A Killing Cold
Theodora Scott fell fast for Connor Dalton—wealthy, charismatic, and heir to a formidable dynasty. But six months later, their whirlwind romance faces its ultimate test at Idlewood, the Daltons’ secluded winter estate. Theo is there to win over his cold, elite family, but the frozen woods hold more than just skeptical relatives.
Stay away from Connor Dalton.
The cryptic messages on her phone were easy enough to dismiss, but the footprints circling her cabin and a haunting sense of déjà vu are impossible to ignore. When Theo discovers an old photograph of herself as a child hidden in a derelict outbuilding, the truth becomes undeniable: she has been to Idlewood before.
As Theo digs into a past she has no memory of, she realizes the Daltons are guarding a secret far darker than she imagined. In this family, winning is the only thing that matters—and Theo’s search for the truth might just be a death sentence.
- Connor - Theo’s fiancé, 27
- Theodora (Theo) - Connor’s fiancée, 24
- Alexis - Connor’s sister, 35
- Paloma - Alexis’s wife
- Sebastian - Alexis and Paloma’s son, 3
- Trevor - Connor’s brother, 24
- Rose Dalton - Connor, Trevor and Alexis’s mother
- Nick - Connor’s uncle, Liam's brother
- Liam - Connor, Trevor and Alexis’s father, deceased
- Louise Dalton - Connor’s grandmother, Liam and Nick's mother
- Magnus Dalton - Connor’s grandfather, Liam and Nick's father
- Daniel Vance - Works at Idlewood
- Olena - Works at Idlewood
- Mallory - Theo’s birth mother
- Joseph and Beth Scott - Theo's adoptive parents
- After getting engaged, Theo starts getting anonymous texts saying things like ‘stay away from Connor’
- Theo and Connor travel to Idlewood for Christmas. The place is a grand lodge where the grandparents sleep and five smaller cabins where everyone else stays.
- Theo finds a photograph of herself as a child with Liam Dalton in an abandoned cabin the family claims no one has used in years.
- Theo finds photographs in Alexis’s suitcase of an unknown woman documenting bruises.
- Trevor tells Theo that there was a woman and her child staying in the now derelict cabin before Liam died.
- When Theo was sixteen, she got pregnant, and Beth beat Theo until she miscarried. Theo stabbed Joseph when he tried to stop her from running away, but he recovered.
- Theo asks Daniel Vance about Mallory, and he tells her Mallory’s daughter was named Rowen.
- Theo is shown a picture of Mallory and Rowen and recognizes Mallory as the woman in the photographs in Alexis’s suitcase.
- Theo discovers that Magnus was the one sending her the texts from a burner phone telling her to stay away from Connor.
- When Rose found out about Mallory being at Idlewood, she assumed Liam was sleeping with her, but Liam had been protecting Mallory from Nick, who had been abusing her.
- Liam’s autopsy report says he died from an epidural hematoma, even though several family members were told he committed suicide.
- Olena is found dead in the snow.
- Nick killed Olena because he thought she was Theo and realized she was remembering too much about her childhood and Mallory.
- Nick says he didn't shoot Mallory and that she was already wounded when he got there.
- Liam saw Nick and assumed he shot Mallory so they fought, and Nick hit Liam with a rifle, causing the hematoma.
- It was Alexis who shot Mallory because when she found out Rose was filing for divorce, she assumed it was because of an affair.
- Daniel Vance, Nick and Magnus all covered up the murder.
- Theo stabs Nick to death when he tries to kill her.
- Magnus tells Theo that being shot didn’t kill Mallory and that he found her alive and stabbed her to death.
- Magnus tells Theo that if she sticks to whatever story he gives her, he will tell her where her mother is buried, but she refuses.
- Police arrive, and the family finally tells the truth about what happened to Liam and Mallory.
- Theo and Connor get married.
- Daniel Vance is on the run from authorities.
- Charges are filed against Magnus, but he is on hospice care for pancreatic cancer and unlikely to go to court.
A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall serves up plenty of mystery and suspense to keep the pages turning. While it is not quite a classic trapped thriller, the characters are isolated and completely surrounded by snow, which gives the story a claustrophobic vibe. Combined with the short chapters, the pacing is fast and keeps you hooked right from the start.
This makes it a great pick for readers who love a heavy dose of mystery and watching the truth unfold layer by layer. It is a solid read overall, but the ending is where things get a bit frustrating. The plot gets heavily bogged down in a cycle of revealing the truth, only to backtrack and say, no, this is the actual truth, over and over again. As a single twist, this is usually great, but relying on it multiple times starts to feel like lazy writing. It definitely takes away from the impact of the finale, even though the setup and atmosphere are so strong.
- Liam - Dead - Killed by Nick
- Mallory - Dead - Stabbed to death by Magnus
- Olena - Dead - Killed by Nick
- Magnus - Alive - In hospice care
- Connor - Alive - Married to Theo
- Theo - Alive - Married to Connor
- Vance - Alive - On the run from law enforcement
- Child abuse
- Infertility
- Teen pregnancy
- Substance abuse
- Gun violence
- Death of a parent
- Hunting and butchering of deer
- Mention of suicide
- Domestic violence
Publisher: Flatiron Books
ISBN: 9781250343055
Publication Date: February 4, 2025
Note: Details are for the original edition. Other formats, editions, and audiobook versions may be available.
