I've read all of C.J. Tudor's books and this is one of my favorites. It has the signature humor and relatable characters as well as another isolated town setting that I've so enjoyed in her other books. The concept is really cool: a vampire expert is called to help the police investigate a murder in a remote Alaskan town that has been at odds with its neighboring vampire colony since the murder of a young boy some years earlier. The townspeople are hoping the investigation will provide enough evidence to destroy the colony/ murder all the vampires, but detective Barbara is going to make sure to do her due dilligence.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.

CJ Tudor can do no wrong. Stunning writing and development to the think interesting story line. The twists always get me especially when I have developed feelings for the characters. Great read!

Detective Barbara Atkins, a specialist in vampyr killings, is called to a small town in Alaska after a boy is found dead and drained of blood. A similar killing happened 25 years ago that was blamed on the Colony. They chased the Colony away for years, but now they are back. Have they started killing again?

This is an book with an interesting plot. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. It has interesting characters and plenty of suspense.

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review.

Amazing story! I would love to read more back story of when these vampires initially “came out” into the human world.

The characters were so believable- Barbara is a middle aged vampire expert, an outsider to the Alaskan town, sent to determine whether a “cull” of the local vampire colony will be allowed after an almost obvious killing. This story was as much a mystery/thriller than a strictly paranormal story.

I love anything vampire related but even if that’s not your thing, I suggest you give this fantastic story a go! Highly recommend!!

Many thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve been a fan of Tudor since The Chalk Man, and this book did not disappoint. In the world of the book, vampires and humans both live on the earth, but the vampires live in Colonies and most humans desire their end. When a human boy is killed, the village calls for a cull, a complete destruction of the Colony near them. It is up to Detective Barbara Atkins to determine what truly happened, and if a cull is warranted.

This was one eerie book, especially given the Alaskan setting which means a lot of darkness. The mystery is a really good one, with lots of twists and turns, especially the ending. Tudor explores really well who is the more bloodthirsty, the vampires or the humans who want to kill all the vampires. This is a complex, thoughtful, suspenseful and creepy book I would definitely recommend.

“They were back. It was about to begin again. ”
Here are reasons to read the Horror book:

Mysterious Death - Barbara is called to a town in Alaska to investigate a mysterious death
Or is it? - Since the Colony, a government protected vampire community, is thought to be responsible
Detective - The more Barbara investigates the killing, the more she realizes it has connections to one in the past
Vampire or Human - but the real question is was the murderer Human or Vampire?

Full disclosure here - this book kicked off a reading vlog on my youtube channel to read 3 vampire books, which also let me to explore whether Vampire books are even my thing anymore. I DNFd this one initially, and then went back and read it. Honestly it was not as bad once I got into the story, since it really is more of a mystery than anything else. The real interesting part is how these vampires are described here because it is a little different than normal. If you can get past the slow pace, it might be one to pick up if you like vampire books.

This was a little outside of my normal genre, but I enjoyed the author’s other novels, so I wanted to give it a try. I feel like the description “true detective night country meets true blood” is so appropriate. The whole novel is such a unique addition to the vampire genre. It’ wasn’t my cup of tea, but well written.

Set in the very small, very isolated town of Deadhart, Alaska, THE GATHERING starts with the death of a boy. His throat torn open and his body drained of blood, there's little question that his killer is one of the vampyrs from a colony living outside the town. But any death must be investigated and if it's suspected to be a vampyr attack, a detective with specialized training is called. Detective Barbara Atkins is sent to investigate and decide if a cull of the colony is needed. This is the back story and to say it's unique is an under statement. C.J. Tudor has taken a routine murder mystery and turned it into a mystery operating under it's own set of rules, and populated it with some very unique characters.

Tudor is well known for her unique mysteries. Her ability to let readers "see" the well plotted scenes is just one of the many differences between her books and others. Each step of the story brings us closer to a conclusion that is never what you thought. The who, what, where, when and how are hiding behind some well placed clues. But the journey to the reveal will take readers into this town of people who have chosen to live next door to vampyres, yet be surprised when an attack happens.

