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!

Kate Alice Marshall delivers a masterful thriller in A Killing Cold, keeping me on edge from start to finish. This novel is packed with unexpected twists that had me constantly reassessing everything I thought I knew. Just when I thought I had it figured out, another revelation would throw me off course in the best way.

One of the book’s greatest strengths is its characters—I found myself deeply invested, falling in love with some while absolutely loathing others. Marshall’s writing style is beautifully immersive, balancing tension and emotion in a way that made the story impossible to put down. The pacing was just right, giving enough suspense to keep me anxious and intrigued, yet never dragging on too long.

Overall, A Killing Cold was a gripping, well-crafted read that I’d highly recommend to anyone who loves a thriller that keeps you guessing until the very end.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ALC of A Killing Cold in exchange for my honest review.

I have become a big fan of Marshall’s thrillers and this latest one was no exception. I loved the winter setting – it added to an already tense and eerie situation. I also loved that nothing is what it seems and was desperate to get to the bottom of what this family was hiding. The slow unraveling of secrets keeps you hooked until the final reveal and I never would have expected it to wind up where it did! ⁣
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This book is perfect for anyone who loves isolated settings, family dramas and books with lots of twists! Be sure to clear your schedule when you pick this one up, though because you aren’t going to want to put it down once you start! ⁣
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Audio thoughts:⁣ I was thrilled to see that Karissa Vacker narrated this one. She is one of my favorite narrators and did an amazing job bringing this story to life. Her pacing is spot on and she infuses just the right amount of tension and emotion into her voice as needed.

3.75 stars

This story is compelling and driven by a family’s dark past. That past unravels slowly throughout the story with a few shocking twists and turns along the way.

I really enjoyed this novel. First off, the narrator did a wonderful job - I would definitely listen to other audiobooks they've narrated on. Now for the book - I thought it moved at a good pace, the twists were great, and I felt it wasn't too predictable. I would recommend this to any thriller/suspense reader.

I love me a good family drama mystery and this story definitely had plenty of that. Theo is a poor girl with a crappy (and very muddled) childhood that is engaged to a very VERY wealthy man and meeting his family for the first time. As you would expect, the family is very hesitant about their relationship and things get a little more complicated as Theo starts having odd flashes of memories like she’s been on this family’s compound before.

The story has several twists that kept me guessing on where it was going until the end. The narration is FABULOUS, so if you are thinking about checking out the audio – DO IT. The story is great on its own though, so either way you’ll be in for a treat.

Let’s paint the picture of this story: secluded winter retreat filled with wealthy people that will do anything to hide their secrets. Add in repetitive narrative, unlikeable toxic characters and overall, my opinion is an outlier.

While not a new premise, the snowy secluded backdrop did give some edge to this story. Where I struggled was the suspense felt forced and the story unrealistic. I did finish the book, but I almost wish I hadn’t. You know the thrillers where the twist actually ruins the story for you? This is that book. It just didn’t add up.

One of the saving graces is Karissa Vacker as the narrator. She does a superb job of embodying the character of Theo. I don’t think I could have enjoyed any of this book if it weren’t for her. She has a skill for embracing suspense and is one of the best female thriller narrators out there!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this digital ARC & ALC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for a copy of this audiobook in advance for an honest review.

I had an incredibly hard time liking this book. I have read and enjoyed two of her others, so I was excited to see what she pulled out of her back pocket. I listened to most of it, so it was hard to follow the characters vs what timeline we were in. All the characters were unlikeable and quite frankly annoying. I finished listening to this a day ago and couldn't tell you what the big twist was. I think the plot just fell flat for me and I was unimpressed by the end. Because I liked her other books, I am interested in continuing to read her releases, I just think this book was not for me. I do think the narrator, Karissa Vacker, did a good job.

*A Killing Cold* had an intriguing premise, but it didn’t quite pull me in. At first, I expected the usual rushed relationship-turned-deadly plot, and while the book didn’t go exactly in that direction, it still felt like familiar thriller territory. The pacing dragged at times—by the 75% mark, I thought the story was wrapping up, only to realize there were still two more hours left in the audiobook.

Theo, the protagonist, wasn’t particularly unlikeable, but I struggled to connect with her. The twists were there, but by the time they happened, I wasn’t invested enough for them to have much impact. Overall, it wasn’t a bad read, but it didn’t leave a lasting impression.

I’ve really enjoyed every book by this author that I’ve picked up, and A Killing Cold was no different. This was perfect to read during January in Wisconsin and the winter atmosphere was done wonderfully.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall.

Theodora (Theo) is joining her fiancé for a visit with his family at a winter retreat. Between their suspicions of her and the web of family secrets, Theo is caught in the middle.

I enjoyed the twists and turns. The unraveling of one lie that’s attached to another. It’s a very intricate web. Sticky, messy and you can’t get away from it. I felt the author did a great job of balancing information, emotions and build up of suspense and mystery.

The narrator keeps you emotionally and mentally engaged throughout this whole story. She did a great job!

I feel there should be trigger warnings regarding certain circumstances. Above all, I highly recommend for a mystery/ thriller.

I listened to A Killing Cold on audiobook as a NetGalley ARC (which I requested because it was offered as a BOTM pick). Thrillers, and especially closed-circle thrillers, are not my favorite genre because I feel like they are just all the same. I've got the same complaints I usually do -- none of the characters are particularly likable to the point that I find it hard to even care who did what. However, I will say that I found it interesting to eventually discover WHY each character made the decisions that they made.

