A Killing Cold is a twisty thriller with a winter setting and classic Kate Alice Marshall characters. I recommend this book to new adult readers because of the age of some of the characters, but I think it will appeal to most readers of the genre.

Theo has fallen in love with Connor Dalton, a member of a very wealthy family, and now she is traveling to their isolated winter retreat. As the story progresses, the vacation is not what she had in mind and she has to reckon with fuzzy memories (or lack thereof) from her childhood.

I couldn't stop listening to this audiobook, but it won't be a memorable one for me. I find that I enjoy KAM much more on audio than physically reading because I'm able to gloss over some of the very predictable character development and two dimensional side characters. If you're looking for a fun, binge worthy audiobook this winter, consider picking this up.

Theodora is an orphan. She doesn’t remember much from her four childhood years before foster care— including her own given name.

Years later in her twenties, she meets and falls quickly for rich, charming Connor. They get engaged in six months and he brings her to his family’s isolated mountain property they call “Idlewood.” At Idlewood, some memories start coming back to Theo in fragments of another lifetime. One where she’s been at Idlewood before….? As Connor’s family acts cold and bizarre things begin to happen around Idlewood.. Theo explores the property and begins to uncover the truth about her past and Dalton family they’ve kept hidden at this snowy mountain escape for 20 years.

I love me some Kate Alice Marshall!!!! The minute I saw this one up for request on NetGalley (even before it had a cover) I jumped on it SO FAST! Although I found the whole plot of this book to be incredibly unrealistic to happen irl, I was still absolutely enthralled with it, could not put it down and could not guess how it would all come together in the end! Which is honestly all we can ever ask for in a good thriller book!! It gives Freida McFadden.

I alternated between eyeball reading and audio. I enjoyed the narrator (Karissa Vacker) and believe she was cast perfectly as Theo.

⚠️ CW: hunting and death/disembowelment of animal (on page), murder and death of humans (on page), domestic violence (mention of, no description), suicide and adultery (mentions, no description)

Thank you to Kate, Flatiron, and NetGalley for the advanced physical and digital copies and MacMillan for the advance audiobook!

This didn't really do much for me. It was your standard rich people drama thriller with a main character that only remembers things when it's convenient to the plot. I found the characters to feel pretty one-dimensional and didn't really grow attached to any of them. I will admit I was intrigued by the mystery, but I didn't really feel any tension or crazy urge to binge read like a thriller generally makes me feel. Truthfully, I think Kate Alice Marshall may just not be the thriller author for me (I'm 0 for 2 on her books which isn't looking too great), which is okay. I know tons of people love her books, and more specifically are loving this one, so I'd recommend trying it yourself!

I did however listen to this on audio, and the audio experience was the best part. I love a thriller and/or mystery audiobook moment, and while this book didn't keep me quite as hooked as I hoped, it got the job done.

Thanks so much to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I must say that I have yet to read a book by Kate Alice Marshall that I haven’t liked. Then you add Karissa Vacker narrating the story, and you have me sold. From the very beginning, I was intrigued and drawn into the story. The premise of it was so compelling and well executed. And the twists? The twists were definitely twisting. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, and I had some of it figured out, bam another twist was thrown in. But it was fine so well and the pacing was great. Karissa, as always, did a phenomenal job narrating the story and bringing the characters’ voices to life. I really enjoyed this one.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan audio for my gifted copy.

This is the second book I’ve read by Kate Alice Marshall. After enjoying ​No One Can Know, I was eager to read her newest release.

I will keep my review vague because I recommend going into ​t​hrillers novels without reading the synopsis. While the plot isn’t the most original and has been done before, I found the story atmospheric and great for a cozy winter read. The narrator, Karissa Vacker, did an excellent job of building tension throughout the story.

This was a perfect winter read and I enjoyed the overall story. I did figure out the twist early on but that didn’t take away from the story. The narration by Karissa Vacker was top tier.

I love a good family drama and this one definitely delivers. Original storyline and the characters are well executed. Some you love and some you love to hate!!

Set into a winter background and a forest setting you get drawn into this old school money family with plenty of secrets to go around.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for my advance readers copy audiobook for an honest review.

This mysterious domestic thriller is the perfect entertainment for a winter evening.

The revelations unroll slowly, building tension as the main character learns more about her fiance's wealthy family, but there's plenty of action, too.

This is my favorite book from Kate Alice Marshall, by far!

I listened to the audiobook at 1.5x speed, and it was fabulous.

