One of the best thrillers I have read, I had a personal issue and that was the only reason why I couldn't read it before, but it was a delight! I can’t wait to read something else by Camilla!

WOW! Great novel of horror and suspense by Camilla Sten!! I couldn’t stop reading! When I did have to stop I was thinking of it or getting back to reading it. Didn’t take me long to read at all. The only thing I have to complain about is the language from time to time throughout. It wasn’t continuous but enough to bother me, Not stop me from reading. I would just skip over. I did deduct one star because of it though. I didn’t think it was necessary. It was too good and too well written for the language, for me anyway. Great, great book! Thank you to #NetGalley and the publishers, St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, for the opportunity to read and review #SecretsDontDie with my honest thoughts.

This was my first book by Camilla Sten, but I'll definitely be seeking more of her work! The Resting Place was a complex thriller jumping back and forth between present-day and happenings from 1965. I loved that Sten trusted the reader's intelligence as she slowly untangled the secrets of Eleanor's family and the death of her grandmother. Full of twists that the reader doesn't seem coming, this thriller still stayed true to the story, with well-developed characters and a riveting plot.

Eleanor and her boyfriend travel with her aunt Veronika to a remote mansion she and her aunt inherit after her grandmother’s grisly murder. Eleanor saw the murder, but due to her face blindness was unable to identify the attacker. Once they arrive, Eleanor keeps seeing someone around the property, and strange things begin to happen. Will Eleanor discover what is going on before she ends up like her grandmother?

I LOVED this book from start to finish. Spooky gothic mansion in the middle of nowhere? Deadly family secrets? Missing groundskeepers? Mysterious diaries in a different language? There is all this and more. Sten kept me guessing until almost the very end. If you love noir, especially Swedish noir, this is a must read.

For this novel Sten took a minute by minute approach some thriller authors do, meaning the bulk of the narrative is dedicated to chronicling every minute moment and every momentous minute of the live of its characters and that’s fine to bulk up the word count, but doesn’t do much for the suspense building. In fact, the plot is so precisely so meticulously stretched out, you can see the seams straining to contain it.
Because of course if the story hurried up, there wouldn’t be much of it. There aren’t even that many characters and the ones you have aren’t there aren’t even that likeable or interesting. The only interesting thing about Eleanor is her prosopagnosia (and how contrived it that), meaning that while she saw who offed her granny, she can’t tell who it was.

I definitely enjoyed this book. I read the whole thing in two days so it was a quick read. Although there were some parts that I thought were a bit predictable Camilla Sten proved me wrong. I was trying to figure it out as it kept unwinding.. I normally don't like books where the main character is a weak but she definitely overcomes it as we get further into the story line. It is like a game of clue, trying to figure out who did what? Who the characters really are and so forth. I recommend this book. As a matter of fact I was nagging my son to read it with me so we could talk and decipher it together. Enjoy!

After she witnesses the murder of her grandmother, Eleanor learns that she's inherited a lost mansion. The estate has been in the family for many years, but it's been decades since anyone last visited the main house. There's a groundskeeper and hunting parties visit the lodge on the property, but the house itself has stood empty. Now Eleanor and her boyfriend visit the house along with her aunt and her grandmother's lawyer to take an inventory of the furnishings. The story unfolds slowly, alternating between the present day and chapters from a diary they find in a sealed room. It's intriguing, but didn't hold my interest nearly as well as The Lost Village did.

Well where to start with this one? I read this author’s previous work and remember being disappointed it wasn’t as supernatural as I thought. This book for me at least was a little confusing. We jump between two different timelines and there are many characters. However I enjoyed this one a lot more than her first book.

Eleanor has prosopagnosia, also known as face blindness. This means that she is unable to recognize peoples faces. Even those who are closest to her. Eleanor unfortunately found her grandmother Vivianne murdered in her apartment. She actually bumped into the killer as they fled. She begins almost obsessively thinking about who the murder could be and if they will return.

The family lawyer calls and tells Eleanor that her grandmother has left her an a beautiful estate tucked away in the Swedish woods. Eleanor, her boyfriend, her crazy aunt Veronika and her lawyer all make their way to the estate. This has a dark past and as the visitors dig deeper for the answers to their questions they come to the realization that maybe some secrets are meant to be buried.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Another creepy horror/thriller from Camilla Sten! I actually liked this one a lot better than The Lost Village, mostly because of the complicated family dynamics that were the focal point of the whole book. The Resting Place was a shorter read at under 350 pages, but I liked how everything came together. I actually liked Anushka's diary entries better than the main storyline of Eleanor at Solhoga in the present day, and I didn't see the twist coming at all. I really liked the dynamic between Eleanor and her aunt, too.
I've only read one other book with a main character with prosopagnosia, but I was a little disappointed that this didn't have a larger impact on the story. Eleanor is surrounded by people she knows well, her aunt and her boyfriend, for most of the book, so the only time the condition is relevant is when she is unable to recognize the person who killed Vivianne. 3.5/5 stars, rounded to 4.

Eleanor has experienced a great deal of anxiety and post-traumatic stress after walking in on the murder of her grandmother who raised her. The problem is, Eleanor has prosopagnosia, or the inability to identify faces, leaving her unable to identify the killer that she saw at her grandmother's. After receiving a phone call from her grandmother's estate attorney, she learns of a property that her grandmother stills owns far in the woods of Sweden, the estate where her own husband died mysteriously years ago. Summoned there by the attorney to inventory the estate, Elanor, along with her boyfriend Sebastian, and her aunt Veronika, soon become trapped there not only by the secrets that lie within the estate, but also by someone on the property who appears to be trying to kill them to protect these secrets.

