This book left me speechless! I picked it up solely because it's written by one of my favorite authors, without knowing much about it. I'm grateful I didn't pass it over just because it involves vampires. It turned out to be a gripping tale, delving deep into themes of human nature, prejudice, minority rights, and murder within a small town.

I have read and enjoyed all previous thrillers by C. J. Tudor, with some of her books being among my favourites. Although I try to avoid vampire stories, I was pleased to receive the ARC for 'The Gathering. ' This novel offered a unique approach, but modern-day social and political implications marred it. The strong storyline was captivating and well-written, but I found it slow-paced, with many characters to keep straight. This was a police procedural/murder mystery with a theme of bigotry and intolerance toward ethnic/racial minorities and interracial and same-sex relationships. It focused on hatred, fear of the unknown and cultural differences. The slow-moving storyline had the gruesome parts toned down but implied. The setting in America uses British terms that seem out of place.

The plot is set in the small town of Deadhart in Alaska, which is physically and emotionally dark, cold, and chilling. Vampyrs settled in the region more than a century before its present-day human inhabitants. Strict laws were established to keep the vampyrs isolated on reservations (colonies) and place them under human settlers' laws.

'The Gathering ' refers to a future final war between present humans and the vampyrs. In 1983, the Vampyr Protection Act recognized vampyrs as an endangered and protected species. Their drinking of human blood was strictly prohibited, and they were forced to exist on animal blood. They must remain isolated in their Colony deep in the forest. They were without schools and the opportunity to apply for jobs. Modern technology, such as the internet and smartphones, were forbidden. Very long lives were possible, and rules made the situation boring and unchallenging.

The murder of a young man twenty-five years earlier seemed to have the makings of a vampyr killing. This stirred rage among the humans and led to deaths and the remaining vampyrs fleeing the Colony. Now, a new group has returned to the outskirts of Deadhart. A teenage boy, Marcus, has been found dead with his throat gouged and his body drained of blood. A video purports to record his killing by a vampyr. Barbara Aitkins from the Forensic Vampyr Anthropology Department, and also a homicide detective, has been called in to prove that this was murder by a vampyr that would result in the humans carrying out a legal mass murder (culling) of the Colony.

Barbara is a dedicated, honest investigator. She is determined to uncover the truth within the town whose residents want the vampyr Colony demolished. Despite the townspeople's refusal to acknowledge or consider a possible human killer, she is calm, steady, and polite. She is in her 50s and physically not in shape for combat or chases. She recruits the former police chief for assistance. He, Jensen Tucker, has been a recluse since the killing twenty-five years earlier.

She encounters unpleasant and criminal activities among the characters, secrets, twists, and cover-ups. A man who has previously hunted vampyrs keeps their heads mounted on his wall as trophies (artifacts). The doctor has become wealthy from dealing drugs, supplying the Colony with human blood, and smuggling vampyr trophies to sell. He also devised a deception to make killing seem like the work of vampyrs without any human involvement. The local pastor stirs up her congregation by declaring it is God's will to stamp out these Spawns of the Devil. A secret anti-vampyr organization, the Helsing, is attracting young people.

With all these impediments in their way, can Barbara and former chief Tucker solve the case, especially when more murders occur? Is the Colony doomed? The ending is inconclusive but appears to set up a sequel with Barbara Aitkins as the main protagonist. I would read any of her further investigations.

I wish to thank Netgalley and Penguin Random House (Doubleday) for this compelling ARC, which will be published on April 9th.

I absolutely loved this book! CJ Tudor’s books are the perfect mix of thriller and horror in my opinion. This book had great creepy small town vibes, with an intriguing murder mystery to solve, mixed with a lot of vampire content. I loved our main character Barbara, it was so nice to see an older woman as a main character, and I really enjoyed her perspective. This book was very action packed, I never got bored reading it and had to keep going because I needed to find out what happened. Highly recommend this one. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, a pretty fun read but not quite as advertised.

The Gathering is more of a slow burn, small town mystery rather than a fast paced vampire horror. I thought a lot of the characters were uniquely interesting and the writing itself was well done and a pleasure to read. I did also really enjoy the discussions on humans vs vampires and the challenges of having an active vampire population.

There were a lot of dark themes, and Tudor executes the twists and turns in a fun way, but I did find it a little slow through the middle. There were also a lot British-isms here that kind of took me out of the Alaskan setting (CV vs resume, jumper vs sweater).

