The Toll House: A thoroughly chilling ghost story to keep you up through autumn nights

I love a ghost story at this time of year, which meant that The Toll House by Carly Reagon, went straight to the top of my TBR pile. It has such a spooky cover, and, I must admit, the cover alone drew me right to it when I saw it. I loved the creeping sense of danger that Carly Reagon builds on as the novel develops.Carly Reagon flicks backwards and forwards between the years 1863 and the present day building on the tension in each time period, and creating a dark atmosphere. The central focus of this book is a house, where in the present day, Kelda and her son Dylan, have just moved into. The property is known as The Toll House and Carly Reagon describes this setting so well, bringing the house to life in her writing. From the moment when Kelda arrives, she senses that something isn’t quite right about the place, and soon strange things start to happen, especially when she uncovers a death mask, belonging to a former occupant of the house.The history surrounding the property was fascinating, and I thought it was really well done, how Carly Reagon built on this, especially when Kelda begins to think about the traumatic events that once happened there, and wonders if she made a mistake in buying it. You can clearly see her reservations about staying there, from the moment she first steps into the house after buying it. This is what adds a chilling note to the atmosphere. It’s hard to see, at this point, just what kind of danger Kelda and her son are in, and what evil may lurk in the house, and this creates more tension.There are some intriguing backstories that Carly Reagon builds on as we get to know Kelda further. As Carly delves into her history, it made me connect even more to Kelda’s character. There are some emotional scenes as Carly reveals what has happened in Kelda’s past, and I liked how the relationship with her son, Dylan, was explored.The mystery surrounding the house is really intriguing. I wanted to find out more about what happened to the people who lived there in the past, and what impact this would have on Kelda and her son. The Toll House is a brilliant debut; I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I really liked it. It was a nice bit of light hearted reading. Spooky but not scary. I'd recommend it

Kept me reading until the end, which sadly fell short. The characterisation is a bit weak for the story in the present, better for the tale of the past. I wanted a journey and a conclusion. I didn't get one. I'd probably give her other books a try though.

I really loved this ghost story and I will be buying the author's next book when it's out. I really felt a great sense of atmosphere and foreboding. The author writes so well and transported me there completely. The main character was very likeable and I understood her circumstances completely. The Toll House is a really brilliant read. Sit by the fire on an autumn's eve with a mug of something hot and this book and you won't be disappointed.

This was an enjoyable book which swung between the present and the Victorian life of the Tollkeeper and his wife's dark history.Very absorbing and well written 👏

Love this so much def a book u can't put down fantastic all the way though , so gripping and loved the back and now

I lived this book. The story of the haunting running alongside the characters story was a delight. The backstory of the house really added to the eerie story. I read in a week as couldn’t put down.

Just the sort of thing to read at this time of year. A nice traditional ghost story. Spooky rather than gory . There's violence in but it's not described in any great detail. A camp fire spooky story in a novel. I will probably read other novels by this author.

The story is about a young mother, Kelda, who decides to buy an old toll house for her and her son. What she does not know: The house is haunted. Facing strange happenings at first, she only wonders about the white pebbles in the house and has problems believing her son, when he mentions a lady in his room. But Kelda has not become aware of what kind of presence is really lurking there and is about to reveal the darkest secrets of the house.A very well written book about a ghost story, offering twists and turns, that make this book an enjoyable read.

Wenn man - wie ich - Gespenstergeschichten nicht nur zum Frühstück, Mittag- und Abendessen verzehrt, sondern auch noch berufsmäßig selber schreibt, ist man von Vorschusslorbeeren nicht leicht zu beeindrucken. Und wenn die Geschichte dann auch noch damit beginnt, dass eine gestresste junge Mutter mit sechsjährigem Sohn notgedrungen in das düstere alte Mauthaus an der einsamen Landstraße zieht, unterdrückt man ein Gähnen. Die Erzählung köchelt auch nur langsam vor sich hin, aber bald kommt man drauf, dass hier ein heimtückisches Gebräu brodelt. Sie verläuft nämlich auf zwei Zeitebenen, 1864 und Gegenwart, die fürs erste nicht viel miteinander zu tun zu haben scheinen. Aber bald bemerkt man, dass hier überhaupt nichts so ist, wie es scheint. Mit jedem noch so kleinen Ereignis nimmt die Story wie Rubiks Zauberwürfel eine völlig neue Gestalt an, und das um so schneller, je weiter sie fortschreitet, bis hin zu einem Schluss, bei dem ein Twist den anderen jagt, und das jedes Mal, wenn man denkt: Aha, jetzt ist alles erklärt! Selten, sehr selten bin ich am Ende eines Buches so mit offenem Mund dagesessen und musste mich erst wieder einkriegen. Sprachlich ist es exzellent, und die Charaktere sind so vielschichtig wie die Hintergründe der Handlung. Hier gibt es nur einen Überlebenstipp: Traue nichts und niemandem, nicht einmal dir selber!