Set in the early 1900's, After the death of her fiancé, during WW1, Stella, who is suffering from some personal mental health issues, goes to stay with her sister at Greyswick, an old and strange mansion, with even stranger goings on!

It takes a while to get to the heart of the story and it is written in quite old fashioned language, As another reviewer said, there is just too much descriptive prose which detracts from the story. The story lacked atmosphere, which was a shame and I also thought the characters were quite clichéd.

I thought this would be a good choice to read for Halloween but unfortunately it lacked the atmospheric build up I had hoped for.

I found this book hard going, I'm afraid! Just too much descriptive prose...I'm all for setting a scene, but this was over the top to the point of detracting from the story.

I don’t usually read this type of book, but I was drawn in and needed to know the ending. All is not well at Greyswick. Stella, back from nursing in the war, goes to the house to support her sister Madeleine, who seems unsettled. Are there unhappy spirits wandering the house? Madeleine’s mother-in-law dismisses the idea as nonsense, as does her companion, and the spooky housekeeper. Stella is determined to find out what is going on in this dark and unwelcoming house. Will she find out? Is she in danger? Anita Frank keeps us guessing and this book just gripped me.

This was a beautifully written story of loss, grief and spooky goings on.

Anita Frank, has a fabulous way of describing details to transport you to the books heart. Greyswick, the country mansion in this book became a character in itself.

Talking of characters there were some that you will love but, there are a few that will have you seething with anger.

I enjoyed this book, a superb debut novel.

The ending of this was quite well done, but I think it could have used a good edit and I was a bit frustrated that so much was recounted rather than being dramatic scenes.

The particular strength was in its depiction of the agency or lack thereof for women at the time, and throughout history, where any action not supported by society could be considered reason to have a lady treated in an asylum.

Anita Frank’s debut novel The Lost Ones is set during WW1. Stella Marcham is grieving the loss of her fiancé Gerald in the trenches. Her family are at a lost as to what to do with her so when her brother in law suggests she keep her pregnant sister Madelaine company at his country estate, Greyswick, while he does important war work, it seems the ideal solution.

As soon as Stella arrives at Greyswick she starts to feel uneasy, not helped by Madelaine’s tales of mysterious crying children and other ghostly occurrences, which are dismissed by her fierce mother-in-law as the delusions of a hormonal and hysterical woman. However, as Stella digs deeper she uncovers a web of dark family secrets and one particular tragic spirit who refuses to stay buried. The inclusion of psychic investigator Tristan Sheers, an enigmatic, war-wounded former soldier brought in by Madelaine’s husband to try to debunk the ghostly tales, adds a frisson of romance to the story and an element of truth to Stella and Madelaine’s assertions.

It’s a very atmospheric tale although I did think that the writing was a little flowery and over-descriptive at times. I also wondered whether there were plans for a series of books, as the friendship and respect between Stella and her maid Annie was developing well towards the end of the book and there was definitely unfinished business between Stella and Sheers.

A supernatural thriller set in 1917 with the horrors of the war affecting all families. Stella has been particularly affected by a tragic event and only a visit to her sister can alleviate her depressive state. Yet, on arrival at her sister's home, a series of troubling events suggest a house full of dark secrets.

Dialogue and setting are convincing and characters engaging, although some verge on the stereotypical. Stella is a super character, liberated in some ways by her experiences as a nurse on the front but restricted and frustrated by social conventions on her return to England.

A real page-turner and a delight to read.

(I was given an advance copy by the publisher in exchange for an honest review)

It's 1917 and Stella Marcham, grieving the loss of her fiance to the fields of France, is summoned to her sister Madeleine's side. Madeleine is pregnant and stuck in her husband's imposing country mansion, Greyswick, with only his cold mother and her few staff to keep her company. Since she's been there though odd things have been happening; toy soldiers have appeared in her bed and she can hear crying coming from the old nursery at night. Madeleine is terrified and her husband Hector thinks Stella's presence might help. Only once Stella and her strange maid Annie arrive, they begin to experience the same strange happenings too. Dismissed as hysterical women, Stella, Madeline and Annie have no-one to turn to and will have to solve the mystery themselves. Can they lay the ghosts of Greyswick to rest?

Part Downton Abbey, part Daphne Du Maurier, The Lost Ones is one of the best stories I've read this year. Though the subject matter is hard as the novel progresses and there are definitely a few triggers contained, *SPOILERS* (infant death, suicide attempts, murder, rape, the graphic nature of the horrors of war)*, at its core is a fantastic ghost story, perfect for those cold winter nights. As a mother I found certain parts hard to read but I couldn't put it down and stayed up late in to the night to finish it, it's gripping.

