Book Review: THE LOST ONES by Anita Frank

Title: THE LOST ONES

Author: Anita Frank
Publisher: HQ Fiction
Read: December 2019

Expected publication: out now

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟

Book Description:

England, 1917

Reeling from the death of her fiancé, Stella Marcham welcomes the opportunity to stay with her pregnant sister, Madeleine, at her imposing country mansion, Greyswick – but she arrives to discover a house of unease and her sister gripped by fear and suspicion.

Before long, strange incidents begin to trouble Stella – sobbing in the night, little footsteps on the stairs – and as events escalate, she finds herself drawn to the tragic history of the house.

Aided by a wounded war veteran, Stella sets about uncovering Greyswick’s dark and terrible secrets – secrets the dead whisper from the other side…

My musings:

If you like Downton Abbey and ghost stories, then this mix of historical fiction, a grand old English estate setting and supernatural happenings should be right up your alley!

THE LOST ONES takes part during the dark days of WWI, which has robbed our main protagonist Stella of her fiancé. Even though her grief seemed very justified to me, her family have decided that enough time has now passed to put up a stiff upper lip and get on with her life again, and the family doctor even threatens to have her committed to a local asylum if she doesn’t snap out of it soon. Stella is relieved when she gets the opportunity to rush to the aid of her pregnant sister Madeleine, who is unhappily ensconced at her husband’s grand old family home, Greyswick.  Even though she doesn’t admit it to Stella (British stiff upper lip and all), she is becoming increasingly scared of the house, which seems to have an unhappy spirit residing on its upper floor. Madeleine has heard pitiful sobbing at night, and unexplained bumps from upstairs that set her teeth on edge.

Wonderful! And herewith the scene is set. Spooky old mansion – tick! Unhappy main protagonist with a tragic past – tick! An antagonistic mother-in-law (Madeleine’s) – tick! And dark family secrets that threaten to come to light. I was really looking forward to finding out what was going on here.

I loved the blend of historical fiction and ghost story, which is always a hit for me, especially when the setting includes an old gothic mansion. I could vividly picture Greyswick and was glad that I didn’t have to spend the night there! Also interesting was the author’s portrayal of her female characters, and their standing in society at the time, which added depth to the tale. Imagine being threatened with a mental asylum because you are grieving your lover’s terrible death in the trenches – hmmmph! The only character I found lacking was Tristan, who remained quite shallow and underdeveloped for me. I thought that this particular character had more potential to feature in the story, and I would have liked to get to know him a bit more deeply. I also think that the book would have been more scary for me had the supernatural activity been experienced by Stella rather than filtered through Alice, a character I found difficult to engage with.

Summary:

That said, THE LOST ONES was an entertaining read that should appeal to both lovers of historical fiction as well as those looking for a ghost story that is not overly gruesome or frightening. Lovers of truly scary supernatural tales may find it a bit tame, however. Personally, I loved the atmospheric setting most of all, and the Du Maurier vibes that infused the story. I am interested to see what the author comes up with next.

Thank you to HQ Fiction for the free copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.