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The second action-packed novella in the Kate Jones Thriller Series, DEAD OF WINTER, picks up where BAD SPIRITS leaves off-

Kate Jones is hiding out in small town Alaska when she witnesses an execution-style murder. Convinced the killers are Salazar's men and desperate to stop them from finding her, she reports the crime to local law enforcement, hoping to put them off her trail so she can escape.

What she gets is Sam, an enigmatic officer with a mysterious past who's been assigned to watch over her as the hunt for the killers deepens.

Sam and Kate's obvious attraction to each other becomes a dangerous complication as Kate realizes the only way she can stay alive is to leave Alaska, trying to keep one step ahead of Salazar.

32 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 7, 2011

4 people are currently reading
82 people want to read

About the author

D.V. Berkom

50 books365 followers
DV Berkom is the USA Today bestselling author of action-packed, riveting adventure and crime thrillers. Known for creating resilient, kick-ass female characters and page-turning plots, her love of the genre stems from a lifelong addiction to reading spy novels, action/adventure stories, and thrillers.

A restless soul and adventurer at heart, she spent years moving around the US and traveling to exotic locales before she wrote her first novel and was hooked. More than a dozen books later, she now makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, Mark, and several imaginary characters who like to tell her what to do. Her most recent books include the Claire Whitcomb Western Series: Retribution, Gunslinger, and Legend, and the latest in the Leine Basso thriller series: Final Encounter, Terminal Threat, Fatal Objective, A Plague of Traitors, and Shadow of the Jaguar. DV's currently hard at work on her next thriller.

For more information, visit her website at www.dvberkom.com. To be the first to hear about new releases and subscriber-only offers, go to: bit.ly/DVB_RL

Books by DV Berkom:
The Kate Jones Thriller Series:
Vol. 1 (books 1-3): Bad Spirits, Dead of Winter, Death Rites, Touring for Death
Cruising for Death
Yucatán Dead
A One Way Ticket to Dead
Vigilante Dead

The Leine Basso Thriller Series:
A Killing Truth
Serial Date
Bad Traffick
The Body Market
Cargo
The Last Deception
Dark Return
Absolution
Dakota Burn
Shadow of the Jaguar
A Plague of Traitors
Fatal Objective
Terminal Threat
Final Encounter

The Claire Whitcomb Western Series:
Retribution
Gunslinger
Legend

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
Profile Image for April.
2,641 reviews176 followers
October 3, 2014
Kate is hiding out in Alaska. Of course she will stumble upon a murder, that is her luck. She is smart enough to look for help and hooks up with dishy detective Sam. I am not going to classify it as a romance, down and dirty time on the sheets does not equal love. I do see great potential for them in the future.

The story is engaging and connects with the first book. I am anticipating this will be a thread through this series. Kate hoping from location to location running from the bad guys. I can deal with that, it has huge potential. I do wish the book were longer.

Kate is as always spunky and sweet at the same time. She is getting smarter about hiding out and it will be interesting to see how thing progress.
Profile Image for Rosemary.
3,875 reviews71 followers
April 30, 2025
Dead of Winter - a review by Rosemary Kenny


Kate Jones has finally escaped from her murderous ex-boyfriend the Mexican drug-dealer, Salazar, with the help of a DEA agent called Luis Gonzalez and relocated to the States, in DV Berkom's excellent thriller, Dead Of Winter.

She keeps on the move, firstly via Alaska, always alert, constantly changing her surname and appearance, and never trusting anyone except Luis.

When she witnesses a gangland-style execution near her location, Kate contacts Luis and he sends Sam to help her relocate, while local police investigate. It's not a minute too soon, as Kate can tell someone's been in her house. Where can she find sanctuary?

As Sam and Kate get closer, so does the hovering danger, culminating in a shootout in the wilds, as the lovers head to the airport. 
Can they both survive to get an HEA?
Read Dead Of Winter to discover the riveting truth!
Profile Image for LooseBoots .
880 reviews6 followers
March 15, 2017
The adventure continues. More thrills and spills this time set in the tough terrain of Alaska. Murder , mayhem and romance. Another winning combination. Such a compelling read . I had no choice but to read in one sitting.
Profile Image for Lars.
229 reviews
August 27, 2024
I would give it 2 stars, it is boring. Kate is constantly unlucky, everybody around her dies. End of story. But the good thing: it is short. So up to three stars.
Profile Image for Todd Fonseca.
Author 3 books69 followers
December 11, 2011
Dead of Winter - Bad Spirits in the Alaskan Wilderness

Rating: 4 of 5
Author: D.V. Berkom
Format: Kindle

Hiking alone in the wintery Alaskan wilderness, Kate Jones witnesses an execution style murder. It is then she realizes that the life she had escaped five years earlier had caught up to her. Running out and stealing money from her south-of-the-border drug-lord boyfriend had turned into a life sentence of constant moving and looking over her back. How he had found her she didn't know, but what she did know is that to stay alive she would once more have to stay one step ahead of her fate. But can she save those around her as well as herself?

