by C. J. Tudor
First published 2025
A boy lies dead in Deadhart, Alaska, his throat torn open and body drained of blood. The townspeople point fingers at the Colony, a group of vampyrs who live in an abandoned mine deep in the forest. Detective Barbara Atkins specializes in vampyr crimes. She arrives to determine whether the Colony committed this murder and whether the town should authorize a cull. But Atkins suspects the truth runs deeper than old prejudices. She partners with Jenson Tucker, a former sheriff whose investigation of a similar killing twenty five years ago nearly destroyed him. Tucker has lived as a hermit ever since, yet he knows the Colony better than anyone. As Atkins and Tucker dig into Deadhart's buried history, they discover secrets that surpass their darkest expectations. Another corpse appears. Snow falls harder and darkness stretches longer each day. A predator hunts through Deadhart while two communities prepare for violence. Atkins and Tucker race against time to answer a crucial question that will determine who lives and who dies.
Genres: mystery, crime, horror, supernatural, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, investigative-journalism, race-against-time
Setting: Alaska, Deadhart, The Colony
Period: 25 Years Ago
352 pages · Paperback · Ballantine Books
Content warnings: death, gore, graphic-violence