Stella is a fantastic female lead who always does everything you'd like her to do, never abating of faltering. I enjoyed watching her relationship with Annie develop, and her memories of her time with Gerald added an extra depth to her character. I loved the way she never backed down to Lady Brightwell or the awful Mrs Henge (I wanted to reach in and slap them both), and how she always found the strength to carry on for her sister. I felt for Madeleine but she also irritated me at times as I felt she exacerbated certain situations and was weak when contrasted with her sister.

The setting of Greyswick with its ghostly inhabitants, both alive and deceased, takes on a role all of its own and really comes alive on the pages; it's the perfect haunted house with walls full of secrets, and the ominous presence of Mrs Henge hiding in the shadows only serves to add to that. The writing is superb and you can almost feel all the supernatural goings on as if you're right there in the thick of it, it gave me goosebumps. The war related passages were really well done and Frank captured the overbearing attitudes of the time towards women perfectly too.

I can't believe this is Frank's debut novel, it's so well written and so clever with its twists and turns. To be fair I did foresee the majority of them as there were lots of little clues dropped throughout, as well as some red herrings, but I did enjoy the last little one concerning Lady Brightwell! I thought it was wrapped up really well with no stone was left unturned, and I was satisfied with the outcome for each of the chatacters. Spine tingling and heart breaking in equal measure, The Lost Ones is a tale that will grab you and haunt you for days to come.

I really enjoyed this book. The story is: It’s 1917 and Stella Marcham’s fiancé dies in the war. She’s not in good shape, being in grief. Her sister Madeline is pregnant and also struggling, so her husband Hector asks Stella to stay with them in Greyswick for a while. Her maid, Annie also goes with her. As you can imagine, after they arrive there, strange things start to happen in the house, so it’s a mystery why are these things are happening? What’s the secret?

This was a great supernatural, spooky, creepy read, perfect for Halloween! I liked the engaging writing. There were many characters with secrets, so it was a rich story rather than one dimensional.

The characters were unlikeable, very prominent and interesting, which made this book a page turner.
I would definitely recommend this and will be looking forward to Anita Frank’s next book. It was a very good debut that I was happy to discover 🙂

Thanks so much to HQ Stories and NetGalley for this copy!

This is a beautifully written book, with exacting descriptions, fully immersing the reader in the First Wold War period. Unfortunately the other worldly aspects of the story did not appeal to me. I wish it had been written as family saga or country house murder mystery instead of a ghost story. Readers who enjoy that genre should love it.

This is how you write a good ol' ghost story.
Set in 1917 in England, during one of the most devastating periods the world has gone through - the era of the Lost Generation. Husbands, sons, brothers and fathers struck down, whilst protecting their country. In an era where PTSD, shellshock were not recognised as genuine health conditions and trauma considered a weak personality trait, it's no surprise that grief is waved away as inconsiderate and inconsequential nonsense.

This is where the story starts with Stella. A brave young woman who has served her country and is drowning in grief since the loss of her childhood sweetheart. Grief that has driven her to attempt the last resort and in doing so has placed her firmly in the bracket of unstable.

To escape the prying eyes of her parents and the local head shrink she volunteers to keep her pregnant sister Madeleine company in Greyswick, the ancestral home of Madeleine's husband. She brings a maid called Annie with her - a young woman who has her own secrets.

The two of them find a distraught Madeleine, who is convinced she is being taunted or haunted by someone, which her mother-in-law and her companion find ridiculous. Is the hysteria catching or is there really something wrong at Greyswick?

That's as much information as I am willing to give, because readers should experience the read for themselves, both the creepy, the insidious and the moments that are guaranteed to make you angry at certain characters.

The story is set around the First World War, which plays a pivotal part in the characters lives and the storytelling, but for me it was also the only element of the book that was off-key in a way. Why, because it is written with the spellbinding magic of a slightly older era. The skirt-swishing Victorian era, the gothic atmosphere and sense of being taken back into time. I had to remind myself of the year it was actually set in.

It's an absolutely captivating ghost story, it's historical fiction, a plot written with a Christie crime vibe and executed with the same kind of precision. I very much hope this is the first of many stories by Frank - she is an excellent writer.

