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Lester arose, and, stretching his stiffened limbs, dusted his clothes with his hands and went out into the corridor. White followed. At the noise of their approach a figure which had been lying asleep at the other end sat up and revealed the face of Barnes. "Why, I've been asleep," he said, in surprise. "I don't remember coming here. How did I get here?" He is coming round," said Meagle, with a smirk. "By the time I have done with him he will be a confirmed believer. Well, who will go and get some water? Will, you, Barnes?" He bent and surveyed them in angry bewilderment. "All right," he said, in a trembling voice. "You won't frighten me, you know." The echoes of his voice left the air quivering, but the figure before him paid no heed. For a moment he tried to brace his courage up to endure its approach, then with a smothered cry he turned and fled.
The Toll House by John Sackville | Hachette UK The Toll House by John Sackville | Hachette UK
He repeated this remark as they started on their expedition a few hours later. They left as the inn was closing for the night; bolts shot noisily behind them, and, as the regular customers trudged slowly homewards, they set off at a brisk pace in the direction of the house. Most of the cottages were already in darkness, and lights in others went out as they passed. He laughed again and walked on; and the heap in the fireplace put out its head tortoise fashion and listened in horror to the retreating footsteps. Not until they had become inaudible in the distance did the listener's features relax.
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I'll bet you a sovereign you won't spend the night there alone, for all your talk," said White suddenly. Sinister from the get-go, THE TOLL HOUSE is a belter of a ghost story. A novel where two families, 150 years apart, navigate living in a house where grief and murder have bled into the walls. I loved it. -- LIV MATTHEWS author of THE TWINS Kelda and her young son move into the toll house for a fresh start but not all is as it seems once she finds a death mask hidden behind a wall. Now, if I was Kelda I would have been straight out of that house and as far away as I could have gone. However, that wouldn’t have made for a very good novel so I, for one, am pleased she stayed. A tramp," was the reply. "He went there for the sake of half-a-crown, and they found him next morning hanging from the balusters, dead." I’d like to thank NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for approving me for an ARC of this book. I’ve recently been getting into my ghost stories and loving a spooky read for this time of year. When I saw The Toll House on NetGalley I knew this was one I would love to read and it didn’t disappoint.
The Toll review – toll booth man with no name fights back in The Toll review – toll booth man with no name fights back in
A house with history. That’s how the estate agent described the old toll house on the edge of the town. For Kelda it’s the perfect rural home for her young son Dylan after a difficult few years. A beautifully written tale of hauntings, grief, and the stories folded in old houses. Carly Reagon is one to watch. -- C.J. COOKE, author of THE LIGHTHOUSE WITCHES Oh and most of the author’s name spells out YE AR GONE C? Coincidence? BookTrail the locations in The Toll House It's in a good cause," said Meagle. "A most worthy object; and something seems to tell me that we shall succeed. You didn't forget the candles, Lester?" Since his death, I have been searching for a replacement or at least someone that could come close to evoking the same fear and genuine thrill. But this review is not about Herbert!
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But when Kelda finds a death mask concealed behind one of the walls, everything changes. Inexplicable things happen in the house, Kelda cannot shake the feeling of being watched and Dylan is plagued by nightmares, convinced he can see figures in his room. As Dylan’s behaviour becomes increasingly challenging, Kelda seeks answers in the house’s mysterious past. But she’s running out of time.
The Toll House by Carly Reagon | Waterstones
I have been a big fan of weird fiction and ‘supernatural thrillers’ since I have been probably not quite old enough to read them. 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. Meagle fingered his chin. "Who shut it?" he inquired, looking from one to the other. "Who came in last?" I loved the whole dual narrative structure as the story initially opens with Kelda and her son Dylan move into an old toll house - it's certainly a house with some history!He rang the bell, and, sending for the landlord, appealed to him in the name of our common humanity not to let them waste a night watching in a house in which spectres and hobgoblins had no part. The reply was more than reassuring, and the landlord, after describing with considerable art the exact appearance of a head which had been seen hanging out of a window in the moonlight, wound up with a polite but urgent request that they would settle his bill before they went. If I hadn’t been reading this on a Kindle I would definitely have followed Joey Tribianis advice and put this book in the freezer. If you like a good ghost story put this chilling thriller to the very top of your reading list' Sarah Pearse author of THE SANATORIUM R.F. Kuang, Sue Lynn Tan, Rebecca Ross, Kate Heartfield, N.E. Davenport, Saara El-Arifi, Juno Dawson and Sunyi Dean Fancy leaving our comfortable beds for this!" said White again. "Let me see; this desirable residential sepulchre lies to the right, doesn't it?"
The Toll House: A thoroughly chilling ghost story to keep you
This novel was, in fact, carried off so much more convincingly and compellingly three years ago by the fantastic Alison Littlewood in 'Mistletoe'. This was a disappointing read: rather than telling me what Kelda feels and thinks, I wished Reagon had - at the start of the novel for instance - shown me what was sinister about the house on Kelda and Dylan's approach; what did they actually see? Then I could have made up my own mind that it was sinister, rather than bluntly being told by the author: 'an odd feeling crept over her [...]. A stirring in the pit of her stomach. [...] The house. It seemed to want her, need her'. 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. Here he’s known only as Toll Booth on account of his job behind the till of the quietest toll booth in Wales: it’s 40p to cross. A solitary, western-style hero of few words, he speaks more in hard stares and frowns. Meagle shook his head, and they stood for some time in uneasy silence. "May as well shut the door," said Barnes at last. I was definitely pulling for Kelda as it was clear she was a mother struggling on her own who only wanted the best for her son but she was saddled with a haunted house, a terrible boss and a dodgy admirer! When it came to The Toll House, she was certainly braver than I would have been in her situation. I would have been out of that house like a shot!An edge-of-the-seat, nail-biting read. I loved it. -- KATE HAMER author of THE GIRL IN THE RED COAT
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