I also liked the alternate timelines used and felt that it managed to convey the whole story perfectly, and added to the drama with the reveals it gave.

The Toll House by Carly Reagon | Hachette UK

The studio has a sofa bed, a flat-screen TV, an equipped kitchen with a dishwasher and a microwave, a washing machine, and 1 bathroom with a shower. During the story we flick back to the 1800’s were the original toll house keeper’s story is revealed. There was a lot of unneeded detail throughout the book and a significant amount of chopping and changing between the eras set into chapters. Bella the wife of the toll house keeper Jo has gone into labour and dies in childbirth along with her new born.There were quite a few moments involving the young son of the protagonist where I felt a genuine chill, however, many of these moments (not involving six year olds) are portrayed in such a way as to sanitise or remove the fear that we crave from this type of story. Ghostly servants are all asleep," said Meagle gravely, "but I'll wake them up before I've done with them.

The Toll House (Audio Download): Carly Reagon, Antonia

Then there’s the mystery around the man Kendra’s started seeing, and fractured family relations to deal with, too. Lester awoke in the morning to find the sunshine streaming into the room, and White sitting up and regarding with some perplexity a badly-blistered finger. I read at night with just my book lamp on and this book had me jumping at shadows, so I was happy with that!I really felt for Kelda, not just because of what was happening in the house but because of her own past. It all goes a bit Fargo with the presence of local cop Catrin (Annes Elwy) but the climactic western gunfight – played for laughs – didn’t quite work for me.

The Toll House: A thoroughly chilling ghost story to keep you

Lester, who was sitting next to him, took the sleeping man by the arm and shook him, gently at first and then with some roughness but White, with his back against the wall and his head bowed, made no sign. I don't believe in ghosts nor in any supernatural things whatever; all the same, I admit that I should not care to pass a night there alone. Of course, as if feeding off the drama in her life, this is when the haunting picks up and things get dangerous. It's creepy and unsettling, and if you're currently thinking of moving into an old house, it will undoubtedly have you checking out the history of the property before you sign on the dotted line. What happened to the smoke alarm when she managed to burn the pizza we weren’t even told she’d put in the oven?Give me the muscular characterisation of Susan Hill, or give me the shock of the grotesque like Sue Rainsford, the taut atmosphere of a Laura Purcell novel. One of the best aspects of the dual timelines is the manner in which in the reader discovers more surrounding the house and makes both sections equally gripping. Discover the joy of reading with us, your trusted source for affordable books that do not compromise on quality. After discovering a death mask inside one of the walls and the six year old soon having nightmares, you know that the ominous foreboding is set in motion. They walked on for some time in silence, broken only by White's tribute to the softness, the cleanliness, and the comfort of the bed which was receding farther and farther into the distance.

The Toll House by Carly Reagon - The Book Trail The Toll House by Carly Reagon - The Book Trail

James Herbert was always my go to and although his writing may not in certain circles be described as ‘literary’ fiction, there is no doubt in my mind that he could tell a good story and indeed, no other author has terrified me as James Herbert could. Her writing is inspiredby her love of the Welsh countryside where she lives with her husband and threechildren. Indeed, the premise of the book and the story itself is ‘classic’ horror but (to my mind) too much of the story is devoted to relationships, both family and romantic, with too little time given to the outworkings of these relationships and the perceived effect of the supernatural on the characters. The star is Michael Smiley (from Wheatley’s Kill List and A Field in England); he has the perpetual hangdog expression of a man of many sorrows.On top of that, the shift between present tense for the narrative of 1863 and past tense for 'now'/'six months ago' was unpleasantly jarring. Things beyond her son not wanting to sleep alone begin to happen in the house, the (also boring) doctor she's seeing begins to act strangely and her past catches up with her. If you love reading horror novels or just looking for something for a rainy, stormy day, then I recommend you pick this book up!