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 Melanie 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 Melanie is nowhere to be found.
The Toll by Cherie Priest. Narrated by T. Ryder Smith. Published by Recorded Books, Inc. 2019. The total run time is 9 hours and 24 mins.
WOAH. So this was a pretty surprising supernatural story! I mean, I knew it was going to be good, because I love this author… but I didn’t really know what kind of supernatural thing we would be dealing with this time. Absolutely brilliant ghost story! I was so entertained “watching” how the story unfolded. I had no idea what to expect either. Yay! Surprises!
The plot is phenomenal. You know what else was phenomenal? The narrator! What a great voice. Absolutely perfect for this the location and characters of The Toll. Really captured the slow, relaxed cadence of rural south. He also does a superb job of expressing the escalating panic and anxiety the main characters go through.
I was beyond entertained. Basically from the very start the author had me on that hook. I loved listening to this. I really enjoyed spooky setting and the characters. I was pleasantly surprised by all the…. well, surprises! What a great story. I know this is one I will be revisiting sometime again in the near future. 🙂
Be careful when going over bridges, y’all… Something might be waiting for you under it…
Creature From The Book Lagoon 