Pretty solid read, just didn’t grip me the way The Drift did!

The way I ate this story up. The characters, the setting, the vampires! I love a good vampire story and this did not disappoint. The vampire lore was different from some others popular in media so it was great to discover all the ways the Colony operated in Tudor’s “The Gathering”.

Barbara, a detective who works for the Forensic Vampyr Anthropology Department heads to a small town in Alaska for a case where a teenage boy has been brutally murdered. The town wants to orchestrate a ‘cull’ - killing all the vampires who exist in the vampire Colony of the town of Deadhart.

Barbara is a woman who believes in a thorough investigation and will only call for a cull if she finds that the murderer is really a vampire. But the town is full of incredibly angry people sitting on many dark and sinister secrets.

As a storm closes in, blocking all roads in and out of Deadhart, Barbara needs to find the murderer before long simmering tensions in Deadhart explode.

Barbara, Athelinda, Tucker - these were such great characters that I loved seeing every time they were on the page.

I would totally read more stories about Barbara going town to town investigating potential vampire crime.

This was a bit outside of my normal type of book, I usually read mystery/thriller and though this does have those elements in it, the whole vampyr setting was very creepy. Barbara Atkins is from the Forensic Vampyr Anthropology Department, she gets called whenever there is a human that may have been killed by a vampyr, and if she finds it had happened she can order a cull of vampyrs in the area. She is sent to Deadhart AK, a remote town with less than a thousand people, and a vampyr gathering living not far from them. A local child has been found with his throat ripped out and if Barbara finds that a vampyr has done it, the locals want her to authorize the cull. But Barbara is methodical and she starts to find out that things are not like they seem, yes the boy has been killed, but she's not convinced a vampyr has done it. The pressure grows for her to authorize the cull, but Barbara takes her time, talks to a lot of people, including the previous sheriff of Deadhart, Tucker, someone who lives isolated from the town and shares a unique connection to the local vampyr group that is facing a cull. She enlists Tucker's help and digs deeper into the history of Deadhart, finding out that someone has been collecting vampyr artifacts (heads), something that is illegal to do. More death follows, a blizzard blows in trapping her in a town where everyone has a itchy trigger finger. A very interesting and believable book, one I would recommend. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Ballentinebooks for the ARC.

CJ Tudor never disappoints and The Gathering is no exception.
Set in small town Alaska, during the winter, The Gathering is an extremely interesting take on the traditional vampire story. I loved watching how she built the lore and the history of the creatures. Seeing that paired police procedural was an incredible interesting take.
I loved every second of this story.
For a more indepth review please check out my spoiler free youtube review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgD4e1TksJU

The Gathering by C. J. Tudor was a thriller with heavy horror vibes that I was immediately sucked into. The overall atmosphere was one of a heavy horror influence a la your old school vampire (vampyr in this novel) stories where they are vicious blood suckers, and something to be feared. But on top of this there is the focus more on a story of a thriller-like nature, with the horror aspect being more of a world-building tool than actual horror-esque events taking place (such as serial murders and the note of constant fear to the story).

For a few reasons this book gave me 30 Days of Night vibes, though not in the story as it was nothing like the movie, more in the general creepy, horrifying tone of it. By this I mean the fact that it takes place in Alaska, at a time when there are very limited daylight hours and there is the looming threat of a Colony that has potentially gone rampant and murdered a human for their blood. In a time when laws have been created to allow humans and vampyrs to coexist side by side, with rules dictating vampyrs cannot feed from humans and humans cannot kill or hunt the vampyrs they desperately hate, this has the small Alaskan town up in arms and demanding a culling. Enter Barbara, the vampyr doctor so to speak sent to investigate the cause of death and the murderer to determine whether a culling is justified or not.

There were a few different glimpses at other points of view periodically besides Barbara’s, though hers was the most predominant. The others gave little glimpses into very relevant and necessary information for the reader, that the main character would not know so they served a purpose throughout the book and were never tedious. There was also an obscure glance at a mystery point of view throughout these chapters occasionally which was perhaps the most intriguing to me in that it kept me guessing the most. No real details are given in order to keep those involved unidentified and it had me constantly guessing and analyzing details to suss out who it might be, whether it was happening in the past or concurrent with the main story’s timeline. I liked that it kept me guessing and thinking and catching these little bit and pieces that had me making guesses on identities and other possible factors that might lead to revealing what was happening and who was involved.

