The Toll House

A thoroughly chilling ghost story to keep you up through autumn nights

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The Toll House

By: Carly Reagon

Narrated by: Antonia Whillans, John Sackville

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About this listen

***Looking for more spectacularly thrilling ghost stories by Carly Reagon? THE INFIRMARY and HEAR HIM CALLING are out now***

The spine-tingling ghost story everyone is raving about:

'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

'Will keep you up long after the witching hour' Rebecca Netley author of THE WHISTLING

'A satisfyingly good old-fashioned ghost story'Susan Stokes-Chapman author of PANDORA

'I hoovered this up in one go.' Natasha Pulley author of THE WATCHMAKER OF FILIGREE STREET

'A book that feels like it's watching you . . . unsettling and gripping' Cari Thomas author of THREADNEEDLE

________

The past isn't always dead and buried.

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.

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.

Because something has awoken.

And now it won't rest . . .
________
'Beautifully written. Carly Reagon is one to watch.' C.J. Cooke author of THE LIGHTHOUSE WITCHES

'Had me turning pages late into the night' Anita Frank author of THE LOST ONES

'An edge-of-the-seat, nail-biting read. I loved it.' Kate Hamer author of THE GIRL IN THE RED COAT©2022 Carly Reagon

Carly ReagonAntonia WhillansJohn SackvilleLittle, Brown Book Group

Ghosts

Historical

Horror

Supernatural

Suspense

Thriller & Suspense

Haunted

Scary

Paranormal

Exciting

Fiction

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

Critic reviews

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)

I hoovered this up in one go. It's perfect for the spooky season. Be prepared for some seriously good twists. (NATASHA PULLEY author of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street)

An edge-of-the-seat, nail-biting read. I loved it. (KATE HAMER author of THE GIRL IN THE RED COAT)

Pacy and page-turning this, dual timeline, ghost story will keep you up long after the witching hour - if you dare (REBECCA NETLEY author of THE WHISTLING)

Carly Reagon's genre-blending debut is perfect for fans of psychological thrillers looking for some supernatural chills. Past crimes, present fears, secrets & lingering threat had me turning those final pages late into the night. (ANITA FRANK, author of THE LOST ONES)

A book that feels like it's watching you as you read it... an unsettling and gripping ghost story that'll have you looking over your shoulder until the end! (CARI THOMAS author of THREADNEEDLE)

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)

A satisfyingly good old-fashioned ghost story that brilliantly echoes the likes of Susan Hill with an originality all of its own. Perfect for a spooky autumnal read. (SUSAN STOKES-CHAPMAN, Sunday Times bestselling author of PANDORA)

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)

A real pageturner with pressure mounting to the very end. Carly Reagon makes writing scares look easy. (REBECCA F. JOHN, author of THE HAUNTING OF HENRY TWIST)

Tons of spooky fun ... will definitely provide you with some shivery chills and a pleasurable sense of mounting doom.

This sinister thriller will chill you to your very core

Most relevant

Warning Spoilers:

Similarly to some of the other reviewers, I'm not usually a huge fan of time-slip novels and this one was no exception. I've listened to it twice now and was relieved that I knew the story well enough the 2nd time around to be able to skip over the parts where it goes back to 1864. That being said though, the male narrator did a very good job - I just found the character he played irritatingly intense and erratic. The more you hear his side of things the more it becomes clear why he's so intense, but I wish someone had mentioned that it contains elements of abuse. I found that massively triggering and probably would've avoided it altogether had I known beforehand. That part doesn't take up a lot of the storyline, so if you can handle about 1/4 chapter of it being discussed then you should be fine. I just happened to listen to it when I was working through some personal stuff and found it very uncomfortable to think about.

The female narration was too 'drama school try hard' for me. A good story tells itself and gets helped along by a good narrator. Her delivery - to me at least - felt like she believed she had to tell the entire story with every ounce of her being as though she was delivering an intense Shakespearean soliloquy or something. Even if the lead character was just making a cup of coffee it sounded like the most dramatic/harrowing thing ever. It got very annoying after a while and I just wanted to shout 'calm the heck down, woman!'. A previous reviewer mentioned that she had a tendency to make even the mundane stuff sound dramatic and I couldn't agree more. She wasn't bad per se, but she certainly could've toned it down a little and let the story 'tell itself' more effectively than she did.

Despite those issues, I did actually really enjoy the story and agree that the historical background of the house was interesting and kept me hooked so that I could see how everything resolved itself in the end. I definitely won't willingly listen to another book narrated by Antonia Whillans but at least it's not put me off Carly Reagon's writing.