The Chill is a slow-burn character-driven thriller that weaves together the past and the present as effortlessly as it weaves together magic and realism. The evil that threatens a small town is genuinely disturbing, and I love that you never really know just how much the characters understand about that evil. The book might have been a mediocre "village gone evil" horror if it weren't told from multiple points of view of interesting characters that had reasons to sympathize with and fear the baddie.

I'd intended to give this book 5 stars. Unfortunately I waited a whole day to write my review, and so I had time to think of all of the questions that the ending didn't answer. There are mysterious characters who may or may not be human, people who may or may not be dead, and an uncertain future for the entire city of New York. I wish the author had provided us with just a tiny bit more backstory on the mythology that makes the plot of this book possible. Still, The Chill was extremely enjoyable even without that clarification.

A fantastic supernatural thriller that harkens back to horror's glory days. Character driven and ominously creepy, this one will have you wondering what's at the other end of that drippy faucet in the kitchen.

I found this supernatural, thriller to be just OK. I had higher hopes from the glowing reviews that I had read. It feels similar to something I have read before about the dams. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Creepy, but oh so good. The Chill is a slow-building, but well-written suspense/thriller that blends local folklore into the fabric of the story line, but it certainly will hold the reader’s attention throughout. The characters themselves drive the story, some of them so eerie they send a shiver of discomfort up and down the spine. The characters are diverse and the few surprises along the way keeps the reader engaged from beginning to end.

An update New York village was flooded 75 years ago for a reservoir project. There are legends about the strange things that happen in the Dead Waters...the area where you can still see the burnt out submerged buildings that used to be Galesburg. But it's more than that.....an evil....a strange heaviness that is more than just the leftovers of a flooded village.

I'm a sucker for stories about submerged towns. There are so many urban legends surrounding reservoir projects and submerged towns, especially if the dam has not been properly maintained. Portions of this story were incredibly creepy and spooky....but at times the pacing dragged a bit. The story lost my attention at times because it just moved too slowly or went on too long...I'm not quite sure which it is...or if it's a mix of both.

I love the front cover art! It sets the creepy atmosphere for this supernatural horror/disaster story.

All in all, an entertaining read, even if it did drag a bit at times. This is the first book by Scott Carson (a pen name for author Michael Koryta) that I've read. I will definitely be reading more by this author. Very creative, interesting concept!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Atria Books. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

As a New Yorker fascinated with local lore, I remember reading about the flooding of several towns and villages in the early part of the 20th century to create Great Sacandaga Lake in an effort to control flooding downstream. This has to be the basis for the fabulously inventive story told in The Chill.

It’s been awhile since I’ve read a really good, bonechilling, hair-raising scary ghost story, so I reveled in this creepy story. The strong female protagonist, Gillian, is much appreciated and written realistically. The ghosts and what they do will make you shiver for sure. I’d love to see this as film. Well done.

I had a tough time deciding between 3 and 4 stars for this one. What pushed me over to 3 stars was the fact that I had to stop reading with only about 30 pages to go in order to get dinner going, and didn't fall over myself to get back to it. That was my feeling pretty much the whole way through - I liked the characters and the story was pretty good, but it lacked any intensity until the last quarter and by then, I could take it or leave it.

This thriller is about an as yet untapped reservoir for NYC where, years before, a dam was erected and a town was drowned. All of the people were bought out through eminent domain, and I didn't get the feeling anyone stayed there and died in the flood of water, but there is bad blood between the townspeople and the city and engineers. So, there are ghosts - ghosts of the people who died digging the tunnels (a body a mile) - and they want to teach the city a lesson...maybe?..and they have been completing tunnels that were started long ago. Meanwhile, in NYC, people are still digging tunnels to one day connect to the Chilawaukee reservoir.

Maybe I didn't understand the need to teach the city people a lesson. Or I didn't understand why the tunnels were still being dug from NYC heading upstate when there are two perfectly good reservoirs, but it seemed like a stretch to make this into a thriller.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

If you're a fan of supernatural haunting books, you'll likely enjoy this book.

