Eleanor has a condition that causes her to not recognize a familiar face. She has to learn a person by voice, hair style, hands , etc…. She finds her grandmother dying and the murderer walks right past her.
The lawyer takes Eleanor, her aunt Veronica, and her boyfriend to the summer estate. And now memories of a sad childhood and secrets are beginning to imerge. The groundskeeper is missing. . Lots of suspense.

Thank you NetHalley for this book. It’s a Scandi thriller. Not on the order of Nesbo or Lackberg but certainly good. Eleanor and her boyfriend go to see a house that she has inherited from her grandmother. Eleanor was there when she was murdered. Due to a medical condition, she doesn’t recognize faces out of context. This is a good book. You will be able to read it in one go.

Let me just start off by saying, wow! This book was so addictive that I read the entire thing in one day. I just could not put it down. Camilla Sten perfectly captured the feeling of a creepy house in the woods without making it seem gimmicky as can sometimes happen with this genre. Every page is filled with suspense and intrigue, and it is a story that will keep you guessing until the very end!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, the author and NetGalley for the arc of this book!

Have you ever seen someone and realize you know them from somewhere, but just can’t place your finger on where you know them from? Imagine not even being able to recognize a familiar face…ever. You hear so many tales of that one person out of thousands or millions that experiences life a bit differently and this tale is more terrifying with those circumstances.

Our protagonist, Eleanor, suffers from face blindness and, as the story goes along, you as the reader experience similar feelings as she does. She is the unfortunate and sole witness of her grandmother’s murder, but lives with the fact that she’s never been able to identify or even give a description of the murderer.

Her story to heal begins on a slightly pleasant note; to return to the house that was her grandmother’s and to hopefully learn more and have a better connection to her and her family. But this is just the beginning of a nightmare.

This story was told with flashbacks in a journal in line with present day, but don’t think you know everything. There are some twists and turns in this tale, so make sure that you are paying attention to the details.

There is such empathy within this story and each of the characters. Each character is flawed in some way and genuine in others making you not sure who you should root for, but definitely leaves you wanting to uncover everything. As you read, the author really showcases beautiful imagery, making it easy to picture and feel in your imagination; I felt the chill of the weather and pictured the layout of a room.

I definitely enjoyed this story and will be investing time in the authors other works.

I liked the atmospheric element of this book. I found myself getting lost between characters a bit. Solid psychological/horror book.

Camilla Sten knows how to write an amazing suspenseful, thriller. The Resting Place is her latest novel and it keeps you on your feet, guessing what is going to happen next. Eleanor finds her grandmother murdered in her apartment and actually comes face-to-face with the killer. The only problem, Eleanor suffers from prosopagnosia (face blindness) and she can't recall what the murderer looks like. That is a scary situation all in itself. but wait there is more.
To settle the estate of her grandparents, Eleanor has to go to the one place she has never been, her grandfather's estate, Solhoga, to take inventory. That is when the story unfolds. Secrets long buried begin to surface and nothing is what it seems.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Resting Place. My only fault was the characters and their names. I just couldn't keep all the names straight. But even that couldn't take way from the amazing thrill ride. I will be recommending The Resting Place to others and will continue to look for works by Camilla Sten. Special thanks to NetGalley, Camilla Sten, and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. 4.5 stars for me.
#SecretsDontDie #NetGalley

Whose Face Looks Back From the Mirror?

I'd never heard of prosopagnosia until I read this book by Swedish author, Camilla Sten. Now, I see that there are stories, books, videos, and even an opera about the neurological disorder commonly called face blindness.

The crown princess of Sweden is one of approximately 200,000 people who have the condition in that country alone. Perhaps her story inspired the author, but if so, she's not alone. And I can see why: it's a perfect plot device for mysteries and thrillers.

In The Resting Place, Eleanor's brain disorder prevents her from identifying her grandmother's killer, despite discovering them before they escaped the scene. Because I had never heard of face blindness, I looked at Eleanor as an unreliable narrator who was traumatized by the event.

I'll let you discover the truth for yourself. This is a tense psychological suspense thriller that will have you on edge until the conclusion.

I'd like to thank the author, Camilla Sten; the publisher; and NetGalley for providing me with a free advanced review copy of this excellent book. My recommendation is freely and enthusiastically given!

I have not read Sten's first novel, but heard great things about it. I was highly intrigued by this one. I love ScandiNoir and the premise sounded very promising - and yet somehow from the opening pages I just never connected with the characters or felt engaged in the plot.

