The Lost Notebook: THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER

Product Information

As with all Louise Douglas books this one draws you into the story. I found this a slower burn than her previous books but by the middle of the book I couldn't put it down. I usually give a few sentences for the synopsis, just as a refresher for myself but in this instance there are so many layers to this book, that I couldn’t do it justice. Mila Shepherd has moved into her family home to look after her niece, whose parents Sophie and husband Charles were lost at sea. A notebook full of secrets, two untimely deaths – something sinister is stirring in the perfect seaside town of Morranez… 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 did enjoy THE LOST NOTEBOOK but not as much as "The Room in the Attic" which was phenomenal. The mystery is interesting but goes off tangent with Mila continually having conversations with her dead sister throughout. I must say, I didn't much like Sophie and she was dead! Gosia’s ‘notebook’ goes missing when she is found dead. Her ‘work’ was in this book, work that she had been compiling since her son, Tomas, died.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. Found the story rather slow, nothing really interesting happens until nearly half way through the story. It ends on an odd note too, with no resolution over of a possible misunderstanding/relationship issue, some aspects of the story left open ended - this may be so that the reader can draw their own conclusions, or the author possibly may be writing a sequel to this. I almost DNF'ed several times but what saved this book for me is that the characters and the writing itself were interesting and compelling enough to keep me going. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you NetGalley, Louise Douglas and Boldwood Books for hearing my honest review. Looking forward to reading more with you

My only question is of Charlie (Sophie’s husband who also died in the accident), there was not much said of him at all, considering he was part of the ‘group’. That said the story is not about him at all, so for entertainment I highly recommend this for a great escapism read. In this mystery thriller, the unexpected death of a elderly traveller woman in the seaside town of Morranez sparks Mila Shepherd, a reluctant private detective, to begin an investigation. I would like to thank #LouiseDouglas, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #TheLostNotebook in exchange for an honest review.

Pages

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. 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. The story starts off quite slowly and I wondered where it was going then it takes an unusual turn. Firstly Mila can smell smoke she goes off to investigate and she finds the traveller woman deceased. Is it suspicious? Mila notices a huge notebook is missing and her phone is missing. The police view it as a straightforward death are they right? 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.