Chilling Winter Mysteries and Thrillers
As the weather gets cooler, there is nothing better than curling up in a warm, heated blanket and escaping reality by diving into a chilling, wintry thriller novel. There is something about a snowy environment that transforms a suspenseful thriller into an atmospheric journey. Besides, who doesn’t love it when the environment isn’t a character in itself? Even without additional predators, the natural elements can be a villain without additional help. If you are ready for a few jump scares in below-zero weather, you’ll want to add all of these chilling, wintry thrillers to your TBR now! After reading these titles, you will never leave the house unprepared for the winter months again. In fact, we can bet you’ll add extra first-aid kits to your next snowy destination trip.
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1
The Sanatorium: Reese’s Book Club
by Sarah Pearse
Jump into book one of the Detective Elin Warner series as an abandoned sanatorium is transformed into a posh destination for tourists. Elin doesn’t want to consider herself a tourist, but when her brother and her sister in-law, Laure, invite her to celebrate their engagement here, she accepts. Despite traveling through a snowy storm, Elin arrives at the hotel and can’t shake her intuition that something is wrong with the hotel. When her brother’s fiancĂ©e turns up missing, Elin reverts to her detective skills to determine what and who is responsible for her brother’s fiancĂ©e’s disappearance and to ensure no other women, including herself, turn up missing too.
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2
Shiver
by Allie Reynolds
In this propulsive locked-room thriller debut, a reunion weekend in the French Alps turns deadly when five friends discover that someone has deliberately stranded them at their remote mountaintop resort during a snowstorm. Stranded in the resort, they’re not sure what’s worse: The increasingly sinister things happening around them or the looming snowstorm that’s making escape even more impossible. All they know is that there’s no one on the mountain they can trust. Because someone has gathered them there to find out the truth … someone who will stop at nothing to get answers.
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3
The Last Woman in the Forest
by Diane Les Becquets
Marian Engström wants to dedicate her life to doing something that she is passionate about. In her case, that means rescuing dogs near northern Alberta, Canada. When she arrives at her destination, she meets her new mentor, Tate. Tate is just as passionate as Marian is when it comes to animal rescue and wildlife. Naturally, they form a close bond over their shared interests and passions. But when Tate is sent off on an assignment, he succumbs to a tragic death. Now, as Marian mourns, she slowly unearths the possibility that Tate is not the man she thought he was. In fact, she suspects he might be behind a series of murders of women.
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4
The Last Room on the Left
by Leah Konen
Kerry’s life is in shambles: Her husband has left her and though the deadline for her big book deal — the one that was supposed to change everything — is looming, she can’t write a word. When she sees an ad for a caretaker position at a motel in the Catskills, she jumps at the chance. It’s the perfect getaway to finish her book and start fresh. But as she hunkers down in a blizzard, she spots something through the window: A pale arm peeking out from a heap of snow. Trapped in the mountains, Kerry must keep her head and make it out before the killer comes for her too. But is the deadly game of cat-and-mouse all in her mind? The body count begs to differ …
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5
Red Widow
by Alma Katsu
This action-packed spy thriller follows two women who find themselves crossing paths connected by the CIA. Lyndsey’s job is hanging on by a thread. Her last assignment landed her on administrative leave, but she finds herself back to work when her recently promoted colleague lands the job as Chief of the Russia Division. Lyndsey is thrilled because she knows this is her speciality, giving her time to shine. Theresa is the widow of the slain former director and is known as the Red Widow inside the agency. Together, the women work to uncover the secrets and hidden stories about the agency they’ve dedicated their lives to.
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6
Ascension
by Nicholas Binge
An enormous mountain has appeared in the Pacific Ocean. No one knows when exactly it showed up or how to explain its existence. When Harold Tunmore is contacted by a shadowy organization to help investigate, he has no idea what he is getting into as he and his team set out for the mountain. Have they stumbled upon the greatest scientific discovery known to man or the seeds of their own demise? Framed by the discovery of Harold’s unsent letters to his family and the chilling and provocative story they tell, Ascension considers the limitations of science and faith and examines both the beautiful and the unsettling sides of human nature.
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7
The Winter People
by Jennifer McMahon
On the outside, West Hall, Vermont, appears to be a quaint town, but for those more familiar with the area, they are aware of the strange history of missing people associated with the small city. Some believe that it all started in 1908 when a woman’s body was found in the back of her farmhouse just months after her daughter met the same fate. Ever since then, multiple people who have lived near and in the farmhouse have encountered supernatural happenstances. In the present, Ruthie and her little sister start their wintery January by discovering their mother is missing. As the sisters search for clues, they uncover the dark history hidden under the floors of the house, which they hope will lead to their mother.
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8
Winter Prey
by John Sandford
Lucas Davenport has tracked killers in cities across America. But the woods of rural Wisconsin are as dark and primal as evil itself. The winters are harsher and colder. And in the heart of every mother and father, there is fear … While spending the winter at his rural cabin, Davenport is enlisted to investigate a brutal crime in the small town. In his race to uncover the murderer, he learns that the killer’s identity isn’t the only secret in town.
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9
Village in the Dark
by Iris Yamashita
Here’s a locked-room thriller set in the isolated, frigid location of Anchorage, Alaska. Following the aftermath of City Under One Roof, Detective Cara Kennedy is now faced with the fact that the family she thought was missing is now dead. As she overlooks their graves, she vows to avenge their deaths by finding out the culprit behind this heinous crime. Initially, it was ruled that their deaths were an accident. But as new evidence emerges, Cara is convinced her family might have been victims of the ongoing case of missing people in the area. As mounting evidence continues to grow, evidence still points to the isolated town of Unity, a community where victims of domestic violence reside.