D.V Berkom's Dead of Winter is the first book in the second series of books that pick up where the Bad Spirits series left off. Berkom's writing is crisp and fast paced. Her descriptions are so refined and precise I could almost fell the chill and tension Kate experienced each step of the way. Action packed with a heart pounding rate, this brief novel is like a episode of 24 and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat.

I enjoyed this series even more than the first as Berkom has added to the action by introducing some depth through a romantic interest. The pacing is balanced well with no hint of the dues ex machina elements that were occasionally found in the first series of books. The Kindle price is an unbelievable value. You won't be disappointed if you check out this series.

Note: A complimentary copy of this work was provided in return for a review.
Profile Image for Rebecca Graf.
Author 43 books88 followers
March 15, 2013

Dead of Winter: A Kate Jones Thriller – A Book Review

03/15/2013

0 Comments

Dead of Winter: A Kate Jones Thriller – A Book Review

Kate is still on the run. Anyone who helps her ends up dead. She has to keep running to survive. She has found a place she can call home, but it seems that they have found her again. She has to run, but will she make it out alive?

Like the other books in the series, this is a very fast paced story. There are moments where the story slows down for reflection or description, but it quickly picks back up again and has you holding your breath wondering what will happen next.

The storyline is very similar to the others as she is running for her life and finds new and interesting characters. Along the way, many are threatened and some die as she flees for her life. I know that sounds like I’m saying it is boring, but it is not. The thrill is still there as she finds new ways to escape and new people who betray her.

New characters are presented that help move the storyline along and are part of the adventure.

There is violence and death in these books though not really graphic. There is language including a few F-bombs here and there. Any intimate scenes are more alluded to than shown.

This is a great short read. Do not read it until you read Bad Spirits, the first book. You’d never understand what is going on unless you do.

Note: I received this book from participating in a book tour with no expectation of a positive review.
Profile Image for T.M. Hobbs.
Author 10 books14 followers
May 16, 2011
The continuation of the Kate Jones Adventure Series in Dead of Winter was just as good, if not better, than the first five.

Ms. Berkom captures the readers attention from the beginning and maintains that captivating tension throughout the entire story. Kate is a brave and self-reliant person, but life on the run can be lonely.

She has made it a point never to get too close to anyone, until she meets Sam. Ms. Berkom's characterization of Sam is perfect and I found myself as taken by his character as Kate was.

The imagery in Dead of Winter was amazing with the location being in Alaska and the research I'm certain Ms. Berkom put into this book was extensive. She described the trees, shrubbery, and details of Kate's surroundings in this beautiful, though harsh territory, with such detail and vividness that I could almost smell the surroundings.

What is in store for Kate next, as she continues her life on the run looking over her shoulder in hopes that she can see death coming and avoid it at all costs.

I look forward to the next instalment of these wonderful stories from Ms. Berkom.
Profile Image for Jennifer Conner.
Author 151 books201 followers
July 8, 2011
Author DV Berkom with her Kate Jones stories delivers another action packed thrill ride. Poor Kate gets knee high in more than just snow as she escapes to Alaska to out run her ex Mexican cartel boyfriend. DV keeps her foot on full throttle for the whole story. You won't be able to catch your breath until you've finished it! Great read! Dead of Winter (The Kate Jones Adventure Series) by D.V. Berkom
Profile Image for Thomas.
276 reviews1 follower
October 20, 2012
This was well-written, but I felt I got gypped. It was a 15 minute read and doesn't even qualify as a short story in my opinion, let alone a book. There was no background and no character or story development. I found out aftere reading, that this was the second in a series. Maybe if I had read the first "chapter", I would have liked the second one better!
Profile Image for Angala Fox.
662 reviews15 followers
January 23, 2017
I voluntarily reviewed this book.
****The Kate Jones Thriller Series Vol. 1****
This was a great thriller. It had lots of action, edge of your seat suspense, and a strong female hero. I enjoyed this book so much that I can't wait to read the rest of the book in the series. I definitely recommend.
Profile Image for Cindy.
139 reviews
April 27, 2013
Love this series!!!! Kate Jones is on the run still! Where will she go next? You have to read it to find out :) Now I'm on my way to her next stop.
Profile Image for diane.
65 reviews1 follower
August 25, 2015
Enjoyable

A really good read, suspenseful, romantic and downright enjoyable! I would recommend this book to people who like romantic thrillers.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews

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