🧛 BOOK REVIEW 🧛
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#TheGathering by @cjtudorauthor @michaeljbooks

➡️synopsis 🧛

A small town murder mystery with a side order of vampire? Yes please!

This book and actually this author are right up my street at the moment. This was a really refreshing read; It had all the hallmarks of a good police procedural - a grizzly murder in a small town, a chase of who done it and very likeable lead characters but it also had a vampires!!!

Far from being your typical fantasy book or airing on side of silly; it incorporated the vampires as part of normal life, with a history and a community and it worked really well as if there was no fantasy element at all.

I loved the lead character Barbara; she had an interesting history and was a likeable, relatable narrator. The cast of side characters were also an interesting bunch that really added to the story and broke up the narrative with an odd chapter of their own. The plot kept me guessing to the end and well I really have no complaints!

Please let this be a series 🙏

With thanks to the author #cjtudor #michaeljosephbooks and @netgalley for allowing me to read this one early!

RELEASING: APRIL 11th

-EMILY

@the_book_girls_1

I went into reading this book not knowing what the story was about, I requested it based on previous books by this author. The book is based in a small Alaskan town where colonies of vampyres have been known to reside, much to the disgust of the town's residents. Our female main character is Barbara, a vampyre detective, who has been called in to investigate the murder of a teenage boy. The towns folk believe he was attacked and killed by a vampyre, and therefore want a cull of the whole colony.
To be honest, I wasn't expecting the story to be about vampyres, I was expecting a psychological thriller, but I was pleasantly surprised by how well this concept worked. The setting and descriptions of the vampyres made the book believable (to an extent), and I felt the storyline was good enough to hold my attention, despite vampires not really being my thing!
There were parts of the book which I felt dragged a little bit, and other areas where I felt more character depth was needed, but overall I enjoyed the book.
Thanks netgalley for the opportunity to read and review!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

Excellent read and would recommend. CJ Tudor can do no wrong for creepy stories

The Gathering is set in a world which appears very much like ours except that vampires (styled here as "vampyrs") coexist, albeit uneasily, with humans, living in their own separate colonies.

They are both regulated and protected by law, but are barely tolerated and often actively hated by many of the humans they live near to. (And, to be fair, I'm sure I'd also be a bit wary if a bunch of potential bloodsuckers moved in down the road.)

They are potentially dangerous but they're not monsters, although many see them as such. "Vampyr physiology was understood much better these days. Their hearts beat a minimal amount, but they weren't dead. Nor were they immortal. They aged, just very slowly over hundreds of years. They couldn't turn into mist or fly like bats. They weren't invisible in mirrors... They were not invincible."

Now, in the evocatively named Deadhart, Alaska, the death of a teenage boy has further inflamed already heightened animosity towards the local colony. Detective Barbara Atkins, aka the Fang Doc (I love her) from the Forensic Vampyr Anthropology Department is called in to investigate the murder, and finds herself walking into a hostile and heated environment. Many locals are calling for a total cull. Some display Nazi-style anti-vampyr tattoos and salutes. Others - such as the local preacher, Colleen - incite hunting them down, framing it as "God's work".

This was a really enjoyable, well-written and atmospheric read, relatively light on horror (the most horrifying part of the whole thing was the brothel). I wouldn't generally necessarily choose to read a story about vampires, but I liked how it was done here.

The ending suggested a sequel, which I'm definitely in favour of. More Barbara please!

In a small Alaskan town a young boy is murdered; a Detective is brought in to assist the local Sheriff but she faces opposition and resistance from the townsfolk who believe they already know the culprit and are ready to dispense some vigilante justice.

CJ Tudor books are always thrilling and chilling and The Gathering was no exception. You are immediately
thrown into a murder investigation but this time with a twist (no spoiler's); I was on the edge of my seat waiting for Detective Atkins so unmask the murderer and keep the town from boiling over. If you love a thriller with plenty of twists and turns and a supernatural element you'll love The Gathering- 3.5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review

The Gathering is a murder mystery that involves a world where Vampires exist and are treated as second class citizens. The setting is very 30 Days Of Night but, apart from that, the story speeds along at a breakneck pace. I really enjoyed the use of horror elements that provided a bleak atmosphere to the narrative. The characters are fleshed out and we never really know who to trust or what the motivation is. The use of vampires to explore prejudice really was a masterful stroke and, to be honest, refreshing - if you like murder mysteries, horror and mixing them together, then this is for you.

C.J Tudor always manages to keep me entertained with her books and The Gathering does not fail, it is a classic vampire/ gothic novel but also a good police procedural novel the twist being that vampires now have rights and are protected and they are allowed to live in peace in covens but not everyone feels the same, so when a coven moves back after being driven out years before and the body of a teenager is found the towns people of Deadheart automatically blame the vampires and its down to Detective Barbara Atkins a specialist in vampires to fiind out what happened and avert a cull.

I was not enthralled or horrified by this story. I could relate to the views of the townspeople who just wanted to blame the colony for the deaths and close the latest case. Dr Barbara certainly had a tough job being faced with so much distrust and perceived ideas, she was seen as someone who would complicate the issues and not clear them up. Deadhart was very aptly named. I did not find this scary or a thriller it was just a mystery and possibly a horror. I found the story line muddled and not an easy read

The Gathering was excellent.

A murder mystery set in a world where vampires exist in the open, a chilly setting which adds excellent creep factor and some interesting characters both dead and alive made this a read in one sitting delight.

If you love horror and crime you'll love this. Plenty of twisty a la psychological thriller moments alongside some scary stuff within an excellent plot.

Hugely entertaining.

