I liked that this covered the effects of the first world war on the women who were left behind and how it was combined with elements of horror and gothic mystery. This reminded me of a Little Stranger by Sarah Waters and it was the writing that stood out and made me like this. Stella, for the most part, was an interesting character and I liked how all the different relationships in her life was shown. The ending was well down and I liked how it played out.

I do enjoy a good gothic novel, with or without an actual supernatural element, and the horrors of the First World War lend themselves just as well to the genre as do any number of bleak moors and crumbling, isolated mansions in the 19th Century. This story is set in the latter years of the war, and its heroine has certainly experienced many of the horrors first-hand, as we will gradually learn. Sent home from her VAD posting in France after witnessing the death of the man she planned to marry, Stella Marcham is staying with her mother, who is becoming increasingly frustrated at Stella’s inability to let go of her grief for someone to whom she was never officially engaged. When she is invited to stay with her newly pregnant younger sister, who has recently announced her pregnancy, Stella assumed she is required merely to provide some company in a house full of older women – her brother-in-law is working in London while Stella’s sister stays at his country residence – but she soon finds her sister has much more pressing reasons for wanting her there.

Stella and her sister find themselves the victims of what seem at first to be a series of pranks: toy soldiers appear in their beds, and other items are mysteriously moved; however, they soon come to believe that the house is haunted by the younger half-brother of Stella’s brother-in-law. Their suspicions are confirmed by Stella’s young maid – brought with her from her mother’s house – who has inherited her father’s ability to see and communicate with the troubled dead. As Stella tries to investigate the boy’s death, she is thwarted repeatedly by her sister’s mother-in-law, by the older lady’s paid companion, and by the threatening, constant presence of the mansion’s mysterious housekeeper.

Stella uncovers a number of secrets the family would rather keep hidden, but her brother-in-law believes Stella’s fears to be entirely bound up in her grief – and her sister’s to be due to worries concerning her pregnancy – she has already lost one baby – and so he hires an investigator to disprove the presence of any supernatural influences within the house. Of course, the opposite soon happens and lives begin to be put in danger as Stella draws ever closer to the truth of what happened in the house nearly thirty years earlier.

I enjoyed this book. There were times when I got frustrated with one or other of the characters for failing to notice something that I thought was obvious, and there were also a few too many cliches surrounding the housekeeper’s motivations. On the other hand, I liked all the glimpses of both the different effects, both mental and physical, that the war had had on the characters, and the insights into a lifestyle that was slowly coming to an end for those who had reaped the benefits of their positions in society before the war broke out. I’d like to see what else this author comes up with.

This was a very long story which moved very slowly. Set at the end of the First World War, it tells the story of a young woman, returning from the war and suffering from the death of her fiancé. She visits a house called Greyswick where she uncovers dark family secrets. A kind of Ghost story.

The Lost Ones is a cross between a classic Gothic horror story and a classic murder mystery.

One the one hand, we have the hovering threat of the asylum, cradles rocking themselves, and mysterious sobs in candlelit corridors. Then we also have an assembly of suspects, plenty of cryptic clues, and a dramatic final reveal before a shocked gathering.

The obvious comparison here is with The Woman in Black, but actually there are also hints of The Yellow Wallpaper, and even more of mysteries such as The Woman in White or any Agatha Christie classic. And Mrs Henge definitely has a touch of the Danvers about her!

The plot follows Stella as she attempts to deal with her grief at the loss of her fiance, help her sister and solve a ghostly mystery. Meanwhile, society and even her loved ones suspect all of the above as signs of insanity and emotional instability, and try to ‘help’ her to repress her feelings and opinions, and return to a model of obedient, passive submission. Luckily, Stella has the will and wit to resist, as well as the fortune of her birth and social standing.

Poor Annie Burrows, housemaid, is less fortunate. Born into a lower station in life, burdened with ‘odd’ mannerisms, and grieving the death of her father, she has plenty of adversity of her own to face. But yet these two unlikely allies both find they have a common cause when it comes to helping others and seeking justice.

The common themes throughout the story are those of mental health, female solidarity, and the dismissal of a woman’s competency for good, evil and everything in between.

An ideal story for those who love Gothic mysteries with a paranormal flavour and feminist subtext.





