A KILLING COLD

Narrator Karissa Vacker gives a solid performance of this intriguing winter-themed thriller. Theo, who is estranged from her adoptive parents, doesn't know anything about her birth mother or how she came to be adopted. Vacker believable portrays Theo's confusion and need to know about her origins after she finds a picture of herself as a toddler in a remote cabin on her wealthy fiancé's family property. Vacker's delivery of Theo's memories of her childhood are cloyingly baby voiced; however, she shifts fluidly between voicing other characters of different genders and ages. She skillfully projects affluence when portraying the story's privileged family members, many of whom are subtly menacing. Vacker's pacing and pitch rise along with the danger to Theo, increasing the suspense. J.T. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2025]