.Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this book - I just loved it ! Admittedly I nearly gave up very early on but I would recommend that one gives this novel a fair chance - you wont be disappointed. I am not going to give any spoilers or examples that would not be fair. all I will say is Cold Hill has a secret.............

I'm a huge fan of Peter James and I usually enjoy his paranormal books but for the life of me I could just not get into this. I haven't read the original Cold Hill novel which maybe affected my reading but this left me a bit cold unfortunately.

I am a big fan of Peter James' Roy Grace series so was slightly apprehensive about reading a ghost story by him. However, this book was brilliantly creepy and definitely gave me goosebumps! I loved the overbearing characters of the neighbours across the road. Chillingly good read.

A modern ghost story which makes full use of traditional ghost story techniques. Eerie happenings abound , even though it is set on a new estate rather than a gothic mansion. There is a slow build of tension with some quite scary events. A good read on a winter evening.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC

I always love Peter James books, he is always popular and wherever you go, you will find someone reading something by him. This was an unexpected read, very very creepy and different.
It is always good to read a good ghost story, especially as this is set in the Christmas period.
A thoroughly enjoyable, if rather unsettling book.
I did find myself wondering if things were really real for a few hours after finishing it.
Highly recommended.

An excellent creepy read. I enjoyed it very much. Recommended if you're looking for something to chill you to the bone.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Peter James's standalone supernatural thrillers have enthralled me ever since I discovered 'Possession'. 'The Secret of Cold Hill', although a sequel to 'The House on Cold Hill' , was no different. If you have only read James's Roy Grace series of books I urge you to seek out some of the other works in this author's broad repertoire. This book follows on from the events of 'The House on Cold Hill' although it can be read as a standalone book. Here, James overlays old with new in a setting that is an ultra-modern block of flats populated by the main protagonists of the story, Jason and Emily Danes and Maurice and Claudette Penze-Weedell. It is not long before both couples feel uneasy in their new environment and the reader begins to experience the discomfort of the novel's main protagonists. In the unfolding of the narrative, which is wickedly clever, James skilfully deploys the usual supernatural/ghostly tropes in new and innovative ways. A less talented author may not have succeeded so convincingly in setting a ghost story in such a modern (technologically speaking) setting, but James is immensely talented in this respect and I felt the spike in my blood pressure accordingly!

If you are looking for the perfect read to accompany a cold winter's night, look no further than this.

4 Stars

Summary:
Cold Hill House has been razed to the ground by fire, replaced with a development of ultra-modern homes. Gone with the flames are the violent memories of the house’s history, and a new era has begun.
Although much of Cold Hill Park is still a construction site, the first two families move into their new houses. For Jason and Emily Danes, this is their forever home, and for Maurice and Claudette Penze-Weedell, it’s the perfect place to live out retirement. Despite the ever present rumble of cement mixers and diggers, Cold Hill Park appears to be the ideal place to live. But looks are deceptive and it’s only a matter of days before both couples start to feel they are not alone in their new homes.
There is one thing that never appears in the estate agent brochures: nobody has ever survived beyond forty in Cold Hill House and no one has ever truly left . . .

This was quite an entertaining read, perfect for the Halloween season!

If I had to describe this book in few words, it would be: Fun, addictive, ghostly, and humorous. I thoroughly enjoyed the intricate plot along with the strong characters.

It’s worth mentioning that this is the second book in the series. However, it can certainly be read and enjoyed as a standalone.

I would like to thank the Publishers, NetGalley, and the Author for sending me a copy of this book.

The House on Cold Hill was an excellent ghost story. Creepy, unsettling and with a shocking ending it had all the ingredients needed for a read to fill those long winter nights. Well, the long nights are back and so is Cold Hill with this follow up, Secret of Cold Hill.

