He tugged violently at the bell-handle, and the rusty jangling of a bell sounded from a distant kitchen. I liked Kelda and Dylan and was hoping they'd make it through the evil that lives in the house and I also liked how it swapped between the past and present to give the reader the backstory of the house.

The Toll House | Carly Reagon | 9781408726440 | NetGalley The Toll House | Carly Reagon | 9781408726440 | NetGalley

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.He stood appalled, and then as they drew near entered a small room and stood behind the door as they rushed by. At the end of the day, The Toll House is a solid, well written family drama/romance with added ghosts, and if that is your thing, you will be well rewarded and left wondering what I’m complaining about, but I just wanted to be a little more scared. And I would recommend it now, but with the small caveat that you might be a bit bored for 100 pages.

The Toll-House - Short Stories and Classic Literature The Toll-House - Short Stories and Classic Literature

I really felt for Kelda, not just because of what was happening in the house but because of her own past. I read at night with just my book lamp on and this book had me jumping at shadows, so I was happy with that!He walked a little way along the passage, and they went scurrying down the stairs and then at a jog-trot along the corridor below. Father Ted meets the old west in this entertaining black comedy set in rural Pembrokeshire – “where English people come to die”, according to graffiti on a road sign into the county. Barnes shook him off, and, putting the candle back on the mantelpiece, tried again to arouse the sleepers.

The Toll House by Carly Reagon | Hachette UK The Toll House by Carly Reagon | Hachette UK

But don’t forget, there are also those who have tarnished such places with death, deceit, madness, and with such practices a stain develops which can never be removed no matter how much you try. Then there’s the mystery around the man Kendra’s started seeing, and fractured family relations to deal with, too. Despite the plot twists, bank of characters and the two different stories running concurrently, this is still an entertaining and easy read.The main character does something really stupid towards the end though and I can't stop thinking about how stupid is was!