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The House on Cold Hill

A Chilling And Gripping Read From The Number One Bestselling Author Of The Roy Grace Series

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The House on Cold Hill

By: Peter James
Narrated by: Nicholas Boulton
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About this listen

The House on Cold Hill is a chilling and suspenseful ghost story from the multi-million copy bestselling author of the award-winning Grace series, Peter James.


Evil isn't born, it's built . . .

Moving from the heart of the city to the Sussex countryside is a big undertaking for born townies, Ollie Harcourt, his wife, Caro, and their twelve-year-old daughter, Jade. But when they view Cold Hill House – a huge, dilapidated, Georgian mansion – they are filled with excitement. Despite the financial strain of the move, Ollie sees Cold Hill House as a paradise for his animal-loving daughter, a base for his web-design business and a terrific long-term investment.

But, within days of moving in, it becomes apparent that the Harcourt family aren't the only residents in the house.

At first it is only a friend of Jade, talking to her on FaceTime, who sees a spectral woman standing behind her. Then there are more sightings of her, and increasingly disturbing occurrences. Two weeks after moving in, Caro, out in the garden, is startled to see faces staring out of an upstairs window of the house. The window of a room which may hold the secret to the house's dark history . . .

A room which does not appear to exist.

'Superbly creepy modern horror story' - Book of the Week, Sunday Mirror

*****

Praise for The House on Cold Hill:

'
'Impeccable' – Sunday Times

'James is a compelling storyteller, and he ratchets up the tension in increments, so that his readers will be suitably terrified. By the time you want to scream "Look behind you!", it's already too late' – Daily Mail

'James plays with your expectations - creating a convincing and genuinely terrifying tale that, in the best old-fashioned tradition, will frighten the wits out of you in a most enjoyable way' – Irish Sunday Mirror

'A great piece of escapism that will have you looking over your shoulder' – Scotsman


They Thought I was Dead was an instant no.1 Sunday Times bestseller w/c 13/05/2024

Ghosts Horror Supernatural Thriller & Suspense Haunted Scary Fantasy Paranormal Exciting Fiction

Continue the series

The Secret of Cold Hill cover art
The Secret of Cold Hill By: Peter James

Critic reviews

Impeccable . . .
Superbly creepy modern horror story. (Book of the Week)
This novel from the brilliant Peter James had the hairs standing up on our arms from the first page. (Book of the Week)
James is a compelling storyteller and he ratchets up the tension in increments, so that his readers will be suitably terrified. By the time you want to scream 'Look behind you!', it's already too late. (Halloween Chillers)
All stars
Most relevant
The House on Cold Hill can be summed up reasonably well by saying that it's pretty much a good old-fashioned ghostly tale updated a little to fit into modern times. It does start with a bit of a jolt that's for sure but after that it settles down into a comfortable feeling tale about a family moving to a big old house and well . . . things start going bump in the night!

I found it decent entertainment not being a regular of the genre. This was at least in part because of the excellent narration by Nicholas Boulton. Those who read more of this kind of book may well end up thinking that they've seen it all before a time or two too many though. I would also say that the thought of an ancient ghost being quite so proficient with modern tech was a bit of a struggle.

So, decent entertainment without ever hitting the heights and the inevitable conclusion is that Peter James's real strength is his Roy Grace series.

Like a Classic Old-School Ghostly Tale

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Great story, but a few scenarios left unexplained. Maybe more of an insight as to what is, what happened and what was, in the second part of this story!

So what happened too...?

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Would you listen to The House on Cold Hill again? Why?

No as I wouldnt gain anything from a second read

Who was your favorite character and why?

Probably the ghost....it had the most fun

Which scene did you most enjoy?

I enjoyed lots of scenes and I was gripped by the story-couldnt wait for the end for all the loose ends to be tied up and explanations given. However the ending was far too cliched and predictable.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me quite scared at times.

Any additional comments?

Overall I really enjoyed this book. You cant beat the heady combination of a good rollicking ghost story and a house restoration. But some of this was much too far-fetched. The ghost wore crinoline yet could swear like a trooper and was proficient in emailing, texting and general computer literacy. It could kill people who were far away so we never got the chance to see anyone pit their wits against it as they all died. The timeslips were never explained. The skeleton in the room was never followed up and concluded. The ending was a complete cop out. Loved the concept, loved the story but the ending was terrible.

Disappointing ending

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Loved it really well done Peter James could not wait till I picked up the story

Great story well read could not fault it

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There was so much promise in this book but in the end there were too many untied loose ends. I felt the author just got lazy and took an easy way out. I also found the continual denial of the situation by one of the main protagonists very annoying. Overall, it was still enjoyable enough but I was felt feeling less than satisfied.

Good fun, lot's of promise but...

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