Member Reviews

A Gothic ghost story that will grab you from the start. Well written characters with plenty of twist and turns in the tale to keep you interested and turning the pages. At times it is overly descriptive which can become tedious but overall a very enjoyable read.

Was this review helpful?

I LOVED this very sophisticated Gothic ghost tale that had me hooked from the first page. In my humble opinion, you really can’t beat a clever, evocative ghost story like this.

Set in 1917, Stella Marcham has been doing her bit for the war by assisting nurses in France but returns home in tragic circumstances when her fiancé, Gerald is killed in battle. ‘My grief for Gerald was not indulgent, it was all-consuming.’ Her sister Madeleine looks after her, especially when she seemingly doesn’t stop grieving early enough in the eyes of her mother and doctor.

A few months later, pregnant Madeleine has to go and stay with her mother-in-law in her husband’s grand and imposing family home, Greyswick. Stella, along with her maid, Annie Burrows go there to keep Madeleine company.

It is then that things start to get strange… ‘Either this house is haunted, or I am losing my mind. It’s not much of a choice, is it?’

As in any good ghost story, we meet an intriguing cast of characters, all with one or two secrets… There’s Stella’s maid Annie Burrows who is described as having ‘an otherworldliness to her.’ The mistress of the house, Lady Brightwell and her personal maid Miss Scott who have an unusually close bond and the prerequisite always-ominous housekeeper, Mrs Henge: ‘There are lots of shadows in Greyswick. Mrs Henge seems to occupy most of them.’ Perfectly paced, things reveal themselves at the right moment and the tension builds…

I really enjoyed the strong feminist theme in this book too. Stella is a confident, intelligent woman who finds herself silenced and overlooked simply because she is a woman. Due to Stella’s grief and Madeleine’s pregnancy, the sanity of the women is brought into question more than once, ‘I am sick and tired of men telling me I am unstable.’ But Stella’s feistiness wins out: ‘My vicious tongue with the powerful sting in its tail was the only weapon I had to defend myself’

I adored every page of The Lost Ones; part ghost story, part classic haunted house tale, part murder mystery, all wrapped up in a tone of voice that’s Georgian and modern at the same time – so wonderfully done. I was transported straight back to the era, got chills up my spine reading and could not stop turning those pages until the mystery was revealed! This is a fantastic debut by Anita Frank, I eagerly await her next book! If you love Gothic tales, pick this up immediately.

Was this review helpful?

3.5/5

A highly intriguing gothic paranormal mystery novel. I found myself invested in the murder mystery, particularly towards the end. The mystery was rather predictable from the start, hence why I was a little confused by the revelation of there even being a mystery around the 50% mark. Though the climax was similarly predictable, there were odd elements that I didn't see coming. I was slightly confused at the end though, as it isn't really clarified how Stella could see that one particular ghost...

Was this review helpful?

Set in England and based during WWI you are given an intriguing story.

Full of unsympathetic characters yet they somehow felt suited to the story arc.
The characters are portrayed well, and the story flows.

Quite an impressive debut novel from Anita Frank. It’s like Downtown Abbey with ghost stories thrown into the mix.

It was the right blend of gruesome and frighting for this historical novel, with plenty of spine tingling scenes,

The story starts of quite slow but once it starts flowing you race through it.

Thank you NetGalley

4⭐️

Was this review helpful?

Wonderful story. I love period dramas. Creepy thriller that had me hooked. Half murder mystery and half ghost story. Spine chilling until the end. Definitely recommend to anyone that loves to read books like The Woman in Black. Very well written.

Was this review helpful?

I've developed a thing for dark gothic stories lately, so this appealed to me. I wasn't dissapointed. Although there was nothing particularly dark about it, it was a great little ghost story. Kept me guessing til the end.

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to HQ Stories and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this novel for review.

This isn't the sort of book I would normally read, I prefer thrillers or crime novels.

It's set in 1917 and Stella is at home grieving after the death of her fiancee. Her sister, Madeleine, is pregnant and staying at her husband's family home. She isn't settling there and Stella joins her to cheer her up and also take her mind off her grief.
Stella initially dismisses her sister's concerns about the house and strange noises and sensations she experiences. However, soon Stella is hearing them too.
Is there a rational explanation or is the house haunted?

Madeleine's husband brings in a paranormal investigator and together him and Stella, with the help of her maid, manage to solve the mystery.

I found this book quite slow paced and I didn't really feel very invested in the characters.

Overall, it was OK but just not my type of book.

Was this review helpful?

I could not put this book down! It was brill page turner and I loved it! I found the plot fantastic. I also found the characters really interesting. I will defiantly be recommending this as a book club read. Thank you netgalley for the chance to read this in return for a review.

