*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Publication Date: July 11, 2023
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Pages: 341
Genre: Thriller/Horror
Rating: 4.5/5
Dead of Winter is a claustrophobic and atmospheric closed circle thriller that had me on the edge of my seat the whole way through. Christa and her boyfriend are joining a small group of strangers heading to an isolated lodge in the Rocky Mountains for a week long retreat with no access to the outside world during the dead of winter. On the road to the lodge the group is forced to find shelter due to the terrible winter storm. Slowly, the group is being picked off one by one and they are in a race to not only survive the elements but also the killer that is hiding amongst them.
This was such a fun yet grisly read. I throughly enjoyed the adventure and suspense of this story. I also loved the horror elements that Coates sprinkled in, like the victims heads being placed on a tree nearby the cabin the group is sheltering in. It can also be hard with a bigger group of characters to make them all unique enough to stand out and Coates nailed that. Each character has a distinct voice and all of them are suspicious.
My only negative for this story was that I guessed the ending pretty early on. Which isn’t uncommon for me since I read so many thrillers but I was hoping there would be a bit more to it. Even with knowing the ending I thought it was well done and I was even second guessing myself at various times. And the ending was so dynamic that I’ve actually thought about it a handful of times since finishing the book.
This was my first Darcey Coates book and it will definitely not be my last. I loved the mix of horror and thriller. Coates also perfectly nailed the atmosphere and I could easily picture Christa and the group during the horrific blizzard. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to escape into an easy story that will chill them in more than one way.
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