Detective Barbara Atkins is called to investigate a boy's murder in the town of Deadhart, Alaska as the community calls for a cull. Atkins isn't sure if it is really a vampyr murder or if someone is trying to frame the vampyrs and the town is adamant that the only answer is the dissolution of the Colony. Yet the more Atkins investigates and the more opposition she faces, the more she thinks this has something to do with the town's past. Overall, a gripping mystery that has detailed worldbuilding and deals with the contention between two communities who are at odds.

Let me start off by saying this my be my favorite book from Tudor yet, and since I've enjoyed all of her books, that's saying something.

There are a lot of vampire novels out there, but the key is two give readers something that hasn't been done before or has a bit of a twist. Tudor hits a homerun in this aspect, because she took the vampire sub-genre and mashed with a mystery/procedural and then on top of that I feel like she's set up a really nice vampyr backstory where they live amongst humans.

There is plenty of mystery and plenty of horror and I loved the vampyr backstory. The pacing was perfect and keeps you hooked. The ending had it's fair share of surprises, so it definitely kept me on my toes. Tudor has created something will certainly be a hit and has some potential for additional books, I could see sequels or prequels being a possibility.

Thank you so much to the Ballantine Books and NetGalley for providing the ebook. All opinions are my own.

I remember watching a movie called “30 Days of Night” which was set in like an Arctic tundra and I remember thinking “I wish there was a book like that”. The Gathering gave me that same vibe with the Alaskan wilderness and vampires….I really enjoyed this book a lot. The ending was a tad bit confusing, but overall I liked it a lot.

Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for an advance copy of The Gathering. My reviews never contain spoilers and are freely given.
C.J. Tudor never disappoints. Her latest work is a fresh take on vampires. Set in Alaska, the author brings to life the sense of cold and isolation that comes when darkness is a large part of the day. Young people in the town have been killed and it is up to a detective who specializes in vampires to find out if one of the local colony is the killer. Or, is someone framing them, and why?

**Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House - Ballantine, and C.J. Tudor for an ARC of this book!**

"Dash her on the paving stones
It may break your heart to break her bones
But someone's got to do the culling of the fold" - Culling of the Fold, The Decemberists

It may be time for just such a cull...and the residents of the tiny isolated town of Deadhart Alaska are determined to make that decision. It's been many years since they've had a resurgence of vampyrs...but the fear is real, and after a teen boy is murdered, they call in the Authority on Vampyr Killings: Detective Barbara Adkins. She's seen her share of grisly murders, and when she arrives in Alaska, the evidence at first seems pretty clear cut: the teenage boy's body has been drained of blood and his throat has been violently ripped out. Although it's been several years since vampyrs have proven a threat in the area, the residents of Deadhart are VERY aware that they lurk close by...a Colony, in hiding.

But when Barbara takes a closer look at the video footage, she discovers that the murder looks a bit TOO neat...and several clues point to the possibility that the video footage was staged...and someone is out to FRAME the vampyrs to launch the cull, regardless of the ramifications for the town. Barbara reaches out to former police officer, Sheriff Jenson Tucker, who used to be very involved at keeping the Colony at bay, but has been living the hermit life in recent years after being ostracized by the citizens of Deadhart. Despite his recent years of solitude, he has plenty of knowledge about the secrets of Deadhart and is still dedicated to protecting and serving his town and working through the mystery with Barbara. But as Barbara quickly discovers, the folk of Deadhart don't take kindly to strangers...and when more bodies start piling up, it's clear that Barbara has ruffled the wrong feathers (or WINGS, perhaps!) Can she, along with Tucker, discover if and when the vampyrs are set to make their next move and proceed with the cull...or is this all an elaborate ruse to disguise an even DEADLIER enemy?

After my encounter with the Burning Girls (which led me to an EASY 5 star review) and also being thoroughly entertained by the creepy anthology of stories that was A Sliver of Darkness, to say I sped to add EVERY Tudor book to my TBR is an understatement. When I heard her latest book was about VAMPIRES, I was even more excited. What started as a love borne from R.L. Stine's Goodnight Kiss books back in my youth developed over time (okay, yes Twilight did have something to do with that too...it is what it is!) and vamps have long been my favorite mythical creatures, so I was excited BEYOND belief to jump into this book!