So this was exactly what I have been after lately, a gothic read that sucked me right into its intriguing narrative almost instantly and this one had all the gothic feel's attached, a tragic backstory with an almost ominous sense of looming dread overshadowing all.
This is set in 1917 and our Protagonist returns home from her duties as a nurse after the death of her fiancee Gerald in the war.
Struggling with her lingering grief a change is most definitely needed so when her brother in law asks her as a favour to join her pregnant sister at his family seat and keep her company in his absence Stella is only too happy to comply with his wishes.
She also takes Annie a servant along to act as her maid.
Annie also has a strange way about her that makes others uncomfortable.
So Greyswick is a house of secrets and its apparent from the start that Stella's sister is not quite herself and even seems scared.
A child crying in the night, toy soldiers being left in beds, things breaking and doors spontaneously opening all by themselves there is something unseen watching in this house of shadows.
Something that defies all logical explanations except maybe the obvious no matter how outlandish it may initially appear.
This was such a suspenseful and thrilling mystery a complete page-turner.
I enjoyed this massively and raced through in record time.
I also believe this is a debut author and they have done such an amazing job, very impressive indeed.
I did guess some stuff here but it didn't take away any of my enjoyment this really is one I recommend highly.
I voluntary reviewed a copy of The Lost Ones.

The Lost Ones is a fantastic ghost story, quietly unnerving rather than bone chillingly spooky yet immensely readable. I quickly found myself caught up in the lives of Stella and her strange maid Annie Burrows who find themselves spending a lengthy stay at Greyswick, home to Stella’s sister Madeleine and her husband Hector. Madeleine is with child and her husband is concerned about the state of her mind, believing a visit from Stella is all she requires to settle her sensitive disposition. However it soon becomes apparent that buried deep within the walls of Greyswick are many secrets and lies that beg to be uncovered, starting with the death of young Lucien. Will Stella manage to lay these ghosts to rest so that Madeleine can feel at ease? Or are her fanciful observations just the ramblings of yet another hysteric, deranged from grief at the death of her fiancé????
Full of a cast of wonderful characters from inhospitable Lady Brightwell, her close companion, the seemingly sweet Miss Scott and the formidable housekeeper Mrs Henge I found this to be quite compelling, eager for Stella to uncover the history behind this haunted house.
The atmosphere and tone of the novel is perfect with the writing exuding the right amount of creepiness when strange things occur in the night. Annie’s unnerving character is crucial to the plot in making the reader wonder whether Greyswick wants to reveal its dark secrets or whether Annie is a wrong ‘un, out to make mischief.
Whilst I think it is fairly easy to deduce some of the secrets the inhabitants of this house are reluctant to divulge, that didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment and I found it difficult to put down.
Definitely recommend and thank you as always to the author and publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good creepy story. Preferably one set in a spooky house and there has to be a mystery.

Voila. The Lost Ones by Anita Frank.

The Lost Ones is set during World War One. Stella Marcham has experienced sadness that no one should ever have gone through. She is sent to convalesce and grieve at her sister’s home but things seem to be getting worse rather than better. When no one believes Stella and her sister about the ghostly happenings at Greyswick, she leaves herself in danger of being sent to an asylum.

I have such a visceral response to the terrible history of women being made to appear as if they were crazy or mentally unhinged. It makes me feel physically sick. I have a genuine fear of gas lighting and especially during a period of time when women weren’t taken seriously and were treated like delicate flowers. Anita Frank’s fantastic writing made me feel so helpless and hopeless for Stella. My stomach was churning and my anxiety was peaked. If a book can make you have that much of a reaction then you know that it is written well.

As far as ghost stories go, The Lost Ones is one of the best ghost stories that I have read all year. Add in the multiple layers – war time, feminism, mental health – Anita Frank really has created a fantastic story; one that is still playing on my mind days after turning the final page.

The Lost Ones by Anita Frank is available now.

For more information regarding Anita Frank (@Ajes74) please visit her Twitter page.

For more information regarding HQ (@HQstories) please visit www.hqstories.co.uk.

Well, flipping heck, if this isn’t a great book I don’t know what is. I have many a spooky story in my time and some amazing ones at that, but Frank clearly has the knack for writing ghost stories that will keep you awake at night.

But before I get to the creepy stuff, let’s talk about the rest of the book. This is not ‘just’ a ghost story. It’s set in 1917, when hundreds of thousands of men were casualties of World War I. This is significant in the book as our main character, Stella Marcham, loses her fiancée in the fighting and as a result of some twists of fate, finds herself within the walls of Greyswick.

