened in a day (at a 2x speed). It was just twisty enough, cold enough, and fun.

🎧 Book Review 🎧 Imagine meeting your fiancé’s family but it comes with a dire warning to stay away from him. But when your life has been rife with trauma and mysteries, leaving you no choice but to immerse yourself in an identity that is one giant lie, it’s hard to know when to stay and when to leave. So many questions arise for the Dalton kin as Connor brings his fiance to meet the wealthy family at their compound.
Why the quick engagement between Theo and Connor?
Who is Theo and why does Idlewood bring back lost memories?
Why is there a photograph of young Theo in one of the cabins?

These are just a few of the strange coincidences that arise when Theo escapes to meet her future in-laws in a place that shouldn’t be so familiar…

Kate Alice Marshall has written a deliciously dark and twisted psychological thriller, filled with family secrets and characters that leave you questioning where the truth lies. Readers are in for an immersive and enthralling experience when her writing is paired with the pristine narration by Karissa Vacker in this new audiobook!

This book was very good. The audiobook was narrated well. I did have a hard time keeping up with characters, but that might have just been me listening to it instead of reading. All in all, I would definitely recommend. I now have a new author.

With the premise of a wealthy family keeping secrets and an isolated winter retreat, this book sounded like the perfect winter thriller! Karissa Vacker killed the narration per usual (she is my favorite!) and I enjoyed my listen largely due to her stellar narration and the fast paced plot. As far as thrillers go, this book was good but not great. The twists were not wildly shocking to me and unfortunately nothing about the story was particularly memorable. However, this may be a matter of personal preference and A Killing Cold may be just the book for readers looking for a quick winter read!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for early access to the audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

This was a highly anticipated release that I was seeing lots of hype over, and I’m happy to say it lived up to the hype!!

I had an ALC and really enjoyed it! I liked the narrators. Felt like it added to the story!

I loved the remote setting of the book, loved the family business elements and the lengths they would go to protect themselves.

I feel like the story had me predicting very early on thinking I might know what or who was at play (I did not!) Every time I thought I figured out how the story was going to unfold there was a new surprise or twist I didn’t see coming, right up to the end. These are my favourite kind of books!!

Add to TBR now! It’s a great one during the winter/holidays if you can get a copy!!

Thank you for the copy @Macmillanaudio

I really liked Kates last book so I was excited to get my hands on this. Unfortunately this was a miss for me. I tried many times but couldn’t get into it.

Connor and Theo have only been dating six months but they sure it’s something serious. Connor takes Theo out to his family cabin in the woods. Coincidentally this cabin brings up a lot of memories and questions about Theos childhood.

I had a few problems with this book that really didn’t work for me.

First it seemed really unrealistic that she would meet and fall in love with someone from her childhood.

I also felt like there was a lot of back and forth of what she did and didn’t remember.


Overall this was a miss for me but I see a lot of people like it so it’s probably just me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Kate Alice Marshall has solidified herself as a favorite author for me. I love the twists and turns and the suspense she is able to build in her writing, her newest book A Killing Cold is no exception!

A Killing Cold Review:
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Thank you @flatiron_books and @macmillan.audio #MacAudio2025 for my gifted copies. ⁣
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“Moving fast is the only way to stay alive.”⁣
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Holy pedal to the floor. We have my favorite, locked room mystery with a snowy and cold disposition. There’s a secret and history. The powerful and the wealthy will do anything to keep their secrets hidden. As the story unravels, so do our characters bit by bit. ⁣
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You wanted Theo to get out girl, but also wanted to know why everything fit into place and gave her answers. This is one that will always keep you guessing. Even with the big reveal, you still want to see what explosive revelations happens next. ⁣
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I binged the audio in 24 hours. One of my favorite readers, Karissa Vacker, brings this suffocating locked room to life. You physically feel the sadness and confusion and then anger as the story unfolds. Best audio hands down. I love doing chores and projects while listening, and this was such a fun craft to do while listening to this wild audio.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this alc.

I enjoyed all Kate Alice Marshall’s books and this one was no exception. We follow the story of a woman named Theodora who got engaged very fast to a very wealthy man from an influential family. She meets his fiancé’s family in this isolated estate where she is going to find out a lot of information about her own past.

Theodora starts questioning whether it was a set up for her or just a coincidence. I love family drama and secrets. The author gives hints and pieces for you to put together along the way. A great read before winter slips away. If you want a book to binge, A Killing Cold is a killer choice.

