Darcy Coates never disappoints when it comes to house horror.

I was excited to get my hands on this, as Haunting of Ashburn House is one of my favorite horror novels.

Coates has this absolute super power when it comes to ending a chapter. With the closing of each chapter you’re given a morsel that makes you hungry to keep going. There’s a hook in every last line.

Coates also creates such a truly creepy atmosphere, and it scares you and makes you feel like cant stop reading. You have to keep going.

This story is absolutely incredible. I don’t want to give anything away - but I’ll be buying copies for any of my friends who love house horror.

This book is a bit more "scary" than I would normally read, but I was not mad about it. The story was absolutely great, and it gave me "Haunting of Hill House Vibes".

I spent the last couple of days wishing this book would never end. It played out like a movie and quickly became my favorite. All my favorite “types” of books were wrapped up in this one.. the mystery of the past lives lost on Gallows’s Hill, old history of Margot’s ancestors, ghosts, hauntings, and the adventure of what would happen next! The ending left me totally surprised. I felt so close to the characters that I wanted to follow along on what happened after the books ending. I love the characters and how well they came to life for me. This book painted an exact image in my head that couldn’t of been more clear if I was actually seeing it happen myself. I wasn’t looking for a new favorite author but I’ve definitely found one in Darcy Coates. I can’t wait to read more! Huge thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the eARC!

Gallows Hill Review
4 stars rounded up

Thanks to Netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

The Story: After the untimely death of her estranged parents, Margot finds herself the new owner of a popular winery—the titular “Gallows Hill”. The worst she expects from this morbidly named place is the responsibility of running a new business or the prospect of selling a place with such a dark past. But, past history has a much deeper hold Margot than she ever imagined, with deadly consequences.

The Good: This is both a ghost story and a revenge story, a concept Coates has worked with before. But the scares (once they come) are more chilling, the gore more visceral this time around. I definitely felt the author’s ability to scare has improved since her earlier novels. I also appreciate her improvement in setting; this feels more like a real location.

The Iffy: The plot is more formulaic than I would’ve liked. I think I wanted higher stakes and repercussions for those who don’t follow the rules-to-avoid-being-graphically-murdered. It disrupted the world-building to have all this lore around the hauntings established then blatantly ignored with no real impact to the core characters.

Overall: This is a fairly solid horror story to get you in the mood for spooky season. Grab a blanket, turn off the lights, and remember to lock those doors…

I discovered Darcy Coates not so long ago and I'm so happy I did! I read three of her books in the last 6 months and enjoyed them all thoroughly. So when I saw her new release, I knew I had to request it, and I was lucky enough to get approved for it. Just like with her other books, I really enjoyed the reading experiance. It was fun, spooky, atmospheric and full of heart. That's all I'm looking for in these stories and that's exactly what I got. The characters were charming, the setting was very unique and the scary parts were actually creepy (obviously on a cosy horror level). The only reason I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is that the ending was way too cheesy for my taste, but it definitely didn't ruin the overall experiance. If you enjoy cosy horror and atmospheric, spooky reads I highly recommend picking this one up in September!

Margot inherits the winery of Gallows Hill even though she has been estranged from her parents for many years. It's not long before she hears and sees things that she almost cannot believe. You see, Gallows Hill winery was built on the hill where hundreds of convicts were put to death. There's a reason. that Margot's parents sent her away at a young age and perhaps their joint death was not an accident. Coates, as always, builds an atmospheric, dark and gloomy suspenseful tale. This story starts slow but builds to a fantastic crescendo of horror. If you like horror, seek out haunted places and want a story that keeps you up all night, Gallows Hill is for you! #DarcyCoates #PoisonedPenPress #NetGalley

Darcy is one author who actual scares me.

Her descriptions, her atmospheric world building, and her ability to make the unbelievable believable.

Gallows Hill was no different. When Margot, who was mysteriously sent away to live with her grandmother as a kid, receives news of her parents deaths she is now the owner of Gallows Hill house, property and winery. Stay inside at night, they say. Locks all around the house, a seriously creepy talisman, and bells going off in the night. All these things combine to a story that is full of empathy but also terror.

Wow, this book started slow for me, but instantly turned into a “stay up late reading with the light on” type of book. Definitely had me terrified in parts!

So this one actually gave me chills! Not too many books do that.
I do always enjoy this author and I was not at all disappointed with this book.
It was an easy and fast paced read that definitely gave me the chills.

4.5 stars
I am quickly becoming a huge fan of Darcy Coates. This novel is fast paced and so intriguing. Keeps you glued throughout, which is hard to do. Just enough spook, plenty of plot, and good characters! A+

Thrilling, Fast paced, Original, Adrenaline filled!

