The Drift by C.J. Tudor ~ a Review

by MK French

In the middle of a catastrophe, three people come together for survival. Hannah is one of several survivors that had been evacuated from a boarding school. Meg is with strangers in a cable car suspended in midair headed to The Retreat, and none of them have any memory of how they got there. Carter is in an isolated ski chalet with companions, and the generator is failing in the storm; somewhere within the chalet is something trying to escape. The three strangers' stories are each part of a larger puzzle, of something threatening all of humanity.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

January 2023; Ballantine Books; 978-0593356562
audio, ebook, print (352 pages); psychological thriller

The threat is a virus, one spread through air, blood, saliva, or ingestion of infected meat. The outbreak is terrible and worldwide; as readers, we're only too aware of how that works. Hannah and the surviving students try to escape the bus, but her father is the lead researcher and is more than willing to kill the infected to contain the virus. That includes Hannah. A former policewoman, Meg is a volunteer for testing possible vaccines. The Retreat is an isolated location to do that, but one of the people in the car is a murderer. Up at the Retreat, survivors weather the storm, each with their own agenda.

The way the three threads are woven together is clever. As the timelines collapse and we understand where and when things happen, we are completely invested in their stories and want to know how it turns out. The three POV characters are survivors, each with their own core of goodness. Hannah compartmentalized everything and can be seen as cold, but we know where she gets it from and she still cares enough to try saving the survivors. Meg might want to die to be with her dead daughter again, but she still wants to see others safe. Carter has a niece that he wants to protect and had hoped to help the friends he made at the Retreat. We see the best and worst of humanity in each thread, and the ending pulls it all together flawlessly. This was an engrossing book keeping me up long past my bedtime. 

Buy The Drift at Amazon

Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three young children, and a golden retriever.

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