Meeting the family is nerve-wracking in any new relationship, but it's downright suffocating for Theodora Scott. And why wouldn’t it be? Her fiancé, Connor Dalton, belongs to the notoriously wealthy and secretive Dalton family. Their whirlwind romance has gone from a chance meeting at one of Theo's art shows to an engagement in just six months, and now she’s traveling to Idlewood, the Daltons’ isolated winter retreat, to meet the family for the first time. Theo knows the stakes are high. She's determined to prove she’s in this for love, not their fortune.

But something isn’t right. Theo has received anonymous text messages for weeks warning her to stay away from Connor. Dismissing them as pranks, she steels herself to make a good impression. Yet the moment she steps into Idlewood, Theo can’t shake the uneasy feeling creeping over her. The family’s frosty reception is bad enough, but then there’s the unsettling familiarity of the place. Strange footprints appear outside her window. A disused cabin on the property hides something impossible: a photo of Theo as a child, taken at Idlewood. Theo barely remembers her earliest years, but the splintered memories that emerge point to secrets someone in the Dalton family is desperate to keep hidden. As Theo inches closer to uncovering the truth, she realizes she’s not just an outsider trying to win their approval—she’s a threat. And the Daltons will do anything to protect their legacy, even if it means silencing her forever.

Kate Alice Marshall has built a reputation for crafting atmospheric thrillers that keep readers on edge, and her latest, A Killing Cold, is no exception. After making her mark in YA fiction, Marshall broke into adult thrillers with the exceptional What Lies in the Woods, a gripping mystery that delved into the perils of memory and generational trauma. I thoroughly enjoyed that novel and was thrilled to receive a copy of this newest standalone from the publisher. From the first chapter, Marshall establishes a sense of creeping unease. Theo, our protagonist, feels like she’s wading into waters far deeper than she’s prepared for, and it quickly becomes apparent that she’s harboring secrets of her own. As her fiancé’s family secrets come to light, the narrative twists into a tangled web of deceit, ensuring no character—and no reader—is left entirely sure of the truth.

I alternated between reading and listening to the audiobook, and Karissa Vacker’s narration was, as always, a highlight. Her voice brought a chilling immediacy to Theo’s mounting paranoia and the story’s steadily escalating tension. Marshall expertly keeps the reader slightly off balance, just enough to ensure that when the big reveals come, they land with maximum impact. The pacing is relentless, ramping up as threats grow more urgent, culminating in a genuinely shocking conclusion. With A Killing Cold, Marshall proves once again that she’s a master of the winter thriller, delivering an irresistible blend of atmosphere, suspense, and twists. She’s quickly becoming one of my must-read authors.

I was able to get an ARC of this book. And I read it in a matter of 2 days. I was able to get the audio version and the woman who narrated it did a fantastic job. It was suspenseful, twisty, interesting and I just wanted to know what was going to happen next.

The setting was also great giving that cold, damp scenery. It was a great setting for this kind of book. There were a lot of twists and turns when it came to this story. It was just one after the other.

I would highly recommend reading or listening to the audio version of this book. 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Theo and Connor are an unlikely match. He comes from a wealthy family, and her past is something she's still working to uncover. The pair become engaged quickly and decide to spend the holidays at his family's remote cabin retreat. Theo's nervousness about meeting his family intensifies when she begins receiving threatening messages from an unknown number, warning her to stay away from Connor.

Things go from awkward to bizarre when Theo feels familiar with the place, and discovers a photo of a man with a girl who looks suspiciously like herself in an abandoned cabin on the property. With her past hidden under layers of trauma and the family she's marrying into full of secrets, she's determined to get to the bottom of what everyone is trying to hide.

A Killing Cold is a layered mystery where nothing is as it seems. It's a story that draws you in as you work with the main character to figure out what the family is hiding and how it relates to her. The narrator does a fantastic job of holding attention, as you can hear the anxiety and fear in the characters she reads for. With twist after twist, I can safely say the ending was not what I'd expected. I enjoyed this thriller and would happily read/listen to another of her books in the future.

4 Stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for the ALC of this book!

I will now read everything this author ever writes.
Two hit books back to back for me.
Loved this! The author's writing really appeals to me. I love how she crafts her story and how she unveils things along the way, and it always has me completely glued! I had a hard time putting this one down and devoured it as fast as possible.
This has secrets, family drama, an isolated type of setting, a great atmosphere, and just enough suspense to keep me hooked.
I am looking forward to seeing what else Kate Alice Marshall writes next and her backlist that I missed out on!

I really can’t get over how well this book was written. The past and present POVs blended together flawlessly. I was absolutely hooked from the beginning. I struggled to put this down, and once the drama REALLY started, I was GLUED to this book. Almost every chapter ended on a cliffhanger which I love. I had to force myself not to skip ahead to the endings of each chapter just to get a taste of what was in store next. An exceptional book!

