Hey, it’s Diego.

I just finished reading A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall.

And it's about buried memories that come back to the surface.

All thrillers have secrets, but there are some where a character's buried memories are the engine of the whole story. Here is a list of my favorites.

Let’s dive in.

_{* This email contains affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you purchase through them, at no additional cost to you.}

Buried Memories Thrillers

The Night of the Crash by Jessica Irena Smith

A true-crime podcaster wakes up in hospital with no memory of the last few weeks. The night of her accident, her mother was brutally murdered, and her own brother is the main suspect.

In The Night of the Crash by Jessica Irena Smith, we follow Steppy as she pieces back together the weeks she lost, trying to figure out her own connection to a murder she has no memory of.

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

A couple with a crumbling marriage retreat to a remote Scottish chapel for a weekend getaway in one last attempt to save it. What starts as a reconciliation trip spirals into a chilling game of secrets, lies, and survival.

In Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney, we follow Adam and Amelia as their buried memories and secrets come back to the surface one fragment at a time, through anniversary letters that slowly reveal what each of them has been hiding from the other.

And the newest addition to the list:

A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall

Theodora Scott has been with Connor Dalton only a few months when they get engaged. When they arrive at Idlewood, the Dalton family's secluded mountain retreat in the New York woods, Theo is unsettled by the cold reception from the family, by threatening messages on her phone, and by a strange sense that she has been there before. Then she finds a photograph of herself as a child, taken at Idlewood. With almost no memory of her life before she was adopted at age four, fragments start flooding back: a woman in a scarf, a dangerous man, a night that someone has spent decades trying to keep buried.

A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall is a domestic thriller set at a secluded mountain retreat.

Marshall's writing is atmospheric, with creepy, well-constructed scenes that paint the mountain retreat in dread from the get-go. I found the setting one of the strongest parts of the book.

We follow Theo mostly through a single timeline, with some flashbacks here and there, as she uncovers what the Daltons are hiding and what she herself has forgotten. The story starts at the moment she and Connor are driving up to Idlewood, which makes for a quick start. The tension builds almost instantly from there.

Theo is a proactive character who keeps investigating the mystery despite the threatening environment. Her partial memory loss is the engine of the story; having no memories of her life before she was adopted at age four, we get parts of the puzzle piece by piece. I always find the amnesia trope to be risky because it can make the story contrived. And I must confess there was a point in the middle where it sagged a little because of it, but I did enjoy it overall.

The theme running through the story is whether we are shaped by our parents or by what we make of ourselves, and I think it was a great topic to debate.

There is some romance in the story, though it didn't distract from the mystery or the thrills. There is swearing, spicy content, and scenes of graphic violence. The book touches on dark topics as well.

So, what about the ending? (No spoilers, obviously)

The ending wrapped things up well enough. It didn't land with a big punch, but it resolved what it needed to. There was a short denouement, and it gave us enough time with the characters to see where things settled after the climax.

A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall is a dark, atmospheric domestic thriller that pulls you in fast and keeps you moving. If you enjoy an isolated setting, a proactive female lead, and can get along with the amnesia trope, you'll enjoy this book.

Latest Updates

• Imperfect Women premieres on Apple TV+ on March 18. The eight-episode series, based on Araminta Hall's novel, stars Elisabeth Moss and Kerry Washington in the story of a decades-long friendship shattered by a crime. If you liked Big Little Lies, this one looks right up your alley.

• After finally finishing Stranger Things this week, I picked up the new Harlan Coben show on Netflix, Run Away, based on his book by the same name, and it’s pretty good so far. I’m only 3 episodes in mind you.

That’s all for this week. See you next time.

— Diego Dunne

P.S. Let me know how I did today by replying to this email.

P.P.S. I would love to hear your recommendations for thrillers you loved. Reply to this email, and I’ll add them to my TBR list. Thanks!