Hannah – crashed bus: five dead; Meg – cable car: one dead; Carter – ‘The Retreat’: almost everyone dead. What connects these people, the central characters in their particular scenarios? They are all living in a post-apocalyptic world, after a fast spreading, rapidly mutating, multi-vector virus has wiped out much of the world. Susceptible people mainly die quickly, but some survive with massive physical trauma, especially to their lungs. Breathing causes them to make a whistling sound, hence their nickname.
Hannah is the daughter of Professor Grant, the virologist in charge of DRIFT (Department of Research into Infection and Future Transmission). She and a group of fellow students were being to transferred to ‘The Retreat’, a place of safety when the bus crashed. It is evident that it was sabotaged. The survivors must escape from the bus, all exits are blocked, and flee before the saboteurs arrive to kill them.
Meg, a former police officer, was one of a small group being transported to a secret research facility, ‘The Retreat’, high in the snow-clad mountains. To preserve secrecy, they had all been drugged before setting out. They awoke (apart from the dead guy who’d been stabbed in his sleep) to discover they were in a cable car which had stopped moving, leaving them suspended 1000 feet above the forest covered slope. They need to escape before someone else is murdered or they all freeze to death.
Carter, half his face lost to frostbite, is in ‘The Retreat’, having been rescued from the mountain side. The others there are a mixture of research volunteers and surviving staff, most of the original complement having died of the disease. Professor Grant is in the Isolation area of the basement, apparently still researching a cure. Carter isn’t allowed not that area because he is neither patient nor staff. He is useful because he does a number of chores, including going down the mountain to get supplies. He is also stealing antiviral treatments to send on to his daughter.
In the hands of most other authors, the conclusions to each of these scenarios would be (after a few plot twists) fairly predictable. But Tudor is not “most other authors”, so none of the twists are quite what they seem, none of the stories ends predictably, the connection between them is hard to spot until very late on, and the final scenes are a whole other surprise. It is a very clever story. As usual, her writing is tight while feeling relaxed, whether she is writing scenes of extreme jeopardy, mayhem and horrific death, or writing more gentle empathic scenes (there are, admittedly, very few of the latter and a hell of a lot of the former). I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

A story of three groups of people trapped in the most severe weather.
One group is stuck in a cable car hundreds of feet from the ground.
The second are trapped in a coach after it has crashed, and the third are in a chalet on top of a snow bound mountain.
All three groups of people are stuck with each other, knowing a killer lurks among them and that there is far worse waiting for them on the frozen outside.
C J Tudor has written some scary intense stories, but this one is off the charts.
I found it impossible to put down. It’s one of those books that keeps you awake to its mind blowing end. It’s superbly written, with characters that you’ll love and some that’ll scare your pants off! It’s a frozen masterpiece. I loved it.

I loved Burning Girls so I was really looking forward to this one. For me personally it didn’t hit the mark - I enjoyed it, don’t get me wrong, but I struggled with the narrative set out, it felt really clunky and disjointed for me. I will caveat that I do have a heavy cold, maybe it was me…

Overall, I enjoyed it, but it’s not on par with Burning Girls, I think personally.

My thanks to Netgalley. My review is based on an advance copy that I received from the publisher. My views are my own.

I personally have never read any books by CJ Tudor, but I know my sister has and when I tell you that she RAVES on the books they have written… from that, I just knew I had to request this book. I am a huge fan of thriller books and I went into this book with a lot of expectations and I was far from being disappointed.

I particularly loved how Tudor made me keep guessing throughout the book and blew me away with the story and the level of tension in her writing. I adore tension but I hate how on edge it makes me feel. This is the perfect locked room mystery and it had me hooked from the beginning. I need to get the physical copy asap so I can give this a reread in the future!

I feel as though this was inspired by the pandemic (I could be completely wrong) because the deadly virus’s impact seemed so familiar and I found that Tudor was able to capture the influence a disease had in society which definitely reminded me of the time of the pandemic.

I honestly really enjoyed this book. I cannot thank NetGalley and C.J. Tudor for allowing me to read a copy of this book before its release date!