Despite the promise of eerie thriller and mystery elements (missing caretaker, "haunted" house, dysfunctional family, the ultimate unreliable witness due to face blindness), the story never grabbed me (by the throat or otherwise) and I found myself unable to relate to any of the characters or, frankly, care about the outcome of the mystery at the heart of the story. This one didn't work for me at all.

Eleanor - who suffers from "prosopagnosia" or "face blindness" walks in on her grandmother's murder, but is unable to identify the murderer, due to her condition. Since then, she's been on edge, unable to sake the feeling that she's being watched. Then she receives a call from an estate lawyer who says that her grandmother, Vivianne, left her and her aloof aunt a summer home, one she hid from Eleanor and hadn't;t visited in 50 years. When the group goes to inventory the mansion, they get caught in a storm at the isolated estate, discovering too late that along with the furniture, paintings and clothing at Solhoga, there are secrets, lies and possibly even blood that has been kept hidden.

As soon as I saw Camilla Sten's name I was immediately in - she wrote The Lost Village, which I loved, so I knew that she knows how to right some amazing psychological suspense. And this book did not disappoint me. It was am absolutely great work of suspense that kept me on the edge of my seat as the secrets kept spilling out.

There were plenty of red herrings throughout too, so there wasn't really a time when I could say that I had a handle on how things were going to work out or that I guessed the ending.

Not only was there the element of Eleanor's unique medical condition, but there is a unique story of the past and what happened 50 years ago that is continuing to affect things in the present. We get to these things on the two timelines that play out in the book. Both were really interesting. I did not guess the ending to this one. There was a lot going on but I thought it did come together nicely in the end. I love that Camilla Sten can just create these wild stories and bring them together neatly in the end in a way that I never expected. It's really exciting.

Everything was tense and suspenseful from the atmosphere to the characters themselves to the twists that come throughout - this book really has it all. Highly recommended!

I was really excited about this for October because I wanted to read during spooky season.

It was promising in the beginning but It didn’t carry throughout the book. It was a highly emotional story with lots of layers.

Maybe it’s because I had different expectations but this didn’t catch my attention the way I thought it would.

The Resting Place is a dark, atmospheric thriller that takes place in the middle of a Swedish winter in a gothic style mansion in the middle of nowhere. Supposedly no one has lived in it for over 40 years and Eleanor, who inherited it from her grandmother never even knew it existed. The story is told from dual timelines – the present, right after Eleanor walks in on someone murdering her grandmother. And, from 40 years earlier from the point of view of Anushka, the maid who is newly arrived at the country mansion. Eleanor suffers from prosopagnosia (face blindness) so even though she saw the killer she has no memory of his face. This just adds to the creepiness of the story as she is never sure of herself when it comes to recognizing people. A must read for those who love ghostly stories that leave you wondering what is real and what is not.

Eleanor suffers from prosopagnosia or face blindness. She arrives to her weekly dinner at her grandmother, Vivianne’s and walks in on her murder, only to find herself face to face with the killer. Eleanor is haunted by this because she can't remember who the killer was. Several months after Vivianne's death, Eleanor inherits Solhoga estate. She is hoping this will be the key to finding out who her grandmother really was. She goes to the estate with her boyfriend, Sebastian, her aunt Veronika, and the estate lawyer. After their arrival, mysterious things begin to happen and Eleanor believes someone is watching her.

This was an incredible creepy book! I loved the past and present time lines. The creepy old house made it even better. I loved the mystery of Eleanor's family and finding out what really happened in the past and her grandmother's secret. If you enjoy mysterious books, give this one a try. It is well worth the read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review

This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

I was excited to read this book. While it was good; it took me longer to get through than I normally would. It didn’t seem to hold my interest

Imagine the shock, sadness, and frustration of witnessing the brutal murder of a relative and not being able to help identify the killer.

Prosopagnosia or face blindness is a fascinating condition that makes for an interesting angle, sadly underused in this storyline. The opening of this book is explosive and then it quickly fell flat for me . . . the rest of the novel didn't live up to that initial wow factor.

With the atmospheric setup of investigating family secrets in a creepy isolated manor, there are enough ingredients for a good wintery gothic tale. Unfortunately, the suspense wanes and I found myself not really invested in the plight of any of these characters.