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10
Warning Signs
by Tracy Sierra
Twelve-year-old Zach is cautiously optimistic. His father Bram, whose business is in dire need of cash, has put together a father-son backcountry ski weekend to wine and dine his biggest investors. But as the adults recklessly test the limits of the outdoors, Zach worries he might be in even more danger than he realized. Zach will have to rely on his wits if he hopes to make it home safely. But he knows all too well that the wilderness can be unpredictable even at the best of times. And at the worst? Deadly.
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11
The Frozen River: A GMA Book Club Pick
by Ariel Lawhon
This chilling historical fiction thriller transports readers back in time to the state of Maine in 1789. Based on the life of Martha Ballard, a midwife who delivered countless babies and documented them in her diaries. However, shortly after delivering another baby, Martha is called upon to probe the body that was found frozen in the Kennebec River. After examining the body, Martha is only left with the conclusion that the man was murdered. As more is revealed about John Doe, shocking revelations come to light.
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12
Winterkill
by C. J. Box
It’s an hour away from darkness, a bitter winter storm is raging, and Wyoming Game Warden Joe Pickett is deep in the forest edging Battle Mountain, shotgun in his left hand and an arrow-riddled corpse splayed against the tree in front of him. The apparent murder victim and the sudden onslaught of the snowstorm warn: Get off the mountain. But Joe knows this episode is far from over. And when his own daughter gets caught up in his hunt for the killer, Joe will stop at nothing to get her back …
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13
Midnight
by Amy McCulloch
What happens when a promising, frosty wanderlust cruise turns into a killer’s playground? Olivia couldn’t believe it when she received a complimentary pass to board the Antarctica cruise ship as an extension of her significant other, who is an art investor. Olivia can’t wait to see the dazzling glaciers and the never-ending sunsets. But when her boyfriend goes missing and never boards the cruise ship, she must fill in and take his place to auction off the art. When Olivia notices that guests are disappearing, she knows the countdown is on, and she has limited time before she is next.
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14
There Should Have Been Eight
by Nalini Singh
They met when they were teenagers. Now they’re adults, and time has been kind to some and unkind to others — none more so than to Bea, the one they lost nine long years ago. They’ve gathered to reminisce at Bea’s family’s estate. But when the weather turns and they’re snowed in at the edge of eternity, there’s nowhere left to hide from their shared history. As the walls close in, the pretense of normality gives way to long-buried grief, bitterness, and rage. Underneath it all, there’s the nagging feeling that Bea’s shocking death wasn’t what it was claimed to be. And before the weekend is through, the truth will be unleashed — no matter the cost …
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15
The Snowman
by Jo Nesbo
Most children look forward to the first snow of the season, but for this young boy named Jonas, the winds of winter bring grief and uncertainty. As he wakes up on a frigid November day, he notices that his mother is not home as she should be. He looks all over the house and ends up in the kitchen. As he climbs on the stool, he peers outside and notices a strange snowman donning his mother’s pink scarf. Jonas knows he didn’t make the snowman, and it wasn’t there the day before. Now, with his mother missing and an eerie snowman out of nowhere, more women go missing in the winter season in Oslo.
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16
A Deadly Inside Scoop
by Abby Collette
Win Crewse has just taken over her family’s ice cream shop and she’s going back to basics. But unexpected construction delays mean she misses the summer season, and the shop has a literal cold opening: The day she opens her doors an early first snow descends on the village and keeps the customers away. To make matters worse, Win finds a body in the snow, and it turns out the dead man was a grifter with an old feud with the Crewse family. Soon, Win’s father is implicated in his death. It’s not easy to juggle a business while solving a crime, but Win is determined to do it. With the help of her quirky best friends and her tight-knit family, she’ll catch the ice cold killer before she has a meltdown …
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17
Ice Cold: A Rizzoli & Isles Novel
by Tess Gerritsen
Maura Isles is a Boston medical examiner, and she is overdue for a relaxing vacation. When the opportunity presents itself to squeeze in some skiing with her friends while attending a medical conference in Wyoming, she takes it. While driving the snowy, slick roads in the mountains, they encounter car troubles. Together, they walk to the nearest village in a harsh blizzard for shelter. Once they arrive in the village known as Kingdom Come, they can’t help but notice how oddly vacant it is. As they looked around, they noticed warm plates in abandoned homes and lots of fresh footprints in the snow …
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18
Snowglobe
by Soyoung Park
In a world of constant winter, only the citizens of the climate-controlled city of Snowglobe can escape the bitter cold — but this perfect society is hiding dark and dangerous secrets within its frozen heart. Translated for the first time into English from the original Korean, Snowglobe is a groundbreaking exploration of personal identity, and the future of the world as we know it. It is the winner of the Changbi X Kakaopage Young Adult Novel Award.
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19
The Price You Pay
by Nick Petrie
If you need more suspense and action with your arctic thriller reads, this is perfect for readers who enjoy Reacher and John Wick. Dive into the Peter Ash series as friendships and loyalty are tested in the backdrop of a secluded, cold, wintry cabin. Peter Ash might be a lot of things, but one can not deny his ability to show up for people who have always had his back. When Peter receives a call from his old friend, Lewis, he doesn’t think twice to meet him to check up on an old man who holds the secrets to his past. But when they arrive at their destination, they notice the cabin Lewis’s associate lives in is ransacked, and everything about Lewis and his former life is gone.
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