Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with an advanced audiobook copy of A Killing Cold. As a fan of Kate Alice Marshall, I was thrilled to dive into another one of her books.

A Killing Cold did not disappoint. Theo is a compelling and likable protagonist who makes you root for her as she unravels the mysteries of her childhood. The story is packed with twists and turns, making it an engaging read that's perfect for curling up with on a cold winter day.

The narrator also did an excellent job, bringing the characters to life and keeping the listener fully entertained throughout.

Overall, I really enjoyed A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall. It’s a fast-paced, gripping novel that kept me guessing right up until the very end. Theo spends the holiday season at her fiancé Connor's family estate—an opulent winter getaway—but it quickly becomes clear that the family is hiding a lot of secrets. This was my first book by Kate Alice Marshall, and I’m already looking forward to reading more from her!

The narration by Karissa Vacker was excellent. She was an engaging storyteller who brought the characters to life and helped me vividly imagine the story’s world.

As always, a big thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this book.
3.5 stars

I absolutely loved this one, and I think Karissa Vacker's narration was a huge part of that. Audio is definitely the way to go on this one. This one was fast paced throughout the book (maybe a bit more in the first half than in the second), and I kept trying to guess how it was going to all play out. I think the ending went just a bit too far in the whodunit department, but I could buy into it and loved the entire ride getting there. I thought that the characters could have been a bit more fleshed out, but the plot more than makes up for it.

This one is a true slow burn. I really thought that it was gonna pick up at the towards the end, but it did not for me. It really did not captivate me throughout the book. I was having to force myself to get through it.

Reading 2.5/5

Expected publication date : 2/4/5

Thank you so much for providing an arc copy to me to read to provide it honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio arc copy.

This was a decent read. Listened to it over two days so it held my attention pretty well. Liked the winter, secluded cabin vibes. This probably should have come out a month or so ago to really be in time for the season instead of at the end portion.

Anyway, while I enjoyed this, it wasn't my favorite thriller of all time. It was okay, but nothing amazing or new. Unfortunately, it was a fairly predictable thriller overall. This doesn't happen to me often. I'm not usually good at figuring out endings but this one was very predictable - and kind of boring. (sorry :( I just expected something more exciting.)

This will probably be a fun read for some, It seems I'm kind of an outlier here. I still think it is worth a read, its a fun winter vibes read as I mentioned - but it's just okay.

There were a lot of characters and sometimes it was hard to keep track of who was who and how they were related. They also were all pretty unlikable and flat. It was even hard for me to relate and enjoy the FMC or her plight.

The audio was good though. Enjoyed the narration! It was also well produced.

Thanks again for the arc. My thoughts are my own.

I was a little disappointed with this book and contemplated DNFing it a bunch. This definitely wasn’t my favorite of her books.

I have really enjoyed the author’s previous work but this one was my least favorite. Still an entertaining read, and some of the twists were good but the outcome and plot was pretty predictable. Enjoyed the audio too, which I would recommend.

Theodora Scott meets a wealthy man named Connor but when she's about to meet his family, she gets cryptic text messages saying to stay away from Connor. After ignoring the messages, she goes with Connor to his family's cabin for Christmas and gets a suspicious feeling she's been there before.

Wow! This is the best book I've read in a while. The whole story is just one twist after another and it just keeps getting better throughout. Just when you think you may have pieced together what's going to happen, there's another twist. The authors writing style is truly unique in that she has a way of really pulling the reader in so it feels like you're right there in the story. The story is engaging and thrilling and just so good!

I have a copy of the audio version and the narrator did an amazing job, I love books narrated by Karissa Vacker. She takes the characters and gives them life. The pace is amazing, she uses the pace to create build up in the scenes and then slows it down to really help the reader understand the magnitude of the scene.

I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A solid thriller! I really enjoyed the twisty family drama and I feel the mystery and wrapping up of the book were well done. Highly recommend for all mystery thriller lovers out there.

This book was a WILD ride and I ate it up! I loved the FMC and MMC together. I felt like they balanced each other out tremendously. I loved how twisty this book was and how I never had any idea “who done it”. I love when a book keeps me on my toes the whole book. I cannot wait to read more of this authors books in the future!

I am thankful to Netgalley for providing me the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of A Killing Cold. I've been enjoying Kate Alice Marshall books for a few years now, so I was really excited to get access to this one.

This is my first experience listening to one of her books, rather than reading a digital or traditional copy and I was not disappointed. The narrator was consistent throughout the entirety of the book and provided an entertaining experience throughout.

As far as the story line went, it keeps you engaged from the very start. The timing of the unraveling mystery was impeccably done, giving just enough throughout to keep the reader going but stretched in just the perfect way to keep the mystery until the end.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and cannot wait to recommend it to my fellow readers!

This was my first book by Kate Alice Marshall, and it definitely won’t be my last. Theo and Connor, recently engaged, head to his family’s isolated winter estate, Idlewild, hoping to impress his difficult-to-please relatives and gain their approval. But Theo quickly feels unwelcome by some family members, and an eerie sense of déjà vu begins to take over. As strange phone messages and unsettling discoveries at an abandoned cabin pile up, Theo questions everything—especially whether Connor has an agenda and how a forgotten past might be tied to her future. I enjoyed learning more about Theo's backstory and how her past shaped her, though the other characters lacked much depth. Despite that, the 'whodunnit' kept me guessing, and I was intrigued until the end. It was a quick listen that captivated my attention, keeping me hooked from start to finish.

Karissa Vacker's narration was fantastic. Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillian Audio, and Kate Alice Marshall for an audio ARC. These thoughts are my own.