I always thought it strangely fitting it was Jim Burrows that plunged into the flames that night to save Lydia, though tragedy would result for both our families. It was as if the fates of the Marchams and the Burrows were inextricably entwined. And now some would say I owed Annie Burrows my life, but I chose not to dwell on that.

– Anita Frank, The Lost Ones


Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog

What a brilliant read this was. Lots of twists and turns I could not stop reading. Stella is a strong and courageous woman trying to overcome her own grief while helping her sister overcome her fear of the family home being haunted. Loved it. The only fly in the ointment for me were lithe few silly mistakes that I spotted, but overall a good book.

If you are a fan of creepy houses and ghost stories then look no further! I have found this book to be a real rollercoaster of a read, chilling and compelling, and it's left me listening out for noises when I'm in the house alone..... and thankfully I've not found any toy soldiers placed strategically in my room! Yet!!

This is the story of two sisters, and Greyswick, a large country house where Stella goes to stay with her sister Madeleine , and her husband Hector, as they are both dealing with different emotional moments in their lives. Stella has just lost her fiancee in the war and the grief for her is unbearable. She sees no point in living, and if it wasn't for her maid Annie, then she wouldn't still be here. Her family seem to be of the 'snap out of it' opinion and think it's best for her to visit her sister who is currently pregnant and seemingly having a few issues of her own!

Their time at Greyswick is immediately plagued by ghostly goings on! Baby cries, toy soldiers appearing in rooms, and while many in the house seem to willingly ignore what is going on, Stella and her sister are never allowed to settle and start to poke around in the history of the family and house, and enter those rooms supposedly out of bounds! What follows is a pulsating story that quickly unravels into something much darker and deeper.

What captured me was the attitude of the menfolk putting it all down to hormones! Those hysterical women imagining things because they had emotional issues!! Quite shocking to us now! I do love a good ghost story and this one fits brilliantly into the genre! Using the emotions of the sisters, the history of the family and their secrets and the setting of the house to perfection!

The Lost Ones is a gothic horror set during the First World War. It's 1917and Stella Marcham has already experienced a traumatic war. She has lost her fiancé, and seen more than most women as a nurse on the front line. She is grief stricken and it's highly possible that she has PTSD. Her brother-in-law asks Stella to go and keep her pregnant sister company at his country home, as she is experiencing strange occurrences, and he feels that she needs some support. He doesn't believe Stella's sister when she says that she can hear a child crying: there are no children at Greyswick.

I loved this book! it made me jump, gasp out loud and burst out in nervous laughter. It's worth bearing in mind that I was on a long train journey as I was reading this, so there are probably a number of people between Skegness and Chester who either think I'm a little unhinged, or are dying to know what I was reading (I'm considering wearing some sort of badge on long train journeys, that says 'currently reading (insert book name here)'. I'm sure it'll explain to people my frankly erratic behaviour in cases like this.).

Anyway, this book deserves any hype it gets, and I strongly suggest that if you're a fan of historical fiction with a gothic bent, you go out, buy and read this immediately. And read it in public. I can't always be the one to show herself up like this.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ for my copy of this book.

Stella is still grieving the lost of her husband from 1917. Her sister Madeline is struggling with her pregnancy when her Husband suggests that Stella should stay with her at his family home Greywick. Stellar goes to stay with her sister along with her maid Annie.

Soon after Stella’s arrival strange events start to happen. Toy soldiers appear on beds, doors shut, lights go out and the sound of crying echoes through the house.

What is causing these strange events and what secrets will be discovered along the way?

This book will have you hooked from the very beginning drawing you in to discover the secrets hidden in the past waiting to be discovered.

Thank you to Netgally for a copy in exchange for a review.

If you are looking for a historical fiction, which is a ghost story and a murder mystery then this is your novel. However if your not looking for these things this is still a great read!

I love this genre, so I knew I was going to be a fan however what I wasn't expecting was the depth and the level of details in this novel, especially from a debut author. The plot was really compelling and although the book was quite lengthy I didn't want to get to the end, I was so wrapped up in the mystery and the characters.

Probably my favourite book of the year.

It has been a long time since I have read a proper ghost story and I loved it. It ticked all the boxes of a classic gothic story. Mystery, suspense, hauntings and scepticism set in a gothic building with colourful characters. It made me leave the light on and keep turning the pages to know the end. Great read.

