This was a good mystery. A lot of twists and turns towards the end. I just recently watched the latest season of True Detective that took place in Alaska so I had to keep reminding myself it was a different story. It ends like there could be a sequel. Interesting. I would be up for that. I liked Barabara

Yes, yes, yes! This one might be C.J. Tudor’s best yet! This was a thrilling story that kept me guessing through out. Great work!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for allowing me to read this.

This will teach me not to go into books too blindly. I went into this one with high hopes because I’ve read from this author before, but I was expecting something dark and scary and instead I got a police investigation into a murder. Don’t get me wrong, it was enjoyable, but just not what I wanted to read. I had to really push to get this one done because I just wasn’t connecting with the story or with any of the characters. The concept of the humans and vampires living in the same world and being protected by laws to keep them safe was interesting but I don’t know, I just couldn’t get into this one and I feel kind of bad.

The Gathering is a story about a murder in a small town that is located close to a Colony of vampyrs. The murder looks like a vampyr killing, but Barbara, a detective with the Forensic Vampyr Anthropology Department, believes in investigating without making assumptions. This is not a vampire (vampyr in this book) origin story. Here, they coexist (mostly uneasily) with humans.

There is no doubt that CJ Tudor is an excellent writer. The characters are well drawn. The plot is tight, interesting, and well-paced. The mystery is filled with twists and turns, and it kept me guessing to the end. But the author's disdain for people of faith is painful, and the book is filled with every hot topic out there today: colonialism, homosexuality, sex trafficking, transgender, racism, and more. It's exhausting. This appears to be the first in a series, so I hope future installments will be spared most of this.

I found the story gripping, and you probably will too, if you don't mind slogging through all the agenda items. Recommended for lovers of vampire stories and police procedurals.

Not family friendly due to profanity, violence, and adult themes.

I thought I had burnt myself out on vampire novels already this year but this one gripped my attention from start to finish! “The Gathering” is unlike any thriller I’ve read before and is so original. The characters, especially detective Barbara, are nicely fleshed out, and the setting of a small Alaskan town with a population of 600 really amps up the creepy vibe. This novel delves into some heavier topics such as racism and abuse, but these topics fit in with the overall theme and make you wonder if humans are truly just as grisly as vampires. Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine for the arc!

Even though it took me a minute to read this, it does not reflect on the book. I just did not want to have nightmares so I only read it while having coffee each morning

If you love horror this one's for you. Coming to bookstores April 9th

Deadhart, Alaska 873 Living

Tidbit from the synopsis

In a small Alaska town, a boy is found with his throat ripped out and all the blood drained from his body. The inhabitants of Deadhart haven’t seen a killing like this in twenty-five years. But they know who’s responsible: a member of the Colony, an ostracized community of vampyrs living in an old mine settlement deep in the woods.

My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this book, but I simply couldn’t get into it. It was very descriptive and slow paced. There were many characters with little character development, making it hard to decipher and connect with them. The several different viewpoints made it difficult to keep up with at times. There was religious and political elements, which I wasn’t expecting and I honestly don’t care for. Overall, this one just wasn’t for me.

The Gathering
by C. J. Tudor
Pub Date: 09 Apr 2024

The Gathering read like a paranormal murder mystery in my opinion. The pace is fast with twists and turns throughout making it a gripping page turner. The cover of this book and the Alaskan setting is a perfect fit for this story! I was hooked from the start to the finish of this book, asking myself, "who are the real monsters"?

Synopsis:

In a small Alaska town, a boy is found with his throat ripped out and all the blood drained from his body. The inhabitants of Deadhart haven’t seen a killing like this in twenty-five years. But they know who’s responsible: a member of the Colony, an ostracized community of vampyrs living in an old mine settlement deep in the woods.

Many thanks to #NetGalley, #TheGathering and #RandomHousePublishingGroup for providing me with an E-ARC of this book.

This story is a breath of fresh air for vampire stories. I was pulled in from the setting, which is very similar to the setting of 30 Days of Night in a Northern Alaskan town during the longer periods of night. This took that idea and added in vampyres that are not as generic as most genre stories are. C. J. Tudor took the idea of vampires that live lose to humans and then fleshed that idea out in numerous directions. The concepts that are new and fresh to this story made it so much fun to read, and the mystery at the base of it all kept the reader pulled in.