A cable car is stuck in a terrible snowstorm, swaying to and fro with people trapped on board.

A coach has crashed over a hillside and the passengers are trapped inside due to the snowstorm. Some of the dead passengers were infected with a fatal virus, are any of those still alive infected too?

They were all heading to ‘The Retreat’. Does someone want them all dead or are both incidences accidents?

This is a fantastic story, with plenty that I didn’t see coming! It is a story of grief, survival, determination and vengeance. It really does ah e a bit of everything to keep all readers happy - horror, sci-fi and definitely plenty of action. Great characters throughout and an ending that I wasn’t expecting.

My thanks to Michael Joseph and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Anyone who knows me, knows I love to read a gory thriller and this one really has some lovely “ooooh” and “ewwww” moments in it! Wintery setting with a dystopian feel, a great read to start the new year off with!


4 Stars – Dystopian Winter Read!


Publication Date: 20th January 2023


Thank you to #NetGalley, #MichaelJoseph, #PenguinRandomHouse, and #CJTudor for an ARC of #TheDrift in exchange for an honest review.

CJ Tudor truly cannot do wrong. Her books are always 5 star reads and this newest novel is no different! 3 different stories converging to create a brilliantly plotted fast paced novel! I’m already excited for her next!!
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Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for my ARC

Another winner by CJ Tudor: a gripping, chilly, and creepy novel that kept me turning pages and on the edge.
Well plotted, fast paced, tense and disturbing at times. Three stories that converge into one, brilliant storytelling and plot development.
Loved it
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

⭐️4.5⭐️
Rounded up to 5 stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC, in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

A brilliant, thoroughly entertaining read.

C.J. Tudor is at the top of my auto-read author list and after loving all her other books I was thrilled to get my hands on a copy of The Drift.

I was hooked from the first page and gripped until the very end in this fabulous post-apocalyptic thriller. Tudor’s writing never disappoints — it’s fresh, pacy, and a pleasure to read. I flew through the chapters in no time because I couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen next.

The characterisation is excellent, the cast are all fully fleshed out and relatable and Tudor’s dry sense of humour shines through in a couple of the characters.

The snowy, isolated setting gives The Drift a claustrophobic sense of atmosphere and the suspenseful story is deftly plotted and fast-paced. I particularly liked how the threads from the three different storylines that are told alternately throughout the book are cleverly and neatly woven together at the end.

Another top thriller from Tudor!

Wow!!! This one had my attention well & truly hooked from the first page.
It was like three cliffhanger stories in one & each just as gripping.
Wasn’t quite what I was expecting but you couldn’t get a word out of me while I was reading this as it was so engrossing.
The storyline is brilliant & so atmospheric it will have you on the edge of your seat.
The author draws you in so that you almost feel as though you are there living this story with them.
It’s addictive with twists you won’t see coming & a little scary too when you think about the pandemic we are going through.
There are two groups of people in precarious positions after accidents that hold their lives in the balance trapped in a snow storm.
A third group are all held up in what’s known as the retreat.
There has been a breakdown in society after a new virus has ravaged the world & there is no cure for.
Quite descriptive & it certainly will give you an insight in to what people will do when backed in to a corner.
It’s quite a dark chilling read & a little gruesome at times but it compels you to keep reading.
The author passes effortlessly from one group to the next as it merges cleverly together towards the end.
Not my usual book but so glad I read this incredible story.

The Drift refers to a severe snowstorm that affects three groups of people. One group is on a coach that has crashed, one in a cable car that hangs precariously in the air and a third group in a former ski resort that the residents refer to as The Retreat. All are nervous and suspicious of each other, have their own past issues and, just to add to the mix, at least one of them is a murderer.

Each chapter is told from one perspective of each of the three groups. The connection between them is unclear but becomes apparent at the end in a very clever way. The story is tense and claustrophobic, fast paced and menacing. The date is not mentioned but there is an apocalyptic dystopian feel with a potential breakdown of society. Written in an engaging manner, always maintaining an air of danger and terror.

