Stella was a nurse in a field hospital when her fiancee is bought in badly injured and sadly dies. She has a breakdown and is sent home. Her sister, Madeleine, is pregnant and staying with her mother-in-law at Greyswick.
Stella is invited to stay with her but when she arrives, she finds Madeleine in a terrible state. She is upset by unexplained goings on within the house and soon Stella starts to hear and feel sounds and noises.
she starts to investigate what has happened within the house in the past. What are the secrets? and can she solve them but to what cost.

A spooky thriller full of strange goings on. Very complex and complicated  but resolved in the end. Good characters and interesting tale,lots of twists

Stella Marcham is grieving. She has seen evil in the blooded fields of the great war and that same evil has taken the love of her life. On the brink of being sent into an asylum for ‘rest’, Stella is approached by her sister’s husband Hector, asking her to keep Madeleine company in her last months of pregnancy at his home estate Greyswick. He mentions Madeleine’s unease and bad feelings about the house and hopes Stella’s company will help settle his wife back to her happy self.

How wrong he is! Stella arrives at Greyswick, excited to see her sister’s new home, happy to lend her hand and provide comfort to the one person that stood by her when she lost Gerald. But there is something wrong. With the house, the people living in it. From the first day, when she discovers a toy soldier in her bed, things grow stranger and stranger. There are secrets buried deep within the walls of the house and it is up to Stella and her unwilling accomplice maid Annie to uncover them and set them free.

Brilliant book – I’ve always loved Wilkie Collins’ Woman in White and can see clearly the inspiration here. But this novel is spookier and even tense and reading in the dark of my bedroom wasn’t the best of my ideas. The characters were very well portrayed within the time period lending an authenticity to the story. Let’s be honest, most old manor houses look haunted, so Greyswick lends a perfect hand in setting the scene. I loved the opposites of opinions and beliefs that were given to us in the characters of Annie Burrows and Tristan Sheers. The believer and the sceptic-scientist, both willing to go the distance to prove their own truths.

Bravo – love this book and will certainly look out for more books by Anita Frank. This will be in my top five books I’ve read this year.

Thank you very much to TBConFB, the author and NetGalley for this book.

The Lost Ones is a stunningly haunting gothic novel set during the First World War in 1917. It is steeped in the atmosphere of the time period with our heroine, Stella, dealing with all consuming grief following the death of her fiancé in France. Franks touches on so many pertinent topics which are just as relevant today as they were back then: mental health, family, grief and a country dealing with a state of unrest. The writing is rich with beautifully flowing prose and the characters are well fleshed out - flirting with, but never succumbing to, the stereotypes typical of the gothic novel. It's a thoroughly enjoyable book and a spectacular debut.

I enjoyed this novel, which gradually wove together ghostly happenings, a hidden mystery, and the psychological impact of the First World War. It was an easy and atmospheric read, but I did feel at times that the mystery was a little melodramatic and some of the turns that the plot took seemed like a bit of a stretch - solving this mystery wasn't quite as satisfying as it could have been with a more careful structuring of the clues. That being said, there's lots to enjoy here, and I particularly liked the discourse around madness and gender - if a woman says something, would you believe it less than if a man did? How much proof do we really need before we allow ourselves to believe the unbelievable?

It's been a while since I've read a historical ghost story but this was worth the wait, with welcome echoes of Susan Hill and Daphne du Maurier.  Impeccable scene-setting and memorable characters provide the perfect foundations for a cracking winter read, and once I reached the second half of the book I couldn't stop. The Lost Ones is a beautifully written period page-turner,

An enjoyable read which, if not especially spooky or surprising plot wise (look I am really difficult to please with ghost stories plus I have this nasty habit of working a mystery out within three chapters) was still very engaging. The characters were compelling but what sold it for me was the well-researched historical setting. I’ve seen it compared to The Silent Companions which is horrendously unfair to this book – The Lost Ones is far better than that! An author to watch on the mystery front.

What a fantastic debut novel by Anita Frank. I’m not normally big on ghost stories but this book had a bit of everything. It centres on Stella Marcham who is in mourning following the tragic death of her brand new fiancé, Gerald,  during The Great War. The whole book is set in 1917 and at the confidential request of her brother-in-law, Hector, Stella goes to visit her married sister Madeleine who is ‘out of sorts’. Hector is in the army but based in London so Madeleine has been sent to stay at her mother-in-law’s house, Greyswick, in the country. Lady Brightwell is widowed but still very much in charge of the house. As soon as Stella gets to the house there are strange happenings and she finds that Madeleine has experienced them too. It is not clear if these happenings are supernatural or the work of meddlesome humans. Stella is determined to get to the bottom of it but has a hard time convincing those around that she is not imagining it or suffering from mental illness.

