The Bell Tolls at Traeger Hall

by

Jamie Jo Wright

Eerie, atmospheric dual timeline tales of mystery, deception, and murder!

The Bell Tolls at Traeger Hall by Jaime Jo Wright is a masterpiece of eerie, atmospheric mystery and cold-case murder, told through the eyes of two young women separated by more than one hundred years. I enjoy a dual-timeline story, and this one did not disappoint; I was hooked immediately by its dark, evocative descriptions, hidden secrets, and stuck to its pages all the way to its much more hopeful ending. 

In 1890, young Waverly Pembrooke’s rigid and severe uncle and aunt are brutally murdered in their big house overlooking the town of Newton Creek, Wisconsin. However, the odd provisions of her uncle’s will lead Waverly to lose the only home she has. Fast forward to the present day and to the tale of Jennie Phillips, who, after the death of her abusive father, which is soon followed by the death of her much-loved mother, is the new owner of the Traeger Hall estate, along with numerous other historic properties accumulated by her father. Traeger Hall has literally been sealed and bricked up for more than a hundred years, its brooding presence on the hill outside town an eerie beacon for tourists and the curious. On Jennie’s first visit to the property, she encounters a young local boy who leads her to a skeletal hand reaching up from its, until then, hidden, muddy grave. 

The plot unfolds at a quick pace, with startling revelations that open both time frames. While each of the heroines’ stories unwinds separately, the similarities of their pasts, though one hundred years apart, are striking as their tales converge. Twists and turns completely surprised me as old secrets came to light. The author’s storytelling is mesmerizing, and her descriptions of Traeger Hall placed me alongside the young women in each scene. The spooky-season timing of my reading this book couldn’t have been more perfect, with its monsters camouflaged as men, morally charged to protect both these girls. 

I recommend THE BELL TOLLS AT TRAEGER HALL to readers of gothic suspense, domestic thrillers, and mysteries. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.