Was this review helpful?

Stella lost her fiancé during WW1 and is distraught. She goes to stay with her sister and finds secrets and strange goings on which helps to take her mind off her own misery. I would have given this book 4 stars because I really enjoyed the story, despite the overlong descriptions of everything. The amount of modern day terminology spoilt it for me - sometimes I thought the characters were from 2017, not 1917! It could have been reduced by about a third and would have been much better, in my opinion. I did enjoy the ghostly goings on an style of writing.

Was this review helpful?

The debut novel from Anita Frank is full of atmosphere, with creepy moments and great set pieces.
This is a classic ghost story , with the main character Stella distraught from the death of her fiance, during WWI
Suffering from depression she goes to stay with her sister, Madeleine, at Greyswick Manor, a rambling house that holds a secret and a haunting. Who is behind the haunting and why, is the puzzle that the two sisters feel compelled to solve.
For those that enjoy a simple ghost story then this is a great book that will keep you entertained. A mixture of whodunit and a classic haunting, this is a great book to curl up with, by an open fire (or in my case a warm radiator) and immerse yourself in it's pages.

Was this review helpful?

A page-turner (or even tapper?) of a story, this one will have you reading into the midnight hours.
The Lost Ones is a complex tale, but one that is carefully broken down as the book progresses, with the author providing all the reader needs to figure out the mystery, but not too soon. The setting, during WW1, and the cast - a mix of the damaged and damaging, alongside innocent witnesses - is beautifully drawn and backstories carefully laid-out, one piece at a time.
It's a ghost story, but not one designed to give you the shivers and sleepless nights, but one that will have you wondering and waiting and willing for all to come good.

Was this review helpful?

Absolute creep fest....! Loved it...!

Brilliantly written; a great little goth horror kinda book with well written characters and storyline! Good pace to it and had me actually scared in places for the main character! Seriously creepy and eerie book, it was fantastic!!!

Was this review helpful?

A gothic ghost story set during the First World War.
In the traditional style there is the spooky old stately home with its quirky design and creaks; the surly, large and masculine housekeeper who appears from the dark corners silently gliding in at the most inappropriate times; the dastardly lord of the manor; the staid Victorian doctor; the romance that ended in tragedy; secrets, mystery and fear; the damsel in distress.

However, the damsel, despite having been treated for an emotional breakdown (depression) is strong, determined and forthright. She sarcastically says why women cannot vote and likes to have a sneaky cigarette now and again. Plus she is set on discovering who or what is causing the ghostly goings on.

In a similar way, the story is balanced by demonstrating other explanations for the apparent supernatural aspects, which makes the ending less predictable. Although, in a tale such as this, there can only be one of two endings: the ghosts are real or they are not. Still, it is an interesting journey.

There are a couple of stereotyped characters (the housekeeper being the most obvious) but there are others sympathetically drawn. The protagonist's maid is a favourite. She also serves as a contrast to the attitudes and treatment of the different social classes during the early part of twentieth century Britain.

The diction is sometimes elevated in keeping with the gothic literature style but sometimes the phrasing is very modern. Overall it is a well written book and doesn't ramble too much, the descriptive scenes are adequate, the spooky tension is good. The climax is gripping if a little predictable with a nice little feature at the end.

​A good read, highly recommended.

Was this review helpful?

I loved this book, it was so creepy and scary at times. I’m not usually a fan of scary books and I’ve never read Susan Hill but, I thought I’d give this a try. I’m glad I did as I really enjoyed it. Although I times I found my mind wandering as I was reading, most of the time I just kept on reading.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Atmospheric and spooky ghost story, let down by an ending that fizzled out.

Stella is grieving the loss of her almost fiancee during the first world war. She returns home after serving as a nurse in France and has to find a way to live with her loss. Her sister Madeline helps her through the worst of her grief so when Madeline asks for her help Stella doesn't hesitate and goes to stay with her in Greyswick, an imposing and unwelcoming country manor. But Madeline claims she is being haunted, she is hearing noises of children crying in the night time and strange objects are been left in her bed. Is Madeline right or is someone in the household tormenting her?

I found this so easy to get into. It has a dark and claustrophobic atmosphere right from the start and Stella and is an interesting character to read. The backdrop of the first world war and the loss of Stella's fiancee gives the book a big emotional impact and adds weight to Stella's belief in the ghost and her desperation to uncover the truth.

I felt though that once Stella started investigation the ghostly happenings it started to feel a bit flat. I liked the Agatha Christie influence but the spookiness was lost and the big revelations at the end didn't have much impact. It ended with a load of people standing in a room talking about things and I wanted more from it.