US pub date: 2/4/25
Genre: thriller
Quick summary: Theodora and Connor are crazy in love - or are they just plain crazy? After a difficult childhood, she's excited to try to win over his family - but then she begins to think that maybe she's already met them.

I will never turn down the chance to listen to a Kate Alice Marshall audiobook narrated by Karissa Vacker! Her books are always fun, twisty popcorn thrillers, and this wintry setting was perfect for a gloomy January read. I ended up listening to it in one day as I worked on a puzzle - I just had to keep listening! Some of the last half felt a little too pat and perfectly coincidental to be a five star read, but I can't fault Marshall for continuing to weave surprise after surprise into the story. If you enjoy thrillers on audio, definitely pick this one up!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Whirlwind Romance Meets Dark Family Secrets

Theo and Connor’s romance starts like a fairy tale—love at first sight. But don’t expect a heartwarming happily-ever-after. Connor, an influential family's wealthy and charismatic member, sweeps Theo off her feet in just six whirlwind months. Yet when he whisks her away to his family’s secluded winter estate for their approval, the dream quickly descends into something sinister.

Theo is met not with open arms but with warnings, threatening messages, and strange occurrences that scream danger. This is no ordinary family—they’re hiding something dark and twisted, buried deep in the icy retreat.

Suspense and Dizzying Twists

The more Theo digs, the more familiar—and dangerous—things feel. Memories of her past resurface, adding another layer of dread to the already suffocating atmosphere.

Yes, it’s twisty—maybe even a bit too twisty at times. Just when I thought I cracked the case, another twist hits, and the cycle keeps going, twist after twist. Normally, that kind of relentless plotting might wear on me, but I couldn’t stop turning the pages (or, in my case, pressing play). It’s the kind of story where you side-eye every character because everyone’s guilty or hiding something.

Atmosphere That Chills You to the Bone
The isolated family compound, surrounded by a harsh winter landscape, is the perfect setting for this thriller.

A Few Challenges but Still Hooked

I listened to the audiobook, and I’ll admit, the dizzying twists and multiple characters sometimes made it tough to follow. I had to hit pause more than once to regroup. But even with that, I couldn’t stop coming back for more.

Twists, secrets, and a Wintry Chill

A Killing Cold is a snowstorm of suspense, secrets, and danger. The tension builds like ice creeping over a window, and just when you think you’ve cracked it, another twist shatters your theories. The characters are like icebergs, with so much hidden beneath the surface, and the twists come fast enough to leave you spinning.

If you’re in the mood for a thriller with chilling secrets, buried memories, and a wintry setting that will make you shiver, this one’s for you. Just be ready to buckle up for the ride—you’re in for a dizzying one!

A Witches Words Buddy read with Mary Beth!

Everything i love about a mystery and thriller is here. It kept me reading and it kept me guessing. The ending was a little over the top but I really enjoyed the intriguing moments. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook

I loved this- it had me hooked from page 1 and I was excited to hear what would happen next. The twists were crazy! I will 100% be picking up more of her books and reading this while in this January snowstorm is such a mood.

This was a fun mystery/thriller set on a secluded mountain. While some parts were a tiny bit predictable, I did not guess some of the reveals and overall it was a fun, quick read with enough possible suspects to keep the reader guessing to the end.
Recommended for fans of locked room style stories, secluded winter vibes, rich people drama, and mysteries involving repressed memories.
Quick, fun popcorn read. (3.75 rounded up to 4)

First of all, since this is an audio-ARC, the narration was phenomenal. It's honestly the only reason I was motivated to continue in the book. The narration of the story gets a 5/5.

Unfortunately I'm beginning to think Kate Alice Marshall just isn't for me. I thought the story was just a very predictable "rich family" story. I really wanted to go almost crazy to bring something unique and interesting to the book. It didn't do that. It was just a classic rich people protecting rich people thing. I did like that one of the characters actually made good decisions the entire time, which normally that specific character never does. So that was a nice little break from this genre, but it didn't help the rest of the story. I'm also not a huge fan of a story revolving around major coincidences and forgotten memories. The whole story was based on something so ridiculously impossible to happen so it was hard to suspend that disbelief. I also felt that the ending was MASSIVELY anticlimactic. We got no real closure for the characters and it was honestly just super depressing. Our main character went through so much and for what?

This is fine but I didn't really like it. I guess I was somewhat curious enough to make it to the end? But simultaneously not that invested?

The novel feels like a pretty standard thriller that annoyingly has a protagonist with memory loss who can conveniently regain certain memories as the plot needs it, but never enough memories to know what's happening. I get why it's a useful trope in the Thriller genre, but it's just so tired and frustrating imo.

The reveals are fairly obvious, and there are a bunch of red herring secrets that end up just being irrelevant to the plot?

Audiobook Notes:
The narrator has a pleasant voice and cadence and does a good job interpreting the text. I think I probably wouldn't have finished it without the audiobook.

3.5 ⭐️ A Killing Cold is the perfect book if you’re looking for a wintry thriller! This locked door/snowed in mystery had the perfect setting, which was both chilling and isolated, and very atmospheric.

The characters were rich, wealthy and very unlikeable. Our FMC, Theo, quickly realizes that she isn’t just meeting her fiancé’s family, but is trying to find out why their secluded estate is so familiar. Secrets are quickly revealed and there are twists that keep you guessing to the very end.

While I enjoyed the suspenseful build up for majority of the story, I felt that there were maybe a few too many twists that made it a little unrealistic. While I don’t normally mind unrealistic endings, in a way I almost felt that the ending was a bit predictable as well? Overall the setting was perfect, the unlikeable characters were great, and the build up was well paced.

The audio was absolutely fantastic and added to the chilling atmospheric vibe for this wintry story!

Thank you @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for the ALC ✨