The Hole in the Hallway: Supernatural Thriller

by R.S. Merritt

Some homes are built on secrets. Others are built on scars left behind when hell itself breaks through.

"I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven." — Luke 10:18

When the devil was cast down, the impact left a scar in the fabric of the world. Some places never healed.

Based in part on true events, Hole in the Hallway is a chilling supernatural horror novel about a family’s descent into terror on a remote island off the Atlantic coast.

In the early 1980s, a young family moves into a peaceful home perched high on rugged cliffs above the ocean. But something ancient is buried beneath the surface—something watching. The children are the first to feel it. Whispers in the walls. Shadows that move. A presence lurking just out of sight.

The adults brush it off, convinced it’s only imagination—until the truth becomes impossible to ignore. As the body count rises and the veil between worlds begins to tear, the family uncovers a terrifying history that connects their land to supernatural forces of biblical proportions.

This is not just a haunted house. It’s a spiritual battleground where evil doesn’t knock—it enters.

Fans of The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty, The Shining by Stephen King, The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson, and NOS4A2 by Joe Hill will be captivated by Hole in the Hallway—a story of possession, secrets, and a home under siege by something truly unholy.

“A fast-paced horror story full of twists and turns.” — Amazon Review
“Something completely different.” — Amazon Review

Genres: Horror

Audible Audio

Published February 10, 2024

About the author

Living in a lighthouse as a child led me early to a love of reading. Despite what you may have been told the life of a lighthouse keeper's son is not all Glamour and Parties. There's a lot of time when there really isn't much to do besides wonder if the fog horn has finally made you deaf or watch your dad pull fishing lures out of different parts of people's bodies. (You'd be amazed!)

Two of my favorite houses growing up!





I read. I read a lot. We had a 'reading caterpillar' around the room at my school where every time you read a book you put your name on your color paper and hung it up. The teacher had to give me two colors because it was looking more like a worm than a caterpillar. I devoured CS Lewis before moving on to Tolkien. Reading has continued to be a big part of my life. I've moved into Alternative Realities by guys like Stirling and my guilty pleasure is Zombie novels. I can't seem to get enough of them!

I like reading about the extremes people will go to to survive. The ones who can rise above the rest and keep their sense of right and wrong. When humanity crumbles around them these flawed heroes stand tall and try to make their way. They go from struggling to pay the phone bill to struggling to keep themselves and others alive. I like to see how this either hardens or breaks them. I think these stories speak at a very primal level. I enjoy the journey greatly as I get to tag along seeing how the survivors manage and how the experience forges them into something more than they were.

I look forward to sharing the journey with you all!


Sincerely,

R S Merritt

Reviews

[Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not doing my traditional backstory on this book so just throwing out thoughts about this book.

Thoughts:

The book started out creepy and I did like the characters but the story focuses more on the kids in the book then the parents. The parents in the story seemed to be oblivious of anything going on around them but the kids seem to be the only ones that are perspective to the house haunting. Also the author went into deep detail of every little thing that was going on which I don't mind detail in books but a play by play gets kind of boring after awhile. Normally I love haunted house/demonic stories but for some reason the story just didn't flow well enough for me and I thought it would get better the more I read of it but sadly I felt that the book just fall off with the story. Giving this book two "Disappointed Demon" stars!

[Dylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

They came for the children first and the adults refused to believe anything was wrong. By the time the parents realized something wasn’t right it was too late- way too late.

I was surprised, liked this a lot more than I thought I would. It started out as an innocent kid being frightened by a sinister tapping on his window late at night and gradually escalates to an all out gates of hell haunting loaded with truly scary horror tropes, all very well done.

I found it really humorous how the parents ignore their kids fears and are in complete denial that anything is out of the ordinary. Every time something evil happens the parents walk in and everything goes back to normal, this happens many times.

Thought it was a great read, constant action and never slowed down. The ending was a little ridiculous, still that didn’t take anything away from the story. This was my first and won’t be my last from this author, it looks like he has many books and probably a sequel to this on the way.

[LINDA · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love your books. But whoever is proofreading your writing is not catching errors. Please read your sentences out Loud especially when you are referencing him and her etc.. otherwise no complaints

[Jacqui · Rating 2 out of 5]

I knew immediately I was not going to be the target audience for this book, based solely on the fact the main pov's are from the two children. There are a few chapters from the pov of the parents but it was mostly the kids. For some reason it takes away the scariness for me and I couldn't really get invested in the story. I also wasn't a fan of the writing style. It was too bland for my liking. I need more description to make this a really horrifying tale.
I am clearly the outlier as this has amazing reviews.

[Lauren Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! I was able to predict the rough way the ending turned out, but it was a nice, creepy read. My biggest negative comment is that there isn't a sequel yet, and I hope one comes soon because I'm intrigued to see how things develop. I do agree with the other reviewer, though – a proofreader would make it stronger, but the errors are small and don't detract from the story.

[Todd Elving · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book from start to finish the last quarter of the book was full of gore.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found myself unable to put this book down. I was living for the dark, haunting atmosphere and feeling of total isolation. Oh, and there were demons doing their utmost to inflect maximum pain and terror.

[M’Cia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story, classic evil haunting that only children can recognize. I think the ending was a bit over the top. I’d recommend this book if you like horror.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the build-up and the fear that crept in from the beginning—a kid hearing a sinister tapping on his window at night, slowly spiralling into a hellish haunting. The horror elements were well done and genuinely scary.

That said, the main character being only 8 years old stretched believability in a few key moments. The idea that he’s got so much guts he gets invited to join the rescue mission, or when the grandfather says “you’re smart—what do we do?” pulled me out of the story. It’s hard to buy into those parts, even in a supernatural setting.

Still, it was a strong read overall with a fast pace and a lot of atmosphere. The ending was a bit over the top for me, but if you like horror, especially supernatural thrillers, I’d definitely recommend it.

[Tracey Norman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best horror book I’ve read so far!

New to reading horror, I have to say this is definitely the best so far and despite being new to the genre in print I’ve still read a fair few.
Although an avid reader, I watch a lot of films as I’m a scriptwriter. I could see this book as a film, it had everything that a good horror movie needs and more. I couldn’t put it down, even when I was scared rigid in the middle of the night.
If horror books can me as good as this, I am definitely hooked

[Kate Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book, I couldn’t get enough of it. Great story and really creepy in parts, I didn’t want to put it down. I’m really hoping there will be lots more books to follow the boys as they grow up, I adored them and loved the fact most of the book is from their point of view, makes a nice change to most other haunted house/possession stories

[Veronica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't put book down

Captures your interest since the beginning. If you like paranormal its worth your time. Sometimes I had to put the book down to make sure I was not living their experiences. This book makes me feel the fear they felt.

[Yemisi Otasanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Hole in the Hallway is quite interesting. I'm not really a fan of horror novels. That being said, it was a page-turner. When it got too descriptive and scary, I turned the pages. I was happy that Seth the main character and his brother learned about courage. The scene of the novel was also fantastic. Nothing like adding a lighthouse to a horror. It makes it more frightening.
I did not like the fact that Seth's parents died. The ending brings back light into the whole story and makes you feel there would be a part 2. Overall, very amazing.

[Colleen Bursley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need to give this book a 5 rating. It was absolutely phenomenal. I couldn’t put it down. As others have noted the grammatical errors were not distracting but should be take care of before final publication.
The ending was just as I had expected and it would be great to see a continuation of this story as Seth and Charlie (and the girls) move into their new lives as defenders of evil.