The house has new owners, Jason Danes and his wife Emily. Jason’s art career is starting to take off and Emily is starting her own catering business. They have big ambitions but the house has other ideas as the strange happenings begin before the couple has even moved in. Their neighbours, the fantastically named Penze-Weedells, aren’t faring much better as they experience strange figures moving past in hallways and the unexplained smell of cigar smoke that appears in the air. This book uses all the tricks of the ghost story trade to great effect. Peter James isn’t scared to ramp up the tension and take the story to the extreme. He really knows how to take his readers on a ride and there’s barely a let up in the action. Modern technology plays a part too and there’s some parts that genuinely made me jump. This makes for a perfect Halloween read, it’s a brilliant ghost story and a book I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I hope Peter James returns to Cold Hill again one day with another unsuspecting couple.

I received a ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair review.

I hadn't realised that this book followed on from a previous one, it didn't make any difference that I hadn't read the first one as I still thoroughly enjoyed this one, I loved how the story unfolded and the suspense built. I loved reading as the story built around our main characters of Jason and Emily Danes and their neighbours the Penze-Weedell's. I definitely need to go back and read the first book now to see what happened before.

Having loved house on cold hill I was super excited to see this appear on netgalley! Although could be read as a stand alone, it does refer to characters and events from house on cold hill. I absolutely loved this book maybe not quite the dramatic end as the previous book or maybe it was because of the previous book I kinda knew what to expect but still a great book. Short characters have you flicking through very quickly.

I thoroughly enjoyed this creepy story. It was an interesting take on the haunted house theme using a brand new building, but with old style creepy house storytelling. The noises and odd occurrences are soon escalating as the story takes hold through to an ending that I most definitely did not see coming.
I wasn’t too keen on the main couple to be honest, I found them both a little annoying and did feel that they jumped straight to the idea of ‘haunting’ a bit quickly. Personally I would have thought it was more likely an electrical fault. However the way the couple acted actually added to the tension. You weren’t sure whether they were overreacting or if it really was something more sinister. I particularly liked their interaction with the odd couple over the road. The Penze-Weedells were funny caricatures’ of your neighbourhood snobs, which added a great humour to the story yet didn’t give any kind of let up to the creepiness.
I have read most of Peter James’ books and although the Roy Grace series is still my favourite I hope I haven’t seen the last of Cold Hill House.

I have to admit upfront that I normally steer well clear of ghost stories and occult-like books, but in this case once I started reading this book it grabbed me and I found it hard to put down. It’s well written as are all the Peter James books I’ve read and tells a compelling story. I won’t spoil the ending but the story revolves around a youngish artist who is just beginning to find fame locally in the Brighton area. He and his wife - who runs a small catering company - move into the best house on a new housing estate that was built on an large plot of land formally a mansion and surrounding acreage whose history dates back many centuries.

The first few days go well until some strange and out of the ordinary things happen, all of which can be explained away - or can they?

Great book; wonderful page turner.....A must read!

A typically creepy haunted house book with a twist. Read the first cold hill book and this one was just as entertaining with a chilling and supernatural feel. The characters are fun and the storyline is Halloween scary!
Hope that there is more books about cold hill to follow.
Thank you netgalley and panmacmillan.

Another classic ghostly tale from Peter James.

This one is set some years later after the Cold Hill House has been demolished and new house, as part of a new development, takes its place. Needless to say the new owners take on more than they expected with plenty of supernatural shocks during the course of the book.

There are some good touches of humour, especially the neighbours they have, a couple in their mid-50's. The wife of the couple reminded me a little of Hyacinth Bucket in TV's 'Keeping Up Apperances'!

Another page turning chiller and hopefully there will be another book at least in the Cold Hill series.

I read the first book in this series, The House on Cold Hill, around four years ago and very much enjoyed it so was very excited when I heard there was a sequel. The House on Cold Hill, was a classic haunted house story with all that that entails and this is more of the same albeit set in the new housing estate built on the site of the original mansion. It focuses on young couple Jason and Emily Danes but brings in their new neighbours the Penze-Weedells (the only other residents in the estate)

Jason and Emily made for very likeable and relatable couple. They’re both in their late 30s, with Jason an artist whose star is rising and Emily running her own catering business. Their new home seems like the perfect place to build a better life but it’s not long before things take a turn for the creepy.

