Darcy Coates is a master at horror, and Gallow Halls is no exception. Read this during the day, or light every lamp at night. Deliciously chilling.

I'm beginning to think I don't fully vibe with Coates' writing style, though here it was fine enough, just not immersive at any point. The story was interesting, though I felt strangely distanced from the main character even multiple chapters in.

4 stars

Margot Hull was sent away from her home on Gallows Hill at the age of eight. Now she remembers very little of what life was like there. She is hurt and confused why her parents sent her away and never wrote or called . Now, they have died and she must attend their funerals.

Although the cause of their deaths on the same day was listed as “heart attack,” their condition necessitated closed caskets. The funeral was very odd. Many people attended, but they stared and whispered around Margot.

Arriving at the sprawling home, Margot meets Kant. He has worked for the family for over thirty years. As manager, he knows much of what goes on at the winery. But, he doesn’t know it all. She also meets Andrew, the financial director and Nora and her husband who run the little wine store on the property. There are also several regular employees who work there. And don’t forget about Witchity and her loyal dog.

Margot did not realize that she was inheriting a business.

Strange things begin to happen. Kant and the others are reluctant to speak of it at first. However, as the story goes on, they tell Margot some of what they know, but there is much that they don’t.

Horrible creatures haunt the estate at night. The inhabitants are not allowed to leave. Mysterious deaths have occurred throughout the centuries since the Hull family first purchased the property.

Margot and the others are attacked and injured. Margot must come up with a way to break the curse. With the aid of a child’s diary, she might have a chance.

While a little slow and repetitious in places, this book is a good ghost story. It is well written and plotted, save for a few minor typos. I liked Margot. She was a little quick to hysterics, but showed her grit in the end. Kane, Andrew, Nora and her husband are great additions to the story. I liked the book and went to Amazon to look for other novels written by Ms. Coates.

I want to thank NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for forwarding to me a copy of this scary book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed here are solely my own.

I will start out by saying, don’t read this home alone at night! Margot Hull was called by an attorney to let her know her parents had both died at the same time. The Hull family has owned Gallows Hill Winery for generations. She was an only child, last of the Hull family line, so she inherited the Gallows Hill Winery. She did not remember her parents or the house. She was sent away at age 8 to live with her grandmother. When she was shown the house, no one told her the secret and horrors the Gallows Hill Winery held, and the Legacy that went with it.
It had a lot of scary parts, but I couldn’t put it down. So many twists and turns that were not expected. It was such a wonderful book.
Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for allowing me to review Gallows Hill.

Darcy Coates does it again!
Gallows Hill is a spectacular novel and one I had so much fun reading this book, I loved how it twisted a bit in ways I did not see coming and how much this book captured.
I’ve read a few books of this author and this has to be the best one I’ve read so far!
Fast paced, plenty of twists and turns and just an overall great book to read!
The atmosphere of this book was just spectacular.
I felt like the story was unique and had everything in it to kept you on your toes.
A well told story with very deep characters.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Poisoned Pen Press,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my platforms, blog, B&N and Waterstone closer to pub date.

4.5 rounded up
There was an underlying creepiness throughout the book, such great atmosphere. At one point, I had to stop reading because it was a dark stormy night and I was alone. Even though I wanted to know what came next, I had to wait until my husband got home because I was scared to read it while home alone. Such a good book!

This book was a little more supernatural than I'm used to, but it was a fun read and I'm glad I chose it. Margot has returned to her family home after receiving the devastating news that her parents passed away together on the same night. They were the owners of the Gallows Hill Winery and have left her the business. Not so uncommon, except that Margot was sent away at the age of 8 to live with her grandmother, and she has neither seen nor heard from her parents since then. She's waited over ten years for some answers and still can't see what caused her parents to act as they did. Sure, their land was always rumored to be cursed, but that's because convicts were hanged from a huge oak tree atop the hill hundreds of years ago. That's just superstitious local lore, isn't it? Any family could have ancestors that suffered like hers did...

It doesn't take long before things get weird. Without giving anything away, let's just say the townspeople have good sense to stay away from the winery and everything else on Gallows Hill. Margot does have some allies - Kant, the winery manager, is standoffish but always ready to help in a pinch. The Palmers run the retail wine store and educate her on the history of the Hill and her ancestors that claimed the land generations ago. But Margot can't help suspecting that they are hiding something. Why do they brush off the curse rumors so quickly? And why indulge the strange older woman that ritually blesses the land? What are they not telling her? Well, she's about to find out. And she'll wish she never came home.

I’ve read all of Darcy Coates books and have enjoyed all of them. I started this book and expected a ghost story but not the kind I got. The first half of this book is a slow burn explaining the winery at Gallows Hill and how Margot inherited from a mother and father who gave her away to her grandma at the age of 8. The second half of the book takes you on a wild pulse pounding ride. The haunting ramps up and it’s a fight for survival against something you can’t beat. The supporting characters are well written and I like them all, especially Kant and Marsh.

This is a great read for anyone who enjoys a good ghost story. Like most of Ms. Coates books, there is mild violence and, thankfully, no sexual scenes. I loved this book and can’t wait for the next.

Creepy! This book involves a strong protagonist, a haunted house, and an incredible story. I highly enjoyed this book immensely. There are elements of mystery and thriller are perfectly combined.