Serenity Falls by C. J. Tudor

 

Dan Barker and his daughter Sadie, inherit a house in the model town of Serenity Falls. The chance to start a new life seems perfect, until they move into their new home and strange things begin to happen. Is Serenity Falls as perfect as everyone makes out?

I'm not a fan of horror in general, so I tend to shy away from the genre in my TV, film, and reading selections. However, I know that C. J. Tudor will serve up just the right level of terror to keep me feeling unsettled, but unable to stop reading, without giving me nightmares. The author's latest book, Serenity Falls, does just that. Even the cover is enough to make you feel perturbed, the juxtaposition of the beautiful sunset with the tag line "Once you're here, you're here to stay..."

The mystery begins early in the story when Dan inherits a house in Florida worth millions of pounds. He's puzzled that his mother had never mentioned an expensive property she had owned for decades. A fresh start is just what Dan needs; his daughter isn't so keen.

Both Dan and Sadie are extremely likeable characters; their relationship is strong, having been forged in the decade since their wife and mother, Nat, disappeared. Dan is a flawed individual; he's very protective of his daughter, which is understandable since he's a lone parent. He's also well aware that trying to wrap Sadie in cotton wool is likely to backfire. The mystery surrounding Nat's disappearance is one that recurs throughout the book, keeping you undecided about Dan's true nature. Sadie is independent and intelligent, slightly rebellious, but always considerate of other people. It's her inquisitive nature that drives the story forward.

As for Serenity Falls itself, on the surface, it looks and sounds perfect, a community where crime doesn't happen. Hearing from various residents of the town throughout the narrative makes you realise that not everything is picture perfect, with bizarre accidents making you hesitate. As Dan and Sadie search for answers about one of the accidents that happened at their new home, you realise that something sinister lurks just below the surface.

There are a variety of reasons why people don't leave Serenity Falls. When the shocking truth is finally revealed, you feel sympathetic towards some of the characters trapped by circumstance and horror at the vision imagined by the creator of the idyllic community.

Serenity Falls by C. J. Tudor will be published on the 10th September 2026 in hardback, ebook, and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph for a review copy.

 

Author Details

C. J. Tudor’s love of writing, especially the dark and macabre, started young. When her peers were reading Judy Blume, she was devouring Stephen King and James Herbert. Over the years she has had a variety of jobs, including trainee reporter, radio scriptwriter, dog walker, voiceover, television presenter and copywriter.

She is now the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Chalk Man, The Taking of Annie Thorne, The Other People, The Burning Girls, The Drift and The Gathering. All of her books are in development or optioned for TV. The Burning Girls is available on Netflix.

She is also the author of a short story collection, A Sliver of Darkness.