The Lost Notebook: THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER

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AD* | A notebook full of secrets, two untimely deaths – something sinister is stirring in the perfect seaside town of Morranez...

Mila Shepherd has moved into her family home to look after her niece, whose parents Sophie and husband Charles were lost at sea.The story takes place in France on the idyllic Brittany coast. Mila has put her life in Bristol on hold after the sudden and tragic death of her sister Sophie and travels to France to take care of her fourteen year old niece Ani. It is only for the interim, until Ani is sent to boarding school the following year and then Mila can return to her life and to police boyfriend Luke. The next book, The Room in the Attic is due to be published in October 2021 and is a ghost story set in a Victorian asylum-turned-boarding school on Dartmoor.

This book starts off as more of a slow-burn but the sense of intrigue and mystery helped me to stay interested. Once the clues had started coming together, I was gripped and couldn't put it down. The plot was interesting and well researched, and I liked the characters that took the story forward. Definitely recommend the book. Loved the characters, writing style and story. This was the first book I read by the author and I look forward to reading more. Loved the cover of the book. I would like to thank #LouiseDouglas, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #TheLostNotebook in exchange for an honest review. Although this starts a bit slowly and feels slightly disjointed this soon settles into a really compelling slow burner mystery that I thoroughly enjoy. There are several cleverly intertwined mysteries that become more and more intriguing the further into the book you get as it takes you in several unexpected directions.Loved it!!! From the moment I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. Why was Gosia in Morannaz and what was her story? I was convinced it had something to do with the dig and that there was something illegal going on. When everything was finally revealed, I never expected it. At almost no point did I as a reader feel like the plot was building towards something or get any sense of increasing tension or the stakes being raised. The plot seemed to just meander slowly ith no real point. Various seemingly disconnected plot points were raised but again, without ratcheting up the suspense, there was no build-up to the climax.

When it is discovered that Gosia is linked to the Professor who is heading up the archaeological dig nearby, who also has suddenly gone missing, Mila is even more suspicious. Added to the mix are the stories going around town about the Professor which will surely discredit him and ruin his reputation.I wanted to love this one - sounded like it would be a mystery with a side plot of suspense and romance set in Brittany, France....yes please! The characters are well rounded and believable, I liked the ‘voice’ of Sophie, who was Mila’s much treasured stepsister who had died in an accident and was in Mila’s head, she was the voice of reason on Mila’s shoulder.

Overall, an interesting read that only just held my interest. The book felt somewhat longer than it actually was. Not one of the author's best but still readable. How was he captured later in Amsterdam? Doing this almost as an aside after he escaped on the boat felt a bit like cheating the reader. Other than serving as a means to bring Mila from England to France, the whole plot line of her sister's death and her serving as a caretaker for her niece didn't impact the core plot in any meaningful way. It made Mila a more interesting and conflicted character, but what was really the point of all of that? What I mean is that the entire story could have unfolded exactly as it did (with a slight tweak to the climax) with or without this element. For example, she could have inherited the house there or could be spending the summer with family etc. I like the characters especially Ani and Mila and I love that through Mila we get to hear Sophie’s voice. And now the end of the story.... spoilers ahead! Where did the boat come from that the bad guy escaped with? Why didn't he destroy the notebook as soon as he stole it from Goscia? How did no one see him carry/drag Ani off from the sleepout to the pier?Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of The Lost Notebook by Louise Douglas in return for my honest review. An intriguing story set in France where the main character is taking care of her orphaned niece with the help of her step mum. They befriend the elderly traveller lady who lives in her wagon in the woods not far from their property when one night there is a fire at her camp. The elderly lady is found dead in her wagon and her notebook with her life’s work is missing and hereby sets off a chain of events. However, I think it ended up being none of those things. For me, I think it boils down to the plot and pacing. I really struggled to get into this French mystery by Douglas. This is my second read by this author but I certainly did not connect with the narrative like I did previously. I also thought that the cover was quite misleading: it portrays a stormy, brooding narrative, despite the fact this takes place in the height of summer and there are lots of positive references to the warm weather.