The Secret of Crickley Hall

By: James Herbert

Narrated by: David Rintoul

Length: 18 hrs

Publisher's summary

There is an old, empty house in Devil's Cleave, a deep gorge that leads from the high moors down to the harbour village of Hollow Bay. The house is Crickley Hall and it's large and grim, somehow foreboding. It's rumoured to be haunted. It's thought to hold a secret. Despite some reservations, the Caleighs move in, searching for respite in this beautiful part of North Devon, seeking peace and perhaps to come to terms with what's happened to them as a family.

But all is not well with the house. They hear unaccountable noises. A cellar door they shut every night is always open again in the morning. They see things that cannot be real. The house is the last place the Caleighs should have come to, for the terror that unfolds is beyond belief. Soon they will discover the secret horror of Crickley Hall....

©2006 James Herbert (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

one of the most perfect haunted house stories ever

I do not want to go into much detail about the book, but I will say this.... This Haunted House story has everything, it is probably the most complete novel about a haunting I've ever read... And I have read or listen to well over 500 books and this narrator sits firmly within the top five best narrators I've ever listened to in an audible book.... If you like creepy horror stories, purchase this book, you will not regret it

The SECRETS of Crickley Hall

The book should be called "The Secrets of Crickley Hall" as there is much to find out about this depressing and creepy vacation home. Herbert's dark and stormy night tale of tragedy and suspense is narrated perfectly by Rintoul. I found Rintoul's narration in some parts bordering on theatrical, I would score it as 4.5 if we could give half stars. The story has many layers which made it a "page turner" for me. Overall a great ghost story.

A killer ghost story!

I'm a complete and total supernatural horror junkie, and this book scratched that itch like nobody's business.

There are, as one reviewer mentioned, quite a few "secrets" rather than one "secret of Crickley Hall", and some twists you see coming, others less so! In the end, while the book doesn't try anything too wildly unique, it also doesn't try to convince us to feel afraid of topiary bunny rabbits or fire hoses the way some (mysteriously) more well-known haunting tales do.

Most of all, David Rintoul gave this his all, and it shows. It took me almost a week to figure out why I was having trouble falling asleep when I had been listening to this book before bed. Even when he wasn't reading frightening parts of the story, Mr. Rintoul delivered his lines with such riveting intensity that I was too psyched-up to fall asleep! And, given that audio is such a wonderful medium for horror, I can't overstate how wonderfully his performance complements the text.

A+ haunted house, would visit again if armed with holy water.

(Content warning: there is violence against children in this book. Not Wes Craven levels, and thank God it doesn't run to Humbert Humbert, if you follow me, but it is horror and it is horrifying.)

Very Nice Read

Any additional comments?

I first read Herbert's The Magical Cottage and was disappointed. Then I decided to try this book. I'm glad it did. Herbert does a good job in sustaining suspense throughout. At times it got a bit repetitive, but it doesn't really detract from the read.

The narrator is good, but does get bit too enthusiastic at times. This aside, he does a great job in adding to the tension and in depicting the different characters.

Perhaps the best thing about this book is how Herbert does not focus only on ghosts, but also on the capacity for human cruelty, which to me, is the real horror; there is a good balance between the two, which makes the story gripping.

If you're thinking of trying Herbert's work, this is a fantastic start.

The Horror that is Crickley Hall

A young family transfers temporarily to an old foreboding house with a horrific history unbeknownst to them.Having their own fairly recent tragedy with the disappearance of their only son,the family decides maybe a new change of environment will help with the upcoming anniversary of their sons disappearance.Little did they know that the distraction they all get is not what they wanted and needed.The awful history of the old house come back to torment them.The mystery behind their sons disappearance turns out even more tragic but gives the family some closure,but during the grief of finding out their son had drowned in the local play yards pond,the evil in the house uses this opportunity of their grief to reak havoc with the family,but together with a psychic and the old gardener whose worked at Crickley Hall since that tragic time,they find a way to send the good souls to where they need to be and give them peace,the souls who were the tormentors will always have unrest,and so it's deserved.Good story,great narration.

So-so

Not the suspenseful, spine-tingling story I was hoping for but entertaining nonetheless. The narration was generally good. The most dissatisfying part was needing to constantly adjust the volume because the narration swings back and forth between normal conversational volume and whispering.

Very Captivating

Enjoyed listening to this audio book, scary and captivating 5+stars. Excellent narrator. Will listen to more of the books by the author and narrator.

somewhat disturbing ghost story

atmospheric. spooky. Story lagged a bit in the middle. fairly traditional ghost story, will satisfy if that is what you are looking for.

Thoroughly Creepy

If you could sum up The Secret of Crickley Hall in three words, what would they be?

Touches every fear

What other book might you compare The Secret of Crickley Hall to and why?

The Haunted by Bickley Little
Tells of a tortured, purely evil soul bent on terrorizing it's occupants.

Have you listened to any of David Rintoul’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I haven't heard any of his other performances but I truly enjoyed him in this book.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I did but it also wasn't too hard to put it down as needed, rewind it a little when I got a chance and finish it up.

Decent...

What does David Rintoul bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Good performance.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It kept my interest but I was ok if I had to put it down and come back to it.

Any additional comments?

This is a good book for people that like ghost stories but don't want to be too scared. I found it to be some what predictable however I enjoyed the story, it was not just a ghost story but had a mystery to it also.