I have heard much raving about this author's first novel The Lost Villiage, so I plan to give that book a whirl.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an advanced copy of The Resting Place for my unbiased evaluation. 3 stars

Eleanor suffers from prosopagnosia (face blindness) which prevents her from recognizing any familiar face. She’s had this her entire life and has learned to cope with it by recognizing specific physical features, mannerisms, and voices. When Eleanor goes to her weekly dinner with her Grandmother, Vivianne, she witnesses Vivianne’s murder. Unfortunately, Eleanor’s condition makes it worthless that she’s seen the murder’s face. Months after the murder, Eleanor is notified that she has inherited the Solhoga estate. Never having been to Solhoga, Eleanor hopes to find answers about who her grandmother was while visiting Solhoga. When Eleanor arrives at the estate though, along with the estate lawyer, her aunt Veronika, and her boyfriend Sebastian, strange things start to happen including a freak snowstorm. Cue all the creepy and eerie vibes.

Just like The Lost Village, The Resting Place, is told in alternating past and present tense. Not only do we get Eleanor’s point of view but we read from Annushka’s diary, a character from the past. We flip between the two continuously throughout the story, which provides some nice background on Annushka’s time spent at Solhoga, while also contributing to the overall mystery of the story. The short chapters, which Sten puts forth, really help the story to move at a quick pace and build up suspense.

I had never heard of Prosopagnosia, until picking up this book. Honestly, I’m shocked that this is my first psychological thriller that uses this medical condition in a storyline. As the synopsis states, “The medical term is prosopagnosia. The average person calls it face blindness—the inability to recognize a familiar person’s face, even the faces of those closest to you.” I felt this was used well in the context of the story, and allowed the reader to be completely surprised by the end. Or at least I was surprised by it.

The Resting Place keeps you on your toes and is a great example of psychological suspense writing without the main female characters just being gaslighted. Personally, I think that Camilla Sten’s books should come out in September every year instead of in March because they are perfect for spooky season, which is exactly when I read it. Highly recommend picking up a copy when it hits shelves in 2022, and I can’t wait to read more from Sten.

Fun fact, Camilla Sten is a Swedish writer and her books are translated into English. She has three other books not yet translated. Her mother is also the famous Crime author Viveca Stein.


The Resting Place comes out March 22, 2022. Huge thank you to Minotaur books for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof_books.

We have many thoughts of a Resting Place and they weren't like what Camilla wrote in her story. Eleanor walks into a crime scene without knowing who brushed by her because she has prosopagnosia. Prosopagnosia is face blindness. It means the brain doesn't process human faces the same way others' do. She can't recognize faces, so she has to memorize distinguishing features instead. She can't recognize herself in a mirror. The police had a hard time processing this when she told them what she saw. Her grandmother was killed by a person who ran by Eleanor. Now Eleanor, with her boyfriend, Sebastian went to a house out in the woods to take any inventory of the assets with who they thought was a man who was a lawyer for her grandmother's estate. Her aunt shows up unannounced and we have many flashbacks to when they were younger. You'll have to read this for yourself to see just how everyone is involved with Eleanors history. It's amazing is all I will say, other than it was a 4 out of 5 stars book.

What if every face you see is just a white blank, even the face of the person you just saw murdering your grandmother? This is the nightmare that Eleanor lives every day with her condition called prosopagnosia, or face blindness. Five months after her grandmother Vivianne's murder, she gets a call from a lawyer that the estate in Sweden, called Solhöga, has been left to her. She and her boyfriend, Sebastian, her aunt Veronika, and the lawyer Rickard visit the dark and imposing mansion to inventory the assets. From the first, Eleanor feels uneasy, like she's being watched. Several times she sees a shadowy figure watching her outside. Is it just her imagination, or could it just be the missing groundskeeper? No one believes her, but unexplainable events keep happening. What happened here fifty years ago that caused the mansion to be abandoned?
This was a good mystery, creepy enough, but it didn't have that punch of dark haunting dread that I felt when reading her debut novel [book:The Lost Village|53137992]. I just recently read another book about prosopagnosia, but this book did better at using the condition to add to the creepiness of the story. While most women would feel comfort having their boyfriend with them for protection, Sebastian seemed whiny and spineless, making Eleanor seem even stronger by comparison. He just didn't seem that sympathetic to her situation. Overall, I liked this thriller and I love the author's writing style. I look forward to reading more of her spine-tingling fiction in future.
Thank you to the publisher St. Martin's Press for sending me an early copy of this chilling new book! I received an advance reader copy of this book through NetGalley. The views and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

