Dead of Winter in Stephen King Fans

Oct 26, 2023 Lisa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: to-read-soon

Darcy Coates never, ever, ever disappoints me! And DEAD OF WINTER is no exception to that statement! I'm becoming addicted to her stories of horror and mystery. This particular novel of hers is definitely one of my very favorite books of the year! For fans of closed-room mysteries, this is an absolute must read and should be added to your TBR list immediately. It is reminiscent of Agatha Christie's AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, which made me love it even more.

Darcy creates a fabulous cast of charac Darcy Coates never, ever, ever disappoints me! And DEAD OF WINTER is no exception to that statement! I'm becoming addicted to her stories of horror and mystery. This particular novel of hers is definitely one of my very favorite books of the year! For fans of closed-room mysteries, this is an absolute must read and should be added to your TBR list immediately. It is reminiscent of Agatha Christie's AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, which made me love it even more.

Darcy creates a fabulous cast of characters, each uniquely developed and having his/her own personality. They are traveling together on what starts out as an enjoyable winter getaway, quickly turning into the things of nightmares. Like in Christie's classic, everyone is a suspect and potential victim all at once. The reader is left guessing until the very end, when all secrets are revealed and the mystery is solved. As bodies begin dropping (in the most gruesome of ways, so be forewarned), you are left wondering who will be next--this scenario creates tension and heart-pounding suspense like I have not read in quite some time.

Our main protagonist, Christa, is a fantastic character whom I really grew to love and whom I vehemently rooted for throughout the book. She is smart, strong, and tenacious, never giving up on finding a way to survive for herself and the strangers she begins seeing as friends. I love how Christa threw herself into solving the mystery rather than remain a helpless bystander and accept her fate. The power of hope plays a significant role in the novel, especially for Christa, who chooses to grasp onto even the smallest slivers of it.

DEAD OF WINTER's narrative is skillfully written, allowing the mystery to unfold before your very eyes, as small pieces of the puzzle begin coming together. A journal with a special code factors into the mystery, and as Christa unravels the meaning in this journal, it's as if a fragmented image of who the killer may be slowly comes into focus. I honestly could not put this book down. The story was so very captivating, literally putting me on the edge of my seat. I will admit that I thought I knew who the killer might be thanks to reading Agatha Christie for over 40 years, but I was never absolutely sure, and kept waiting for another piece of the puzzle to fall into place.

The ending was everything I had hoped it would be regarding our mystery, some questions still to be answered, but providing closure nonetheless. This is a book I would definitely reread, probably discovering things I missed the first time, and enjoying the second ride even more! Five enthusiastic stars!! ...more

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Jul 10, 2023 Cassie rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, netgalley

I love a good locked room mystery, and Darcy Coates explores this trope brilliantly in Dead of Winter, her ice-cold homage to And Then There Were None. Eight people are stranded in the Rocky Mountains, trapped in an isolated cabin, and are being picked off one by one in grisly, gruesome ways. We get the story from the first-person point of view of Christa, one of the eight, as she desperately tries to figure out who is doing the killing before she herself becomes a victim.

Dead of Winter will tr ...more

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Feb 16, 2024 Kandice rated it it was ok

I didn't enjoy this. I should have. It's right up my alley. Murder, mystery, suspense and investigation. I'm not sure if it was the writing or the characters, but I found myself reading and losing track because I wasn't able to focus. My mind wandered, and I would find ten pages had passed and I had no idea what progress had been made.

I'm going to chalk it up to mood. ...more

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Nov 27, 2024 Cats W. Bats, Esq. rated it it was amazing

4.5/5 rounded up

!!!

hell of a propulsive horror thriller with strong slasher elements. kinda figured out who was responsible midbook but sooooo much other stuff was happening that it truly slipped my mind until near the end and one particular line reminded me. immediately checking out coates' other stuff. ...more

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