Loved this book it was creepy which is what you want in a ghost story but it also kept you guessing after each chapter.

I was gripped by this haunting tale perfect for fans of The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell. It's a haunting, spooky story set in a rambling old mansion in the aftermath of world war one.

Stella a grieving young woman, having returned from nursing wounded soldiers and the loss of her fiance takes her maid Annie to join her married sister Madelaine in her new marital home where the pregnant young woman is struggling to fit in, balancing a difficult mother in law, with eerie goings-on in the house, no wonder her nerves are jagged.

But Stella has to take on more than she expected and its clear Annie is hiding something as strange inexplicable occurrences lead to the conclusion the house must be haunted.

With a creepy gothic feel, it's a haunting, emotional story with lots of unsettling events, threaded with horrific memories, grief and an underlying theme of women struggling for emancipation in an era when a husbands word was law and women were expected to be obedient and biddable.
Can't fault it - a great debut.

Superb story that draws you in from the start and keeps you gripped until the end, I will definitely be reading more from this author

I’m not inclined to hyperbole and don’t often give out fives stars, but I strongly felt this book deserved it. I was utterly mesmerised by it. This book is so much more than just a ghost story. It deals sensitively with grief and raises some really interesting feminist issues. The atmosphere of the text was delicious, it reminded me of J L Carr’s ‘A Month in the Country’. I was so entirely compelled by this story that I read half of it in one afternoon.

I have no hesitation in strongly recommending this book. I’ll actively seek this author out in the future.

A true ghost story from the very beginning. The story did not hold many surprises but nevertheless the author conveyed a feeling of creepiness and unease. A well written book.

The Lost Ones is an incredible debut by the very talented Anita Frank. The precisely chosen words are accompanied by a tense plot that makes this novel a real page-turner. With tridimensional characters and accurate settings, I believe this novel will appeal to a wide audience and not just ghost stories aficionados.
Without giving away to many spoilers I'll say that it's impossible not to be rooting for Stella and her maid Annie that with the help of the initially unlikeable Mr Sheers take on more than a haunted mansion to get justice.
A fantastic 5 stars book that deserves to be on your TBR pile.

An enjoyable First World War ghost story, with somewhat Victorian overtones (a touch of Dickens, but owing more of a debt to Wilkie Collins). It’s relatively insubstantial, but an effective atmosphere is built up, and the short chapters give a sense of pace and growing dread in the characters - if not in this reader. As a huge ghost story fan there was little that was original or surprising here, but the pieces all slot together effectively. One for dark afternoons and evenings by a roaring fire with tea and cake.

Loved it. From the beginning I was pulled in by the characters. It was sometimes eerie & very atmospheric while also being suspenseful. A real page turner.

Genre: Fiction, mystery
Publisher: HQ
Pub date: 31 October 2019
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Stella Marcham's life is thrown upside down when her fiance dies during the war. A nurse in France she returns home to England in grief.

Utterly depressed she jumps at the chance to visit her sister Madeline who is expecting a baby.

Little do they know their lives are about to get  whole lot stranger. This encompasses mystery with a bit of a ghost story that I thought may put me off but I was wrong.

This book has fantastic characters, I absolutely loved Cook and Annie. The storyline is great with a mighty twist or two at the end. I couldn't put this down and finished it within a day!

It wasn't my usual genre as I don't usually read anything with supernatural elements but I really enjoyed it. There was just the right amount of detail about surroundings and people to bring them to your minds eye.

Excellent book I look forward to reading more!

The debut novel from Anita Frank is full of atmosphere with creepy moments and great set pieces. This is a classic ghost story , with it's central character Stella, reeling from the death of her fiance, during WWI
Suffering from depression she is sent to stay with her sister, Madeleine, at the imposing, Greyswick manor, a rambling house that holds a secret and a haunting. Who is causing the haunting and why, is the puzzle that the two sisters feel compelled to solve.
For those that enjoy a simple ghost story in the vein of Susan Hill's The Small Hand, 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 and immerse yourself in it's pages.

This ARC was courtesy of netgalley - all thoughts and opinions are mine and unbiased
I also post of Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes&Noble, Kobo

This is a debut novel and what a debut!!

A sweeping epic, set in World War 1

Tense, full of suspense - I absolutely loved the way this was written - the language is evocative and keeps the air of dread throughout - this is not my usual fare but was hooked quickly

Can't wait to see what this author does in the future

Highly recommended

I received this pre-publication e-book from Harlequin UK via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. (Also posted on Amazon and Goodreads.)
This is the first novel by Anita Frank, and it’s an accomplished debut. Set during the First World War, the story deals with themes of love, loss, grief and (finally) hope, all mired in a narrative dripping with fear and supernatural tension.
Stella Marcham was a VAD in France, but witnessed the bloody death of her adored fiancé Gerald in a field hospital and was invalided home to her family estate after a nervous collapse. Her home is an outward haven of peace, but her family is overshadowed by a history of tragedy and death, and the local village is reeling from the loss of a number of its sons in the trenches. In this atmosphere Stella struggles to recover, and gladly takes up an invitation to visit her pregnant sister Madeleine at her husband’s family seat, Greyswick.
All is not well here, either, however. The house is oppressive, and the Brightwell household – the widowed matriarch Lady Brightwell, her companion Miss Scott, Madeleine herself and a depleted staff led by the sinister Mrs Henge– have their own secrets. Stella struggles to understand the relationships between them, and to make matters worse, her maidservant Annie, brought from home, begins to behave in an increasingly odd manner.
A succession of strange and unsettling events, the sinister abandoned top floor (containing a school room and nursery complete with empty crib – staples in creating suspense), Madeleine’s increasing unease and the erratic behaviour of the denizens of the house all combine to create a real atmosphere of menace. The arrival of the rationalist Mr Sheers with his ghost-hunting equipment sets the scene for the final unravelling of the mystery.
I enjoyed this book enormously. The First World War overhangs the narrative and infects everything with a feeling of dread, apprehension, the futility of death – and, in fact, of madness and uncertainty. Stella questions her own sanity throughout, as does everyone around her (although for different reasons) and the inexplicable and supernatural events that soon surround her only threated her stability even further. As an exploration of mental health and recovery from trauma and loss, this was an affecting book in itself.
I feel there may be a sequel – this is hinted at in the final few pages, and I hope it happens. I’d like to get to know Stella better. I will also watch out for more books by Anita Frank – this is quite the debut.

