📖 Book Review ~ The Gathering by C J Tudor

 

Michael Joseph

11 April 2024

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

WELCOME TO DEADHART. ALASKA. POPULATION 673. LIVING.

In a small Alaskan town, a boy is found with his throat ripped out and the blood drained from his body.

The brutality of the murder of chillingly echoes a killing from twenty-five years ago.

Out-of-state detective Barbara Atkins is brought in to assist the sheriff, Jensen Tucker, who investigated the original case.

However, the inhabitants of Deadhart believe they know who is responsible: one of the nearby vampyr colony who live in an old mining settlement deep in the mountains.

Barbara is under pressure to authorize a cull of the entire colony.

But the evidence doesn’t stack up, people are lying, and the more Barbara and Tucker delve into Deadhart’s history, the darker the secrets they uncover.

As the snow thickens and the nights grow longer, another teenager goes missing and body parts are found.

Time is running out for Barbara and Tucker to find the truth.

Are they hunting a cold-blooded murderer, or a bloodthirsty monster?

And which is more dangerous?

📖 My Review..

Out-of-State Detective Barbara Atkins isn't given the warmest of welcomes when she arrives at the remote Alaskan town of Deadhart but then she has been sent to investigate the horrific death of a teenager who the townsfolk believe to have been murdered by one of the vampyrs who live in the out of town colony. However, there is little evidence to support this and with tempers running high Barbara is fighting not just the townsfolk whose hatred of the vampyr community is legendary but also the vampyrs themselves whose ancient malevolence is as palpable as it is threatening.

Thanks to this author's atmospheric description of life in small town Alaska I felt as if I had stepped out into the cold and snow with Barbara as she sets about challenging misconceptions and untruths, whilst at the same time she hunts a violent killer who will stop at nothing. In linking the bigotry and hatred of the townsfolk with a similar loathing of humans by the vampyr community you have a combustible situation which threatens to spiral out of control. With its creepy atmosphere and challenging characters, Deadhart, with its community of bigoted townsfolk, and violent vampyrs is very much a central character in this chilling story, and even though the town and its people really scared me, I can't wait to go there again. The cleverly controlled ending of The Gathering certainly hints that there might well be a return visit. Bring it on !! 😱😱

About the Author

C. J. Tudor is a British author whose books include The Chalk Man and The Hiding Place. She was born in Salisbury, England but grew up in Nottingham, where she still lives.

X @CJTudor

@michaeljoseph