Gallasill: The True Story of Gallows Hill

by Martyn Taylor

"Really, really spooky" Thomas McCarthy

"This chilling ghost story had me gripped from start to finish" Ann Abrams

"A finely crafted contemporary ghost story, reads like a thriller. Brilliant!" Greg Best

In the bleak Northumberland town of Gallasill, legend has it that the hanging of an innocent man seven generations ago left a curse on the two feuding local families involved. Always fascinated by this folklore and legend about her local town, Gallows Hill, academic Sarah Charlton discovers, despite her father’s insistence to the contrary, she is a direct descendant of the figures in the haunting story. Having always sensed a presence on the old farm on the hill, Sarah gradually uncovers the shocking truth about Gallasill and her family. But she soon realises she is not the only one with a personal stake in the story. Will she be able to question her own rational disbelief in the supernatural to save herself, or will the curse renew itself for generations to come?

Genres: Amazon

251 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2013

Reviews

[Lori Conrad · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok

this book jumped around so much, it was confusing at certain parts, did not make since, I skimmed through it, did not enjoy

[John Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well-written, well-plotted ghost story, with just enough horror is there to spice up the mix without being gratuitous with it. I'm not a horror fan, but this is pitched just right for a broader market. Good characters, the thrust of a detective thriller and the emotional clout to make it all work. Martyn Taylor is definitely developing well as a writer, improving with every book.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully eerie book. It has it all; a centuries old murder and wrongful hanging, a family curse, family secrets and a haunting. It is a fast paced, tense tale, a very enjoyable read.

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know what this was supposed to be, but it certainly was a jumpy mess, hopping around all over the place with a main character so incredibly shallow and self-absorbed that I gave up caring.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

This had all the makings of a good ghost story but fell sadly short to me, largely due to the rambling prose and how disjointed the story was. Any chance it had of being creepy was lost on me, as I spent most of it wondering why the main character was doing odd things like fainting everywhere or sitting in some mad house with a completely disfunctional family that I think were meant to be important to the plot (not sure, it all got really confusing). I understood the overall story but a lot could have been pared down, a good editor would have been useful for this one. Also, calling the main character and one of the minor characters PLUS the primary ghost the same name is just asking for trouble.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really good story but .... too many boring, drawn-out details and words used that had me constantly going to a dictionary and were not really necessary, meant I had to skip lots of paragraphs and pages! Reading about a silly woman who is putting herself out there as tough and cynical and doesn't believe in 'curses' only to have her screaming, crying, vomiting and curling up in corners. let alone seemingly hating everyone she meets .... made it more than obvious that a man had created the main character.

[Jayne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hoped this might be a great, and eerie story. In fact, it started out well, but suddenly the heroine is called to go and see a journal that has the answers to all her questions, and the story devolves into an insane circus. It jumps again with the father of the insane family sending her the "real" journal, and then the story jumps again into a weird psychotropic hallucination...

At that point I just gave up on the book and decided not to read anymore.

[Marianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping, haunting tale. Very well written and thought out. I hope there is a sequel.

[Erik Empson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A spooky Northern tale, enjoyed the female lead character. Some funny moments.

[Jjamieson1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spooky stuff! Brilliantly crafted ghost story. Well worth a read.