This novel was intriguing & fascinating from the start and continued to be throughout. I love it when a novel hooks me from page one and never let's go, even after the last page I'm left wanting more wanting to know what happens next? I thought that both the pace & flow of this story were great. The character development was bang on, I absolutely loved all of the main characters as well as felt bad for their unfortunate situations or circumstances. I felt that the main character of Margot was very well described in the fact that (at least in my opinion) you would definitely have to get a few phobias as well as some anxiety having what traumas occurred to her as a child also I think that her anxiety is depicted throughout the story with her running her tongue against her teeth & licking her lips, I found these were important to show what she had been through was still affecting her.

I believe this is the most original horror/ ghost story I've ever read, but more than that it gives an important message being it's better for the sole & more important to do what you know is right in your heart as well as following your moral standards than doing something you know for a fact is just plan wrong & or covering something up just so you can profit financially.

I would rate this book a 5/5 & recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good ghost story or a horror novel.

I would like to say a sincere thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press & of course Darcy Coates for the ARC of the fantastic novel. I wrote this review voluntarily and because I genuinely enjoyed reading this story, all of the options and feelings expressed are my own.

It's not often that I am thoroughly creeped out when reading a book. I have read two other books by this author and as usual I was not disappointed. This book is spine chilling, heart pounding, and had me on the edge of my seat throughout the whole read.

The story centers around a place called Gallows Hill. Margot has returned to her family home after the untimely death of her parents. They have left her the family home and business, a winery. At the funeral it is revealed that Margot doesn't know her parents, and thus we have the first part of this mystery. Having been sent away when she was 8, she has no recollection of ever living on the property. But now she is the sole owner, and she is about to discover not only why she was sent away but just how sinister the land she now owns can be.

As the story deepens, we find out that Margot is the last in a line that spans back over 250 years. The locals say the land is cursed and Margo very quickly finds out that it is indeed true. The truth is heartbreaking and more malevolent than she could have imagined, and it will cost her everything to rectify it. What happened on Gallows Hill, and can Margot break the curse before it claims her too?


Darcy Coates is a master of suspense and terror. She was able to convey through the pages the sheer panic and fright that Margot felt while in the house. As I was reading, I would jump at sounds and the lights played tricks on me. I found myself using my phone light to maneuver though my room, something I don't normally do. The characters are wonderfully written and the descriptions of the land and the things haunting it are so detailed you'd think you were there. It really interesting to think about the land we walk on every day. What kind of history lies within the land? This is a fantastically scary read and you will not be able to put it down. I received this book free from NetGalley for an honest review.

Darcy Coates does it again. Another book where every one of my nerves was on end for a majority of my read. Two of my favorite things about Darcy's book are the readability of them and the great story telling. Gallows Hill is set up where a lot of mystery surrounds most of the beginning of the book and this propelled me forward even though it felt a bit slow. The build up is worth it though as the last half of the book is filled with excitement that will leave your blood pumping. The supporting characters are well formed and really aid the story through along with a strong female MC. There are many things I want to say, but in doing so would give too much away. I think going into this book as blind as possible makes the experience of reading it so perfect.

Overall, this book will rattle your nerves and get your blood pumping while propelling you to the end. The mystery will keep you looking for clues. Highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the eARC!

Margot has returned to her childhood home for the funeral of her estranged parents. As she familiarizes herself with the estate and winery left to her in their will, she comes up against a dark force that has been terrorizing her family for generations.

I was rigid with terror as Margot fought tooth and nail to survive her family curse and couldn’t stop reading once I’d started. What is the curse? Can the land be healed? So many questions raced through my mind as I turned the pages.

Add this one to your bookshelf and keep the lights on as you read this incredible supernatural thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley, Darcy Coates, & Poisoned Pen Press for a copy.

Darcy Coates has been an “auto-buy” author with me for years, so when I saw this book, Gallows Hill , was available as an ARC on NetGalley I was quick to hit that ‘Request’ button!

As for a synopsis, I’ll have to keep it brief to avoid spoilers: Margot Hull has been living with her Grandma since she was eight years old, When she gets the news that her parents have died, she leaves the big city to attend their funeral and discovers that her parents left behind a legacy... and a curse.

I loved this concept! We have an orphaned girl who knows very little about her parents suddenly discovering she is the sole heir to a vineyard that has been in the family for generations. A very famous and profitable vineyard, at that! So why did her parents send her away as a child? Why is she cut out of all the family photos? This was the mystery that kept me going and made it impossible to put the book down until I found out the answers.