The story wove around and around and I loved it all – the house, the characters and the plot. I couldn’t put this book down but equally didn’t want it to end. It would make a great film. There was a lot of interaction going on between the gentry and servants which I really enjoyed. A great debut novel and I will be looking out for more work from Anita Frank.

With thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin UK for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If you enjoy a ghost story, then this one is for you. Set around the time of the Great War, it has a feel of a true gothic tale in the genre of Du Maurier and Bronté. 
I loved the paranormal feel to this, disturbing and yet compelling. At the heart of the story, a soul that cannot find rest because of past wrongs, committed against those most innocent. 
Treat yourself to this tale -  surround yourself with ghosts and unravel the mystery.

The Lost Ones is a haunting tale perfect for setting the tone at Hallowe'en or curling up with on a Winter's night.

Stella Marcham has returned home from nursing duty near the French frontlines during The Great War. She witnessed many horrors in the field hospital but the events of one night broke her usually stupid spirit. After several months back in the family home being stifled, pitied and patronised she naturally leaps at a chance to escape. Her beloved sister, Madeline, is recently married and Stella is thrilled to discover that she is expecting a baby. Due to the threat of wartime bombardments in London Madeline has retreated to her husband's childhood home; the imposing Greyswick Manor. Madeline is struggling to settle there, partly due to her virago of a Mother in Law but mostly because there is something spooky going on. So the scene is set for an engaging mystery adventure reminiscent of Wilkie Collins or Susan Hill.

This is Anita Frank's debut novel which is surprising, it is very accomplished and beautifully written. Stella Marcham is a fully fleshed out character and her back story is very interesting. Her maid and reticent sidekick, Annie Burrows, is also a fascinating character. I sensed that a little door has been left open for a sequel, but perhaps that's just my wishful thinking.

A ghost story with everything you'd expect ... chilly atmosphere,  imposing house, usual haunting scenarios with an added "who done it" thrown in for good measure.

A readable and well written novel but lacked suspense and the shocks I was anticipating and hoping for, nothing really 'new' when it comes to this genre.

In truth the book is quite predictable,  I'd already guessed all twists and turns before they happened.

Personally I found the first half of the book just went on too long, I understand the author has to set the scene but too much time was taken up with describing the setting and characters.

Unfortunately it didnt stand out from the crowd as I'd hoped it would.

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

One of the best ghost stories I’ve ever read and how fitting that it’s due for publication on Halloween. Stella a VAD in the first world war, loses her fiancé. In fact he dies in the field hospital where she was stationed. She’s deemed to be unstable, even months after his death and her return to her parents’ home. She visits her pregnant sister, now staying at her in-laws’ residence, taking her strange little maid Annie.

Something awful had happened in that house. Little by little, we discover the possibilities then finally the reality. The tension mounts and little incidents from Stella Annie’s past become more important. I found this occasionally almost claustrophobic in its intensity and beautifully written. I’d recommend this book wholeheartedly.

The lost ones is a great novel with a atmospheric gothic vibe.

Set in 1917 Stella Marcham  has returned from nursing in France after the sad death of her fiancé in the war, her family can not  understand her all consuming grief as in their eyes her engagement wasn’t official and with many men dying in the war she should just pull her self together, so when her brother in law asks her to stay with her pregnant sister at his family home she knows she has to try to move on with her life and help her sister. But things are not what they seem at Greyswick, her sister is convinced something is wrong, she keeps finding toy soldiers and hearing a child sobbing at night and no one believes her and she is frightened for herself and her unborn baby. 

Soon Stella and her maid start hearing things and Stella finds her own sanity is in doubt, can she prove to everyone what lurks in Greyswick’s past before her family have her the proof they need to have her committed.