This is a story about survival, grief. acceptance and vengeance. There is disaster, adventure and horror, expertly crafted into the plot, which unfurls with unexpected revelations. An original and exciting read.

The opening paragraphs of this book grabbed my attention with both hands and showed me that CJ Tudor has upped her game considerably with this book - I'm not saying anything detrimental about her previous books (which I have loved by the way) just that it seems like she has stepped up to another level with her descriptions, plotting and execution this time.

From the description I expected this to be one of a whole slew of books out recently set in a cold, icy environment; a group of people trapped in the throes of a terrible snowstorm and then one of them decides it's an ideal time to get revenge for a long-held grudge. Boy, was I mistaken! There's not one but three separate locations/groups of people, each experiencing their own horrors, which somehow seem to be linked but it's not clear how for a good percentage of the book. The chapters switch between those locations which I found a little disjointing at the start, but soon adjusted to - I felt this writing style just helped keep the suspense building with little cliffhangers slotted at the end of virtually every chapter which I love.

The author has pitted each character in their group against one another; the mistrust between them all is tangible - right at the time they should be pulling together just to survive the storyline drops in another element of doubt to make them question who is a team player and who is purely out to save themselves.

Set in a world where a new virus with no cure has swept the globe it is a frightening insight into what could happen to the human race and how money, corruption and power could influence the outcome. This book will perhaps shock some of the author's previous readers as it has a quite strong lean towards the horror genre, its descriptive writing quite shocking at some points. Personally, I would say to keep an open mind and go with the flow as the world these people are survivors of would be as brutal as the author describes. The relationship between both the places and people involved provides an excellent conclusion to the book and left me feeling fulfilled plot wise and mightily impressed with the author's writing talent.

Three seemingly disparate tales all draw to one in this novel by C J Tudor an author who has been fabulous since the get go. Her writing is freeflowing and engaging, the inclusion of a deadly virus in this novel makes for uncomfortable reading given the world's recent circumstance but don't let that put you off. This novel took an unexpected turn at the conclusion and was exciting to read.

I would recommend C J Tudor without reservation, her track record is proven and if you've not read any - why not!

If you are looking for a novel full of twists and suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat from the first to the last page then I can’t recommend The Drift enough! It was a wild ride of a read and it confirmed, once again, that C. J. Tudor never disappoints.

The Drift is set in an apocalyptic near future in which a virus is killing people and the few survivors, the Whistlers, some kind of zombies easily recognized by the whistling sound they make through their lungs, are used as Guinea pigs to use their blood to find a cure.

The story is told from three different perspectives. First there is Hannah. Her father is one of the genius scientists the world is counting on to find a cure to the virus and she is a medical student traveling to the Retreat, the lab researching for a cure. The bus crashes and Hannah and her fellow students are trapped inside, some of them dead. Was the crash an accident or were they sabotaged? And why?

Then there is Meg. She is a former police officer traveling on a cable car towards the Retreat where she is volunteering for tests. The cable car stops in the middle of nowhere and one of the passengers is found murdered. Will they survive both the killer and the cold?

And finally, there is Carter. He works at the Retreat and, returning from a trip to the grocery shop, he finds the electricity out and two of his companions murdered. Can he trust his other companions? There is something dangerous locked in the basement. Has it found a way to get free?

These three characters have a lot in common besides being trapped in an enclosed space with a killer and a few dead bodies. They have suffered and experienced grief, they are keeping secrets, and they are all trying to survive in a world that is slowly dying. But what is the connection between them? Even as I started to suspect it, I didn’t see all the brilliant twists that keep coming until the end.

I loved all C. J. Tudor’s novels, but I think that The Drift may be my favourite. It is claustrophobic, with a constant sense of isolation and near end of the world. It is dark, chilling, at times gruesome, and gripping and I couldn’t put it down!

The Drift is a brilliantly written apocalyptic horror mystery that follows three different stories. I did wonder how the three different storylines were linked and at one point I even wondered if I was missing something while reading, but by the end, everything came together seamlessly.

