With so many wonderful books in existence, I don't often reread previous selections. I read this one twice! It is set in the dark, far north of Alaska which makes for a great escape read from the summer heat or when you're surrounded by winter yourself. The name of the small (873 living) rural town is Deadhart. It is located near a protected Colony of vampyrs.

When a murder takes place, Detective Barbara Atkins comes to town. Her job is to determine if the murderer is in fact vampyr killing. If it is, she is to authorize a cull of the colony. So much is riding upon her findings, so many people have things to hide. There are echos of a murder 25 years ago. The detective must walk a tightrope between the raging townspeople, law enforcement past and present and some downright creepy people.

This is a fantastic read with a fresh twist on traditional vampire lore. I would love this to become a series please!

Who was expecting this to be SO GOOD?! Just a raucous good time with some vampires! CJ Tudor delivers again!

The Gathering by C.J. Tudor blends murder mystery with supernatural horror in the small Alaskan town of Deadhart. Detective Barbara Atkins investigates the brutal death of a teenage boy, torn between suspecting a vampyr or something more sinister. The book's chilling atmosphere and small-town setting create a compelling mystery, though its slow pace, ambiguous ending, and complex themes may not appeal to all readers.

Tudor excels in world-building and atmosphere, though the pacing can feel sluggish. The supernatural horror element is fresh but unbalanced with the mystery, and some readers might find the vampire portrayal unsatisfying. The themes of fear, prejudice, and moral ambiguity add depth, though character development beyond Barbara feels underexplored.

Final Thoughts: The Gathering offers an eerie mystery but falters with pacing and character depth. While it may appeal to fans of Tudor’s previous work, the lack of strong vampire action and the slow buildup may leave some readers cold. It's worth a try for fans of supernatural mysteries, but don't expect a fast-paced thriller. I'd rate it 3.5 stars—solid, but not flawless.

I love C.J. Tudor, no one scares me like she does. Anytime she writes ANYTHING, I must read it and this was no exception.

You never know what will happen next in this book. Great thriller that is well written. I am never disappointed by this author. Always some surprised and a lot of twists. Great book!

I am really late on this, but I am so glad that I found time to come back to this. I came to this book completely blind, besides that it was a thriller/mystery. I loved this book. The POVs jumped around a bit which became confusing at times to keep up with characters but her writing was stunning. She captivated me from the beginning. Barbara is BA!!!

Many thanks to NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Forensic vampire anthropologist, Detective Barbara Atkins is called up to Alaska to research the murder of a young high school boy. The towns people are claiming that a member of the local vampire colony killed the young man but the oldest vampire, Athelinda insists that they are innocent.

This book was perfect for a cold, winter read. Readers who enjoyed the fourth season of True Detective with Jodie Foster will enjoy this book. I really appreciated that it wasn't heavy on the police jargon. Readers who don't like a lot of vampire lore will also appreciate that C.J. Tudor doesn't spend a lot of time on the attributes of the vampires. (We don't get into silver, stakes thru the heart and garlic) Instead we get the back story of Det. Atkins and a couple members of the vampire colony.

I really liked the female Detective, Barbara Atkins. Her backstory was interesting and it was nice to see a strong, LGBTQ protagonist. I also enjoyed reading about Athelinda the oldest female vampire. She came across as creepy and unsettling. I didn't see the antagonist plotline at all and was completely surprised. I highly recommend this book to readers who want a cold, wintery horror novel for the dark nights of winter.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review this arc honestly.

So far I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read by this author and after reading this one will continue to do so. I went into the book blind, didn’t read the summary or remember what it was about so it threw me for a loop a Lorne at the beginning but I enjoyed the story and characters and how it all came together and interlocked. Really liked the idea of the civilization and how easy it would be for division to escalate to something dangerous and tragic. Definitely recommending to others!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

This is a small town vampire murder mystery

I struggled getting invested in this novel, the first half of the book was extremely slow. The second half was full of too many plot twists that occurred one right after the other. The ending left me with more questions than actual answers. Maybe a sequel will help clear some of that up.

Overall it was a decent book, there were interesting characters and the police procedural details were written well. It just wasn’t the book for me.

Man, I was so sucked into this story. After watching Night Country this was just what I needed to give me my spooky cold climate Alaska scary things in the dark fix.