A Killing Cold is an atmospheric thriller with plenty of twists and turns and an amazing amount of rich people behaving badly. So much fun!

The narration is superb and adds to the anxiety inducing suspense. I really enjoyed this audiobook.

Thanks to @Macmillan.Audio , @goodreads and @flatiron_books for the #gifted copies of this book.

Summary: Theodora Scott met and became engaged to Connor Dalton all within 6 months. As they do every winter, Connor brings Theo to his family's isolated retreat for her to meet the family. Before arriving at the retreat, Theo had been getting threatening messages to stay away from Connor, and they have only increased since they arrived at the retreat. Theo brushes them to the side until she sees the footprints near their cabin window as well as the crazy sense of being at the retreat before. As time continues at the cabin, Theo begins to discover much more than she ever anticipated.

My Thoughts: Oooh, this one was fun!! I am not one to have my thrillers super tense and scary, but Kate Alice Marshall's books give me the perfect balance of mystery and jumpiness. This one had me guessing from page 1 and not trusting a soul the whole time. It was so hard to figure everything out since Theo was certainly hiding parts of her history, not to mention her forgotten memories of the past. I loved being right there with her, discovering parts of her past while memories began to surface through dreams. The puzzle pieces were fun to put together while the story continued, and honestly, I was guessing up until the very end of the book. I loved this one a lot!!
🎧Karissa Vacker did a fantastic job with the audio. Her pace makes this a very easy listening experience. At times, I felt like it was a movie playing before me or that I was right in the scene with Theo. I highly suggest checking out the audio on this one.

Read if you love:
❄️Thrillers
❄️Family Drama
❄️Twists you don't see coming
❄️Winter Setting

I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it. It reminded me of the movie Your Next and the book The Family Game by Catherine Steadman (which I highly recommend).

This book is about Theodora Scott who is in a relationship with Connor Dalton, who comes from a wealthy family. They both fall hard and fast and our engaged to be married. Six months into their relationship, Connor takes her to his families isolated winter retreat in Idlewood to try and win over his relatives that are not sure about her intentions. Leading up to this trip, Theodora "Theo" starts receiving text messages tell her to stay away from Connor Dalton. While she ignores these text messages, once she gets to Idlewood, weird things start happening and she starts to think that theh family is out to get her. While walking around Idlewood, Theo ends up in a disused cabin, and finds a photo of herself as a child with Connors late father. And the picture was taken at Idlewood. Theo has no recollection of this event, but as she begins putting the pieces together, her memories start to come back. Because the Dalton's are powerful and do not lose, Theo starts to think that she has become the prey to Connor's family.

This book was a lot of fun to listen to and kept me hooked from the beginning. There were a lot of secrets and plot twists that keeps you wanting to know what happens. This was a great book to read this time of year with the winter setting. All the characters are untrustworthy, and Marshall had me guessing whodunit the entire time. This is definitely a quick binge read and I would definitely recommend to thriller lovers.

Read if you like:
-Whodunit vibes
-Untrustworthy characters
-secluded winter setting
-locked door thriller
-plot twists

Thank you @macmillan.audio for the #gifted copy.

I was fortunate to be approved for the audiobook version of A Killing Cold by Kate Marshall. I thoroughly enjoyed the narrator, Karissa Vicker, in both the female and male voices. The story was a quick "listen" and kept me invested in the plot. The plot was intriguing as the main character goes to a remote and luxurious estate to meet her wealthy fiancé's family for the first time. Secrets, lies and betrayals are carefully discovered as the audiobook moves on. I have not read any other books by this author but I now plan to. I wish to thank the publisher, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ARC. I highly recommend the book.

❄A KILLING COLD by Kate Alice Marshall❄
Narrated by: Karissa Vacker
Published by: Macmillan Audio
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Cold-blooded murder meets a chilling winter thriller. If you are into unreliable narrators, secrets, and the rich behaving badly, this one's for you! Shout out to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for this Advanced Listener Copy out for all to read with either your eyes or your ears.

Vacker steels the show again in this audiobook. Her range and emotions bring any story she reads to life.

After a whirlwind romance, Theodora is heading to Idlewood, a remote winter retreat, to meet Connor’s family. After their arrival, strange things start to happen. Theo starts receiving strange text messages, there are footprints outside her cabin, and then she finds a photo of herself as a child. How can this be? She doesn’t have any memory of this place but yet something is familiar.

Theo is a character which is a bit of an enigma. At one point in this tale, you think she is a bit of a villain. But, as the story moves along, you realize how damaged she really is and then the secrets start to unfold.

This is a story that immediately draws you in. The isolated setting, the weird vibes from the family and the secrets create an intense and creepy story that you just can’t stop reading.

I have read another book by this author, What Lies in the Wood. It is an amazing read as well!

The narrator Karissa Vacker is one of my favorites and she is excellent with this thriller!

Need a fast moving, intense thriller with a twisted ending…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

Not a thriller reader but lately I have hit gold with several titles. This is one of them. I listened to the audio which was wonderfully done and added some dimension to the characters. This is a locked room mystery but not the traditional sense where someone dies and then you figure it out. A family comes together on their private mountain to enjoy a Christmas holiday retreat and meet the new fiancé. The story is told form the fiancé point of view and she has a past that slowly reveals itself. The family is uber rich and also has a past. You are guessing for quite a while and then the author keeps twisting the story. You think you know, then you don't but then that person isn't fully eliminated either. It is an fast read but lots of moving parts to all the stories, I highly recommend if you want a palate cleanser or if you are one who really enjoys thrillers.