This isolation thriller follows Christa and a small group as they are forced to take shelter in an abandoned cabin during a snow storm. They all think as soon as the storm passes, they'll be able to make their way back to their tour bus and get help. But when they wake up the next day to find the tour guide missing, they become uneasy. And when they find his head impaled on a tree outside the cabin, it becomes clear that someone in the group has different plans.
This was the most gripping isolated closed circle mystery I've read in a long time and I loved every second of reading it. Coates is quickly solidifying as one of my insta-read authors. I was immediately drawn into the story and couldn't put it down until I was done. This is one of those expertly plotted thriller/mysteries where it didn't feel like there was any fluff or extra details. Every line felt integral to the plot and figuring out the mystery. Sprinkle in some great gore and horror elements and I cannot recommend this enough!
Most closed circle mysteries I've read have been multi-POV but in this, we only get Christa's POV. I found that this helped Christa become a stand-in of sorts for the reader trying to figure out what is going on in this cabin. This also expands the pool of suspects because if the other characters aren't where Christa can see them, we have no idea where they are or what they are doing. We don't get any other POVs to fill in any gaps or direct our attention to a particular person. As a consequence, we also don't know if these other characters are telling the truth or what they may be hiding. One downside was that it did take me a while to get a grasp on all the different characters
The mystery and horror aspects of this read went perfectly together and I think each heightened the other. Knowing that when someone was killed that they'd end up in such a gruesome scene really upped the stakes as well as the tension between the remaining survivors. We also get some great body horror to go along with the kills. I did figure out the 'who' of the mystery pretty early but I couldn't figure out the 'how' until it was actually revealed. But even though I ended up being correct in the end, watching the characters figure things out for themselves made me second guess myself constantly.
The setting and weather were immaculate and really enhanced the overall reading experience. The characters were always considering the weather and it was a constant struggle they had to deal with. We have a good variety of characters who all have different backgrounds and familiarity with this type of weather so some were much better equipped than others. The cover art really fits the story and is exactly how I pictured the cabin and forests. Coates does a fantastic job with the descriptions that really emphasized the cold and danger of the situation. We also see the weather interfering with the characters figuring out who the killer is because the snow keeps refilling any footprints or other clues. At times, it felt like the characters were equally threatened by the weather and the killer - the only question is which would kill them first.
Overall, this was a great read that I read from start to finish in one sitting. I do think the solution to the mystery is a little obvious, but finding out the bigger picture is well worth the journey. The setting and atmosphere are fantastic and the single POV really heightens the overall experience of figuring out who is responsible for these deaths.
Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC. Expected publication date is July 11, 2023.
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