Darcy is great at building suspense and leaving the reader terrified to read the next line. She is successful with that atmospheric tension building in this story as well. This definitely is not one to read at night - unless you don’t want to sleep. I found myself absolutely terrified at parts of this book, while also intrigued by the mystery but sadly sometimes (around the 50 to 60 % mark) I was also yawning as we were given some answers but the rest was just a super slow burn and it felt like we were reliving the same night over and over.

As I mentioned, the vineyard is extremely profitable but there is a price the family pays for the fortune. And this is kind of where the book fell apart for me. The curse seemed very convenient for the author. For example, the curse is basically if you spend too long on this land you can't leave--- unless you're a child, or you've only spent a small amount of time there, or if you are the heir you can never leave, not even in death. The rules of the curse seemed to change depending on the character and whatever was happening in the story at the time.
I was also kind of put out that this whole group of people allow Margot to go back to the homestead that they know is haunted (by zombies? Ghosts? I was never clear what exactly The Dead Ones were) because talking about the curse makes it worse. I get that it is a fictional story and fiction asks us to suspend some disbelief but that was pushing it a bit too far.

Despite my criticisms of the curse and the slow burn, I still recommend this book. I give it 4 out of 5 stars. It’s good but I’ve seen Darcy do so much better. It’s scary, intriguing and has a golden retriever as a character, but it’s just not my favorite work of hers.

Gallows Hill releases on September 6, 2022. Be sure to grab your copy! This will be a great, spooky Autumnal read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press & Darcy Coates for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

100% had me on the edge of my seat.
Darcy did it again. I was so engrossed in the story that I could visually picture myself in Margot’s shoes. This book has the scare factors as well as a heart warming story. I can’t wait to read the physical copy again when it comes out in the fall. Definitely pick this one up you will not be disappointed.

This is another one of Darcy Coates classic horror novels that she delivered on. She has the ghost horror novel down pat and I throughly enjoyed it. Each of her novels has a different spin on the classic ghost stories and I liked how this one through in some walking dead/zombie action.

‘The Hill takes something from all of us eventually.’

Margot was sent to live with her grandmother when she was a child. She doesn’t really have memories of before but she does bare the scare. Shes had no contact from her parents in all that time. Now as an adult her parents have passed away & she has now inherited their successful winery on Gallows Hill.

But Gallows Hill comes with a dark past & a curse that has plagued Margot’s family for generations. Now as the latest owner, Margot is subject to the same curse whether she wants to the business or not & time is not on her side.

You know something is wrong from the beginning & from there you are pulled into the mystery as things slowly unravel. Darcy’s stories may be light on deep horror but they are filled with a creepiness & tense atmosphere from beginning to end. I loved Margot’s first night in the house. There was that awkwardness & unease of when you wake in a strange house not knowing your surroundings but then add in strange occurrences to increase that to level 10.

I loved the setting in the winery to add a different element to a straight up haunted house. There were moments where the story moved at a slow pace to allow the history & secrets to be revealed. But when the action kicked in, it had me hooked with the tension & menacing atmosphere that Darcy is so well known for, as well as the likeable characters.

Margot was such a survivor of a character, I just wished the ending had been a little longer to know a little bit more of what came after.

There's also a scene that may be unsettling for some if you have arachnophobia.

I want to thank NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for sending me a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first experience with this author and I will definitely be checking out more of her work. I would actually put this at a 3.5 if that were an option. It was so creepy throughout the entirety of the book and it really kept me turning the pages. I did feel the ending was a little rushed in comparison to the rest of the book, but overall I enjoyed this one. I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good story, with scary vibes. I think this would be a good option on audiobook.

Thank you to @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress for this e-arc!

The beginning was very lackluster for me. It was heavy on the descriptions to TRY and set a creepy tone, light on the actual action/information. I would fall asleep after reading one chapter whenever I picked this up, so it took me almost 2 weeks to get into this.

It started to get interesting after chapter 10! The creepy vibe finally came through 👍🏼 But then the author seemed to want to throw the reader off and make us ask, “Is this house ACTUALLY haunted? Is a HUMAN taunting Margot? OR is Margot crazy?”

About 60% through it got GOOD and I couldn’t put it down! I found myself holding my breath at certain parts. It was the perfect creepy, scary, heart pounding, eyes wide open 😳, breath-holding vibe 🤌🏼 And I thought the ending was satisfying!

I’ve read The Whispering Dead by this same author and it had a more light, humorous take on horror with funny side characters, multiple intriguing mysteries, and action that propelled the story forward. Gallows Hill was not humorous at all, but it still had likable side characters (Kant 🥹 and there is a sweet doggo towards the end!)