All of this excitement, however, MAY have caused me to overlook a couple of things...namely, that this read is far more of a police procedural than it is anything else...and unfortunately, police procedurals are not normally my cup of tea. That is not to say this book gets too far into the weeds, because it doesn't delve into super forensic, scientific, wordier-than-it-needs-to-be blather that often makes police procedurals a dull experience for me. The main characters are also competent in general, which was a HUGE relief: no armchair detectives here, and it was nice to have a team that worked well together rather than one bumbling around and missing the obvious while you the reader scream out loud at the book.

Despite the different 'feel' of this read vs. my previous Tudor reads, there is plenty of 'signature Tudor' to be found here, from a chilling atmosphere (if you don't feel like you NEED a blanket while reading about the all of the snow and cold, you're better than I am!) to a strong female lead who takes no guff (yes, Rev. Jack Brooks, I was thinking of you!) and I felt right at home in many respects reading this one. The mystery aside, there is plenty of social commentary woven slyly in, from what it means to be an outsider to the dangers of judging a whole group based on the actions of one or two misguided individuals (sound familiar?) and the disturbing role that preconceived notions can play in society and how we govern in general. I found this especially interesting as Tudor is British and yet has such a clear and interesting viewpoint on how politics and prejudice plays out in different countries and how various groups handle differences in either a more equitable or less equitable way, and also just how dangerous it can be to ignore the disparate treatment entirely. "Don't judge a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes" certainly fits the bill here. (Although in this case, maybe it's don't judge a vampyr...but I'll leave that for you to find out!)

Another quibble with this particular story was the plethora of characters and just the pacing in general. Although the chapters were short, there was A LOT of information presented at times and also plenty of different characters (both vampyr and human) to keep track of, and at times I felt like we were bouncing all over the place a lot...and this subsequently slowed the pace down for me. With so much history and backstory to get through (especially in regards to the Colony and their past) it almost felt like Tudor could have written ANOTHER book (or a supplementary book) to help elucidate some of the more complex plot threads and help expand on the past. There is also a mysterious (unnamed) captive for much of the story who also tells you THEIR story, and it just felt like a LOT to keep top of mind at once. By the end, Tudor DOES deliver a couple of fun twists, and writes an enticing, leading epilogue, so that was all the encouragement I needed to bump up my rating...AND to possibly strap in for a TRUE part two in a sequel!

And in the end, although this book is a little less on the scary and gory side of the street, Tudor DID play on my biggest fear. While being trapped near a colony of vampyrs is bad...being trapped near a colony of vampyrs in SNOW?

Color me TERRIFIED!

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 for solid writing

I am so glad vampires are making a comeback! Especially since authors seem to be making their own unique, fresh twists on the genre. Case in point, The Gathering. This isn't a formulaic vampire book; in fact I'd say it is the opposite. It's really an atmospheric mystery-thriller that just so happens to take place in a world that vampires inhabit. Now, in this book, they are referred to as "vampyrs". Their particular habits were quite intriguing, and the author did a tremendous job of comparing the hate the vampyrs encountered with other disgusting brands of hate in our society. Because of this, the story felt extra relevant.

Anyway, we meet Barbara, a detective who specializes in vampyr shenanigans, who has just been assigned to a case in small town Alaska. There is a vampyr colony nearby, and a teenager has been found murdered, suspected to be from vampyrs from the townspeople. The town does not like that a vampyr colony lives close to its borders, and is looking for any reason to literally destroy them- even if they may have had nothing at all to do with the murder. So, Barbara has her hands full: a town full of folks who have already made up their mind on guilt, an isolated locale with few resources, and a lot of people trying to hold onto a lot of secrets.

This story was non-stop, and I devoured it. There were so many times I was completely mind-blown by the twists and secrets that unfurled, so obviously I could not put the book down. My only (very minor) qualm was that I may have liked a little more character development, as it sometimes felt like a bit of an afterthought, but still. The story and the world were incredible, and the last thing I noted in my Kindle when I finished was "a series, mayhaps?", because although it is not listed as a series, it very much ended in a way that leant itself to be one. And if so, I am 100% here for it!

Bottom Line: Vampire-meets-detective-meets-Alaska? Yes please!

I am so thankful and so happy to have been able to get this advanced copy.
And this was one of the best thrillers (if not the best) that I've read this year so far. I felt so immersed in the story and the setting. The writing was amazing, the progression of the plot worked perfectly for me and the characters felt at the same time real and supernatural (as it should).
One extra thing was that CJ Tudor was able to make me embrace the idea of vampires being real and how it gets inserted in our society. I had just finished a book with no supernatural aspects where the actions of most of its characters felt so unnatural and unbelievable that this one was doubly gratifying.