3.5 ⭐️’s
When Theo agrees to go to her fiancé’s isolated, wooded retreat for Christmas, she immediately has a sense of Deja vu. Why do things feel familiar? Why is Connor’s family so anxious to get rid of her? Is her life in danger? As the week progresses, Theo starts to put the pieces together, but the more she knows, the more frightened she becomes. Will she be able to make it off the isolated snowy mountain alive? This was a listen for me and while I love the voice of Karissa Vacker, I felt that there were just too many coincidences to make the story believable. Still enjoyable, just not believable. Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I was able to receive an arc audio copy from NetGalley. I enjoyed the development of the story and the back and forth from past to present. This book had many twists and turns happening all the way until the end. I was able to figure out a few, but that didn’t take away from the enjoyment I had reading this. I had to know what happened and couldn’t stop listening. I was able to finish this in 1 day. If you are looking for a fast paced thriller that will keep you guessing until the end this is a great book! 3.5⭐️

4.5 stars rounded up!

WOOOOAHHHHH this was absolutely wild! Kate Alice Marshall, as usual, absolutely killed it!

A Killing Cold sunk its hooks in me immediately and didn’t let up until the very end. I was desperate to know everything about Theo and what her past had to do with what was happening in the present with the quite questionable Dalton family. Even know that I’m done with the story I’m still so shook with how everything played out.

This is a definite recommend from me!

A Killing Cold was a gripping thriller with a slow start but a suspenseful payoff. The tension builds as Theodora Scott uncovers the chilling truth behind her past, and once the story hit its climax, I couldn’t stop listening.

However, the book contained enough swearing and sexual material that I wouldn’t personally recommend it to my usual audience. Also, I felt that the book’s description gave away too much, which made the beginning feel sluggish—there were reveals I already anticipated, which took away some of the mystery early on.

That said, it was still a well-written and engaging thriller. If you enjoy dark family secrets, an eerie winter setting, and a protagonist uncovering long-buried truths, this might be worth checking out.

📚Review: A Killing Cold ❄️
This book was my January pick for BOTM. I had never even heard of it, but when I saw this was the same author as No One Can Know and What Lies In The Woods (both of which I really enjoyed) I knew my chances of liking it were pretty good. So I chose it and I was right. I really liked this book. It was a lot of fun to me. I wasn’t sure at first how I was feeling about it. But then the last half, things got real exciting for me. It had me hooked to the end of the book.
But I actually ended up listening to this because I saw it as an audio on @netgalley and saw that @karissavacker was the narrator and I knew right then that I wanted to listen to it rather than read it. I love so many books she narrates and she did a fantastic job as usual.
But about this book, you meet Theodora (Theo) who is recently involved with Connor Dalton. Connor wants Theo to meet his rich , skeptical, powerful family at the family’s winter retreat called Idlewood. Only when Theo gets there she starts seeing strange things. She starts receiving messages on her phone telling her to stay away from Connor Dalton. She also notices fresh footsteps in the snow outside her rooms window. Theo begins to realize she may be in danger, but she also feels like she’s been to this place before, but how could that be possible? The Dalton family has many secrets and they will do anything to protect their family’s legacy and Theo will do anything to remember her connection to this place and this family. When I tell you that when you keep thinking you have this figured out, you won’t. There are twists upon twists upon twists. Just crazy. I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was a lot of fun. This was ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars for me! I recommend you give this one a try.

Have you read this book or any books by this author? What were your thoughts?

I somehow learned both a lot about this family and nothing about this family over the course of this book. The ending did not fully make sense to me and the person who did it seemed almost too probable. At least the narrator was good

I love the way Marshall maps together a story. Her storytelling abilities are *chef's kiss.* Add twists and turns and you have a book you cannot put down. Just when I thought I figured everything out, I realize just how wrong I could be. So, thanks for that. Am already recommending this one!

A Killing Cold was a fantastic read! It kept me engaged from the beginning, and had a mysterious and atmospheric tone that further added to the suspense of the novel.

The story follows Theo, as she meets her wealthy fiancé’s family for the first time. Already in a nervous state, she navigates through the 2 weeks set to spend with them trying to make a good impression. Suddenly things about the place begin to seem familiar to her, and she is unsure if these are real memories and flashbacks, or part of her wild imagination.

Overall, I’d definitely recommend this novel and plan to read more from Kate Alice Marshall! The narrator did an excellent job in this audiobook

Thank you MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.