Thanks you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. I really didn’t like the main characters. She felt very full of herself and she annoyed me. There were also a lot of characters to keep track of and it was all jumbled for me. I feel like it was a bit preachy about certain things and I just wasn’t clicking with it.

I hope others really love this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, CJ Tudor & Randomhouse-Ballantine for a digital ARC of The Gathering in exchange for an honest review.

I read my first CJ Tudor book last year with The Drift. I was an instant fan & then added previous releases to my TBR. I was THRILLED to have an early read of The Gathering.

The Gathering is my favorite Tudor book yet! It was very different than what I was expecting, but in a good way! This is not your typical vampire/vampyr book, so go ahead & throw out any preconceived notions that you have.

In The Gathering, vampyrs are known the public, live amount the public (in colonies) and even have their own set of governed rights & protection assigned to them, which is exactly what our MC, Det. Barbara Atkins is. She is a detective who specializes in vampyr killings & upholding the law regarding vampyrs. She is called to Deadhart, Alaska after a boy is discovered with his throat ripped out. The timing is very coincidental as a vampyr colony just returned to Deadhart after a 25 years hiatus. The locals all blame the vampyrs & are not very welcoming to Det. Atkins. They want a cull enacted, which is where the humans can kill every single member of a vampyr colony for the wrongdoing of just one. Det. Atkins intends to uphold the law & get to the bottom of who actually killed the boy. Luckily, she gets a little help along the way.

This book had a very similar atmospheric feel to it as the Drift. It was highly original & very gripping from the start. I actually did not want this book to end! I am NEVER like that with Thriller/Suspense novels. That usually happens with series or fantasy books for me. I could have read another 400 pages of this one.

Even if you don't normally like vampire/vampyr stories, I urge you to pick this one up. It's very different than what you'd expect.

The Gathering by CJ Tudor ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A big thank you to @netgalley and Ballantine Books for the eARC! Expected pub date is April 9! 🎉

Tudor has done it again!
✅small-town, spooky setting with rich imagery
✅good vs evil
✅protective small-town characters
✅seamless supernatural elements
✅a tense plot until the final page

I enjoyed so much about this book. The description of Deadhart made me feel like I was in a dark, snowy town in the heart of Alaska. As I was reading I felt the isolation, and it added to the tension created in the plot.

The plot itself was interesting and well done. Tudor created a world where vampyrs and humans lived together, and the logistics of which made sense. I saw some of the things coming, but I was still surprised by things, which kept it interesting for me. Some things I wanted to explore more, and I wished the ending wasn’t as rushed, but those were my only critiques for plot.

The characters were well done and distinguishable. Some of them I wish were developed more, but I got a sense of each of them and really understood their motivations. I loved that the detective wasn’t a perfect character, and I found the small-town characters to be quirky.

If this isn’t on your radar yet, I’m suggesting you add it to your list.

I really liked this one. The remote setting with bad weather made it feel like a locked room mystery. The vampire culture living alongside humans was so interesting. There was a background story building along with the main story. I did figure out some of the twists, but this kept me turning the pages.

Thank you Random House Ballantine for the view copy, I don't read a lot of fantasy/sci fi mystery/horror adjacent books, I tend to shy away from that, but heck I will make the exception for Tudor. A wild ride and filled with commentary that is more about human lives, vampyrs as symbols for indigenous lives and other important themes emerge. What really is a win for me though is a fast paced but immersive story, a plot that hooks you, a read that draws you in, and just the welcome change of pace for me.

Three standouts
1. I love an Alaska setting. Blame True Detective and some other recent books in Alaska but it's a fascinating to me setting.
2. A smart capable woman in her 50s. let's hear it for more and more books focusing on the ages between 40 and 70.... it means something to the Gen X readers here and it's nice to read a book that gets that a vampyr hunter detective can be wise and experienced (not to knock buffy who is an all time hero!)
3. Commentary... there are themes in there worth thinking about despite a mostly fun witty, somewhat gory, story. There are a lot of characters to manage at times, my one issue with the book, but it's a story with layers (just as last year's The Drift has layers too).

