Another winner!! The colony has returned to Deadhart, Alaska and just like the last time they were here, another young teenage boy has died. A vampyr killing or someone trying to force a cull to be authorized? It’s up to Detective Barbara Atkins to find the truth without getting herself killed. An excellent, intensely suspenseful thriller!

In a small Alaska town, a fifteen-year-old boy is found with his throat ripped out and all the blood drained from his body. The residents of Deadhart blame the Colony, an ostracized community of vampyrs living nearby. Detective Barbara Atkins, a specialist in vampyr killings, is called in to officially determine if this is a Colony killing and authorize a cull which is what the residents want.

This was a different take on a vampire story. Humans and vampires have a truce and coexist together. There is a Vampyr Protection Act which protects the vampires. This book is basically a police procedural of a teenage boy's murder. There were some twists but nothing too surprising or exciting. Also too many characters to remember. Overall, I thought it was lackluster.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and C.J. Tudor for an ARC of "The Gathering".

3.5 stars

The Gathering is a horror police procedural set in the small Alaska town of Deadhart. Vampyrs are a protected class of U.S. citizens in this universe, although they live separately from humans. When a teen is murder by a vampyr, a detective is sent from the Department of Forensic Vampyr Anthropology to investigate. Will she be able to get to the bottom of the murder before the town revolts and illegally eradicates the vampyr settlement?

The Gathering may best be described as a dark mix of True Blood (the early seasons) and True Detective. But make no mistake, this novel is much more gritty crime fiction than a scary story. In fact, I could have done with more vampyrs and less human townspeople. Solving the teen’s murder is the true focus. I found the plot to be entertaining, although a bit slow in the beginning. I also felt like the ending was a bit ambiguous, allowing for a possible sequel.

C.J. Tudor knows how to write an atmospheric book that you easily become immersed in. And a small, former mining town in Alaska during the winter months is the perfect setting for this story. It is cold and mostly without daylight, mirroring the town’s attitude, and giving readers a chill.

When I read The Gathering‘s synopsis and understood that the vampyrs are a socially ostracized minority group (and that it takes place in the U.S. rather than Tudor’s native England), I hoped that Tudor would make some kind of statement with the narrative. The story is set up in a way that would easily lend itself to drawing a parallel to our country’s current political divide. However, Tudor seemingly did not make any larger statement in the book.

My only real issue with The Gathering is the number of characters and the character development. There are a lot of suspects and townspeople, a majority of whom are male with common names. I had a difficult time keeping all of them straight, especially as they are not consistently identified with both first and last names. I liked the female lead character and her backstory. However, I do not feel like she is well-developed or that readers really come to know her. I do not think the lack of character development detracts from the story; it just does not add anything.

Overall, The Gathering is an atmospheric and entertaining crime novel. And while I did not like it as much as Tudor’s last book, The Drift, I still recommend it.

I didn't read the description when I requested this book because I really like this author and will happily read any of her books! So I was quite surprised when I realized that there are vampyr's in this one! Honestly, I wasn't sure how that was going to work in a mystery/thriller book, but I loved it! I thought some parts in the beginning were a bit slow, and there were quite a few characters to keep track of, but the story was so good. Once I got a bit over halfway in, I could not put it down! Detective Barbara Atkins was such a great character, and I hope we see her again in another book!

Thank you, @netgalley and @randomhouse, for the #gifted e-arc of this book!

This was my second book by Tudor & while I liked it, I didn’t *love* it. The chilling, atmospheric vibe of Alaska was different than the run of the mill suburban settings we get in most thrillers. For me, I found that I’m not big on the vampire characters as I used to be. That’s not the book’s fault, just mine. Overall it was a really good story that gave me True Blood vibes & I will definitely read more by this author!

I'm a sucker for all the mysteries from Tudor. I loved it and was sucked in from the beginning. If you love a twisty dark mystery, read this!

I have always enjoyed CJ Tudor books but this one ended up being a DNF for me. The book was too political for my liking. There were also too many characters to keep straight. A little thing that also bothered me was this book was set in Alaska but there were many British words that were used, liked jumper instead of sweater. Really takes you out of the setting.

This book had such potential but didn’t work for me. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publish for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was awesome. Think True Detective meets True Blood. I loved it. Great mystery set in a small town in Alaska with vampires. I loved the atmosphere of the novel, the world building, and the vampire mythology. Really well executed with a bunch of twists and a sucker punch ending. This one just came out, check it out!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Ballentine Books for the digital arc.

If a book is set in a small town in Alaska, I’m going to want to read it. No matter the genre. (Odd quirk I know but it’s true.) And as it just so happens The Gathering, C.J, Tudor’s newest book, is set in just such a town. Deadhart, Alaska to be precise. Deadhart? Tell me you aren’t intrigued. I dare you. When a teenage boy is found, throat ripped out, body drained of blood, the residents are certain they know who is to blame. A member of ‘the colony’. Who are ‘the colony’ you ask? Oh just a supposed community of vampyrs living in an old mine not far from Deadhart. Detective Barbara Atkins, a vampyr specialist, is called into investigate. Enlisting the help of Jenson Tucker, the former sheriff of Deadhart, she is determined to uncover the truth and put an end to the killing before it’s too late. This is a wonderfully intense thriller that kept me reading late in the night…well into the early morning actually if I’m being completely honest. Excellent story with fantastic characters. Absolutely loved Detective Atkins and hope we’ll see her return for another adventure real soon. 4.5 stars. I’d like to thank Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eArc of The Gathering.