James uses all of the classic haunting tropes, there are strange noises, voices, mysterious figures and sights which can’t possibly be real. What I particularly loved though was how he welded old to new. Rather than the creaky old house, the author makes full use of the new and modern. This is a high tech home of the future with everything controlled by voice via a central command unit so as you can imagine there are a few glitches (which may not be glitches).

I also loved the use of the neighbours to bring in the usual neighbourhood rivalries and conflicts. The PWs are not the nicest of characters, wife Claudette believes herself better than everyone else and is determined to have the best while her poor long suffering husband Maurice tries to manage her expectations (think Keeping Up Appearances), but it brings a bit of much needed humour to the story and I think many people will have experienced similar neighbours. I also found myself having a little bit of sympathy for them both as they too begin to experience some strangeness.

The story itself ticks along quite nicely and definitely keeps you guessing in terms of both what’s going on and what’s real and what’s not. There are a few chilling moments, a few that are a bit bleurgh and I have to admit that it did creep me out a little at times too. It was probably not the best idea to read it in bed late at night but it was just so difficult to put down.

I do feel though that while it was a fun read for Halloween there wasn’t much that stood out about it. I did enjoy it as I was reading it but I doubt I’ll remember it for long. I also wasn’t wholly convinced by the ending, it was confusing and left me with more questions than I started with which, given the title raised expectations that the secret would be revealed, was frustrating.

It is however great for what it is. If you like a classic haunted house story I think you’ll enjoy.

Although I didn’t read The House on Cold Hill, I had no problem to follow the story in this follow on book. I’m a fan of Peters James’ books but this was the first horror book I’ve read from his hand. And it is great! I love real good horror stories but not the kind where people just get killed in a gruesome way. Peter James suprised me with this great horror story full of interesting characters, unexpected twists and turns and a dash of humour!
Jason and Emily are happy and rich and so they pay a lot of money for a newly built house on an estate as you see so many these days: some very large homes with even larger gardens, some smaller semi-detachted ones and to please to local council the development company throws in a couple of ‘affordable houses’. Funny term… Jason and Emily are quite rich, so this house, with a price of around a million pounds, is ‘affordable’ by their standards.
Across them, in a smaller house, the utterly funny Claudette and and Maurice. They reminded me of Hyacinth Bucket and her husband Richard, although Hyacinth is far more likable. I liked the running joke about the prosecco a lot.
From the start of the story, you’ll know that terrible things are going to happen; this is a horror story. And yes, terrible things are happening. The great thing about this book is that it is not all blood and gore; it more a psychological game with some dead people thrown in. The tension builds and although you hope for the best, you can see the outcome soon. This is no problem as the book is so entertaining you’ll want to enjoy every word in it.
It would make for a good movie, I think.

Thanks to Netgalley for this digital review copy.

So the only books I have read from Peter James are his Roy Grace series and this book is a total change from that. This time we have a ghost story from Peter but as always does not disappoint. I have not read the House of Cold Hill but you don’t need to have read that one to appreciate this one as they stand alone quite easily. When Jason and Emily Danes move into Cold Hill Park into their dream home they quickly realise their dream is more of a nightmare and that they are not alone in their home. What is going on, on this estate and why are the locals all acting strangely around them. As Jason tries to find a rational explanation for the bad luck and sightings they are experiencing he states to believe they may be in real danger but surely ghosts and superstition aren’t real?

Loved this book! Great Halloween read! Terrifying page turner! Not my usual choice of book! But I was totally into the story from page one! Brilliantly written!

I absolutely love Peter James & this did not disappoint. I recommend his books time & time again this is a must read to anyone that loves this genre.