3.7 Stars
One Liner: A good mystery but not enough vampire chills

Alaska
Deadhart is an Alaskan small town. It has a few hundred human population and a Colony of vampyrs, who recently came back to settle down in their home. Soon, a young boy is found dead with his throat ripped. The townsfolk are sure it is someone from the Colony and want all the vampyrs culled.
Detective and forensic doctor Barbara Atkins, with specialization in vampyr killings, arrives to determine if it is indeed a Colony killing and decide the status of the request for a cull. Soon, she realizes there are secrets and discrepancies everywhere. With help from former police Chief Jenson Tucker, Barbara sets out to find the truth. As another body surfaces, the tension rises.
What’s going on in Deadhart? Are the new killings related to the death from twenty-five years ago? Is it a vampyr on a bloodlust? Is it a human psychopath taking advantage of the prejudice against the Colony? Can Barbara solve the case before it’s too late?
The story comes in the third-person POV of Barbara, Beau, Jenson Tucker, Jess, Reverend Colleen, and Athelinda.

My Thoughts:
The premise gives you more than a clear idea of what the story would be. The vampyrs are a replacement for indigenous people, and the others are well, humans (white). As a mystery, it does have quite a bit to offer.
The MC is a combination of what we expect and what we don’t. Barbara Atkins is 50-something, single, not entirely fit, and a darn good detective. She also has a tragic backstory, which is almost a must for detectives in thrillers. Still, I do like how it connects to the plot.
The mystery has a few twists, and the information is revealed in stages. There are some clues, too, which can be red herrings or real clues. I like how this is done. The suspense holds well until the last quarter.
The pacing is uneven – slow, fast, slow, fast… which dampened my reading experience. This is because of the excessive emphasis and repeated scenes where the townsfolk show their hatred and prejudice for the vampyrs. As a pagan, I happily support books that highlight this. However, it should crowd the plot.
Additionally, there are a lot of characters to track. I stopped listing them at one point (ran out of space on that sheet). This doesn’t leave room for character development. They are what they are. That’s it. Also, one of those could have been removed or presented from another perspective. However, I quite liked Athelinda’s POV. If only there was more of it!
Is the book horror? Nope. There is a bit of gore and some creepy moments, but nothing on the horror scale. Of course, it has triggers, which aren’t graphic but can make you uncomfortable.
I’m not sure why the vampyrs don’t get enough space given their importance in the book. Apart from a vague idea of what they could be, we get very little about them. Instead, we got way too much of what the townsfolk think about them. This got tiring, TBH. Knowing when to tone down is also important for a writer.
No idea if the book will turn into a series. The last chapter has nothing to do with the plot but is a hook for the next book. If it won’t be coming, then, keeping that chapter would be a bad idea. I know contemporary thrillers tend to have unwanted final twists, but this book doesn’t need it. The book could be a series, but we’ll need more than socio-political hate and bigotry to hold it together.

To summarize, The Gathering is a worthy mystery with a good setting and some chills. Don’t look for any vampirish stuff, though.
Thank you, NetGalley and Random House (Ballantine Books), for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

This book takes place in the small town of Deadhart, Alaska where vampyrs and humans intertwine. After a teenage boy is discovered with his throat ripped out, they bring in Detective Barbra Atkins from Vampyr Anthropology Department to investigate.

Holy hell this book was WILD. I loved the cast of characters. Atkins had me rolling at some of the stuff she said. The Alaskan setting was perfect for this story as well. I’ve only read two of Tudor’s books but now I’m gonna have to binge the rest. Her writing style is very immersive and will have you hooked from the first page!

Thank you so much to Ballantine Books and Netgalley for the e-arc! This beauty releases on April 9th.

This book gave definite “Season 4 of True Detective” vibes, but for some reason fell a little flat for me. It was fast paced and dark, but I was struggling a bit to keep all of the characters straight and just didn’t get hooked.

Detective Barbara Atkins, a specialist in vampyr killings, is called to the small, isolated town of Deadhart Alaska to investigate the death of a teenaged boy. The living citizens of Deadhart are convinced that the boy was killed by a member of the nearby vampyr colony, and they want the colony culled. Atkins works with the town's former sheriff to investigate the murder and along the way the secrets of the town are uncovered.
I loved this book. It was part vampire murder mystery, part social commentary on the prejudices of small towns. Barbara was a mature, realistic, and well-written female protagonist. The pacing was medium, with lots of twists and turns. It has enough horror for fans of the genre but is toned down enough for thriller lovers. My only regret was that I didn't read this book in December or January and use the limited daylight to increase the spooky factor.
Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

The nitty-gritty: Police procedural meets vampires in this exciting horror thriller, another winner from C.J. Tudor.

