Picture an alternate world where vampires are not only integrated into society, but protected as a racial minority. However, just because they are protected doesn’t mean that everyone has accepted them. In The Gathering, a young man has been killed in a manner implicating the local vampire colony. But are they truly at fault or is the killing a hoax to allow the entire colony to be culled with governmental permission?
Detective Barbara Atkinson from the government’s Forensic Vampyr Anthropology Department is assigned to look into the case. Her goal is to both find the killer and decide if a cull needs to be ordered. The boy’s family, the local reverend, and the townspeople as a group have already taken sides. But is killing the colony really going to avenge the young man’s death? Or is there another hidden motive in play?
The Gathering is, at its heart, a traditional police procedural just set in an alternate universe. It blends aspects of Twilight, True Blood and Alex Cross together in a coherent and intriguing new world. Fans of any of those series will find something to enjoy in this book. Hopefully, this is the start of a new series because I loved this innovative mystery. 5 stars!
Thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.