https://www.amazon.com/review/RS75S1XAKI7QV/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Rating: 4/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Happy Pub Week!!!
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I’ve only read one other C. J. Tudor book but really enjoyed so when I saw this one NetGalley I was like okay I need this.
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I went into The Gathering completely blind, I really had no idea what to expect but let me just say - this was different, unique and definitely a treat to read. I mean who doesn’t like reading about vampire colonies?! Swipe for the synopsis so I can keep this one on the shorter end.
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The Gathering has some shifting of characters but all in the third person. In the beginning, I got tripped up a few times with the characters but quickly figured out who was who. I found the pacing to be a steady pace, not too slow but not something that was overly fast paced.
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I constantly found myself questioning different characters thinking they were the murderer. Perfect combination of likable and unlikable characters. The ending was awesome. Definitely didn’t see that one coming and loved how everything was wrapped up.
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Wasn’t overly thrilling or scary so if you are new to the thriller / horror genre I definitely think this would be a good one to start with. I think people are going to like this one a lot. The Gathering was just released on 4/9. Huge thank you to NetGalley, Ballentine Books and C. J. Tudor for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and found it hard to put down. It perfectly combined l supernatural vampires with a police procedural.

A teenage boy is found with his throat ripped out and all the blood drained from his body. It has been 25 years since the small town of Deadhart, Alaska has seen a killing like this. The townsfolk believe that an ostracized community of vampyrs (vampires) known as the Colony is responsible. It is coincidence that this killing happened after the colony returns to the area after a very long absence? Detective Barbara Atkins, a specialist in vampyr killings, is called to investigate the case to determine if this is truly a Colony killing. Only once this is determined can a cull be authorized. Detective Atkins is determined to find the truth and ends up enlisting the help of former Deadhart sheriff, Jenson Tucker, who investigated the previous murder 25 years prior.

The cover really fits the book perfectly. Deadhart has a dark and ominous feel which is well-written. The locals are not hospitable and they do not make Barbara feel welcome as she proceeds with the investigation, but despite their mistrust and poor attitudes towards her, she remains always polite and determined to do the right thing.

I don’t usually read books about vampires, but <b>The Gathering</b> brings a fresh perspective that I really enjoyed. With so many lies and secrets, the mystery kept me glued to the pages trying to figure it out and as usual, the author had a few surprises up her sleeve that I didn’t see coming. While there always tends to be a supernatural element to her stories, I love how each of her books are all so different and always look forward to what she is going to come up with next. Although it veers a little into the horror genre, at the heart of the story is the mystery. I am quite a wimp when it comes to horror, so if I can handle it, the horror element isn’t heavy handed. I sure hope the epilogue was a teaser for another Detective Atkins book because I thought she was a great character and given her past, there is much more to explore with her. 4 stars 💫

Wow wow wow. I have come to know and love C.J. Tudor's books and this might be my favorite yet.

Set in a remote town in Alaska, a detective from the lower 48 has to solve a murder of a young child. While the population of the town does not agree with this outsider detective, she must carry on to get to the truth.

Tudor weaves such a perfect blend of supernatural and thriller. This book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time and guessing until the end.

I have loved all of the author's books but unfortunately, this was a miss for me. The vampire of it all is so incredibly cool and up my alley but there were just too many POVS and I was confused for the majority of the story. I think other people might love it more but I lost steam and couldn't fully enjoy :(

Only CJ Tudor could get me to read a book about vampires! As a fan of Tudor's work since her debut novel, I've read everything she's written, except for her short stories. I trusted the author and dove into this new book without reading the blurb.

Set in Deadhart, a remote and frigid town in Alaska, "The Gathering" explores the coexistence of vampyre colonies and humans, including the laws that govern their relationship. It's wild to read about the laws and hatred between the two groups! Although I didn't enjoy "The Gathering" as much as Tudor's other books, it was still a well-written and thrilling read that kept me engaged until the end. Her writing successfully pulled me into this genre, which no other author has done.

Thanks to Ballantine Books/Random House Publishing for providing this gifted eARC through NetGalley. As always, all opinions are my own and left voluntarily.

I am a longtime fan of C.J. Tudor’s writing, and this is undoubtably her best yet. Just when you have it all figured out, the author does a 180 and all you can say is “Whoa !!”. Just brilliant execution and more than memorable characters, I sincerely hope there is a sequel being planned, this novel deserves it !!

Posted on Amazon and Goodreads

As always C.J. Tudor's books pack a punch and keep me on my toes throughout the entire book. Add in some vampire elements and this was one of the best thrillers I've read in awhile.

I loved the main character Barbara, it was really refreshing to have a fifty-something year old detective main character for once instead of a young female. Some of the quips and things she said had me laughing so hard. I do wish there were more intense vampiric moments thrown in but for how fast I flew through this book I'm definitely not complaining. The mystery and intrigue was great, the twists were fantastic, and I honestly loved all of the characters, good and bad for their own reasons. I'm really hoping this new book will turn into a series because I need more of Barbara and her antics in my life.

Residents of a small Alaska town are forced by law to put up with the colony of vampires that has relocated right next door.

Yeah. You can bet that ain't gonna end well.

I've never been a big fan of vampire novels, but I really enjoyed this one. There are gobs of humor scattered throughout all the throat ripping bits, and, yes, I guess I identified with the out-of-shape female "vampyr expert" sent to investigate a recent murder. The ending hints that this may turn into a series, so I'll happily grab a box of doughnuts, and tune in for the next installment.

This was a fun and interesting read and I did really enjoy the way that social commentary could be read throughout. However, it just wasn't something that I felt like would stick with me. I only finished it a week ago and barely remember it. The ending, however, I do remember and I am quite interested in seeing what would happen next if it turns out to be a series.

Another twisted and dark book by C.J. Tudor who's always delving into the abyss. I finished this book but did have a hard time reading it - this book took a different course for Tudor, but I always look forward to her books!!