I definitely recommend The Gathering by C. J. Tudor for fans of thrillers, and especially those who like a hint of horror their books. I very much enjoyed this book and by the ending I’m really hoping for another book in this world.

The Gathering is a captivating, creepy, atmospheric crime thriller with fun paranormal elements. This author always does an amazing job of using the setting as a character to amplify the mood of her stories. Her main character, Detective Barbara Atkins is a specialist in vampyr forensics which makes her interesting. Add that to her disturbing backstory, a well-rounded cast of secondary characters, and a twisty plot, and you get a real winner of a story.

🧛‍♂️ T O O T H Y 🩸 T U E S D A Y review 🧛‍♂️ featuring “The Gathering” by CJ Tudor!

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤.5/5

Detective Barbara Atkins is a Forensic Vampyr Anthropologist who travels to Alaska to take a look at the body of a teenaged boy whose throat has been ripped out and body totally drained of its blood. It is up to Barbara to determine if a culling should be authorized in this situation.

The small town of Deadhart believes that The Colony, a group of Vampyres, are back again to terrorize the town and its people. It has been 25 years since the last brutal attack and The Colony being banished from the community. But as Barbara digs deeper into the case and the town’s longstanding secrets, she isn’t sure what she’s dealing with here. Was this a staged murder?? Or a colony killing??

“A mirror hung above the cracked sink. There was writing on it. Scrawled in red: THE SUN WILL BE TURNED INTO DARKNESS, AND THE MOON INTO BLOOD. And just in case the message wasn’t clear, the visitor had left her a present, hung over one of the taps. A rudimentary cross on a leather choker … fashioned out of two sharp vampyr incisors”.

I don’t think I have read a vampire story since reading the Twilight series a long time ago! I am a huge fan of CJ Tudor and this quirky horror story pushed me out of my comfort zone for sure and I had fun with it!

Thank you kindly to @cjtudorauthor @doubledayca @penguinrandomca @netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This book releases on April 9, 2024!

Thank you to NetGalley, C.J. Tudor and Penguin Random House Canada for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

It took me a few chapters to get into this one and really get into what was happening, but then I was addicted. This is hopefully just the first we’ve seen of detective Barbara and the vampyrs because I’m obsessed. Loved it!

After a murder in small town Alaska, Detective Barbara Atkins is summoned to investigate and determine if a local vampyr colony could be to blame.

This was a pretty good read with unique plot. It started off really strong but I admit for me there were a lot of characters to keep track of so a few pertinent details snuck past me. The main character was great and there was good development on many other characters as well. The setting of the dark Alaskan town was eerie and perfect. The pace was set so well with the right amount of mystery and tension to keep you going, and several OHHH moments that were very satisfying. The underlying messages in the story were quite powerful as well.

3.5/5⭐

This was a unique take on a police procedural murder mystery, set in small-town Alaska, with a vampiric twist. It was incredibly atmospheric, the mystery kept me guessing until the end, and Detective Barbara Atkins was a compelling main character, but plot-wise it was a little slow at times & I wanted some more vampire action.

This is a wonderful addition to the vampire genre, atmospheric & with its own unique lore. I found the aspect of vampires being a known entity quite interesting, mixed in with a murder mystery & it became a real page turner. Atkins is a good character to follow, thorough & with her own dark past. As she tries to dig through the history & the prejudice, the real story of Deadhart reveals itself.

Really this book is more than just a vampire story, at its heart it’s about history, discrimination & hatred (from both sides) towards the “other.” There’s also an interesting ending that leads me to think there may be (hopefully) a sequel.

I’d definitely recommend you pick this one up. One of better vampire novels I’ve ever read. Tudor has become a great new voice for the horror genre. This is my favorite book of hers so far.

WOW. I loved this one.

The Gathering was a great murder mystery with a great atmosphere. I love a story set in a secluded town in the middle of no where, honestly it's a vibe like no other for horror stories. Throw in some vampyres and you got me intrigued! This one hooked me from the start and had me guessing all the way to the end.

The vibe gave me "30 Days of Nights" which I loved.

4.75

The Gathering by C.J. Tudor is a gripping horror mystery that's True Detective: Night Country meets Midnight Mass. Set in an alternative world where vampires and humans co-exist, with vampires living a segregated life with laws protecting them, and humans being forced to accept their existence.

