The Lost Ones is part ghost story and part detective thriller set during the dark days of World War I. The heroine is Stella Marcham and she tells the story in the first person. She has served as a nurse in the battlefields of France before returning home suffering from depression after seeing her fiancé die in front of her having been struck by a German bullet. Her condition is serious and, before the events of the novel begin, she has tried to commit suicide by drowning herself in a lake on her family’s estate. She is saved by a young servant named Annie Burrows.
The Marcham family are deeply indebted to the Burrows as Annie’s father sacrificed himself years before to get Lydia Marcham, Stella’s sister to safety during a house fire. Lydia died shortly afterwards but the debt felt by her mother to the family has led to Annie being taken on despite being thought somewhat odd by her peers.
As the story begins Stella is trying to convince her parents and her doctor that she does not need to be committed to an asylum and that she is slowly recovering from her grief. Although not wholly taken in by her protestations they allow her to go and stay with her other sister Madeleine who is pregnant and is staying with her mother in law on the family estate. Madeleine’s husband Hector, a soldier with a desk job in London has asked Stella to go and support his wife, confiding that they have already suffered one miscarriage and that Madeleine is terrified of another.
Stella takes Annie with her and heads to the country house which was built by Hector’s late father and which is an ill conceived monstrosity intended to display its owners wealth. Once they arrive it becomes clear very quickly that all is not as it should be and the house is not at peace. The other characters in the household are the fearsome Lady Brightwell, Hector’s mother and Lady of the House, her devoted companion Miss Scott, the distinctly unfriendly house keeper Mrs Henge, Maisie an over talkative servant and the cook. Later in the story Hector brings a disabled former soldier, Mr Sheers to try and rationalise events in the house and who, initally takes Stella to be an over credulous and impressionable girl but later becomes her ally in her quest for the truth. 
Although Madeleine is clearly uneasy it does not take Stella long to work out for herself that the house is truly haunted and the tale begins in earnest as she becomes increasingly convinced that the only way to ensure her sister’s wellbeing is to solve the mystery and lay the ghosts to rest.
As she struggles to unlock the secrets that pervade the countryside Stella finds many mysteries, who is the soldier that Annie befriends, why is there a drawer of toy soldiers in Madeleine’s room and perhaps most importantly, what has Annie to do with it all?
The house itself is almost a character in the novel with the tasteless extravagance and opulence of it's late owner flagrantly displayed despite the ravages and deprivations of war contrasting with dank and mouldy cellars and servants' corridors. It has mysteries of its own which Stella must solve if she is to understand the true horror that has befallen those who dwell in it. Why, for example, is there only one portrait of Sir Arthur and why is his tomb so neglected given his wife's insistence that standards must be held war or no war? All of these have a bearing on the greater mystery and the writing beautifully draws us into the world it portrays so we stand with Stella and slowly come to learn how the wounds of the past still affect the household.
All of the characters are beautifully drawn in the story and the tension in the atmosphere is palpable as events move towards their conclusion. Although there are a couple of big ‘reveal’ moments in the story it is not hard to see most of them coming but that does nothing to detract from the page turning nature of the book. 
Although it features ghosts this is not a horror story but a much more traditional supernatural tale with a fully fledged mystery that needs to be solved. There are no shambling monsters or gateways to hellish dimensions, but spirits can only communicate in certain ways and some of those are not easy for the living to comprehend.
There is little more to say about the plot without giving away too much of the story but I would unhesitatingly recommend this book to anyone who likes a good ghost story, a good mystery or both.
The book also touches on themes of mental illness, abuses which, it is to be hoped, would never be kept hidden in today's world and the stigma of homosexuality prevalent during the period in which the story is set. However none of these important issues are preached to the reader but will resonate in the mind long after the story is finished and the mystery is solved.
I found the book utterly absorbing and compelling and I sincerely hope that we will hear more about the adventures of Stella and Annie in the future.

