Time slips. Doomsday scenarios. Killer butterflies. C. J. Tudor’s novels are widely acclaimed for their dark, twisty suspense plots, but with A Sliver of Darkness, she pulls us even further into her dizzying imagination.
In “The Lion at the Gate,” a strange piece of graffiti leads to a terrifying encounter for four school friends. In “Final Course,” the world has descended into darkness, but a group of old friends make time for one last dinner party. In “Runaway Blues,” thwarted love, revenge, and something very nasty stowed in a hat box converge. In “Gloria,” a strange girl at a service station endears herself to a coldhearted killer, but can a leopard really change its spots? And in “I’m Not Ted,” a case of mistaken identity has unforeseen fatal consequences.
Riveting, macabre, and explosively original, A Sliver of Darkness is C. J. Tudor at her most wicked and uninhibited.
My Review:
Sometimes a quality collection of short stories is just what the doctor ordered. I read a lot, but once in a while, it’s nice to sit down to enjoy a cup of coffee and take in just a quick story. In the author’s note, Tudor explains that while her editor had been expecting her next full-length masterpiece (and they really are!), stress from COVID and lockdowns really took a toll and she just didn’t have it in her to give her fans her best. Instead, she pitched her editor a collective of short stories. And I’m so glad she did!
The stories in A Sliver of Darkness are atmospheric, mysterious, at times spooky and unpredictable. They are Tudor at her best! I thoroughly enjoyed this collection and I hope you do too. Special thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for an advanced egalley in exchange for my honest review. This one is out now!
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