A beautifully written novel that is perfect for a cold winters evening curled up on the sofa. Enjoy

This is a début novel and I was drawn to it because I am a sucker for ghost stories, haunted mansions, family secrets, Gothic hints, lost children and things that go bump in the night. 
Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for an E-Arc in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Set in 1917 when the Great War is raging and the losses at home are being mourned, Stella Marcham, our bereaved heroine, is sent to live with her pregnant sister after a break down, in the husband’s mansion, Greyswick- very much a character in its own right. Brooding, cavernous, filled with corridors, whispering, secrets, run by a female staff and ruled by the formidable Lady Brightwell who is quite the harridan.
Here Stella has to fit into the household with her strange sullen maid Annie Burrows who has a useful ESP gift, and deal with the strange incidents happening up the stairs in the old closed up nursery, the hostility of the housekeeper Mrs Henge, (very much in the Mrs Danvers mould I thought who swishes and pops up at all the wrong times),  and the arrival of a wounded war vet, turned psychic investigator, Tristan Sheers, who makes it his business to disprove everything Stella says. 
The novel is split into two parts:- the first is overly long and drawn out I felt with too much description, for my tastes and some of the dialogue repeated itself as characters paraphrased what had just been said. 
The second part of the novel is when Stella is left behind at Greyswick and her sister and husband depart for London; here the pace does finally pick up and the historic secrets which cast long shadows are revealed, the ghost becomes more active and the conflict within the household bubbles over.
I did guess the twists of the plot, but then I’ve read a lot of this genre, so I can’t say I was ever surprised, but that’s not to denigrate the number of twists the author does fit in, and one of the finale scenes set in the smoking room was both grisly and touching.
Franks has real talent and I would look out for her next book, but whether this was a choice to write in this long convoluted adjective heavy sentences as it fitted the genre or whether she and the publisher together thought it worked, as a reader I longed for some simplicity and more action.

Oh wow, I absolutely loved everything about this book, it was such a brilliant, enthralling read.  After a few chapters in I'd really got into the style of writing.  It is very evocative of the time.  The author never slips at any point throughout the book, keeping up the style of speech and the narration completely in keeping with the era and of the aristocracy at the time.  I couldn't quite remember whether it was a timeslip book when I first started it, but really hoped it wouldn't move into the present.  Luckily the whole story is set in 1917 so we keep the delightful dialogue right the way through to the end.  It's very Downton Abbey esque I imagine, as I have never watched it.

It is just so many genres all rolled into one, which kept me completely riveted throughout.  Supernatural hauntings, a story of loved ones lost to the first World War and at such very young ages.  It's a story of upstairs and downstairs, the gentry and their servants.  Family betrayal, jealousy, all wrapped up in a mystery that Stella Marcham, the protagonist and narrator of the story must solve.

It's very sad and moving in parts, yet there's always the macabre, ghostly happenings to draw you in and cause shivers up the spine as you whip through the pages.  It all culminates in shocking revelations and a mystery solved.  There were quite a few OMG's being uttered out loud by me as I got towards the end of the book.

It really is absolutely brilliant and I would highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone, no matter what your preferred genre; I defy anyone not to enjoy this story.  I would definitely read any future books by this author, but its such an amazing debut, that I just don't see it being superseded by anything better - however if a future book is as good as this, then that will be good enough for me.  Fantastic!

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book. 

When Stella loses her fiancé in the First World War she comes back home grief-stricken. Her sisters husband asks her to accompany her pregnant sister to his mother’s estate. 

Stella takes her maid Annie with her and they discover hidden secrets and lies within the estate.

The book had me hooked from the beginning and I couldn’t put it down. Will definitely look at other books by this author.

This book has two of my favourite things! Historical fiction set in WWI with a creepy edge. 

I did really enjoy this story even with the twist being predictable. Great characters that had me hooked and wanting to keep those pages turning.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

A really nice cosy book for the colder nights.
A ghost story come murder mystery, it’s the perfect winter read.

Thank you to netgalley.co.uk for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I am surprised by this book, I thought it would a simple historical fiction dealing with the last year of the First World War, 1917. But there's this spooky twist throughout the novel which intrigued me, I'm telling you I could not put it down!
I think that this book is the perfect book for Hallowe'en, especially if there are readers who love to read these types of books around October time, personally I'm not a fan but reading this book really changed my perspective. I loved the characters and the fictional village, I think the author has done an amazing job giving the whole novel a spooky, gothic vibe that really sucked me in.

A very gothic and atmospheric tale. More creepy than scary but enough to make you a little spooked in the dark! I loved the setting and the era of the tale which really set the scene well. Very well developed characters - some likeable some not so much. All in all a very good read.