Set in England in 1917, grieving the death of her fiance and having been sent home from France, Stella Marcham joins her pregnant sister at Greyswick, a manor house set deep in the English countryside.

It does not take long before Stella starts to notice her sister's unease and the strange goings on within the house. She hears crying in the night and footsteps on the stairs. Stella decides she wants to investigate the history of the house and all its hidden secrets, but is she prepared for what she finds?

This is a chilling read and an emotional roller coaster. Anita Frank has created a hauntingly creepy atmosphere  that has the ability to give you the goosebumps.

Read it at night, if you dare.

Atmospheric and beautifully paced this is a ghost story with echoes of The Little Stranger and Rebecca. 
Set in the middle of World War 1 , Stella is grieving the loss of her fiancé and trying to come to terms with the horrors of war after nursing in France.
Asked by her brother in law Hector to raise the spirits of her pregnant sister Madeleine by staying with her in his ancestral home, Greyswick. Madeleine is determined that the house is filled with unrest, a view which Stella comes to share, along with her rather strange maid Annie Burrows.
Can the two sisters persuade others of the house’s secrets and help lay the ghosts and their mysteries to rest.
A true ghost story, Plotted perfectly and authentically evocative of the time period. A strong female narrator and protagonist, and indeed strong female characters throughout make this a refreshing and sometime terrifying read.

Stella Marcham is in danger of being carted off to the Assylum after returning from the war that is raging in Europe. It is 1917 and Miss Marcham had been serving her country as a nurse there until a terrible personal tragedy struck her. Suffering from severe depression and refusing medication her family and doctor can see no other solution if she doesn't improve.
When her brother-in-law arrives to ask if she will go to stay with his wife, Stella's younger pregnant sister as she is suffering hysteria, she jumps at the chance to escape her uncertain future at home. Stella takes with her a young maid, Annie, a strange girl that doesn't seem to fit in but as staff is in short supply because of the war neither of them has many options. 
I adored this book and was absolutely taken aback when I found out it was the author's debut novel!!!! The period is captured perfectly in these pages, with families back home not having a clue about the horrific war conditions that their loved ones were fighting in and the lack of understanding of how it affected them. 
Greyswick is quite a mansion whose mistress, Madeleine's mother-in-law Lady Brightwell, rules with a strict upstairs-downstairs iron hand. The story builds beautifully and increases with mystery and intrigue. Stella is a superb character born way before her time, strong-willed and independent. I loved how she stood her ground on so many issues. There aren't many characters in the story but each of them is so very memorable, as it increases the intensity of the story. 
I must admit that I did work out what had happened to an extent but it certainly didn't spoil the journey I had through this story. The last few chapters were truly gripping, shocking and impossible to prevent reading at any cost. A very touching story with unlikely relationships that I just loved. A beautifully written haunting story.
Highly recommended. 
I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

3 - 4 stars. 

I thought this was an impressive debut novel but I did have some reservations. The year is 1917, the central character is Stella Marcham who is grief stricken following the death of her fiancé in the war. Her brother in law Hector asked her to go to his family home Greyswick because her pregnant sister Madeline is struggling. Stella takes the family maid Annie Burrows with her and so begins a series of unsettling events. 

The characters in the story are well portrayed and easy to picture though some are not likeable such as Hectors mother although she thaws a bit at the end of the book. Dr Mayhew is easy to dislike especially as he characterises Stella’s behaviour as that of an hysterical woman. The housekeeper Mrs Henge seems to be everywhere at once and is austere and humourless. She seems to me to be a version of Mrs Danvers in Rebecca  by Daphne du Maurier but not as menacing in my opinion. Stella, her sister and Annie are likeable characters and I like the spirit that all these women show as they face opposition to their claims that the house is haunted. There are some very good descriptions such as that of Greyswick, of society and it’s values especially attitudes to women and it is written in a style that is appropriate to the times which I like very much. The contrast between the pre war days (‘halcyon days’) and the horror of the war is well done too. 