There were a few moments where the quotation marks were missing or wrong, but that was all. And I believe it's already fixed.

Thank you to Ballantine Books for the free ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review! This is out now!

Detective Barbara Atkins, and expert in Vampyr killings, is sent to the tiny rural town of Deadhart, Alaska to investigate angrily murder of a teenage boy. Tensions in the town are already high as The Colony of vampyrs has recently moved back to the area after being gone for 25 years - when another teenage boy was found slain and the town killed three vampyrs as retribution. But the case is anything but cut and dry, and the more Barbara digs in, the more things don’t add up and with a winter storm rolling in, her time to solve the case is running out before the situation in the town spins out of control.

@jordys.book.club made me do it and he wasn’t wrong when he said this was like True Detective meets True Blood. I loved the pace of it, the tension is built up throughout but did not make it feel like a “slow burn” by any means. My ONLY qualm - why the hell were they keeping dead bodies in a restaurant freezer when it’s so cold outside they could have kept them in a shed?! But I digress, overall this was a solid thriller/horror and I liked the open ending - I would def read a sequel with Barb solving more vampyr crimes!

In a small rural Alaskan town, the colony of vampyrs (vampire) and regular townspeople have an uneasy truce of sorts. The colony live deep in the woods outside of town and must leave the townspeople alone or risk officials authorizing a cull of their colony.

But a boy is found dead, apparently from a vicious vampyr attack. Barbara, the lead detective, and a vampyr expert, arrives to investigate if it was indeed a vampyr attack and authorize a cull of the colony of vsmpyrs. As she works the investigation, she suspects something even more sinister is afoot.

I loved Barbara. She’s in her 50’s a bit out of shape, loves food (but no reindeer please), and is intelligent, empathetic, and unafraid to stand up for that’s right.

I think the author did a great job of including vampires (vampyrs) in her story without making it into a traditional horror book. These are not the vampires we know from Dracula type stories. Instead they look and act just as normal people do. Except of course they need to drink blood and they live hundreds of years (Ha!)

This story, at its heart , is about discrimination and hatred and two opposing viewpoints: those who think the only good vampyr is a dead vampyr vs those who have empathy for the vampyrs and are content to let the them live in peace. There are laws that protect the vampyrs but that doesn’t stop the crimes against them.

C.J. Tudor is one of my favorite authors and gets props for writing such a unique murder mystery/police procedural with a side helping of horror lite that felt strangely believable.

Horror

Vampires and humans living together - total anarchy!

Barbara Atkins travels to Deadhart, Alaska to investigate the murder of a young man. The perpetrator is possibly a vampire and if Barbara can confirm that, she can order a cull. A cull would be a complete annihilation of the group of vampires that have settled in that area. When she first arrives the circumstances around the teen's death don't add up. Was the murder staged? If so, what are the motivations? Who wants to incite a cull? It turns out there are a lot of possibilities. As Barbara investigates more people die and more bodies get stacked up in the local kitchen freezer.

This story was a very interesting take on a What If? type scenario. It plays out like a typical detective novel, but with mystical creatures with extraordinary capabilities. I liked all of those aspects of the novel, but as the story progressed, I sometimes had problems telling the characters apart. This led to some of my dislike for the ending. There is a lot happening and I was unsure which character was which. I also didn't like some of the endlines of the characters. All in all, though, this was another successful novel. It wasn't my favorite of Tudor's books, but she is still a must-read author in this genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC of this novel.

DNF @20%

I forgot that I said I wasn't going to read anymore of C.J. Tudor's books after The Drift. So I acknowledge that this is my fault. I think there is a way to casually put social issues into a book and I think that important topics should be discussed in books. This author doesn't know how to do that. With this book in particular, she decided to make indigenous people into vampires. And the fatphobia in her books continues to persist. With that being said, I do understand why people might love her books, they just aren't for me and I need to remember that.

This book was amazing! It has murder, a detective, more murders, a cold case and more murders. Also vampires. Kind of Karen slaughter vibes in a weird way maybe. I went in blind - other than knowing it was set inAlaska and had vampires. I recommend doing the same. So much fun.