Calvary Gaol, standing bleak and forbidding on the Cumbrian hillside, exerts a curious hold over Georgina Gray. For her family's history is closely bound up in its dark and terrible past. It's there that her great-grandfather worked as a prison doctor in the 1930s; where his involvement in a bizarre experiment would change the course of his life forever. TV presenter Chad Ingram is fascinated by Calvary too. For he plans to conduct a new experiment in the now-disused gaol - an experiment that will take place in the brooding desolation of the old execution chamber. Chad's experiment and Georgina's curiosity will have horrifying consequences. For someone has their own reasons for suppressing the shocking truth about Calvary. Someone who will go to any lengths to ensure the past remains buried ...
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About the Author
The author of seven terrifying novels of psychological suspense, Sarah Rayne lives in Staffordshire. Visit www.sarahrayne.co.uk
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
27 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
From one of the best opening chapters I've read in a long time right through to the final page, the author takes the reader on several exciting and enthralling journeys spanning more than four generations. There are wonderfully diverse characters, from the loathsome, Dickensian Ketch to the 21st century Georgina, via charlatan mediums and a contemporary TV crew researching a documentary. Spanning it all is the brooding malevolent presence of Calvary Gaol and its evil execution chamber. Throughout, the pace is pitched perfectly. On several occasions when I thought the tension couldn't increase, it's ratcheted several more notches, and then the author changes gear with remarkable dexterity. I believe this is Sarah Rayne's finest work yet.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In spite of a slowish start, I have to say that this is one of the best books I have ever read. At first I thought it was fairly average, then suddenly it really took off, with more twists and turns than you could imagine, it is crammed full of shocks and surprises. The charcterisation is excellent, from the heartwarming Lewis Caradoc and Walter Kane to the vile Ketch and Vincent Meade. The scenes in Calvary Gaol when two of the cast opt to spend a night in the execution chamber are truly spine tingling, and the way all the characters and events from the various eras in the past and present entwine together in the end is superb.
This was a bit of a change for me, I don't normally go for books that are not set in the present day but this one, which is part historical and part modern is quite fascinating, the way the past weaves in with the present brilliant, and there is even a bit of humour in there too, particularly Clara's snobbery.
It was the first of Sarah Rayne's books that I have read, but I have since ordered the rest and can't wait to read them.
This was a bit of a change for me, I don't normally go for books that are not set in the present day but this one, which is part historical and part modern is quite fascinating, the way the past weaves in with the present brilliant, and there is even a bit of humour in there too, particularly Clara's snobbery.
It was the first of Sarah Rayne's books that I have read, but I have since ordered the rest and can't wait to read them.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By S. Skelton
Format:Hardcover
I've been a huge fan of Sarah Rayne for quite some time now and always think after finishing a book of hers `well, the next one CAN'T be better'. Every time she proves me wrong.
The Death Chamber is by far her finest to date, with the trademark time straddling (she could teach Doctor Who a thing or two!), the rich, drawn out characters and the constant lingering cloud of brooding darkness Rayne has created a masterpiece.
At the heart of the tense and gripping plot is Calvary Gaol, a menacing murder's prison and it's execution chamber. A place that features in some way in the lives of all the central characters and their intertwining story that reaches out from the early1900s to the present day.
I was drawn in at the first chapter and held throughout the entire book, which, as all her previous novels was impossible to put down. I often found myself reading in bed, with prickles running down my arms, such is Rayne's ability to set a scene full of menace and an ominous electric atmosphere.
There is not a single fault I can pick out with this book...I loved all of the characters, was attracted to the `goodies' and loathed the `baddies'...was genuinely stunned at the many twists and turns thrown out all over the book (she could also teach the ride creators for Alton Towers a thing or two!)...And in awe that yet again, she comes up with a story this amazing, that try as you like, cannot be second-guessed.
I'm really struggling to find words of praise high enough for this book and I urge you all to read it and try yourselves. Simply perfect - I can't wait for the next one!
The Death Chamber is by far her finest to date, with the trademark time straddling (she could teach Doctor Who a thing or two!), the rich, drawn out characters and the constant lingering cloud of brooding darkness Rayne has created a masterpiece.
At the heart of the tense and gripping plot is Calvary Gaol, a menacing murder's prison and it's execution chamber. A place that features in some way in the lives of all the central characters and their intertwining story that reaches out from the early1900s to the present day.
I was drawn in at the first chapter and held throughout the entire book, which, as all her previous novels was impossible to put down. I often found myself reading in bed, with prickles running down my arms, such is Rayne's ability to set a scene full of menace and an ominous electric atmosphere.
There is not a single fault I can pick out with this book...I loved all of the characters, was attracted to the `goodies' and loathed the `baddies'...was genuinely stunned at the many twists and turns thrown out all over the book (she could also teach the ride creators for Alton Towers a thing or two!)...And in awe that yet again, she comes up with a story this amazing, that try as you like, cannot be second-guessed.
I'm really struggling to find words of praise high enough for this book and I urge you all to read it and try yourselves. Simply perfect - I can't wait for the next one!
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2.7 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great
Another scorcher by Sarah Raynew! Great psycho author however she does tend to flit between past and present in her books and I know some people find this frustrating, but her... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Claire
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent-a must read.
i have to say that,this book had me rivetted!i found it compelling reading,with a twist or a turn on nearly every page. Read more
Published 8 months ago by lady anna
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing
This was my first Sarah Rayne, solely due to the favourable reviews, but now i'm not sure we have all read the same book. Read more
Published 22 months ago by elrocio
3.0 out of 5 stars
Samey
Having got a few books by this author , I have to admit the more I read the less I am enthralled by them. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Ichabod
3.0 out of 5 stars
Unfulfilled potential
After reading the write-ups I thought this book might lead me to an author to compete with King, Koontz and Herbert. Not the case. Read more
Published on 15 May 2011 by Russ
2.0 out of 5 stars
Lurid multi-plot story that descends into a camp Hammer Horror
Georgina Grey's family inheritance is linked to Calvary gaol, site of many executions. Her great-grandfather saw his own father executed there in 1917 and then worked there himself... Read more
Published on 17 Aug 2010 by Roman Clodia
3.0 out of 5 stars
the death chamber
i was disappointed with this book.Thought the material was interesting but not as suspenseful as i'd hoped.wish i hadn't bothered
Published on 16 Aug 2010 by Mrs. Ea Judd
3.0 out of 5 stars
A creepy thriller
Disused Calvary gaol stands alone an a hillside in Cumbria. A young woman, Georgina Grey becomes interested in its past, when she suprisingly inherits a legacy from her... Read more
Published on 19 July 2010 by J.Flood
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Death Chamber
This was a thoroughly well-written and satisfying read, with a clever twist at almost each turn of the page. Read more
Published on 20 Oct 2009 by Mr. Keith G. Coulthard
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not Quite To Die For
Calvary Jail stands alone on a Cumbrian hillside, it's history of prisoners and
execution chamber haunting the now disused building. Read more
execution chamber haunting the now disused building. Read more
Published on 18 Oct 2009 by Mr. John Frank Herbert
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