"The Resting Place" is a chilling story that goes back and forth in time from the present day to the past, as the reader gets to slowly discover the secrets contained within the walls of the home, leading up to the crisis occurring there at the present time. Its a perfect Scandinavian thriller, and a chilling winter read. Looking forward to reading more from Camilla Sten!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. "The Resting Place" is scheduled to be released on 2/29/22.

4.5 stars!

I loved The Lost Village by this author so I was thrilled to receive an arc of The Resting Place. I'm happy to say this one was just as enjoyable for me.

The story is told in alternating timelines, with the past being narrated by way of a diary. I thought that the way the mysteries and secrets were questioned and ultimately answered throughout was perfect and the pacing was flawless.

The isolated location was perfect for this and the extreme snowstorm that trapped them there added to the dread and tension. I suspected so many people of nefarious things in this, but I was utterly shocked at the conclusion. The jaw-dropping twists then added together to all make a satisfying ending.

Make sure you pick this one up in March! The Lost Village is definitely worth a read too 😉

Thank you so much to @netgalley and Minotaur Books for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

What a great book this is! I will admit that it started out a bit slow for me, but once I got into the storyline, I was hooked. I really enjoy the writing technique of Camilla Sten and her pacing is always on point. One of the more interesting aspects of this book is the affliction that she gives the main character: face blindness, or prosopagnosia. I had never heard of this until reading this book and I think it definitely gave the storyline an extra layer of mystery. This is one book that kept me guessing until the end. I highly recommend!

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

Wow! This book was absolutely fantastic. I was drawn in from the start and didn’t stop until I was done. Can not wait for more by author.

Where do I even begin with this book. First off, Sten is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I read The Lost Village pretty much in one sitting... The Resting Place was no different. Sten has a way of making readers second guess what they think they know about the plot.

In this book, we meet Eleanor (also known as Victoria), her boyfriend, Sebastian, her aunt, Veronica, and Rickard, an estate lawyer. All parties meet at a family estate to take "inventory" of the house. However, what they find when they arrive is not exactly what they bargain for. Eleanor can't seem to shake witnessing her grandmother, Vivianne's muder, and it's not helpful that she's unable to identify who did it. With the twists and turns that quickly unfolds, readers get to flip between Eleanor's and Anushka's perspective to come to an unexpected end.

I rate this 5 out of 5 Stars, as I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

The story gripped me from the start. Face Blindness is not something that I was familiar with and sounds quite crippling. But that doesn't even scratch the surface of all the good elements of this story. There is plenty of family secrets and dark intrigue to make a complex thriller that spans two timelines. In spite of that, the book was very fast-paced and I had no issues following along with the storyline. I did not see any of the twists coming which left me with a few jaw-dropping moments. This is the first Camilla Sten book I have read but I am now planning to read The Lost Village. I feel like she will become an auto-buy author.
Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the Arc.

This was an interesting “thriller.” It wasn’t too thriller-y to me, but it wasn’t bad. The facial blindness definitely adds in an extra element! I liked how it told from 2 perspectives and times. I didn’t expect the killer to be the therapist, nor her being Marit’s daughter.

The psychological suspense genre is deluged with novels where the main character has some sort of amnesia, be it due to drugs or illness. Oftentimes, it seems like a cop out from an author who lacks the skill in developing suspense in more creative ways than lost memory. So when I saw the character had prosopagnosia, I'll admit. I sighed. I was suspicious.

I was wrong. I am so glad I remembered how much I enjoyed her first novel and gave this a go. Prosopagnosia is not the only or even primary element developing suspense in this novel. The haunted house has a horrifying history we explore through a maid's diaries. It also has secret passageways, secrets, and atmosphere to spare. If that's something you're interested in, you're not going to be disappointed by this incredible novel.

I was hesitant going into this one because I wasn't a huge fan of Sten's previous book The Lost Village, but I was pleasantly surprised by The Resting Place!

Sten's writing really shines here, especially when it comes to building a tense atmosphere. The setting of the manor house in the middle of a blizzard was the highlight of the book for me and made for a great winter read.

Parts of the plot were predictable, but there were also twists I didn't expect that kept things interesting. I wish the main character's prosopagnosia had been utilized more, as it's a really fascinating condition.

Overall, I give this 3.5 stars rounded up

→ 3 stars

“the resting place” is a book i had high hopes for, based on how enjoyable “the lost village” was, but it ended up being okay. not great, not terrible, but if i didn’t get an arc, i probably would have dnf-ed it.

this is supposed to be a thriller, but it wasn’t that suspenseful. there were a couple plot twists that were very predictable – i saw them coming from a mile away. the book wasn’t exciting at all and i had no wish to keep on reading. the only parts i found interesting were the excepts from anushka’s diary. camilla sten is an exceptionally good writer and i quite like her use of phrases to keep the story interesting, but that wasn’t enough for me to give this novel a high rating. i think my main issue with this book is the fact that i couldn’t connect with any of the characters.

the main character’s inner monologue was tedious at times, she keeps doubting herself and going in circles for a good part of the novel. her boyfriend’s character wasn’t consistent at all, in my opinion – initially he’s painted as this supportive guy, that’s eleanor’s “rock”, but towards the end he’s more whiny and paranoid than she is. i didn’t quite get what went on with the lawyer and the plot twist regarding him because it literally was pointless. the characters from the past were interesting and i quite enjoyed that plot a lot more as it felt less like a bunch of scenes put together and more like a continuous story, unlike the part set in the present.

eleanor has a condition called prosopagnosia aka face blindness, which is a plot device that was severely underused. this condition plays such a tiny role in the novel and when it is mentioned, everything about it is vague.

overall, i see why other readers would like this one, but it just wasn’t for me. i will definitely read the author’s future works because i like her writing style.

→ thank you to netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.