✪ The Lost Ones ✪ Anita Frank ✪

Some houses are never at peace.

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…

In the classic tradition of The Woman in Black, Anita Frank weaves a spell-binding debut of family tragedy, loss and redemption.

ARC received from Harlequin Australia for an honest review

I watch TV shows  and documentaries about old houses and estates, and I always thing "boy there must be plenty of ghosts in those halls, and skeletons in those family closets".

The Lost ones was what I imagine a gothic style house would be.  Kind of a Jane Eyre kind of vibe with mysterious happenings upstairs.

What secrets is Greyswick hiding?  What have the residents got to hide?

I was drawn into the mystery along with Stella, Annie and Mr Sheers - I knew something was going on, they knew something was going on, it was a matter of uncovering all the truths.

There were some things that were pretty predictable with this kind of story, however there were a couple of things that surprised me - I usually have a good idea of the whos the whats and the whys, however there were a couple of "WOW" moments for me.

I found this story well written and flowed well.   I was engaged in the story the whole time I was reading.  Ms Frank has done a good job with her debut novel, and I look forward to more in the future.

 

✪ Elevator Pitch ✪ Linwood Barclay ✪

Published 19th August 2019

Imprint: HQ Fiction

It all begins on a Monday, when four people board an elevator in a Manhattan office tower. Each presses a button for their floor, but the elevator proceeds, non-stop, to the top. Once there, it stops for a few seconds, and then plummets.

Right to the bottom of the shaft.

It appears to be a horrific, random tragedy. But then, on Tuesday, it happens again, in a different Manhattan skyscraper. And when Wednesday brings yet another high-rise catastrophe, one of the most vertical cities in the world—and the nation’s capital of media, finance, and entertainment—is plunged into chaos.

Clearly, this is anything but random. This is a cold, calculated bid to terrorize the city. And it’s working. Fearing for their lives, thousands of men in women working in offices across the city refuse leave their homes. Commerce has slowed to a trickle. Emergency calls to the top floors of apartment buildings go unanswered.

Who is behind this? Why are they doing it? What do these deadly acts of sabotage have to do with the fingerless body found on the High Line? Two seasoned New York detectives and a straight-shooting journalist must race against time to find the answers before the city’s newest, and tallest, residential tower has its Friday night ribbon-cutting.

With each diabolical twist, Linwood Barclay ratchets up the suspense, building to a shattering finale. Pulsating with tension, Elevator Pitch is a riveting tale of psychological suspense that is all too plausible . . . and will chill readers to the bone.

ARC received from Harper Collins Australia for an honest review

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in an elevator...

Linwood Barclay is one of those authors that has been on my radar for a few years, however I just haven't gotten around to reading any of his book (there are a few of them sitting on my Kindle waiting for me!)

I am glad I have rectified that matter now, starting with Elevator Pitch.

I am on a bit of a thriller/crime story reading spree at the moment, and this book had me hooked from the get go.  I was kept wondering whodunnit.  Each time I thought I had an inkling of what was going on - nope, I was wrong!

Wonderfully flawed characters made this story come to life.  I could relate to bits and pieces from a few of the characters in little ways.

Secrets and lies all come out as the investigation continues.  This story had me anxiously turning each page, needing to know what would happen next and who the bad guys were.

I am definitely going to be moving more of his works up my TBR

Linwood Barclay, a NY Times bestselling author and with nearly twenty novels to his credit, spent three decades in newspapers before turning full time to write thrillers.  His books have been translated into more than two dozen languages, sold millions of copies, adn he counts Stephen King among his fans. Many of his books have been optioned for film and TV, a series has been made in France, and he wrote the screenplay based on his novel Never Saw It Coming. Born in the US, his parents moved to Canada just as he was turning four, and he's lived there ever since. He lives near Toronto with his wife, Neetha. They have two grown children