Review: Lost Among the Living by Simone St. James

Lost Among the Living

by Simone St. James

Publisher: Berkley NAL

Pages: 336

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  England, 1921. Three years after her husband, Alex, disappeared, shot down over Germany, Jo Manders still mourns his loss. Working as a paid companion to Alex's wealthy, condescending aunt, Dottie Forsyth, Jo travels to the family’s estate in the Sussex countryside. But there is much she never knew about her husband’s origins…and the revelation of a mysterious death in the Forsyths’ past is just the beginning…

All is not well at Wych Elm House. Dottie's husband is distant, and her son was grievously injured in the war. Footsteps follow Jo down empty halls, and items in her bedroom are eerily rearranged. The locals say the family is cursed, and that a ghost in the woods has never rested. And when Jo discovers her husband’s darkest secrets, she wonders if she ever really knew him. Isolated in a place of deception and grief, she must find the truth or lose herself forever.

And then a familiar stranger arrives at Wych Elm House… 


Kritters Thoughts:  A historical fiction tale with a fantastic ghost story embedded inside.  If you have followed this blog for awhile you know I love a good historical fiction and I am not usually a fan of fantasy things, but for some reason this ghost story inside the historical fiction worked so well for me!

First, the historical fiction tale of the story was full and could have been the full story by itself but it would have been like a lot of other tales.  What set it apart was the clever inclusion of the ghost story/murder mystery and they complimented each other.  The historical part - a semi war widow because his body hasn't been found she is taken in by their family and there is where the ghost story entered.  

I don't know really where I stand in the debate about ghosts' presence in our world, but I am not against it.  So I enjoyed reading a story that was of course fiction, but showed the presence of ghosts in a somewhat of a believable light.  I loved the reveal of the who dun it and how we the reader find out who did the deed - it was at just the right time in the book and I think I am pleased with the outcome.

If you are already a reader of historical fiction, try this one, its different.  


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Berkley NAL.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.