The Lost Notebook: THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER

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The Lost Notebook by Louise Douglas brings to you a lovely mystery fiction spanning a murder which took ages earlier. Each character has been crafted carefully. The plot sparks off right from the start. As a reader you can expect storyline which keeps you on your toes. Each and every character has a separate part to play. The only thing which disappoints is that you are going to feel Mila's character left hanging in the end. My favorite part would be the scene where Gosia's life is narrated. All the trauma and findings were very interesting. The Lost Notebook by Louise Douglas was a thriller that kept the reader in suspense until the end. Mila, the British aunt to Ani, takes responsibly to take care of her sister's daughter because both the parents were deceased due to a boating accident. Mila moves to French Morranez to assist in Sophie's business and to parent Ani temporarily. I don’t know how she does it but Douglas ties together things that one wouldn’t expect and readers just accept it and keep reading; an archaeological dig, teenage angst, French traditions, an orphaned child, a gypsy woman with a secret, a professor with questionable actions, a private investigator and a well-dressed woman with a mistaken identity. 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. AD* | A notebook full of secrets, two untimely deaths – something sinister is stirring in the perfect seaside town of Morranez...

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. This was a very slow-burner of a mystery that I found I cared less and less about. I persevered because I wanted to see how Mila’s character would change and, when some action started to happen, was keen to understand the motives driving this. However, it was largely a struggle to read this book and I found it quite disappointing overall. 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. 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.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. A notebook full of secrets, two untimely deaths – something sinister is stirring in the perfect seaside town of Morranez… I found it interesting how Mila is haunted by her sister. Throughout the story, Mila “hears” Sophie’s responses in her head. Not only does this represent Mila’s raw grief, but also the isolation she feels. Reinforced by looking after Sophie’s daughter, I think it demonstrated how detached Mila had become to everyone around her – symbolised by how few friends she has and the suspicions she has of so many. Furthermore, I was saddened about how Mila treated her niece, particularly with regards to her future plans, and I think this added to my dislike of the protagonist. My first read by this author and a very enjoyable one. Set in the fictional town (but based on Carnac) of Morranez on the coast of Brittany, France I found this quite a slow burn at the start of the book but it certainly moved a lot faster as the book progressed. The author paints a wonderfully descriptive portrait of the countryside in costal Brittany and I could imagine myself sitting in the café’s watching the world go by. Beautifully written and a good plot with some good characters. Definitely a 5 star book. Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and Boldwood Books for providing me an opportunity to read and review the book.

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 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. However, I think it ended up being none of those things. For me, I think it boils down to the plot and pacing. I love a good mystery and this one fit right in, I even liked Ani who was surly most of the time and missed her parents tremendously. If you like a good story this is one I would recommend.The Lost Notebook will draw you slowly but surely into the story of Mila and her resolve to find out who killed the Traveller Woman Gosia. 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 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. 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? 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.