Troubled by the death of the man she loved and expected her family to effectively ‘get over it’, Stella finds herself in the grip of mysterious circumstances in the house and vows, for her sister’s sake, to discover the truth.

This is where things get really interesting. Early on in the book, the ghostly aspect is well and truly sinister and creepy, with an awful sense of foreboding. It genuinely scared me and I ended up reading for hours one night as I couldn’t put the book down but thought I wouldn’t sleep anyway! However, as the book progresses, it becomes clear that this isn’t just about scaring the reader – it’s about fairness, justice, and bringing the truth to light.

The other aspect of the book I absolutely adored was Stella’s constant battle to prevent herself from being put in an asylum due to ‘hysteria‘. The power exerted by a particularly odious character, Dr Mayhew, is terrifying in itself and how one man’s word can lead to a woman being locked up indefinitely because she has the audacity to grieve.

I could go on about this book all day, but I will refrain from doing so! In short, I highly recommend this book not only for it being a creepy tale but also for being a commentary on a woman’s perspective of World War I and the battle faced by women because they refuse to conform to society’s expectations.

Fast-paced, multi-faceted, and absolutely outstanding – I can only hope we return to Greyswick very soon.

We firstly meet Stella, during a melancholy phase, having lost her Fiance Gerald during the First World War, her deep love for him resonates throughout the book and stretches into death.

Stella has led a good life and yet sorrow has crossed her path on more than this one occasion, the sad death of her sister Lydia at a young age from a house fire firstly creates this pain she holds.

Stella has come back from France after Geralds’s death, being unable to continue with her nursing post there. We follow her to Greyswick, where her sister Madeleine had been ensconced, home of the Brightwells. Madeleine, Stella’s sister is pregnant and has been moved from London to the safety of Greyswick to escape the bombings, by her husband Hector Brightwell. But Madelaine’s anxiety continues and it’s clear, it’s not just because of the usual pregnancy worries.

Stange toy soldiers appear in Stella’s bed and the housemaids are questioned, such behavior doesn’t sit well with Lady Brightwell, she expects a certain decorum in her household. Nonsense talk of ghosts and silly carry-ons are brought into question and Stella’s presence in the house is no longer requested.

But the ghosts won’t rest and neither will Stella in her quest to quieten them. She digs deeper and finds out secrets that will tear the household apart. Cold-icy hands of family members long since past are felt by Annie, Stellas maid and Stella feels their presence also.

How can they solve the mystery of Greyswick and lay the ghosts to rest?

Anita Frank has captured perfectly the very essence of Greyswick, the oppressive heavy drapery the house is decorated in, the scenery sumptuous and evocative and vividly imaginable in your mind’s eye. The way the characters speak and carry themselves also adds to the story and creates a grandeur resonant of the day.

The storyline is enhanced by this and so becomes even more believable with talk of ‘below-stairs’ and the manner of the way life was conducted ‘back then’. I truly enjoyed this tale of spooky goings-on at Greyswick and Stella’s fight for justice for the restless, of her and Annie’s connection and for the path she paved for the strength of will she displayed.

Mourning the death of her beloved fiance, Stella Marcham returns home, thoughts of death and destruction running wild through her mind, predominantly the loss of Gerald. The war knocked the breath from her lungs but his death has snatched the life from her body. She can barely move under the weight of her grief. Gerald was her future. They had a lovely life planned and then all of it was destroyed with one fell swoop. Her mother is frantic, concerned for her mental health but Stella has lost her fiance not her mind.

When an opportunity arises to visit her pregnant sister, Stella jumps at the chance, desperate to finally see kind, up-beat Madeleine and also to escape the watchful eyes of her mother. But when she arrives at Greyswick, a sprawling country mansion, she is greeted by cold, secretive servants and a place gripped by animosity and fear. Madeleine is much changed, she is but a shadow of her former self, jumping at noises, stumbling on her own words.

In the beginning Stella shrugs off her worries, tells herself it is nothing. Madeleine is simply concerned for the baby. But then the place starts to shift around her and events take a horrifying turn. A child’s sobs ring out and wake her in the night, the cradle swings and creaks but there is no child to cry and there is nothing to rock the cradle. When small footprints appear on the staircase, it cements Stella’s belief that the dead are still very much present inside Greyswick. As she tries to solve the puzzle of who and why, she uncovers a dark legacy of secrets and deceit burbling away and someone, something, wants her to bring the truth – all the truth – to light.

