LoveReading Says
LoveReading Says
Highly Recommended.
Before embarking on his bestselling series of Roy Grace crime novels Peter James wrote many bestselling supernatural thrillers. With The House on Cold Hill he makes a return to this genre. All James’ books are informed by a fascination with how the world works and the tricks these workings can play on people and this novel is no exception.
The cover, the title and the opening scenes all suggest that we are in for a classic ghost story. After a sly and shocking bit of misdirection with the opening chapter we are soon in the territory of the bright young metropolitan family arriving in their new dream country home only to find that old houses come with secrets and history.
But there is something else going on here. Yes there are ghostly apparitions but in amongst an almost comical series of architectural disasters as they discover the true horror of the nightmares hinted at in the structural survey, there is something else very interesting going on here. To say more would be to invite spoilers so let’s just say that time is an odd thing and very little is as we perceive it.
This is a hugely readable book (the pages really do fly by) and James creates engaging characters and keeps us with them with expertly delivered shocks and twists. Anyone who loves ghost stories, any fan of Stephen King, is going to have a lot of fun (and a lot of surprises) in The House on Cold Hill.
Reviewed by Simon SpantonSimon Spanton has been a publisher of Science Fiction and Fantasy, as well as mainstream fiction, for 25 years, the last 19 years of which has been as Associate Publisher at the…
More reviews by Simon Spanton About The House on Cold Hill
Moving from the heart of Brighton and Hove to the Sussex countryside is a big undertaking for Ollie and Caro Harcourt and their twelve-year-old daughter Jade. But when they view Cold Hill House - a huge, dilapidated Georgian mansion - Ollie is filled with excitement. Despite the financial strain of the move, he has dreamed of living in the country since he was a child, and he sees Cold Hill House as a paradise for his animal-loving daughter, the perfect base for his web-design business and a terrific long-term investment.
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| Primary Genre |
Fiction
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| Recommendations: |
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About
The House on Cold Hill Synopsis
Moving from the heart of Brighton and Hove to the Sussex countryside is a big undertaking for Ollie and Caro Harcourt and their twelve-year-old daughter Jade. But when they view Cold Hill House - a huge, dilapidated Georgian mansion - Ollie is filled with excitement. Despite the financial strain of the move, he has dreamed of living in the country since he was a child, and he sees Cold Hill House as a paradise for his animal-loving daughter, the perfect base for his web-design business and a terrific long-term investment.
Caro is less certain, and Jade is grumpy about being separated from her friends. Within days of moving in, it becomes apparent that the Harcourt family aren't the only residents of the house. A friend of Jade's is the first to see the spectral woman, standing behind her as the girls talk on FaceTime.
Then there are more sightings, as well as increasingly disturbing occurrences in the house. As the haunting becomes more malevolent and the house itself begins to turn on the Harcourts, the terrified family discover Cold Hill House's dark history, and the horrible truth of what it could mean for them ...
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781447255949 |
| Publication date: |
16th June 2016 |
| Author: |
Peter James |
| Publisher: |
Pan Books an imprint of Pan Macmillan |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
340 pages |
| Primary Genre |
Fiction
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| Recommendations: |
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Press Reviews
Peter James Press Reviews
Impeccable ... Sunday Times Superbly creepy modern horror story. Book of the week, The Sunday Mirror This novel from the brilliant Peter James had the hairs standing up on our arms from the first page. Book of the Week, Heat Magazine James is a compelling storyteller and he ratchets up the tension in increments, so that his readers will be suitably terrified. By the time you want to scream 'Look behind you!', it's already too late. 'Halloween Chillers', The Daily Mail Impeccable ... Sunday Times Superbly creepy modern horror story. Book of the week, The Sunday Mirror This novel from the brilliant Peter James had the hairs standing up on our arms from the first page. Book of the Week, Heat Magazine James is a compelling storyteller and he ratchets up the tension in increments, so that his readers will be suitably terrified. By the time you want to scream 'Look behind you!', it's already too late. 'Halloween Chillers', The Daily Mail
Author
About Peter James
Peter James is one of the UK’s most popular crime and thriller novelists. His Roy Grace detective novels have sold more than one and a half million in the UK alone and six million worldwide in total. The series is now translated into 34 languages and his latest novel, ‘Dead Like You’, went straight into the Sunday Times bestseller lists at no 1 in both hardback and paperback. His novella, ‘The Perfect Murder,’ went to No 1 on iBooks and has spent 40 consecutive weeks in the iBooks Top 10. Peter has developed a close working relationship with the Sussex Police over many years, spending an average of one day a week with them, and his writing reveals a unique insight into the reality of modern day police work. He has carried out extensive research with police in Moscow, Munich, Paris, Melbourne, Sweden, New York and Romania, and regularly attends international police conferences to ensure he is at the cutting-edge of investigative police work.
Born and brought up in Brighton, Peter divides his time between his homes in Notting Hill, London and on the South Downs near Lewes in Sussex. An established film producer and script writer, he has produced numerous films, including The Merchant Of Venice, starring Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons and Joseph Fiennes. A TV adaptation of the Roy Grace series is currently in development, with Peter overseeing all aspects, including the scriptwriting. In 2009 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Brighton in recognition of his services to literature and the community.
In 2016 Peter James was awarded the CWA Diamond Dagger - the Crime Writers' Association's highest honour - awarded each year to a writer who has a career "marked by sustained excellence" and has made "a significant contribution" to English-language crime writing.
Peter James was the winner of the ITV3 People’s Bestseller Dagger 2011.
Author photo © Peter Rowland
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