Not my usual type of book but I enjoyed it. Although it did take a while to read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

I was sent a copy of The Lost Ones by Anita Frank to read and review by NetGalley.
This is a well written ghost story/mystery set in rural England during the First World War. The characters are nicely drawn and there is plenty of suspense to keep you reading on. I did have an inkling as to the heart of the mystery before I reached the end of the book but that didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the novel in any way.

Well, this book was definitely something different from what I was expecting and what I usually read.
I enjoyed it more than expected and the characters are compelling and interesting.
Throw in the fact that it’s a historical fiction story, it added to the overall plot very well and I was captivated by the writing style as well .
Definitely a book to be recommended.

I love a ghost story, but I am very picky when it comes to picking up new ones, because I was spoiled at a very young age when I read the work of a wonderful array of authors in the Virago Book of Ghost Stories and two more collections that followed that one.

This is a rare case of a new ghost story catching and holding my attention.

I was intrigued by the setting and by the central character.

The story is set in England, towards the end of the Great War; a time when so many people were haunted by the deaths of young men far from home. Stella Marcham was one of those people. She had been a VAD nurse, she had worked hard and well, but she had been sent home after she was stricken by grief over the death of her fiancé Gerald.

Stella's parents were sympathetic, but as time passed they found it hard to deal with and they failed to understand why she couldn't come to terms with what had happened and start to live again. They began to wonder if their daughter was mentally ill.

They thought that a change of scene might help her, and an interesting opportunity presented itself. Stella’s sister Madeleine was pregnant, and her husband had insisted that she left London for the the safety of the countryside. He had left her in the care of his mother, Lady Brightwell,  st his family's country home, Greyswick while he continued his war work in the city. Stella would be a companion for Madeleine, and Madeleine would be a distraction for Stella.

The two sisters were delighted to be reunited; but Stella was concerned about her sister. Madeleine was unsettled, unhappy, and inexplicably fearful. Lady Brightwell said that she was foolish, that nothing could be wrong, but Stella knew her sister too well to believe that and she tried to work out what the problem might be.

It wasn't long before she saw the first signs.

And then there was a noise in the night: Stella and Madeleine - and no one else - heard the clear and inexplicable sound of a child crying ....

The story is captivating, the prose is lovely and nicely understated - I loved that it left space for me to think and to ponder. The description of the house and its grounds brought the setting to life; and the period, the place and the mood were wonderfully evoked.

The ghost story works well; there are times when it is genuinely frightening, and there are times when it is clear that there is a desperately sad story behind the haunting of Greyswick.

The human story wrapped around this ghost story had much to say.

It spoke of the position of women in a world where men govern society and determine how they should live; and of how that could make women victims, and of how women might use the little power that had for good or for bad.

It spoke of that society's treatment of grief and of mental disturbance; and of how those things could make a person terribly vulnerable.

Most of all it spoke about love and loss, through Stella's story and through other plot strands. As Stella strove to help her sister and to uncover the secrets of the house, she knew that she had to be strong; and though she would always grieve for Gerald she began to find a little comfort in the memory of him and of the time they had spent together. That was beautifully and sensitively done,

Of course, all of this only works if there is a cast of characters who are real and believable. This book has that. I was particularly taken with Stella, with her maid, Annie, who came from a family said to have psychic powers, and with the way their relationship moved from the traditional one mistress and servant to a very different one where the servant was superior to her mistress. Annie brought something different and distinctive to this tale, as did the three women who had lived in the house for many years - its mistress, her companion and her housekeeper. A wonderfully diverse cast of women!

I worked out how the story would play out a little earlier that I feel I should have, I found it predictable and a little contrived in places, and I think that this would have been a better book if certain of the story-lines had been pruned a little; but I was captivated from start to finish.

I could easily believe that the author had read and loved and learned from the work in those collections of ghost stories that I love and remember so well.

This book isn't <em>that</em> good, but it is very good; beautifully written, evocative of time and place, and holding a story that has much to say and much to haunt its readers.

The Lost Ones is an absolutely terrific ghost story in the classic mould. It’s all there: spooky goings-on in an inhospitable country house, an intrepid female protagonist, a Mrs Danvers-style intimidating housekeeper and even a sceptical male investigator determined to prove the strange happenings are all in the women’s minds.

