I read The Lost Ones a while ago. It was a “big house“ story which I love with myriad themes and which satisfied a variety of genres. This latest book from Anita Frank does similar. The big house is not as big and whilst there are some spine tingling moments it is not as spooky which suits me fine as I don’t do scary too well. We are still in a similar era, just post World War I.
‘In the summer of 1914 a boy vanishes, never to be seen again. Now, in 1920, the once esteemed Stilwell family of Darkacre Hall find themselves struggling with the legacy of the First World War. Leonard bears the physical scars, while his brother Maurice has endured more than his mind can take. Morris‘s wife Ida yearns for the lostdays of privilege and pleasure and family friend Victor seems on willing to move on. But their lives are thrown into further disarray when the missing boy’s case is reopened – and this time they themselves are under police scrutiny. As the dead return to haunt the living, old resentments resurface and loyalties are tested, while secrets risk being unearthed that could destroy them all.’
A missing person is at the heart of this engrossing story set around Darkacre (how fabulous a name is that, Dickens would be proud!) Hall. The residents are all coping with the fallout of war; physical, mental and emotional scars affect them all. It becomes clear however that everything is not as it seems with a complex chain of events that reinforce this for the astute reader who may be doing all kinds of mental gymnastics to figure out exactly what is going on. I have to confess I did in part figure out a few things but not the finer details.
The historical research is extensive and convincing. The narrative sparkles along at just the right pace. The characters are well defined and catch the readers’ interest. It wasn’t easy to like some of them, but then I don’t think we needed to. It’s storytelling at its best engaging the readers attention and demanding that they play their part. The twist towards the end is great. I did have my suspicions and I was pretty pleased with myself when they were partly confirmed.
It’s not without some distressing moments, but they are crucial to the plot. The sense of tension within the household is sustained throughout. As a reader I felt quite edgy at times. It’s a book with abundant imagination. And because it seems to cover several genres, it should satisfy a wealth of readers.
I haven’t read Anita Frank’s second book, The Return, but I’m pretty sure that omission is going to be rectified soon. 😉
My thanks to the HQ stories publicity team for my gifted copy.
No comments:
Post a Comment