Thank you NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the audio ARC. All opinions are my own!

Accomplished and experienced actress Karissa Vacker narrates A Killing Cold. Theo, a woman without family, is invited to her new fiancée's family compound for the Christmas holidays. Raised by adoptive parents, Theo doesn't even know her real name or birthday. The Daltons, Connor's family, are not impressed by her lack of background and come up with multiple reasons to scare her off. Theo is not only upset by threats, and offers of money to leave Connor, but also because she has an eerie sense of having been there before. That seems impossible as she was raised on the west coast and lives in LA--she doesn't remember being on the east coast.

As the days spin on and the sad story of Connor's father's death comes out, Theo begins to believe that she actually has been there, with her mother. Pieces of memories come back to her and she's fascinated and terrified by the things she remembers. The Dalton family does not like to lose and when Theo and Connor hold to their nuptials, the family secrets all come out. And in ways the reader hasn't anticipated.

This book is full of suspense and unanticipated events and revelations. Anyone who enjoys a good mystery will enjoy reading A Killing Cold.

wow what a complex read honestly. literally so much happened and there were so many plot twists! i found that this story kept me on my toes and was quite easy to consume!

i liked the characters, and i felt like the longer i read the more i began to understand them. i wouldn't say i fully know what happened and why it happened, but in a way i think i like that. during the big finale ending i did find myself getting confused on who was who though lol. but like i said i quite enjoyed learning about each character. i think my favorites were theo, alexis, and connor. and the dog obviously.

this story was just enough equal parts spooky as it was thrilling and mysterious! like i mentioned, literally so much happens that it is hard to discuss this book. you need to go into it as blind as possible i think! also it makes for a perfect wintertime read!

i listened to this book on audio, and i thought the narrator did a great job! sometimes her voices for the men were a little silly, but they never took me out of the story or anything! I would definitely recommend checking out the audiobook!!

anywho i would absolutely recommend this book and i am so so so happy i got the chance to read and review this book for netgalley and Macmillan Audio! thank you so much for the opportunity!

prime story on how wealth can rupture sanity and morals. People will do anything to hide secrets and keep their reputation. I went into this without even reading the synopsis but so far Kate Marshall hasn’t disappointed. Her writing has improved every novel she comes out with!!

audiobook was so so good! it was easy to follow, the little kid voice really got me smiling at times. The book was mostly set in one location, with multiple characters however just one POV. So it was easy to follow along and gather background into each of the characters.

Theo is engaged to Connor, who is from an extrenly wealthy family. They are in their way to spend time at the family lodge, but when they get there, Theo knows that she’s been here before.

Through family secrets and murders, the past is revealed, and not everyone here is who they say they are.

I devoured this book and was continuously guessing who I thought did it and was never right!! So many potential suspects with this cast.

When Theo heads to her fiancés remote cabins for the holidays, she finds they are all hiding secrets. Including herself. Then memories start to return and she realizes she’s been here before.

This book did not take the turns I was expecting it to with how the beginning starts. I was pleased that I didn’t see several of the twist coming and it kept me guessing.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (4.5/5)

“I am prey and prey is never safe.”

So I’ve now read 3 books by this author. I LOVED this one and 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗟𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗜𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗼𝗱𝘀, I wasn’t a fan of No One Can Know, I just couldn’t get into it, it wasn’t bad just wasn’t for me.

I think this author may have gone back to the style of WLITW in her latest because I was ALL IN with 𝗔 𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗱. I’m glad I decided to read another book by KAM, I was not disappointed.

I ordered this with my BOTM box and then also ended up snagging an audiobook as well, which was narrated by the amazing Karissa Vacker. She’s one of my fav audio narrators and was a perfect pick for this one.

I don’t wanna get into too much about the story itself because (1) I don’t wanna spoil anything and (2) I don’t know where to begin as this one has a lot of moving parts. Just know there are lots of secrets that come to light and everything isn’t what it seems. Oh and of course, as with most books in their genre you will not have any idea who to trust.

If you read and loved 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗟𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗜𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗼𝗱𝘀, but weren’t a fan of No One Can Know….don’t let that be your last impression of this author because this is one you won’t want to miss. Trust me. This one is absolutely worth the read.

The story follows a woman named Theo who goes home with her fiancé, Connor for the holidays. She quickly learns his family has a lot of secrets. I loved the isolated cabin setting and all the winter vibes. There’s rich people behaving badly, mystery, and so many twists. I was excited to see Karissa Vacker narrated this book and she did an amazing job at bringing the characters and story to life.