Review: Dead of Winter

Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for gifting me an early copy. Here's my honest review:

Darcy Coates, you hooked me with this one. I'm going to have to go back and read the rest of the stuff you've written! You have a new fan.

I absolutely loved this novel, and definitely would love to see it translated to the big (or small) screen somehow. The characters are fantastic, and the setting is perfection. The storm and the cabin and the neverending snow almost feel like a second antagonist, creeping in around the characters, holding them hostage, aiding the Butcher to take them out, one by one. It's got a very Agatha Christie kind of vibe - the "locked room" type mystery, the cast of easily suspect-able characters, the confusion around every turn. While it's a little more graphic than a Christie, it's definitely drawn some inspiration from the Empress of Enigmas, the Mistress of Mystery, the Queen of Crime.

I'm not going to lie - I figured out a lot of what was going on early. That's one of the pitfalls of reading lots of mysteries and thrillers and way too many movies. But that really didn't stop my enjoyment watching it play out, and having Coates nearly convince me I was wrong a few times.

Absolutely recommend. This was a gem!

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