The pace is active, and the mystery is interesting enough to keep the reader engaged, for the most part. There are a few too many characters who don't seem critical to the story, and that causes a bit of confusion midway through the book. There is some overdetailing on the weather and scenery at times that could pull the reader out of the story, but it's an okay read overall.

There’s a dark secret lying in wait deep in the cold waters of the Chilewaukee reservoir. Early in the 20th century, a small town in upstate New York was evacuated and destroyed when the river was damed to create a reservoir for the rapidly expanding population of NYC. At least that’s what politicians said. But in reality it was a reservoir in reserve—never actually used. Now, more than a hundred years later the dam is in disrepair and the rain isn’t stopping. The townspeople vowed revenge. Will they finally succeed?

First I need to say that Michael Koryta is a master at creating a haunting, supernatural feeling from nature and historical events. Others have likened the feeling of reading The Chill to the feeling they had when they first read Stephen King’s The Shining and I totally agree! And even at 400+ pages, it is not too long! Put this one at the top of your list.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a mediocre horror read.

I liked the prose and the overall mood created in The Chill.

The story follows police officer Gillian Mathers and Coast Guard reject Aaron Ellsworth as they battle ghosts of the past who threaten the safety of New York. New Yorkers don’t realize it, but their lives hinge upon the Chilewaukee dam doing its job.

The dam was erected at the cost of a town known as Galesburg in the early 20th century. The residents fought against the idea of the dam…and lost in a horrific way. Now they’re determined to teach others a lesson about human arrogance and denial.

Overall, it’s a classic spooky town horror/mystery story.

The characters are solid and well-rounded and really help carry you through the story, which brings me to my only complaint–I personally think the story was a bit too long. There wasn’t a lot of action that helped carry the story (this job was mostly handled through characterization), and I think the story would be more fulfilling if it were shorter. Sometimes the pacing felt a bit laggy, but nothing serious enough to make me quit reading. The story also seemed a bit too heavy on dam terminology and dam and tunnel construction.

SPOILER ALERT BELOW!

Personally, I also thought there were shout-outs to Stephen King–a county named Torrance (Jack Torrance, The Shining), and a similar idea along the lines of “You’ve always been the caretaker.” Basically, the miners were ghosts who had continued working on tunnels even after their demise, and certain people (Gillian and Aaron) are “meant” to be there to help destroy the dam. Just like Jack Torrance and his hotel. In addition, there’s several references to a site known as the Galesburg overlook (Overlook Hotel, anyone?).

END SPOILER!

In conclusion, it’s not a story I would read again, but it’s worth a read if you like water, dams, and ghosts. Interesting enough characters, but overall the story fell a bit flat and a bit slow.

Special thanks to Atria books and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview this title.

This was not a BAD book, but something about it just didn't work for me. It is written well, but I found myself searching for more action. There are also some great opportunities for some super creepy things to happen, and it just didn't get there for me. I think other readers may enjoy this, it just wasn't a favorite of mine

I had to think a bit before writing this review.

I liked the book. I found the author’s world so incredibly vivid and his characters so wonderfully compelling that there were times I didn’t want to stop reading.

But…there were times I did.

The author gives us so much information about dams and water and, while it’s all fascinating, it also tends to take a rather informational tone – almost a lecture – and you lose the story once in a while. In fact, I put it down for a full five days and read something else before returning to it.

Our author’s plot is a good one. You have a truly chilling ghost story which just teeters on the edge of epic. But it will take a dedicated reader to read past all of the information on dam construction and maintenance.

A good read overall, though.

*ARC provided via Net Galley

This book kept me up way too late most nights until my eyes just had to shut me down for the night. If you love supernatural haunting stories you'll love this book. Especially with spring rains and flooding soon, this story will make you think twice. The story is fast paced but builds character and tension perfectly to lead up to the haunting end.

Water is important for all civilizations to survive. What would happen to the people who live and/or work in a large city, if something major happens to their source of water?

The Chill is written by Scott Carson, and he developed a fast paced novel to prevent a disastrous event, in a race against time. Little does some of the characters know, is that this plan has been in the making for a century!

