A Book A Week

C.J. Tudor has been a must-read author for me since she burst on the scene with The Chalk Man back in 2018. Since then, she's written an original thriller each year, fast becoming a favorite author of mine. COVID put a wrench in that rhythm. Personal tragedy combined with a global pandemic saw Tudor complete a novel that she simply wasn't satisfied with. In a brave act of self-awareness, she opted to scrap that novel and release a collection of short stories instead. Now she's back with a new, highly anticipated book that she promises is entirely different from anything she's written thus far. 

When she first awakens, Hannah isn't entirely sure where she is. There are bodies in various states of injury around her, all compacted close together into a claustrophobic space. It takes her a moment to comprehend that she's actually in the wreckage of an overturned bus, the very bus that was taking her and a group of other students to safety. The vehicle is stuck in a snow drift, a casualty of a snowstorm that seems to only be starting. Stuck in coach with no apparent way out, Hannah and the other survivors of the crash can only wait until potential rescue arrives. There's only one thing troubling them. A few of the remaining passengers are beginning to show symptoms of the virus that they were all desperately traveling to escape from. 

Meg is awakened by the gentle rocking of the cable car. Dangling high above the snowy mountain below, the former detective takes in the faces of the strangers traveling with her. They are on their way to the mysterious refuge known as The Retreat, a reported safe haven from the virus-plagued world they've been living in. As the car slowly glides up the mountain, the group is jolted by its stopping. Lights go out, and power is completely lost. In the same flash, the lights come back on, but something has changed. There's the murdered body of one passenger left in the corner of the cable car. Meg is trapped in the place, hanging high above the remote landscape. Trapped inside with a killer. 

From the top of a mountain, Carter looks out at the world below. He's safe and warm inside the abandoned ski chalet, shielded from the brutal winter storm that rages outside. More importantly, Carter has found solace from the virus that has taken over the world. From this chalet, he works with a group of companions to survive. They scrounge up any food and supplies that they can. It is a meager existence, but it is existence nonetheless. Amongst the day-to-day tasks of basic living, the group works to develop a vaccine against the virus. Their hopes persist in spite of more and more frequent power outages and dwindling supplies. But now the power has been out for a good amount of time. The routine they've built is interrupted, and they'll have to work diligently to keep the threat of the outside world at bay. 

From the very start, it is clear that The Drift isn't the ordinary thriller that I'd expect from C.J. Tudor. In fact, I'd classify it more in the post-apocalyptic horror genre than any other. Still, it is the genre-bending nature of the book that makes it so intriguing. Tudor tells her tale through the perspective of three characters, each of whom faces their own locked-room mystery. This unfolds through alternating chapters. I found this method to be a bit taxing at first as it felt like each story took a long time to find its footing. Stick with it though. As the three plots begin to progress, the suspense and leap-from-the-page action begin to take hold. This is bold, go-for-broke writing that only an author as confident and dexterous as Tudor could ever dare to achieve. I can't say that I felt completely connected to the work, especially as some plot elements and character beats didn't really vibe with my sensibilities. Still, Tudor's narrative wizardry is revealed in some third-act context that ultimately sold me on the story. To say more would spoil the revelation for you. Suffice it to say that The Drift is another unique hit from an author who continues to write at the top of her game. 

For more information visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2023, 6)