Several slivers of darkness, actually. After a handful of top-flight thrillers (beginning with 2018's remarkable The Chalk Man), Tudor publishes her first short-story collection, and it's a glorious book. The plots seem simple enough--there's a murder on a cruise ship; a jazz singer reacts rather extremely to his girlfriend leaving him for another guy; kids find something scary in an abandoned apartment complex in Nottingham, England--but it's what Tudor does with her material that makes the stories special. None of them go where we think they will go; there's always some twist, some change in direction, that makes us sit up in surprise (or shock). The author gives us robust characters, pitch-perfect dialogue, and a narrative style that hints at something unsettling lurking beneath even the calmest of surfaces. The stories defy easy categorizations: there's horror here, as well as sf and thrillers, but there are other elements, too, sometimes blending genres. The book is a showcase for Tudor, who demonstrates her imagination and narrative range spectacularly.

Tudor (The Burning Girls) provides plenty of subtle chills in this superior collection of 11 stories. The highlight is "End of the Liner," a powerful postapocalyptic tale that only hints at what has devastated most of humanity. Leila has lived exclusively on a perpetually cruising luxury liner for 50 years, an ostensible life of leisure, full of entertaining diversions from a Disney-like company. But the games, costumed characters, courteous service, and fancy meals are just a facade; people disappear, often jumping overboard out of despair from being trapped onboard, and the need to limit population growth means that those turning 75 are "retired," a euphemism for being tossed into the ocean. With her own retirement date nearing, Leila must come to terms with her impending death. "The Block" gives serious Stranger Things vibes, as a group of kids investigate a huge block of flats in Nottingham, England, rumored to house some monstrous inhabitants. Tudor avoids clichés and facilitates suspending disbelief by making all her characters credible, no matter how fantastic the situation they find themselves in. Twilight Zone fans will hope for another collection from this gifted writer. Agent: Madeleine Milburn, Madeleine Milburn Literary. (Nov.)

Tudor's (The Chalk Man) latest is an imaginative and entertaining collection of short stories. The universe as created by Tudor is not a safe one--it is full of dangerous elements like stone-cold killers and menacing graffiti, of man-eating butterflies and all-consuming darkness. Settings run the gamut from sketchy neighborhoods full of monsters to cruise ships at the end of the world. While the quality of stories in a collection can be somewhat inconsistent, Tudor's is solid overall; particular standouts include the noir "Runaway Blues" and the grimly comedic "I'm Not Ted." The audiobook's stellar cast (Richie Campbell, Dakota Blue Richards, Roy McMillan, Richard Armitage, and Adam Sims) immerses listeners, and Tudor's introductions to each story and to the collection as a whole are a refreshing window into her life and the genesis of her work. VERDICT Good for fans of short stories and horror, but share also with writers, artists, and creators who can relate to Tudor's struggles as an author torn between the creative process and real life.--James Gardner