Although there is much to praise I feel that there is too much description at times, it’s overlong and it detracts from the story telling which led to some feelings of impatience! Although some events in the story are good such as the exorcism I can’t say that I felt great menace or suspense. However, it’s very clear that Anita Frank has a lot of talent and so I would definitely be interested to see what she produces next.

Whilst the premise for this book is interesting and grabbed my attention from the moment I read the description, I couldn’t help but feel that perhaps a good chunk of the narrative could have been removed without impacting on the story. There seemed to be a bit much ”waffle” in the middle - final third of the book, I found myself skimming along passages picking out the odd sentence that added to the plot/atmosphere and ignoring the rest. However, I do wonder if this was a stroke of genius by the author, using the narrative to show the befuddled and rambling thoughts of a character struggling with grief and heartache? The rambling in text demonstrating the way Stella’s mind was constantly in turmoil and struggling to follow one line of thinking?
The characters are intriguing and the development of Stella in particular was fascinating to watch. Her relationship with Annie Burrows was wonderful to watch unfold, adding a great air of mystery to the book ... what was Annie’s quirks, turning out to be something to pivotal to the plot and indeed helping them solve the mysterious goings on. 

An good read, but perhaps a bit too waffly for my personal taste.

This is a great debut novel by Anita Franks. I was intrigued by synopsis and loved the cover so thought I'd dive in.

Period books aren't my usual thing but I do love a good mystery/ghost story and this had both wrapped up within it.

I did guess the storyline quite early into the book but it didn't upset my enjoyment at all. There was still the odd surprise thrown in along the way.

It's not too dark and grisly so I think this will hold appeal to the masses.

This book was set in England, the year 1917. The war was still ongoing and for the nation as whole nobody was left untouched by its presence. We follow Stella Marcham as she avoids being put into an institution while grieving for her fiancée whom was killed in the fighting. She makes her escape when her brother in law asks her stay with her sister at his family mansion Greyswick.
Madeline is gripped in fear of the unusual goings on in the large house. This is put down to her pregnancy by other family members and Stella herself. Until one night Stella hears the noises and strange activities herself. 
This leads to an investigation by Stella herself and the charming Mr Sheers. What they uncover is inconceivable.

The way the story was woven together was clever and the picture this author had painted of this dark and chilling mansion kept me up reading.
Characters were well thought out and Mrs Henge will give me nightmares for the foreseeable future. Truly enjoyable book.
I believe this is a debut from this author Anita Frank. I hope to read more of her work in the future 

I received a copy of this book from netgalley for an honest review .

I adored this book, it was beautifully written and I read it in one sitting. There was an eerie feeling throughout the story and you really got involved with the main characters. I liked the ending, I sometimes love a book but then the end ruins it...not so with this story, it was a most satisfying end!  I will definitely be reading Anita Frank’s next book.

The lost ones by Anita Frank is part thriller, part mystery with a bit of a love story thrown in as well.

The book capatived me from the start and didn't let me go until the last page.
It is genuinely scary in parts! 
It is in the same vein as Woman in Black and is not if more spooky! 

The lost ones is perfect for curling  up on the sofa with a blanket and a cup of tea (cat curled up on lap is optional) on a cold winter's night. Just remember to keep the lights on bright!

I'm a great lover of mystery/thriller reads that centre around an old house; this one had the bonus of a ghost or two. A story of a woman grieving after suffering from the brutality of war and horrifying circumstances. A woman who gets caught up in the happenings of a strange house, but within that finds her own pathway to recovery.
I had a great time reading this and it took me to moments of strong tension to sorrowful tears with its emotional depth. It's a story of righting wrongs and atonement but also grief and healing. The writing is strong, so it's a lovely fluid and immersive read. I did find the middle section could have some sharper editing, as it dragged for a while, for me, and we didn't seem to be developing either plot or character. But this is a minor quibble. For a debut, I'm impressed! 
I loved the central mystery and the supernatural drive, despite it not being overly taxing to work out where the book was heading, it was a thrilling and enjoyable ride getting there. 