Whilst I don’t pay much attention to cover pull out quotes, the description of C.J. Tudor as Britain’s female Stephen King is actually pretty on the mark. The Gathering is a gripping police procedural thriller in a world where vampyrs and humans live in uneasy coexistence, with all the opportunity for horror that implies. Tudor is expert at world building, and the vampyr lore is well integrated into the story. As the hero, Barbara is a believable character dealing with difficult circumstances as a stranger in a small town, and much of the human conflict is derived from this. Some great bits of misdirection and cracking ending leave me hoping there may be more to come elsewhere in this world.

Brilliant, a whole new slant on vampires, makes them so much more believable, couldn't put it down.****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Detective Barbara Atkins is sent to Deadhart, a godforsaken place somewhere east of Anchorage. She is a Doctor of Forensic Vampyr Anthropology (try saying that after a few drinks :) A young boy has been found murdered, his throat cut out and the death has all the hallmarks of a "Colony" killing. The Colony is where Vampyrs reside and our viewed as second class citizens by Deadhart residents. There is an uneasy truce between those who view themselves as the rightful owners and settlers and Vampyrs who have been gradually isolated and blamed for any wrong going. If a murder could be attributed to the Vampyrs then law dictates that a cull would follow, an opportunity to kill and annihilate those who are viewed with suspicion and hate, and it is into this melting pot that Barbara jumps.
Although I found the writing good, I found the story poor. In essence this is just a mediocre crime caper, the enemy replaced by Vampyrs their removal paramount in the eyes of Deadhart residents, whether they are guilty of murder or not.

Twenty five years ago, a Vampyr killing shocked the Alaskan town of Deadhart. Now, history seems to have repeated itself and all that stands between the town and a cull of the nearby colony is Detective Barbara Atkins, who is sent to authorise the cull.

However, she is met with hostility from the residents who all seem to have something to hide. Humans and Vampyrs alike seem to have their own reasons for wanting a Gathering, and it's left to Barbara to figure out who or what is killing Deadhart's residents.

This is my first CJ Tudor book and it was thoroughly enjoyable. A 4* book.

I've read books about vampires before, but very much fantasy focused. Whilst of course this was a book about vampires, which are of course fantasy, this felt like a grown up version.

I loved that the book also read like a mystery/ thriller and not just about vampires killing humans randomly.

I thought the main character Barbara was great, not some super model.blonde, but a capable, smart, older woman who brings another layer to the story.

The ending was superb and I'm really hoping that there will be another Barbara based story!

4-5 stars rounded up

Deadhart, a small, isolated Alaskan town, a missing boy and an horrific murder. Detective Barbara Atkins is on her way from out of state to assist the sheriff and later teams up with the former sheriff to investigate a similar murder from twenty five years ago.

CJ Tudor, the frozen north, small town mentality and a vampyre story? Treble yes please and I’m all in from the start. I love this authors books, they’re all different and I applaud her creativity. This latest novel has the feel of something from a bygone era and still manages to feel fresh and modern, which takes skill. She even manages to provoke some growing sympathy for those assembling for a potential gathering about which my lips are sealed!

Through the character of Barbara you feel that everything in Deadhart (clever name) is wrong from the minute she steps into it. The vibes she gets, the lack of trust and the antagonism she receives positively jumps off the pages. This naturally makes her more and more determined as well as curious and you know what that does to the cat. I really like her as a central character as she feels authentic and real. She’s measured, calm and intuitive which she needs to be as she comes across the more “interesting” personalities in the town. It’s clear there are divisions, even hate and definitively prejudice and I like the strong message the author delivers which is so appropriate in the present day. The choice of setting is perfect, there’s atmosphere in abundance even before adding in the fantastical storyline.

The pace is fast throughout with multiple twists and turns, the threat level continues to rise making it a gripping page turner as you try to second guess things and mine get a bit wild! It’s creepy, eerie, macabre in places (well, it is CJT so don’t expect it to be pretty) and oh boy, does it ever ramp up in danger with accompanying hysteria at every turn. The whole thing is written in full technicolour, it’s vivid, it’s believable as I can buy into it and praise the lord, the ending is terrific

This is how you write a horror story and it has a cover that will entice you to pick this one up. It’s another winner for me.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Michael Joseph for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Her best book to date!
All her books are excellent but this one for me is my favourite so far.
A mix between a murder mystery and vampyr’s was something I just had to read.
If you are already a fan you will absolutely devour this book and if you are new to her work then this book will soon make you a fan.
An absolute must read even if you don’t like horrors. The murder mystery is fantastic and won’t let you put it down!

I’ve read a few of CJ Tudors books and I’ve never been disappointed, thoroughly enjoying all of them and this book is no different. A tense and action packed story which left me questioning everything I thought I’d figured out.
I was on the edge of my seat and finished this in one sitting because I needed answers.

Throughly enjoyable and something I would definitely recommend to anyone who has a love for supernatural themed stories with a twist of crime thriller.

I really like C. J Tudor books and was excited to read The Gathering, particularly as I'm a nut for vampires. A twist in the tale here, where vampires are the prey rather than the predator, and a detective story with many twists. I enjoyed the read, but it seemed to take me a long time to finish. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review of the book.

After a teenage boy’s body is found in a deserted cabin Detective Barbara Atkins from the Forensic Vampyr Anthropology Department is sent to the small Alaskan town of Deadhart to investigate.
Lots of malevolent characters, lies and deceit in this story about prejudice and murder.
Thank you to NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! The juxtaposition of vampires as prey….. mind blowing.

A very different sort of book for this author and a refreshing look at the ubiquitous serial killer. The setting is claustrophobic and the culture typical of small , conservative America community - if fiction has any grounding in fact.

The main characters are many but only a few set to survive another book.

Possible spoiler alert
I found the backstory of one character very confusing and damaging to the focus of the main story. Perhaps a format change could help - particularly if there is to be further development in that area.