The Lost Ones is a phenomenal debut novel from Anita Frank. With an atmosphere that ripples with tension and malice, a beautiful, claustrophobic setting, awe-inspiring writing and strong, intelligent characters, this is easily a new favourite for me. Any time of the year this will unnerve, startle and capture you instantly but for me I think this will become a book I read every Halloween, discovering new and wonderful facets of the books I didn’t see before. Stella and Annie were my favourite characters. I loved them for their strength and resolve, their fearlessness and determination to find the truth. This is a stunning book about love, loss, retribution and uncovering poisonous secrets that have festered away for decades. I adored it. Please read it!!

My thanks to HQ for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Lost Ones’ by Anita Frank in exchange for an honest review.

As its audiobook edition, narrated by Olivia Dowd, was published a few days in advance of the print editions, I obtained it and listened alongside reading the eARC.

This debut novel has been lovingly crafted in the tradition of classic works of Gothic fiction and proved very entertaining. Its tag line ‘some houses are never at peace’ was very evocative.

It is set in 1917 with the Great War raging on the Continent. Its central character and narrator is Stella Marcham, who has recently returned from nursing duties in France following the death of her fiancée in combat. As a result she is in deep mourning. When her brother-in-law, Hector, suggests that she goes to stay with her pregnant sister, Madeleine, at Greyswick, his country estate, Stella welcomes the opportunity.

She finds that Madeline is very stressed and full of suspicion and the house itself has an uneasy atmosphere. Stella’s maid, Annie, is sensitive to the unseen and finds herself drawn to an abandoned nursery at Greyswick. It soon appears that Greyswick is haunted by the ghost of a young boy.

Hector brings in a friend, Tristan Sheers, a former soldier with an interest in disproving the supernatural. He is convinced there is a scientific explanation for everything that has been happening or that the women are working themselves up into hysteria. Yet as the unusual events increase Tristan begins to doubt his former stance.

Frank develops the sense of wrongness at Greyswick quite slowly alongside an inhospitable atmosphere created by Hector’s mother, Lady Brightwell, and her housekeeper, Mrs Henge. It builds to a fantastic climax and I rather adored that Frank used the phrase: “he had inadvertently awakened the kraken.”

A brilliant, spooky read that is well plotted with great characters and plenty of surprises. Certainly highly recommended for those who enjoy stories of haunted houses with things that go bump in the night.

I will be looking out for future projects by Anita Frank.

In the wake of her grief over the loss of her fiancé in the war, Stella is summoned to help with her sister who has become somewhat ‘hysterical’ while awaiting the birth of her first child in her husband’s family home. When Stella arrives, she expects the usual anxiety of a young woman on the brink of motherhood but her sister is full of suspicion, unease and a certainty that all is not right at Greyswick.

After I got past the ‘oh this again’ opening, I actually thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed this one. It ticks all of the standard boxes for a book of this type, it’s eerie and atmospheric, mysterious enough to be compelling and more than a little twisty but... there’s more to it than that which, for me, set it apart from a lot of the others I’ve picked up recently.

The protagonist lacks the frustrating naivety of so many of her counterparts and was instead stubborn, resourceful and capable. The depiction of Stella’s grief and the way it’s treated by those around her is beautiful and heart wrenching, had me crying for a character I hadn’t met. I loved the historical context, the fear of being branded ‘hysterical’ that hangs over the entire novel and the flashbacks that slowly break your heart. I even enjoyed the ending (was missing just one thing!) which I think is the hardest part of a spooky read to get right.

A great debut!

I am a big fan of Gothic novels especially if they involve an old manor house and a ghost or two. This novel is all of those things so it's a big thumbs up from me.

With an array of characters, from house staff to family members you are left questioning who could be behind the strange recurring events that take place within the house. Is it a malice attempt to scare the newest member of the family or a trapped spirit trying to communicate?

As the story unfolds buried secrets come to the surface and the reader is caught up trying to solve the mystery of the house and it's occupants. This book is not for the fainthearted with all the ghostly goings-on, hence why I loved it so much.

As I read the epilogue I was genuinely touched by the messages of love, loss, forgiveness and moving on that were portrayed. I had been so caught up in the 'ghost' story that I hadn't given the other themes a second glance until the end where they all came crashing down around me, making me nostalgic and adding a complete new element to the novel.

My favourite quote and one that will stay with me is: 'the past is lost, but the future is still to play for.' What a powerful sentence.

Many thanks to Anita Frank for a truly enjoyable novel, and to Netgalley and HQ Stories for allowing me to read this before publication day.