Hello, Book Nerds! Welcome back to Reading Has Ruined My Life or welcome if you are new. As always, my name is Hannah and I am your captain on this journey into my bookcases.
Welcome to Mystery March! All month long I shall be reviewing mystery titles and talking nothing but one of the best genres ever created. Buckle up, Book Nerds, it’s going to be a thrilling month.
And I got a good one for ya today. I have a very special review as it’s brought to you by Flatiron Books and Kensington Publishing; they aren’t paying me for my review, they just sent me the book for free. I won this book in a giveaway so thank you very much for pulling my name.
And what book was I sent? Please give a big round of applause to A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall! A Killing Cold released last month on February 4.
Synopsis time now! As always, a spoiler alert is in order. If you’ve read any other review on this site then you know I love to spoil the entirety of the books I read. This is your one and only warning. I also must issue a content and trigger warning. A Killing Cold deals heavily with abuse; both physical and mental. It is a large part of this thriller so if you are not in the headspace to deal with this topic I do suggest skipping this read. Now let’s crack in.
“Stay away from Connor Dalton.” That’s the message Theodora “Theo” Scott receives in the lead-up to Christmas with her fiancé’s family. Theo and Connor have only been together for six months, got engaged after three, and she’s yet to meet his family. His extremely wealthy family. A family who is definitely going to judge her and think she’s a gold digger. So why not meet them over Christmas when they all get together at the family’s private mountain top lodge? Surely nothing can go wrong.
The most famous last words. Right away, tensions run high. Connor’s mother and grandmother grill Theo about her past, family, and the speedy proposal, Connor’s younger brother Trevor is messy in every sense of the word, then there’s the shady groundskeeper, those threatening messages, and Theo can’t help but feel like she’s been to this mountain top lodge before. Almost like she was there in a different life. Or perhaps when she was a very young child before she was adopted by religious fanatics.
Theo doesn’t remember her childhood. Well, she doesn’t remember anything from before being adopted by Beth and Joseph Scott when she was four-years-old. But the Daltons’ lodge seems to bring back long forgotten memories. Memories of a woman in a red scarf. Memories of hiding in a tucked away cabin. And memories of running from a man.
What does this mean? Was she actually here once before? Or is her mind playing tricks on her? There’s still the threatening messages she still has to contend with. Who is sending her those? Find out in A Killing Cold.
First things first, A Killing Cold features a dog. Her name is Duchess. She’s a ten-out-of-ten Good Girl. I’m very happy to report no harm befalls her. Everyone who is here to learn the fate of Duchess, I need you to release the breath you’ve been holding in. Duchess is doing great by the end of the novel. She’s living her best life. She’s being treated like the queen she is. Also, a little spoiler, she saves the day! Like I said, a ten-out-of-ten Good Girl.
Ok, now let’s move on to the review proper. This book has so many twists and turns; I love it. Every time I thought I had things figured out, the author would drop some new info and change everything. The mystery is perfectly crafted. Breadcrumbs are dropped at just the right times. A true page turner in my opinion.
I did have a hard time remembering who was who though. But I don’t believe A Killing Cold suffers from Too Many Characters Syndrome, the issue is more about all the names feeling too similar to me. They’re all fairly basic. I would have preferred the Dalton family to have had old money names, and while all their names are traditional, they feel too common and can easily mixed up with characters who are not members of the Dalton clan. I don’t think this is an issue with the book per se, I think this is more a me problem than anything else, and in part a personal preference. Sometimes I simply forgot who some characters were. Take that however you like.
A Killing Cold is a book I highly enjoyed. You will not find fault with the prose, pacing, plot, or really any technical aspect. This is a solid read. With all that said, I do question if this novel has done enough. A rich family whose members have many skeletons in the their closets, and an outsider about to marry into the family may end up being the destruction of said family. I can name five movies with this plot off the top of my head. I’m sure thriller and mystery readers can name a plethora of novels like the one I just described. Once again I ask the question, does A Killing Cold do enough?
Well, to answer my own question, yes. I had a great time with this book. I looked forward to picking it up every night. As I said earlier, A Killing Cold is a true page turner with many twists and turns. It’s a read I had a hard time putting down due to the twists and the messy, rich people drama that I was living for. At the same time, this book is very much like a lot of others out there. Two things can be true at the same time. I still rate this book very highly and do recommend it if you’re looking for a new release thriller to pick up.
I will end my review right here, and I shall bid you all adieu. Thank you once again to Kensington Publishing and Flatiron Books for pulling my name in the giveaway. And thank you, Book Nerds, for joining me today. I shall see you all again next week with another new review for Mystery March. If you can’t wait that long then you can always check out my podcast Nothing to See Hear. Me and two of my dearest friends talk everything from cryptids to Scooby-Doo, Disney to bad 90s wrestling, and just about anything and everything else; there is bound to be something you’ll enjoy.
Until next time, stay safe, wash your hands, and read some good books for me.
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