This is a chilling read, excellent storyline that kept me hooked throughout. I loved it! Not my usual genre but a welcome change, I will look out for more fro Mathis author.

This is a wonderful chilling thriller set in England in 1917,Stella is grief stricken after loosing her fiance during WW1 ,she is struggling to cope and her pregnant sister Madeline is also struggling so her husband Hector suggests Stella stay at the family home Greyswick to help each other ,so she takes her maid Annie who is a little strange and then the story begins .A baby crying is heard when there are no babies ,spooky happenings no one believes the sisters so Stella sets out to solve the mystery ..The characters are so well drawn Mrs Henge was very scary !!! This is a true ghost story ,a Gothic house haunted by the lies and deeds of the past .I just loved this book so much .Many thanks to the Publisher the Author and NetGalley for my review copy in return for an honest review .

This book had it all -murder- mystery -supernatural and such a great story -I loved it.

Set around 1900 -Stella is devastated after losing her fiance in the war . She receives a vist from her brother -in law Hector asking if she will go and stay with Madeleine -his wife and Stella's sister at his family's country estate . Madeleine is pregnant and he wants Stella to be a companion to her whilst confined in the large house with only his mother and staff there.
This is a great opportunity for Stella to get away herself so she agrees .
Stella arrives at "Greyswick" with her maid Annie -and from day one is aware of strange happenings in the house. A tin soldier left on her bed -a child's sobs heard in the night
It is up to Stella to get to the bottom of the mystery in order for her sister to be able to live in the house unafraid .

This is a cracking read quite spooky in places -highly recommended

Thankyou NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review

I am not a fan of ghost stories so I was very temped to stop reading about a quarter of the way in but I persevered and I am really glad I did. I liked the characters in the story and the setting both in terms of location and era. The story really evolved into something quite gripping and by the end I was sad it was over.

Thanks for allowing me to review this book.

I adored this book! All the more so when I realised it was a debut by Anita Frank. Set in 1917 it tells the story of Stella, grieving for the loss of her fiance in the war, being sent to spend some time with her pregnant sister in order to ''recover''. What ensues is a mix of ghostly events, interspersed with long-buried secrets and all kinds of skull-duggery. The writing was sweet, evocative and descriptive of the era. I raced through this book, couldn't wait to get to the end and ......well, I won't say any more lest I give the game away, but trust me on one thing - this book will keep you enthralled. My thanks go to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC AND giving me yet another author to be on the lookout for. Wonderful, wonderful story, expertly and compassionately told. I was mightily impressed.

As with many good ghost stories (Susan Hill, anyone?) this is slow burner that draws you in. I can't say I found it particularly scary, but it takes a fair bit to spook me. However, the unfolding mystery of Greyswick, the house (where grieving Stella finds herself living, to offer support to here pregnant sister, who's been experiencing some odd goings on) is well handled. As is Stella's own grief - having recently lost her fiancee to the horrors of the First World War.

The author creates a wonderful sense of time and place, gradually weaving Stella's own backstory into the narrative. To me, this felt a bit like Downton Abbey with ghostly happenings. And when Mr Sheer's is recruited by Stella's brother-in-law, to try and disprove any supernatural happenings, there's a real sense of how it must have felt to be a woman living in this era - dismissed as irrational, paranoid or hysterical. As the story progressed, I found myself warming to Stella more and more - and also her maid, Annie.

I don't want to say too much about the plot - but it unfolds rewardingly and, thankfully, there are no loose ends.

All in all, a satisfying read, and I think it would make an excellent film.

Wow! Watch out Susan Hill! I was entranced by both the descriptive style of writing and the content which presented as a spectacular ghost story. It's a while since I have forgone TV evenings and read into the dead of night but this one made me do just that.

Stella, the main character has suffered a great loss and has also seen some dreadful and horrific scenes in WW1 during time in action as a nurse. Home from the war she is struggling to adjust.
When her sister, Madeleine becomes increasingly disturbed in her new home, Greyswick, Stella is asked to stay until the immenent arrival of Madeleine 's baby. Arriving with her ladies maid she becomes alarmed by an increasing amount of disturbing events, but will anyone believe her?
A perfect ghost story emerges and Stella bravely begins to unravel why these other worldly events are taking place in Greyswick, culminating with an exciting "who done it" conclusion.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to review this book.
I thought this read was brilliant. It was so well written an interesting all the way through. So atmospheric, it was almost like watching a film. Well done Anita Frank.