Publication: 11th April 2024 – MichaelJoseph
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?
The Gathering is the incredible new novel by C. J. Tudor, who never fails to keep me glued to the pages. Set in a world where humans and vampyrs try to cohabit, it’s a story of murder, secrets, suspicions, discrimination, fear, and hate.
Twenty-five years ago, the small town of Deadhart, in Alaska, was shaken by the horrific murder of a teenager. The townspeople suspect the colony of vampyrs who live nearby and take matters in their own hands, killing and chasing away the colony. Now, the vampyrs have returned and when another teenager is found dead, apparently in the same way as the murder twenty-five years before, the townspeople are out for revenge. Enter vampire anthropologist and detective Barbara Atkins whose role is to confirm whether the vampyrs are responsible for the murder and authorize the “cull” that would sanction the massacre of the colony. Teaming up with the former detective that investigated the first murder, now a recluse, Barbara needs to find out the truth before a war between humans and vampyrs breaks out and more blood is spilled, but the truth is more complex and sinister than she expects…
The Gathering is twisty and full of suspense from the first to the last page. The setting is very evocative: a small town where darkness is a constant companion during the winter months and easily cut off from the rest of the world. The characters are intricate and full of secrets. There are different points of views, but the main character is detective Barbara Atkins. Raised by an abusive and racist father, she is determined to remain impartial during the investigation and follow the rules, despite the town’s pressure for her to approve the cull.
Gruesome, chilling, dark, and gripping: that’s how I would describe The Gathering. I was on the edge the entire time I was reading and it’s not for the fainthearted, that’s for sure. Highly recommended!
A huge thank you to MichaelJoseph and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of the novel.
C. J. Tudor’s love of writing, especially the dark and macabre, started young. When her peers were reading Judy Blume, she was devouring Stephen King and James Herbert. Over the years she has had a variety of jobs, including trainee reporter, radio scriptwriter, dog walker, voiceover, television presenter and copywriter.
She is now the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Chalk Man, The Taking of Annie Thorne, The Other People, The Burning Girls and The Drift. All of her books are in development or optioned for TV, and The Burning Girls debuted on Paramount Plus in 2023. She is also the author of a short story collection, A Sliver of Darkness.
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