The Toll - by Cherie Priest (Paperback)

About the Book

State Road 177 runs along the Suwannee River, between Fargo, Georgia, and the Okefenokee Swamp. Drive that route from east to west, and you'll cross six bridges. Take it from west to east, and you might find seven. But you'd better hope not. Titus and Davina Bell leave their hotel in Fargo for a second honeymoon canoeing the Okefenokee Swamp. But shortly before they reach their destination, they draw up to a halt at the edge of a rickety bridge with old stone pilings, with room for only one car...When, much later, a tow-truck arrives, the driver finds Titus lying in the middle of the road, but Davina is nowhere to be found.

Book Synopsis

A 2020 LOCUS AWARD FINALIST FOR BEST HORROR NOVEL

From Cherie Priest, the author of The Family Plot and Maplecroft, comes The Toll, a tense, dark, and scary treat for modern fans of the traditionally strange and macabre.

Take a road trip into a Southern gothic horror novel.

Titus and Melanie Bell are on their honeymoon and have reservations in the Okefenokee Swamp cabins for a canoeing trip. But shortly before they reach their destination, the road narrows into a rickety bridge with old stone pilings, with room for only one car.

Much later, Titus wakes up lying in the middle of the road, no bridge in sight. Melanie is missing. When he calls the police, they tell him there is no such bridge on Route 177 . . .

Review Quotes

Praise for The Toll

"A masterpiece of disquieted tension."--New York Journal of Books

Praise for The Family Plot

"Priest has written an excellent modern house story from start to finish." --Publishers Weekly, stared & boxed review

"Highly recommended." --Booklist, starred review

Praise for Cherie Priest

"Cherie Priest is our new queen of darkness, folks. Time to kneel before her, lest she take our heads." --Chuck Wendig

"With Maplecroft, Cherie Priest delivers her most terrifying vision yet--a genuinely scary, deliciously claustrophobic, and dreadfully captivating historical thriller with both heart and cosmic horror. A mesmerizing absolute must-read." --Brian Keene

"One of the best Lovecraftian stories I've ever read."--io9 on Maplecroft

"There are few writers I'd rather have keep me up half the night than Cherie Priest." --John Scalzi

About the Author

CHERIE PRIEST is the author of Boneshaker, the first book in the Clockwork Century series; I Am Princess X, her YA debut; and several other novels. She lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee.