A Killing Cold: A Novel

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!

Theo has no memory of her life before adoption and a reoccurring nightmare that she’s convinced means something from that time. She is going to visit her fiancés family in a secluded mountain area and things start to look familiar while some of his relatives says she looks familiar too. A dead husband, a missing woman and her daughter, an abandoned cabin, and All. The. Secrets. Divorce, cheating, murder?, accident? Was her random chance encounter with her fiancée actually random or some elaborate ploy to find out what she knows, what she remembers? I couldn’t put this book down! I finished it in one day!

A woman is invited to her rich fiancé’s family winter retreat, Idlewood, where she realizes they are hiding a very big secret while she also uncovers secrets of her own. With twists and turns on nearly every page, it continuously leaves you guessing and wondering if any of the characters can be trusted. Fast paced and gripping, with many unlikable characters and a lovable protagonist, A Killing Cold is an epic thriller that many readers will enjoy. Please read trigger warnings before reading. More of a personal take: What a story! I absolutely loved Theo and Connor. How despite obstacles and past dark secrets continually being revealed, they fought for each other. They chose each other. This one kept me on the edge of my seat and I couldn’t put it down or stop thinking about it, wondering how it would end. There were SO many twists and turns, often causing doubt with every character in the book. The conclusion was surprising, and though justice was never truly served for so much trauma endured, it was still a beautiful and fulfilling ending that truly warmed my heart. I connected with Theo on a deep level, being adopted myself and not knowing my roots and my history, often wondering what my birth mother and birth family might be like. What my history holds that I don’t know about. I also connected with her on all the traumas she faced, all the heartache that led her to choose actions that though she didn’t really regret, still haunted her. I connected with Theo and Connor’s love story, too, as I feel it reflects a lot of my own love story. How tragedy led them to each other, and how through the darkness and uncertainties that kept being thrown in their way, they continually chose each other, fighting through it all hand in hand, together. That is what Kris and I have done, every time, without fail. Life has thrown us plenty of obstacles, many of which probably should have broken us- but every time it just drew us closer to one another, choosing one another despite what other people say or choose to believe. We know each other’s truths and we still choose each other and always will. We’re not perfect, but we are perfect for each other- just like Theo and Connor. ❤️ I’m so glad I chose this book as my BOTM, it is one that will stay with me, close to my heart. ♥️ My only reason for knocking a tiny bit off my rating (4.75 on StoryGraph, 5/5 on Goodreads, 9/10 on Bookclubs) is due to foul language. I find it unnecessary and it truly adds nothing to the story in my personal opinion. Still a great read, and one I highly recommend.

This was a fun little twisty read! Mystery surrounds our FMC’s past as well as with her rich soon-to-be in-laws! 👀 Some of the twists were predictable but I still enjoyed the read! Check this one out, especially if you’re looking for a wintry whodunnit! 👏 Thank you to NetGalley, Flatiron Books, and Kate Alice Marshall for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️