A shadowy ghostly mystery of revenge, grief and healing.

The Lost Ones

This book is brilliant - I was drawn right in from the very first page and found it difficult to put down, despite it being relatively long.

The story starts in a church - we meet Stella Marcham hearing her musings about church and religion and understand straight away her life has been touched by tragedy. The story is set in 1917, the First World War is underway and although this is not a story about the war as such, we get an insight into the wasted lives of those young and inexperienced sent to war and the impact on their families. As time progresses, Stella's story is revealed, both as a narrative from her but also through her reliving past events that give the reader a taste for the life she had and that was so cruelly taken away from her. In her grief, she is threatened with being sent to an asylum until her sisters husband asks her to go to his house to support the pregnant Madeline who is having problems of her own. 

Madeline is convinced that her home, Grayswick is haunted. Madeleine's husband, Hector believes she is suffering hysteria due her pregnancy. Stella agrees to go to Greyswick and soon after also becomes convinced that something supernatural is occurring. Stella's maid, Annie accompanied her and Stella suspects she knows more than she is disclosing. Madeleine's mother in law, Lady Brightwell, is not prepared to humour the allegations that a child is haunting Greyswick and has a plan of her own to dispel this nonsense.

So, do the last inhabitants of Greyswick have a story that needs to be told - or is the power of suggestion combined with female hysteria enough to explain the unusual goings on?

This book is amazing - Stella's character is just brilliant. She's so devastated and yet we always get a glimpse of her inner strength. She's perceptive and speaks her mind and does not suffer fools gladly. In 1917 I'm sure any man would have found her quite a handful! She has so much self respect I just couldn't help but like her. Mr Shears too is brilliant - I expected not to like him but he has a story of his own that mean that means that by the end of this tale the reader really understands and appreciates him. My only disappointment about this book is that we don't really get to see what happens to him - I had an ending in mind for him and although we get a little hint this was likely to be the outcome, as a very unimaginative reader, I think I'd have liked some reassurance. Mrs Henge, the housekeeper, is a real intriguing character that put me in mind if Mrs Danvers (from Rebecca) almost straight away. I enjoyed the way my suspicion was provoked almost straight away and I felt the need to pay attention to her throughout. I disliked her almost immediately and thoroughly enjoyed disliking her - even though the reader isn't aware whether this impression is correct or not until almost the end of the book.

There is some description of war, very significant injury, death, child death, supernatural suggestion, mention of rape and domestic abuse which some readers may find distressing. However, I can be quite a sensitive reader but found that there was enough information for me to truly empathise with the characters but not so much as to consider it unnecessarily distressing. 

This is not a story with a conventional happy ever after - it's about secrets, lies and self preservation. It's a hauntingly compelling read and I devoured every single page. Although this a very dark tale with so much sadness - in itself, it's not sad. It has a very gothic feel - similar to Jane Eyre or Rebecca. Despite this, it is definitely a tale all of its own that is simply brilliant, especially as this is a first by this author.

For her debut novel Anita Frank has managed to produce the quintessential English ghost story, a tradition and style that includes 19th century luminaries such as Dickens and Collins and incorporates present day writers such as Sarah Waters and Susan Hill. I started reading this on a most unseasonably windswept summer Sunday afternoon and was still reading well into the night. The author has managed to create that atmosphere of dread and foreboding that is a requisite for such tales. The supernatural terrors that lie in the background are merged with the real life horror and carnage that is occurring at the same time across the battlefields of the First World War. 