It’s 1917 and narrator Stella is deep in grief for her fiancé Gerald. When Stella’s brother in law asks her to travel to Greyswyck, his family home, to be with her pregnant sister Madeleine - who’s finding both the house and her mother in law, Lady Brightwell, distinctly unwelcoming - she agrees to go (taking with her Annie, a young maid with an unsettling way of apparently seeing what others can’t)... but could never have predicted what she will find there. Toy soldiers in her bed and mysterious crying in the night are only the start of what will turn out to be a dark family mystery.

I loved the character of Stella - self-described as “argumentative, quick-tempered and cutting”, she’s also loyal, intelligent and with a fierce independence of mind. In many ways, she’s a woman out of her time. It was a pleasure to spend time with her.

The Lost Ones was a wonderful read with engaging characters, an at times heart-wrenching plot (I did guess the secret ahead of time... or at least part of it) and a beautifully created atmosphere. I didn’t want it to end - although the end was satisfying. And I can even imagine a sequel of sorts featuring certain of the characters... I’d definitely read that.

It’s 1917 and Stella Marcham, an ex-VAD, is mourning the loss of her fiancé, Gerald. She can’t see a reason to carry on her life without him now she’s lost the future she had imagined. Stella’s heartache is all consuming and she’s tried kill herself a couple of times. She is constantly watched over by her mother and her physician believes she should spend time in an asylum, so when her brother-in-law, Hector contacts her and asks her to go and stay with her pregnant sister, Madeleine, Stella jumps at the chance.

Madeleine is struggling to cope with life at the gothic mansion, Greyswick, where she’s been sent to live with her mother-in-law, Lady Brightwell away from the dangers of London. Unfortunately for Stella she is forced to take family maid, Annie Burrows with her to Greyswick. Annie makes everyone uneasy with her strange ways, but her father lost his life trying to rescue Stella’s younger sister from a house fire years before and Stella’s mother insists on employing her. Stella isn’t comfortable in Annie’s presence but has no choice but to make the best of things if she wants to get away from her family home.

Stella arrives at Greyswick and discovering the gloomy, tense atmosphere, isn’t surprised to find that her sister is finding it difficult to settle there. She soon realises though that it’s not simply Lady Brightwell’s harsh ways troubling Madeleine and that there is much more to Greyswick than she could have realised. When Lady Brightwell, her companion Miss Scott and the foreboding cook, Mrs Henge mock Madeleine for insisting that she can hear ghostly cries in the night, Stella decides to help her and when she hears them for herself, she determines to discover the secrets behind this family’s past and the imposing gothic façade of the mansion.

Hector invites amateur ghost hunter and injured army veteran, Tristan to stay at Greyswick and carry out tests to put everyone’s mind at rest. Stella initially hopes that Tristan will find proof that she and Madeleine are not imagining things, however she soon discovers that Tristan will find an explanation for even the most impossible events. Finally, though they are unable to pretend that nothing is going on and finally get to uncover the past, and the reasons behind those ghostly tears.

I did struggle to get into this book, but once I was drawn in, I could not tear myself away from it. This is an enjoyable read and as the drama heightens the twists and turns increase taking the reader to an astonishing, heart wrenching ending.
The Lost Ones reminds me a little of The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell, another enjoyable read.

My thanks to the publishers HQ and NetGalley for an arc copy in return for an honest review.

The Lost Ones tells the story of Stella Marcham, who is in mourning after the death of her fiancé, Gerald, during the First World War. She was a nurse with the Voluntary Aid Detachment in France but is sent home to Haverton Hall after Gerald’s death, where her family, including her sister, Madeleine, try to improve her spirits. Stella is, understandably, still very upset and distressed but the rather unsympathetic Dr Mayhew encourages her to take pills to ease her ‘hysteria’ and seems keen to have her sent away to a ‘country retreat’ (asylum for well-to-do women).

Later on, we discover that Madeleine is pregnant and has been sent to stay with her husband, Hector’s mother, Lady Brightwell, at the family country estate, Greyswick, for her own safety while the air raids are ongoing in London. Madeleine is struggling emotionally and physically with pregnancy and Hector visits Stella and suggests that she stays at Greyswick as company and support for her sister.

A few days later, Stella and maid, Annie, catch the train to the village of Wick and, after a chauffeur-driven ride in a Rolls Royce to Greyswick, are greeted happily by Madeleine but rather unenthusiastically by the housekeeper, Mrs Henge, and Lady Brightwell.