Each storyline is told from three different POVs. One is from Hannah, a med student who is trapped in a coach with a group of students after their coach crashes during a snowstorm. The second is from Meg, a former policewoman, who is trapped in a dangling cable car with a group of people she doesn't know. The third is from Carter, who lives with a group of colleagues at a ski chalet/Retreat. All three must try and stay alive.

I thought the characters were really well done. As the book progresses you also see the characters develop. All three characters are hiding secrets, which slowly come out as the stories unfold and come together. I also thought the side characters were well done and worked well with the main characters, you never quite know who to trust or believe.

Unlike C.J. Tudor's previous books, I didn't find this one as fast paced but it is gripping, with great twists and turns.

I may be a little biased as C.J. Tudor is one of my favourite authors but honestly, this was a great read, and can't wait to see what she has up her sleeve next!

If you're a fan of locked room reads with an apocalyptic, horror mystery element then this is a book to give a go!!

I would like to thank the publishers Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House, and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased thoughts.

My rating: 4.5 Stars

This is an absolutely brilliant book.
It has everything - action, horror, sci-fi and nail biting suspense.
There are three stories that run consecutively - a coach that crashes in the snowy mountains with a few survivors. A cable car stuck mid air with people trapped. A house in the mountains with a few people all fighting to survive.
There’s also the threat of Whistlers who are infected people that can kill.
I can’t say too much more about the story as it will spoil it for you but this book has something for everyone and I’m sure it will be a big hit.
A brilliant read that I highly recommend.
Thanks to Michael Joseph and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. Set in the aftermath of a virus outbreak and showing how society has broken down, this is a compelling read. Good characters and writing, with a premise we can identify with more after the pandemic, this is a really good read. The setting in the middle of a snow storm just adds to the tension and atmosphere!

I really enjoyed this, maybe not as much as CJ Tudor's other novels but it was still a read good read. The multiple perspectives was interesting and i liked how it was used effectively. The characters were generally written well but i found after a while that a couple of them blended together and i was confused by who each one actually was. The atmosphere in the book was good and the snowy setting made it feel even more bleak, tense and oppressive. I found how it wrapped up to be done fairly well and thought that it was a solid and interesting conclusion.

I must admit The Burning Girls is the only book that I have read by CJ Tudor. I loved it that much I couldn't wait to get my teeth into The Drift….And wow what a book! It sure as hell didn't disappoint.

What can I say but this book is brilliantly written. I felt right there in the story when she sets the scene when Hannah is trapped on a coach.Meg wakes in a cable car above the snowy mountains.Then you have Carter in an isolated ski Chalet. A storm is moving in. You can feel the coldness, the atmosphere, the tension it will send shivers down your spine. I for one would not have liked to have been in that situation.

I was hooked from start to finish. It is scary, addictive, proper on the edge of your seat reading. I feel like Tudor is the millennium's Stephen King. She is known for that supernatural element in her stories. So there I am waiting for that and boom I am thrown sideways with something I totally wasn't expecting.

It is fast paced and makes you question the characters and want to know what is going to happen next and who is the killer!

The Drift would make a brilliant film. I loved everything about it, giving it all the stars!

I was not expecting this. i struggled to put this down.
The story starts with Hannah being in a coach crash. She is one her way to "The Retreat" from her posh school. The pupils that were in the crash were allegedly being moved to safety after there is an outbreak of "The Virus". At first they are baffled by the crash, some are dead or injured, but they figure out that everything is not as it should be.
We also get Meg's story. She has woken up on a cable car which is stuck and hanging above the snow. The passengers all appear to have been drugged and when they wake up, one of them is dead. They are also heading for the retreat, but as willing participants in a trial to find a cure for the virus.
The story then switches to the Retreat and what is happening there. They are having problems with power outages. This in turn is compromising their security as they need the measures they have to keep out the Whistlers - people who are infected by the virus.
As the book progresses the connections between the stories start to become clearer and the story gathers more pace.. It is a really good read.