C.J. Tudor never disappoints, and her latest is a great combination of murder mystery, thriller and thoughtful examination of racial prejudice, all set in a remote town in Alaska during one of the darkest times of winter. In Tudor’s world, vampyr colonies are part of society, although not everyone is thrilled about sharing space with them. I thought this was an interesting take on the vampire subgenre, and the author gives readers lots to think about, in addition to a fast-paced story complete with just enough bloody violence to satisfy horror fans.

The story takes place in Deadhart, a small Alaskan town where prejudices run deep. One of the local teens has just been found dead, and all the evidence suggests that a vampyr from the local colony killed him. As you can imagine, the residents of Deadhart are in an uproar, calling for an official “cull,” a sanctioned killing of all vampyr colony members. But a cull is serious business, and the cause of death must officially be confirmed by a forensic investigation.

Detective Barbara Atkins is sent to Deadhart to inspect the body and the crime scene and question the locals. Barbara is serious about her job and is determined to find out what really happened, and she intends to take her time and do a thorough investigation. But when she arrives, she gets pressure from almost everyone involved, including the local police chief, to confirm that a vampyr killed the teen. True, there is a video of the alleged murder, and it certainly looks like a vampyr is attacking the boy. But Barbara isn’t convinced. As she begins to investigate, she must walk a fine line between the angry townsfolk who want justice and the truth, and unfortunately, the truth turns out to be much more complicated than she first thought.

C.J. Tudor has imagined a very different type of vampire, or “vampyr” as they are called in this book. Yes, they are killers and can be dangerous, but they are also a protected species, and killing for sport isn’t allowed. Vampyr can’t turn into bats or be killed by sunlight. They can see themselves in mirrors, and they are also able to procreate. By law they can only drink animal blood, although there is a black market that caters to those willing to pay for human blood. The backwater town of Deadhart reminded me of ultra conservative towns in my own country, where hatred of minority groups like Blacks and LGBTQ+ still exists. For this reason I sympathized with the vampyr, most of whom are simply trying to live their lives in peace. Even the leader of Deadhart’s vampyr colony, a centuries old vampyr who looks like a nine-year-old girl, is willing to follow the rules in order to survive.

The mystery aspect of the story is also very well done. The local authorities (such that they are) simply want to declare this a “murder by vampyr” and close the case. But because they don’t have the authority to authorize a cull, Barbara is brought in as a forensic expert, and did I mention her official title is Forensic Vampyr Anthropologist? (how cool is that!) As soon as she starts investigating, all sorts of dirty secrets are uncovered, including the illegal sale of vampyr artifacts—and by artifacts I do not mean cups and swords, lol. We’re talking something much more grim. As she slowly pieces things together, it becomes clear that this murder might be connected to a similar murder that took place twenty-five years in the past. I loved the meticulous way Barbara conducted her investigation, and I especially loved that she’s honest and determined to uncover the truth.

And speaking of Barbara, she was a fantastic character. She’s in her fifties and (in her own words) slightly overweight, so she isn’t your typical heroine. She’s also gay and has recently ended a relationship, so there’s not a whiff of romance in the story, which was refreshing. Barbara ends up working with ex-cop Jensen Tucker, who was involved in the murder case twenty-five years ago, and he’s able to help her connect the dots. I thought they made a great, if unusual, team. Both characters have experiences in their pasts that are affecting the present investigation, so there are some nice emotional moments when their memories surface.

And if you’re thinking this is simply a somber mystery dealing with an oppressed group of people, don’t worry. There’s a good dash of graphic violence and some gruesome descriptions of beheadings and more (the image of a mounted vampyr head is one I won’t ever forget!). The plot is mostly fast paced with lots going on. There are a lot of characters, and I’ll admit I had trouble keeping them straight at times, but most of them were highly entertaining. You have a shady doctor with a couple of illegal side businesses, fake videos, secret vamp/human relationships, “turnings” gone wrong and plenty more.

The ending made me think that there might be a sequel in the works, even though it’s not listed that way on Goodreads. But Tudor definitely leaves things a little bit open ended to allow room for more adventures with Barbara and the gang. I would love to read more stories set in this world, I had so much fun with The Gathering!

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

Solid 3 stars

I think this book was a very average thriller mystery. I really wanted to like this one more because it sounded so intriguing in the beginning. I didn’t think it was bad or anything but it just didn’t have that can’t put it down feeling I love when reading thrillers. I think many others will really enjoy it but it just wasn’t my favorite.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.