Set in 1917 we find Stella Marcham haunted and trumatised by the death of her fiancé  and who herself has recently returned from nursing the dying and wounded in France. She is now asked by her brother in law to stay with her pregnant sister, Madeleine, at  Greyswick their country mansion. On arriving she finds Madeleine in a state of unease and it is not long before strange noises are heard that point to something that is far from right in the house. 

The writing was wonderfully descriptive and one could easily picture the house and gardens devoid due to the war of the usual number of servants becoming  increasingly decayed and shabby. Layer by layer the tension is built up as the full horror of the past is revealed. Fear, suspicion and trepidation seep through the very foundations of Greyswick as an unearthly presence seemingly demands justice for past wrongs. For a lover of the traditional ghost story this was an exquisite read and if you like this genre then I do not think you will be disappointed.

It’s 1917, and the consequences of war have hit hard for Stella Marcham. Consumed with grief, she leaves her nursing post in France to head home to be looked after by her parents.

She is treated as an addle-minded feeble woman, but she slowly, slowly begins to surface from her grief. Then, she gets the call to visit and help support her sister through her pregnancy.

She heads to imposing Greyswick, the home of her brother-in-law, where all is not as it seems.

I really enjoyed reading this. It’s a very slow start, but somehow it wasn’t a chore spending time with Stella before the main action happened - which doesn’t happen until quite far into the book.

I’m not sure if the author intended us to guess the main mystery so early on (about two thirds of the way in), but I got it faster than Stella did. There were twists and turns a-plenty, and the story kept surprising me, even though I thought I knew what would happen.

I would recommend this if you enjoy supernatural stories, but don’t expect to be scared whilst reading it. It builds a wonderful atmosphere throughout the book, but I wasn’t frightened at any point, although I was certainly intrigued.

This is a good story, and not at all predictable.  However, I didn't feel it achieved the sense of creepiness which it really needed, and I was never really convinced by the period setting.

I only have one real complaint about The Lost Ones - I wish I'd saved it to read on a dark autumn evening with wind howling at the windows, in front of a roaring fire. Well, the central heating turned up high, at least! 

Anita Frank has crafted a beautiful, haunting and affecting tale of loss and tragedy. Set in 1917 as the Great War rages, it's a story of secrets and ghosts which will not rest - figuratively and literally. There are plenty of spooky moments here, but for me the main feel of the book was not edge of your seat terror - more a creeping melancholy, which is far more subtle and insidious.

Characters are beautifully drawn, particularly the wonderful Annie, the maid with second sight who, for me, drew the whole tale together despite not being the main character. That honour goes to he rather wonderful Stella, a woman very much born out of her time who, despite struggling with terrible loss and the horrors of war witnessed first hand, stops at nothing to uncover the truth about Greyswick and its inhabitants. Some characters do stray a little into stereotype - the meaty-armed cook, the malevolent housekeeper - and the house itself feels like the rambling old haunted country house of cliché, despite being only a few decades old. But these are minor quibbles.

The overall feel is more Downton Abbey with dark secrets rather than the all-out terror of, say, The Woman In Black. But that's no bad thing. A wonderfully, creepily indulgent book, this deserves to be on all autumn reading lists.

My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Quite easily, hands down, one of the best books I have read all year!

Packed cover to cover with spine tingling atmosphere and goosebump inducing tension, this book is all set to give you chills.

Writing a review for this book is proving hard as I really don’t want to give away any spoilers, and for me, giving away any spoilers is a pretty shitty thing to do as they have the potential to spoil it for new readers. It’s like watching a film with my daughter, one that she has already seen. It always ends up with me not needing to continue watching it as she can’t help herself, she tells me what is about to happen before it happens! Where is the fun in that! So I will make sure to not give any away so that you can be as stunned as I was with the turn of events as they race across the pages.

And who said fiction wasn’t educational? Thanks to this book I have some great new words added to my vocabulary! Wonderful words such as idiosyncrasies, acquiesced, sagacity, inveigling, and vociferous.