Stella is rather concerned by Madeleine’s pale and drawn-looking face and her sister eventually confesses that she’s afraid and not sleeping due to strange goings on at the house – people entering her room despite the door being locked, toy soldiers being left in her bed and drawers, and random crying and creaking noises at night.

Madeleine believes the house is haunted but others are rather dismissive and after Lady Brightwell’s companion, Miss Scott, phones Hector with her concerns, he returns with a man called Tristan Sheers, who was injured during the war and lost a leg. It turns out that Sheers has studied the subconscious and has been enlisted to discredit the sisters and come up with sensible explanations for what has been happening at the house.

Stella, Madeleine and Annie are convinced that the house hides dark secrets and they’re not prepared to accept Sheers’ supposition that they’ve made everything up and it’s all in their minds. What follows is an intriguing, haunting and tense investigation to uncover the truth.

This book is well-written and cleverly layered and the tension grew as the story progressed; various chilling happenings occurred and we learnt more about some shocking and dark secrets from the past.

There was a good mix of characters: the main protagonist, Stella, who was grieving and devastated but also determined to protect her sister and get to the bottom of what was happening at Greyswick. I really liked the maid, Annie, who is thought of as odd and a troublemaker but she actually has a special gift and hidden depths and I was pleased that she grew in confidence as the story progressed. Tristan Sheers was rather sceptical at first and I thought he was going to be a negative influence but then he enthusiastically helped to uncover the truth.

This deliciously spooky and haunting tale was beautifully descriptive and I could really picture the atmospheric, haunting mansion and loved the descriptions of all the characters and the strange happenings. The ending was explosive and dramatic and tied up all the loose ends nicely!

The Lost Ones was an intriguing mix of genres with elements of a ghost story, Gothic fiction, supernatural occurrings, a historical tale, murder mystery and a war story. Something for everyone!

I really enjoyed Anita Frank’s debut novel and will definitely look out for her next book.

I was curious to read this début novel -The Lost Ones - by new author, Anita Frank as I liked the interesting premise and I love to read a good historical mystery.

The story is set in Greyswick, a Gothic mansion, in 1917. Greyswick is a house full of unease, as Stella Marcham discovers when she finds herself looking to move on following the death of her fiancé. On her arrival she realises that her pregnant sister, Madeleine is gripped by fear and suspicion, the cause of which is apparently Greyswick. Aided by a wounded war veteran, Stella sets about uncovering Greyswick’s dark and terrible secrets.

Against this spooky backdrop, the narrative develops to include paranormal happenings and a murder mystery. The intriguing story-line totally captured my attention from the start as I found myself transported into Greyswick. The atmosphere of time and place have clearly been well-researched by the author and the feeling was extremely authentic and quite chilling. The plot flowed well with some satisfying twists and turns that helped to keep my interest.

The author’s writing style was very appealing, brilliantly encapsulating the core of the scenes that I was visualising whilst reading. Anita Frank’s special way with the prose made this complex and enthralling horror story very unique to me.

Overall, The Lost Ones is a very worthwhile read with loads of scary moments and plenty of atmosphere. Don’t read it in the dark, on your own!

Thanks to NetGalley, HQ and the author, Anita Frank, for my complimentary copy of The Lost Ones. My honest review is entirely voluntary.

Well that was a very enjoyable book.

Set during the First World War, Stella is asked to visit her pregnant sister, Madeleine, at her home. Madeleine’s husband is concerned about her behaviour and hopes Stella’s visit will help.

It soon becomes evident that Madeline believes her home is haunted. Stella does not believe it until she,too, hears crying during the night and noises emanating from the old unused nursery.

With the help of the maid, Annie, who can see the ghost they try to work out why the ghost has not passed to the other side and what he is trying to tell them.

Throw in a scary housekeeper, a stern mother in law and a visitor who is a non believer in the supernatural and we have a brilliant debut by a very talented author.

It kept my interest until the last revealing page!

This novel, in the style of The Woman in White, is set in Greyswick, a Gothic mansion, in 1917. Against this backdrop , the narrative develops to include paranormal happenings and a murder mystery. The atmosphere of time and place are clearly well researched by the author and feel authentic and quite chilling. The plot flows well with satisfying twists and turns that kept me reading at times when I started skim reading descriptive passages that I found over long and in need of editing.