Carson’s presentation and detail of the main characters was strong and brought them together. He created a mystery behind a few characters, which I enjoyed to try to figure out throughout the book. There was a part in the book I was confused about the introduction of random characters. It felt like I joined in the middle of a book, but didn’t have the connection of all of the individuals discussed in the scenes.

In general the feeling of the book was dreary, though the pace and characters kept me reading. There were times in the novel I did have a hard time with weather and what it was doing. The scenery and weather explanations appeared to be an important aspect of the book. I was surprised when I would find I was completely wrong with the scene created, with a sudden darkening of the sky or the sun was gone, when I didn’t know the sun was out and thought the weather was windy and/or raining.

For an experienced screenwriter & author spreading his wings into the supernatural, Scott Carson wrote a great novel and I am very excited to read any new book from him in the supernatural genre.

Thank you to NetGalley, and Atria Books for advance copy of The Chill for my honest feedback.

A chilling foray into the dark wilds of history unknown. The Chill is a feat of writing that depicts what happens when we forget to be afraid of the dark.

I love this author but this book is hard to review. I thought the story was very exciting. My problem is that the characters left me cold. I think that the character development is lacking and i didn't like any of them very much. The book is long, about 450 pages, and full of dread and ominous portents but just didn't come together for me. I'm afraid this one is a swing and miss for me.
,

I am all for tales of ancient evil. Sacrifices made to drowned gods, curses screeched at lesser demons.

I’ve heard my share of flooded towns. Man made lakes built OVER towns as reservoirs of water. Buildings, communities, people becoming watery graveyards. Haunts.

The most infamous one I know of is Lake Lanier that makes news every single time because of its infamy. Nobody comes out of its waters alive, it’s foolish to even deep a toe in it.

I have to say that this was quite disappointing. The premise is interesting enough. Drowned town, haunted people, sheriff’s son trying to do right. The plot is fine but that’s it. The characters are caricatures of themselves and I was lost, BEYOND lost, in all of the dam lore. There was just way too much of that. I was bored halfway through and honestly I’m still not quite sure what

exactly

was

going

on

I’m actually still quite confused about it all and while I enjoyed reading the first half, the second greatly floundered and was disappointing.

Thanks very much to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy of my ARC.

There is something lurking in the dark waters of the Chilewaukee reservoir better known by the locals as The Chill…something that demands payment in the form of a sacrifice…something that is rising to collect on past dues…

To be honest, the only reason I requested a copy of this book was Stephen King had pimped it out on his social media. I’m sure there is an audience for this book, but I’m sad to say, as much as I love a good supernatural story, this one fell a little flat for me. While there were passages that held a spooky element, I was bogged down too much with all the information on dam and tunnel construction and the back and forth between the past and the present, that I got lost as well as a wee bit bored. Over all, I’m still trying to determine if The Chill is a mystery, a ghost story, or an engineering handbook on dam building and water works.

While I was underwhelmed with the story, it could be another reader’s next fav, so if the blurb grabbed your attention, give it a try…

**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **

I loved this book! The story was a great combination of the best of Stephen King and Dean Koontz. Compelling characters, the supernatural, mortal bad guys, etc. Fabulous.

In upstate NY Galesburg was an old community drowned when the Chilewaukee dam was created in response to more water needed for the city. Its residents did everything in their power to stop officials from ruining their land and flooding their buildings, all for naught. Galesburg might be under water but some of original families remember and hand this knowledge down to their future generations. The people of Galesburg still want revenge, especially as the dam was never completed and used as a water supply.
Now in present day unprecedented rains and poorly maintained infrastructures, set the stage for a chilling ghost story. Complicated and nuanced real characters bring a richness to the book creating an intertwined second story, as well as interesting history of how dams work, how the city gets its water, and how the tunnels beneath the city deliver this water. . Growing up under the Kensico reservoir, imagining as a child what would happen if the dam broke, added an additional chill to my reading.
Still, I found the reasoning behind the ghosts revenge a little hard to swallow, and their scope of their retribution a little too damning.