Gallows Hill by Darcy Coates

 

The Hull family has owned the Gallows Hill Winery for generations, living and working on the beautiful grounds where they grow their famous grapes. Until the night Mr. and Mrs. Hull settle down for the evening...and are dead by morning.

When their daughter, Margot, inherits the family business, she wants nothing to do with it. The winery is valued for its unparalleled produce, but it's built on a field where hundreds of convicts were once hanged, and the locals whisper morbid rumors. They say the ground is cursed.

It's been more than a decade since Margot last saw her childhood home. But now that she's alone in the sprawling, dilapidated building, she begins to believe the curse is more than real―and that she may be the next victim of the house that never rests...

Margo's ancestors have owned Gallows Hill Winery since long before she was born. She has never been part of the business and seems to have very little memory of ever having been part of the family. She was sent away at a  young age and doesn't know why. She has had no contact with her parents since then, which seemed a bit odd to me since she knew where they were and could have easily reached out at any time to ask why she had been sent away. 

Now both of her parents have died, under unusual circumstances and she has inherited the winery.

She returns to attend the funeral, and settle the estate and learns that her family was cursed. It seems that Gallows Hill once held a real gallows and the angry spirits of those who were put to death there are not at rest. Now the winery has become famous for a very special vintage of wine that is carefully aged in barrels carved from the very hanging tree that saw so much death. 

Gallows Hill aims to be a slow-burn supernatural gothic that may have been better as a novella. 

Lots of confusing details and several repetitions slow the pace. The reason for the curse may have shocked Margot but it was too easy to figure out what was going on with those wine barrels. There were some creepy moments with the restless and angry spirits but the repetition took away some of the enjoyment. Some things just didn't add up. If Margot's parents were so intent on keeping her away from the winery why leave it to her in their will? Why does Margot not know how to charge her phone once in a while? I could go on but it would lead to spoilers. 

I'm going to give this 2.5 stars rounded up to 3 out of 5 where half stars are not allowed.

You may enjoy it more than I did but this one was just not for me.

I received an advance copy for review.

Get a copy

About the author

Darcy is the USA Today Bestselling author of Hunted, The Haunting of Ashburn House, Craven Manor, and more than a dozen horror and suspense titles.
She lives on the Central Coast of Australia with her family, cats, and a garden full of herbs and vegetables.
Darcy loves forests, especially old-growth forests where the trees dwarf anyone who steps between them. Wherever she lives, she tries to have a mountain range close by.
You can hear about her next book by joining her newsletter