Title: The Drift
Author: C.J. Tudor
Published: January 24th 2023
Publisher: Doubleday
Pages: 400
Genres: Fiction, Crime, Mystery
RRP: $32.99
Rating: 3.5 stars
All four of C. J. Tudor’s novels have been Sunday Times Top 10 bestsellers. The fifth is her most twistiest and chilling yet
A crashed coach full of students.
A stuck cable car full of strangers.
An isolated chalet full of friends.
A killer snowstorm outside.
Inside one group, a killer.
But which one?
And why is no rescue coming?
How did they become trapped?
And what were they all trying to escape?
Review:
Thanks to the success of her debut novel The Chalk Man, C.J. Tudor has gained plenty of worthy attention in the crime and thriller world. I had my first taste of this British author’s work thanks to The Drift. Clever, shocking and perplexing, I was frozen to the core while reading this one.
A story of murder, the fight to survive and a society in state of flux, The Drift is the latest release from C.J. Tudor. We meet one strong survivor named Hannah, who has been evacuated from her school in a dangerous snowstorm with a group of other survivors. Meg is another person placed in a precarious position via the storm. Meg is experiencing a living nightmare, as she is unable to find a way out of her trapped cable car. Meg is stuck in this cable car with a group of people who all don’t know how they ended up trapped inside this cable car. The final voice of The Drift belongs to Carter, a man who is watching the incoming storm from a ski chalet. But is this really a safe space to stay when something skulks around the chalet, threatening to strike at any time? Will all three survive?
I have been meaning to get to C.J. Tudor’s work for some time now and this highly praised author finally made it into my reading schedule thanks to her latest novel The Drift. I opted to listen to this one on Audible as it is narrated by Richard Armitage, who cannot go wrong in my eyes in the narration department. The Drift also incorporates the voicework of Nathalie Buscombe and Rachel Handshaw. Although I was floored by the wonderful shifting narration featured in The Drift, this one had too much horror and gore content for my own personal tastes.
Locked room mysteries always send thrills and chills down my spine and The Drift didn’t disappoint. This one has a post apocalyptic edge and a scary pandemic thread in this whiplash style thriller. There are plenty of shocks, spins, turns and surprises as Tudor takes the reader through this nightmarish tale. I know I was constantly on tenterhooks while listening to this nervy suspense story. Tudor amps up the tension, scare factor and violence in her latest. It can be hard to stomach at times so be warned! The Drift is one you need to be careful reading before bed as it might keep you awake, I know my head was spinning while reading my first C.J. Tudor novel.
The three lead characters are well drawn and I did feel like I was pulled right into each respective personal nightmare. These seemingly separate threads are stitched together by the close of the tale. I admired the female leads Meg and Hannah, they were both strong figures. Carter’s story seemed the pale in comparison, but this could be due to the chalet setting which wasn’t as powerful as Hannah or Meg’s adventures. I wasn’t quite as enamoured with the post apocalyptic and near future feel, but if you are a fan of this sub-genre, you will enjoy The Drift. The placement of the Whistlers was alarming and hair raising at times. Tudor definitely has turned up the chill and spook factor with this release. I was mostly attentive with this one, but the ending seemed to lack some shock value. Nevertheless, The Drift was a solid Audible release and no doubt it will read well in paperback form.
The Drift by C.J. Tudor was published on 24th January 2023 by Penguin Books Australia. Details on how to purchase the book can be found here.
To learn more about the author of The Drift, C.J. Tudor, visit here.
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