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48 Cold-Weather Novels for Thrills and Chills
Some people, believe it or not, actually like cold weather. They’re entitled to their insane opinions, of course. But here at Goodreads World Headquarters, we like to keep our chills strictly literary. Reading about cold weather is way better than actually dealing with it.
We dug deep into the archives for this one, gathering up 48 winter-weather mysteries, thrillers, and horror novels. Some are relatively new, some go back a few years, but all of them are appropriate for Mother Nature’s most questionable creation: winter.
This specially curated collection features some stone-cold (heh) classics from genre aces like Stephen King, Agatha Christie, Peter Straub, and Seishi Yokomizo. If you want to sample some adventurous genre experiments, check out the contemporary Gothic vibes of Helen Oyeyemi’s White Is for Witching or the oogy sci-fi horror of Hiron Ennes’ Leech. Fans of cold-weather coming-of-age crossovers might like Let the Right One In, the book some consider the greatest vampire story ever told.
Use the comments section below to suggest other winter titles, or to make recommendations for your fellow Goodreads regulars. Click on the book cover images for more information about each book, and don’t forget to feed your poor, shivering Want to Read shelf.
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Have a great cold-weather thriller recommendation? Share your picks with us in the comments below!
Comments Showing 1-37 of 37 (37 new)
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by
Law
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Nov 16, 2023 02:36AM
Where to start?
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So many good books to choose from. I’ve read a few on this list and they are all good books.
SHIVER, by Allie Reynolds is the most chillingly atmospheric thriller I've read in many years, if ever!!!
Nice to see some Jo Nesbø love. Reading someone say they dislike the cold while, here in Brazil, we're facing the country's biggest heat waves ever was peak comedy though.
I would also add Deception point to this list. By Dan Brown. Highly recommend. It's set in the arctic I believe.
I love it! introduced me to some really interesting titles. Thank you!
Everyone is sleeping on Wolf Winter by Cecelia Eckback
I can’t find Everyone is Sleeping on Wolf Winter by Cecelia Eckback.
Heather wrote: "I can’t find Everyone is Sleeping on Wolf Winter by Cecelia Eckback."the book is called Wolf Winter by Cecelia Eckback
Thank you, and thanks for posting it. It looks like a really great book!
Dead of Winter was one of my favourite reads of the year.
"In Cold Pursuit" by Sarah Andrews. It's set in Antarctica.
"Winter Study" by Nevada Barr. It's from the Anna Pigeon series, but this one is set in the Isle Royale National Park during the dead of winter.
"Iron Lake" by William Kent Krueger. First in the Cork O'Connor series and set in winter in Minnesota.
a good one for kids is The Lost Spirit - don't see it on your list
This is my kind of list!! Of course I have read a lot, but so many new-to-me titles, I don't know where to start! Perfect for all the upcoming cold and snowy Colorado nights
a bit older but Winter Moon by Dean Koontz was good. Also, Snow by Ronald Malfi
Another wintery Agatha Christie is Murder at Hazelmoor (also published as The Sittaford Mystery.) A murder during poor weather creates a closed circle mystery.
The Memoirs of Stockholm Sven, Nathaniel Ian Miller, set in SvalbardHow the Penguins Saved Veronica, Hazel Prior, set in Antarctica
If you like the cold, try the complex crime novels of the Icelandic writer Arnaldur Indridason, such as 'The Draining Lake'. Or the equally intricately plotted Varg Veum Bergen crime novels of the Norwegian writer Gunnar Staalesen, such as his superb 'At Night All Wolves Are Grey'.
The Silent Land by Graham Joyce
The Split by Sharon Bolton, split timelines set in Oxford and Antarctica.
Maynard’s House — A truly brilliant novel that’s chronically underestimated. One of my top 5 reads of the year, it’s tension-laden narrative is one you’ll not regret!
I love this list and I love novels where the setting is in the cold weather - particularly if there is an element of isolation such as a remote cabin, blizzard cutting off access, etc. My only complaint is that I have already read most of these! :D
Shiver - Allie Reynolds is a winter thriller. Good!
The Snow Child - Eowyn IveyThe Tsar of Love and Techno - Anthony Marra
The Bear and the Nightingale - Katherine Arden
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Steig Larsson
A Gentleman in Moscow - Amor Towles
Does anyone else find it frustrating how many global services focus only on the northern hemisphere ?
My favorite cold-weather read is Graham Joyce’s The Silent Land. It’s impossible to put it down.
If you’d like some romance with your chills and thrills go for Whiteout by Adriana Anders!
Ooh I was just thinking I needed to go find some new books for the winter 🌨
I have read a few of these and have a few on hand to read. About to start another either tonight or tomorrow if I can finish the one I'm reading now.