A vampire expert investigates a murder in rural Alaska. This book took me forever to read because I kept losing interest. It was hard to keep track of who was a vampire, part vampire or human. Vampires are supposed to be scary. Do not de-fang them and make them a disadvantaged segment of society. And there was no suspense in this book until a very brief interlude near the end. I have enjoyed the author’s other books. Try “The Chalk Man”, “The Burning Girls” or “The Drift” instead. This was disappointing. 2:5 stars

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. Normally, I worry about picking up a book about vampires because they can be either super fantasy which isn’t totally my thing or they are corny romances. This was neither, this was awesome. I liked the main character, I liked that the vampire were their own community and had to deal with the relationships amongst humans. This is a 4.5 for me.

Creepy, ominous and horrific are the 3 words I would use to describe this book. It left me feeling uneasy and feeling like I needed to look over my shoulder. I could so vividly picture each scene written on the pages of this book.

Wow. This book was not at all what I was expecting, but in a good way! I was so sucked into this story from the very beginning. This is my first C.J. Tudor book and I was NOT disappointed. This was unlike anything I have ever read. There were so many twists and turns. I LOVED the small town vibes. The mysteries, the secrets. I will admit, I went into this pretty blind, didn’t pay attention to the synopsis and I’m so glad I did. This completely caught me off guard. The whole time I was trying to guess who did it and was nowhere near close to knowing until the end. Truly a wonderfully written book that will keep you on the edge of your seat. 10/10

I thought this book was a very interesting read. The premise is that vampires (“vampyrs”) have lived near humans since the beginning of time. They mostly live in Colonies, which are nominally protected by the government…until a vampyr kills a human. They are then subjected to Culls, and all in the colony are killed. The story starts out with a detective who specializes in vampyrs having to go to Alaska to solve a murder.

The suspense is nonstop in this book, and I could hardly put it down. There are several mysteries that need to be solved, and they are all tied together. Plus vampires! There is some gore, but it’s not extreme.

I was looking for something to read that would make me feel a similar vibe to True Detective: Night Country, and this one fit the bill for the most part. The setting is atmospheric and eerie, the characters are hardened and mistrustful of outsiders, and there's a weird mystery to be solved that just might untangle years of carefully kept town secrets. That said, it didn't drawn me in immediately. It took a bit of perseverance to get through the opening exposition and to the meat of the action, but I enjoyed this one.

Masterful world-building dominates this tale set in a world where Vampyrs are an accepted (if not very welcome) presence in daily life. Set in a small, remote Alaskan town, The Gathering, is at it's core a murder mystery. I loved the characters in this small, insulated town; the microaggressive battles between the pro- and anti-Vampyr groups in town; the twists and turns in the tale. I was immediately pulled into this subzero world of darkness and distrust and loved every minute of it!

The Gathering is a fun new take on the vampire story - a murder mystery set in a small Alaskan town neighboring a vampyr colony. Vampyrs are second class citizens - they can't work, they certainly can't vote, and for centuries they've been hunted like animals. In the present day, they have certain rights - you can't technically kill them without cause - but religious bias and fear continue to work against them in any kind of justice system. Detective Barbara Atkins is a police officer and anthropologist specializing in vampyrs who has been called into the village of Deadhart after the murder of a teenage boy that appears to have been committed by a vampyr. It is Detective Atkin's job to determine whether or not a "cull" - a mass killing of the vampyr colony - is justified. With lots of pressure from the townspeople to eradicate the "spawn of satan" living nearby and as more bodies turn up, Atkins is racing against the clock to prevent mass casualties among both vampyrs and humans.

This was a fun, spooky, wintry read! Very atmospheric, with some closed door mystery elements given the snowed-in small town.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

Thank you so much to C.J. Tudor and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this ARC through NetGalley! The Gathering is available now.

3.5 stars rounded up. I did enjoy this story and the ending was interesting. However, there were alot of characters and connections to keep track of and I absolutely hated the MC. But this book was exactly what I needed after too many romances. Loved the wintery setting!

This is definitely an interesting and unique plot for a horror book. Tudor lends his unique voice to a greusome and nuances small-town horror story full of interesting characters.