Book Review: The Resting Place by Camilla Sten

 

Book: The Resting Place

Author: Camilla Sten

Translated by: Alexandra Fleming 

Pages: 322

Read in: 3 hours 

Read on: Kindle 

Plot Summary: 

Deep rooted secrets. 
A twisted family history.
And a house that will never let go.

Eleanor lives with prosopagnosia, the inability to recognize a familiar person's face. It causes stress. Acute anxiety. 

It can make you question what you think you know.

When Eleanor walked in on the scene of her capriciously cruel grandmother, Vivianne’s, murder, she came face to face with the killer—a maddening expression that means nothing to someone like her. With each passing day, the horror of having come so close to a murderer—and not knowing if they’d be back—overtakes both her dreams and her waking moments, thwarting her perception of reality.

Then a lawyer calls. Vivianne has left her a house—a looming estate tucked away in the Swedish woods. The place her grandfather died, suddenly. A place that has housed a chilling past for over fifty years.

Eleanor. Her steadfast boyfriend, Sebastian. Her reckless aunt, Veronika. The lawyer. All will go to this house of secrets, looking for answers. But as they get closer to uncovering the truth, they’ll wish they had never come to disturb what rests there.

Things I Liked: 

1. A spooky and mysterious premise is what attracted me to this book. I was in a bit of a reading funk and, sometimes, reading something fast-paced and atmospheric helps in snapping out of those. This book fit the bill perfectly, which made me pick it up. 

2. The book is very atmospheric. It is a split-time narrative set between 1965-66 and the present day. The story is set in this country mansion, which is full of secrets and, perhaps, something else. The writing is evocative and really brings out the isolation of the country mansion, the impending sense of doom and fear. 

3. The story itself is quite interesting. Our protagonist, Eleanor, didn't even know her grandmother owned this mansion and so, inheriting it after her passing was a shock at multiple levels. There was, clearly, a reason in the past (the 1965-66 timeline), which led to Eleanor's grandma never returning to this mansion and as Eleanor, her boyfriend- Sebastian- and her aunt- Veronika- arrive there with their lawyer, mysterious things start happening. 

4. The book is fast-paced and each chapter is necessary and reveals more and more about the events of the past and the mysterious happenings of the present. I hate it when crime thrillers waste time with filler chapters and so, this taut narrative was really appreciated!

5. The big reveal was a little guessable but still quite good. There are two mysteries in this book and both were nicely set up. The author gives you enough breadcrumbs to guess but also not enough to make it easily guessable. Always love it when crime thriller authors strike that balance. 

Rating: 4/5