But that's a minor point in what I found to be a very enjoyable read. This is a rich and rewarding read and I'm very surprised that it seems to be the author's first book. I will be looking out for more.

Was this review helpful?

I love ghost stories but prefer subtle ones that revolve around hauntings and unseen things making strange noises in the night. I dislike gory, in-your-face horror. The Lost Ones is exactly the kind of ghost story that I love. This is a gripping book and I was caught up in the strange atmosphere of the house and the secrets all of the characters are hiding. This is an impressive debut. I look forward to what Franks has in store next. I found all of the characters, even Stella quite unsympathetic and nasty. However, this didn’t detract from the enjoyment of the book.

Was this review helpful?

‘Some houses are never at peace’.
“Anita Frank weaves a spell-binding debut of family tragedy, loss and redemption” states the blurb and this historical haunting gothic style novel definitely delivers.
Set in England, 1917, Stella Marcham, goes to stay at ‘Greyswick’, an imposing country mansion with her pregnant sister following her fiancés death. She finds her sister gripped by fear and suspicion and soon Stella is also experiencing strange and unsettling happenings, such as crying in the night, and little footsteps on the stairs. Stella decides to investigate and uncovers the tragic history of the house.
An unsettling and haunting read in a gothic novel style which kept me reading well into the night as I could not put this debut novel by Frank down.

Was this review helpful?

This was a wonderfully supernatural book full of gothic atmosphere. Set in 1917 Stella Marcham has lost her fiance to the war and goes to stay with her sister Madeline who is struggling with her pregnancy.

Madeline has retreated to her mother in laws house - the family home of Greyswick. But all is not well. Stella's arrival is not met with kindness from her sisters relatives. In fact all is not well at the Greyswick house in general. Things start to go bump in the night. Even toy soldiers begin appearing in Stella's room. Both Madeline and Stella feel a sense of foreboding when they hear crying at night. Crying that no one else hears, and most certainly will not tolerate the 'hysterical' women causing such a fuss over.

Frank's writing has been compared to Susan Hill's and with good merit. The frustration I felt when Stella's fears were dismissed because she was a 'hysterical woman' who was letting her feelings of grief overcome her was palpable.

I will most certainly be reading future offerings from Frank!

Was this review helpful?

I don’t know who I am anymore because this was a spooky book but I managed to sleep just fine after reading it. I really quite enjoyed it in fact. Me enjoying a ghost story. Set in 1917, country house, reduced staff because of the war, you can feel the atmosphere on each page. Some weird people in that house and our main character struggling with the grief over the death of her fiancé, ponders more than once if she is losing grip on reality. And whilst I would not say that this novel does something unique and unusual, it does what it sets out to do really really well. Imagine Kate Moreton with ghosts.

Was this review helpful?

I so enjoyed this wonderful historical ghost story which has a great classical feel to it. It’s definitely one of the best books I’ve read this year.

I love books set in atmospheric old houses, especially when they are obvious full of history and hidden secrets. The house in this story definitely has a creepy feel to it and seems to be talking or interacting with the characters at times. This book is set in the last few years of the first world war in a time of great uncertainty and where a lot of people had lost loved one or had loved ones come home injured which lead to a lot of grief. I was shocked to read about how society reacted to grief and how a women grieving was easily dismissed as female hysterics. The book also shows how powerless women were at the time and how controlled by men they were.

There are some fabulous characters in there which I loved reading about and some I loved to hate. My favourite characters were definitely Stella and her quirky maid Annie both of whom I warmed to instantly. I felt very sorry for Stella as she has lost her fiancé and is struggling with dealing with everything. I was impressed with her strength and determination to try and discover the truth about what was happening in the house. The love she has for her sister was truly heartwarming to read about too. Mrs Henge helped provide a great villian to the story and she made me jump a few times with her ability to suddenly emerge from the shadows. She’s very menacing, especially to Stella, and I found it frightening to learn how much power she seemed to have over the household. It made me more impressed with Stella as she stands up to her which I don’t think I’d have been able to do.

This is an absorbing, gripping book which I thought was a fabulous read. I loved following all the supernatural incidents that happened in the house and enjoyed trying to figure out what was going on and why. The truth is revealed slowly and I liked that the author didn’t just focus on the supernatural elements to the story but added other threads which let me get to know the characters more. There are a few twists in the story which I wasn’t expecting and added another element to to the story which I though was very clever.

The ending was brilliant and I loved how everything was resolved. I felt quite sad to finish the book and have to leave all the characters, and the house, behind. I’d love to read more about Stella and hope that she features in another book soon.

Huge thanks to HQ Stories for me copy of this book via Netgalley.

Was this review helpful?