Set in 1917, Stella Marcham has returned from France where she had been working as a VAD nurse, after the death of her fiancé, Gerald, an officer that was killed on the battlefield. Back living with her father and stepmother, they are worried about her as she has taken Geralds death hard, drowning in grief, to the extent their family doctor has been suggesting that maybe Stella should be admitted into a psychiatric hospital.

Stella’s sister, Madeleine is expecting a child and her husband has sent her away to live with his mother in the countryside for her safety, away from London and the threats of bombings. However Madeline is not happy at Greyswick, a rambling country manor house, so her husband asks Stella if she would join her sister at Greyswick for company and also to reassure her that there is nothing in the house to be worried about. Madeline is convinced there is something not right with the house, she has been hearing a young child crying, and footsteps in the night that only she hears and that some of the people in the house have it in for her.

As Stella and her maid Annie Burrows arrive at Greyswick, it isn’t long for them to also notice that there is something not right, and they both can hear what Madeleine has been hearing. Not quite what Hector wanted when he asked Stella to go and stay with his wife. In a bid to prove to his distraught wife that the house isn’t haunted, he calls in the help of Mr Sheers, a man of science who has had some success in uncovering some charlatans who claimed they could converse with the dead, and using science was able to explain away all the claims the charlatans made.

However, things take a different turn when the master of the house, Hector, also encounters a presence and occurrences that couldn’t just be dismissed, so in a bid to reassure the women he sets out to find a vicar from a different borough to preform and exorcism and cleanse the house. The non believer of the house, Mr Sheers goes along with it with the hopes that it would cleanse the women’s minds of the hysteria they are both feeling. But as the exorcism gets underway, things start to happen, things that cant be explained rationally and ends with a bleeding vicar and a very traumatised wife.

Annie Burrows has always been deemed as different all her life, talking to herself, or to people no one else can see and it is Annie’s help the Stella requires. She is convinced Annie has a special gift, just as her father had before her. She can hear and sometimes see spirits. So after the failed exorcism, Stella pleads with the maid Annie to speak up and help.

Annie had drawn aside the porous veil that separates this world from the next, just as I once believed her father had on the night of the fire, enabling him to rescue Lydia.

So with Annie’s help she tells them that it is Lucien that is haunting the house. Lucien Arthur Brightwell at the tender age of 5 had a tragic accident, he fell down the stairs from the nursery and died. “It is Lucien, but I can’t make him go. He’s waited to long, he won’t stop until he gets what he wants. What he wants is justice.

Misfortune stalked the halls of Greyswick – it had stolen a child.

Mr Sheers had his theories and explanations to the phenomenonable goings on, citing telekinesis as one scientific explanation, and the lady of the house, Lady Brightwell, and her companion Miss Scott are quick to agree with all of Mr Sheers explanations. As well as the housekeeper, Mrs Henge.

There are lots of shadows in Greyswick. Mrs Henge seems to occupy most of them.

Knowing her sister will never be save or settled in the house until whatever is happening inside those walls has been sorted, Madeleine goes back home to stay with her parents whilst Stella, Annie and Mr Sheen stay behind to investigate the houses history and the secrets the house has kept silenced until now. Now the truth wants to come out and it will change their lives forever, with far reaching effects.

This house is full of terrible secrets, Mr Sheers, secrets the dead are no longer content to let lie.

It is from these investigations into Greyswik’s and its employees that truths begin to come to light with some shocking twists along the way, ones that you won’t see coming, leading to some of the best twists I have read this year. Unpredictable and astounding! Publication day for this book is set for 31 October 2019 and Halloween could not be a more perfect day for this book to come to live in the world!

It is available for preorder now so you get your copy release day – Halloween 🎃

A massive thank you to the author Anita Frank, publishers HQ and NetGalley for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest and independent review.

An astounding book, I couldn’t put it down. It never felt predictable, and if it strayed close to the line of predictability a shock yanked it back every time.