This story takes place in a remote Alaskan community where the murder of a teenager by an alleged vampire with connections to a murder from the past sends the town into panic, threatening human and vampire relations. In comes Detective Barbara Atkins, a vampire investigator who comes to the small Alaskan town and is forced to endure its freezing temperatures and equally icy reception she receives from the locals who believe she is on the vampires' side. Her investigation uncovers startling truths and shocking secrets beneath the frosty exterior where justice, revenge, trauma, and evil collide with the past and present in bone chilling ways.

I really enjoyed this story and thought the alternative world was fascinating without it being fantastical. It is the most unique vampire story I have read and the cold Alaskan setting added a harsh, creepy, and desolate feeling to the story, which amplified the horror and thriller aspects. The pacing was excellent which was supported by an interesting investigation that became more and more complex as the story progressed. Every character was unique and well developed which made each of them suspicious. There were lots of characters but they each had a role to play in the story, showing and telling different dark sides of the community. By the end of the story, the reader may question who exactly the evil ones were...the humans or vampires? The monstrous side of humanity was explored as was the humanness of the vampires, but the author does not ask the reader to be sympathetic towards either one, but rather, to think about how we treat the "other" and how our own wounds and pain can keep us in a frozen state, neither alive nor dead, not unlike the wintry landscape of Alaska nor the vampires themselves. My only criticism is that the big reveal was a little anticlimactic and a minor character ended up stealing the show at the end of the story.

Overall I enjoyed The Gathering by C.J. Tudor for its unique take on the vampire genre, its biting atmosphere, and edge of your seat mystery.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a free arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Tudor is a solid author, with marvellously descriptive prose, but I think it's time we part ways. Creepy small town in Alaska is a trope that I adore but I am so over vamps. I get that they are a marginalised group in this book with an underlying message but I'm done. Plus, if I am reading vamps, I want the old school variety, a la Salem's Lot.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read The Gathering by CJ Tudor in exchange for a honest review

4.5 star read. This book is about a small town in remote Alaska that is home to humans and vampyrs. Vampyrs are real and the world is aware of them but they are not living in harmony with humans.

Barbara is a detective who specializes in Vampyr killings is called to town to investigate a murder of a teenage boy. The town is blaming the Colony, a group of Vampyrs living just outside of town. Barbara realizes how deep the hatred goes in this town between the vampyrs and the humans and as she starts uncovering secrets, she realizes how much history there is between them. She wants the truth of what happened to think young boy and if The Colony is really to blame.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the feel of the small town far in the north. I also loved the idea of humans and vampires trying to both live and exist in the same world. You can really feel the isolation and despair in the book. The descriptions of the town and the townspeople make you feel like you are actually there. I ate this book up and recommend checking it out!

Vampires, Rednecks, and mystery, oh my! A unique combination, brought together, that will either work for readers, or not. It will really depend on wether or not readers accept a world where humans and vampiers co exist.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

This was a fun read! I am already a fan of the author and this book reinforced that. There was a lot going on in this book and it all came together nicely by the end. I have but one complaint, and it is the same one I had for the TV Show "True Blood": do not compare Vampyr/Vampire rights to any other sort of prejudice. As we saw in True Blood, Vampires did indeed do a whole lot of the things humans accused them of. It isn't quite the same as being, say, racist or homophobic for zero reason other than one's own bigotry, prejudice and narrow-mindedness. Anyway, that little irk aside, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I got lost in the world-building of this bleak and cold Alaskan urban fantasy.

Barbara was a great character. A diligent member of the Department of Forensic Anthropology, she is sent to Alaska to report on whether a murder was committed by a Vampyr from a nearby colony (Vampyr settlement) and if it was, to authorize a cull - the ultimate punishment for crimes committed by the colony. She is diligent and yet knows when to bend the rules which makes her just perfect to crack the case with the help of Tucker, the former Police Chief in Deadhart, Alaska. What follows is a layered mystery that kept me guessing right up until the end. I actually think I need to reread the final couple of chapters to digest it all properly!

There could potentially be a sequel which would be exciting. I can't say much other than that without being spoiler-y.

Some final thoughts: unlike a Vampyr, this book did NOT suck and like a Vampyr, it is really something you can sink your teeth into. A great mystery where, by the end, everything is at stake.