This is not my review. I want to try to give this book the incredible justice it deserves, however I also don’t want the publisher, St. Martins Press, to think I’ve read it and don’t plan on reviewing it. Oh, I’ll be reviewing this bloody, beautiful, wicked, messed up, twisty gem……I’d just like a bit more time to do so so that I don’t rush it. Below are my thoughts during status updates. I hope it’s okay to be doing this. Thank you ‘so’ much for the chance to have read this early. My gut begged me to request it because I knew it was going to be within my top five favorites of all my reading years and my gut was correct! I’ll be posting to GoodReads and Amazon when my review is complete.

October 19, 2021

Well, holy mother of creepy beginnings! Yep, only 1% & putting it down already. Because this calls for cozy chair, silence & complete attention. Will feed my dog, make my dinner, to hell with folding laundry & the bloody dishes can wait. This night is devoted to reading “The Resting Place”. I must be dead or dreaming to be holding this highly anticipated book right now! Thank you so much #StMartinsPress for this"

October 24, 2021

Well, reading this in one cozy sitting was the plan, but satan has kept me working a ‘lot’ so I’m reading in stolen moments. Breaking up the flow of a creepy, tension filled story of suspense and suspicious people in a hauntingly atmospheric house. I loathe you satan. Seriously, this is sooo good so far! Exactly as I’d hoped it would be."

October 27, 2021

This book is so amazing I wish I had been able to read it in one sitting like I had posted in the beginning. Real life is tossing many evils my way so unfortunately it’s in bits and pieces, but it is ‘everything’ I’ve been looking for in a thriller/suspense novel since about 2005. Dead serious….FINALLY!! It’s meticulously and extraordinarily written you become utterly immersed and feel every damn thing."

October 29, 2021 finished reading:

Gushing’! My thoughts are bloody gushing out, like a gaping hole has been blown open in the center of my chest. The emotions which had me held tautly throughout this story have let me breathe *exhale* I worry now, what in Heaven or hell am I supposed to write to give justice for this impeccably written haunted gem of death, love, betrayal, sweetness & sin? *rhetorical* not sure, but I’m sure as death gonna try"

Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

Eleanor came face to face with her grandmother’s murderer, but she cannot identify the killer. She has prosopagnosia, a condition that renders her unable to recognize a face, even the face of a friend or a family member. The distress she feels hounds her whether she's asleep or awake, leaving her feeling rather paranoid and uneasy.

Some months after her grandmother's death, a call from a lawyer handling Vivianne’s affairs sends Eleanor and her boyfriend, Sebastian, off to Solhöga, an estate tucked away in the Swedish woods . . . the place where Eleanor's grandfather died. The plan is for them to meet there and inventory the contents of the house.

Although she’d expected her aunt to stay away, Veronika is already there when Eleanor and Sebastian arrive; the four of them will do the inventory. But Eleanor cannot shake the feeling that someone is watching them, stalking them. Could it be the missing groundskeeper, Mats Bengtsson?

And when strange things happen and the weather strands them at Solhöga, will they fall victim to the tragedies of the past?

=========

Past and present come together as the stories of two women, Annika and Eleanor, converge in a haunting Swedish estate. Annika’s story provides the necessary backstory for Eleanor’s story. Annika, whose given name is Anushka, was a housekeeper who lived at Solhöga some fifty years earlier while Eleanor is the granddaughter of the woman who owned the estate.

Well-defined [and, for the most part, thoroughly unlikeable] characters, a strong sense of place, and a captivating plot pull readers into the telling of the tale from the outset. The unfolding narrative, with its surprising revelations, keeps the suspense building and the undercurrent of apprehension adds an eeriness to the narrative.

The plot takes some interesting twists as the story evolves; Eleanor’s face blindness creates an unusual situation and lays the groundwork for a surprising twist late in the telling of the tale. The atmosphere, dark and menacing, keeps the pages turning.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley
#TheRestingPlace #NetGalley

Thank you #Netgalley for the advance reader copy of The Resting Place by Camilla Sten in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book. I really enjoyed Stem's The Lost Village and was very excited to be approved for an ARC of her next book. I was not disappointed. I really loved reading about Eleanor and and her face blindness. I loved the story going back and forth between Annika in the 60s and Eleanor now in Solhaga. Was a delicious murder mystery with a whole new twist.