When her boyfriend Kiernan suggests they go on an exclusive hiking trip to the Rocky Mountains during the off-season, Christa is less pleased. But loves make one do stupid things and Christa reluctantly agrees to join Kiernan and a handful of other adventure seekers on the adventure.

Christa could not have made a worse decision.

Nearly upon arrival a furious winter storm slams the group’s tour bus and they are forced to seek shelter in a small cabin in the middle of the woods. Everyone, except Kiernan that is. He and Christa were separated from the group and while Christa is eventually able to find the others, Kiernan is no where to be found.

But that is about to be the least of Christa’s problems. When members of the group begin to go missing and their bodies turn up in a gruesome manner, Christa will need to use all her wits to make it through the storm.

Nearly from the start, Dead of Winter grabs you and straps you in for a nonstop horror ride of violence, horror, mystery, and thrills. The concept of a group of strangers being stranded by the elements is not a new concept but Ms. Coates is able to breath some new life into the otherwise mundane plot. The biggest strength of the story is how quickly things seem to get out of hand, building on a tension that has existed almost from page one when Christa and Kiernan get separated.

The characters are fairly flushed out and the challenges they encounter are both realistic and detailed. Of course, Christa has a previous trauma that plays a part in her decision making and that trauma inevitably comes up halfway through the story. In hindsight, I could see where the author was going with that previous event, but it was still interesting when it was revealed.

The reason why Dead of Winter did not get a full five stars is because of how it ended. Yes, the killer is revealed but there is a huge question left unanswered by the end (and if you have/read the story, you’ll probably understand what I’m alluding to). Nevertheless, Dead of Winter is still a good, nail biting horror novel that certainly keeps you interested. As far as the horror level of this book, I think I can saw it is bearable to someone who is new to the genre like myself. There are some detailed scenes of gruesome discoveries, but if you can stomach that (or at least skim over it), this book is well worth a read.

4.5 stars