04 April 2024

The Gathering

 

By C. J. Tudor

Review

A 2024 Top Rated Read

Deadhart, Alaska. Barbara Atkins is an out of state detective from the Forensic Vampyr Anthropology Department who is assisting a murder investigation. A teen has been brutally slayed; his throat slashed and body drained of blood in what appears to be a copycat killing from 25 years earlier. The townsfolk believe the local vampyr colony are responsible and want them destroyed in a mass cull. But Barbara isn't so sure. As tension mounts, a fierce storm threatens to cut the town off from outside help. Can Barbara solve the case or will she be too late?

C. J. Tudor is an incredibly talented writer whose stories are diverse and immersive. The Gathering was another excellent read. I thought the plot with humans and vampyrs co-existing in a melting pot of high tension and conflict was eerie and suspenseful. Vampyr leader Athelinda, centuries-old yet still a 9-year-old girl, was menacingly scary. The freezing, isolated town added hugely to the foreboding atmosphere and elevated my unease. It was another superb read from this gifted author. I'll be at the front of the queue for her next book and I can't wait!
              
★★★★★

  • Paperback: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin
  • Publication Year: 2024
  • Author: C. J. Tudor
  • Genre: Horror, Thriller

Synopsis

A small Alaskan town.
A missing boy.
A brutal murder.
A detective brought in from out of state to assist the former sheriff, who investigated a similar murder twenty-five years ago.

But are they hunting a twisted psychopath--or something even more terrifying?

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