Thank you Minotaur Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of The Resting Place in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Published: March 29, 2022
Summary:
A spine-chilling, propulsive psychological suspense from international sensation Camilla Sten.
The medical term is prosopagnosia. The average person calls it face blindness—the inability to recognize a familiar person’s face, even the faces of those closest to you.
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, her anxiety mounts. The dark feelings of having brushed by a killer, yet not know who could do this—or 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 dark 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 bringing the truth to light, they’ll wish they had never come to disturb what rests there.
A heart-thumping, relentless thriller that will shake you to your core, The Resting Place is an unforgettable novel of horror and suspense.
My thoughts:
This is Camilla Sten’s sophomore novel and while I still need to read her debut, The Lost Village, I could not wait to start this new one…and I am so glad I did because I loved it! This is exactly how I love my NordicNoir books to be – creepy, chilling and totally atmospheric!
This is the second book I’ve read that deals with face blindness and I’m all for it. It’s just such a cool concept and I love the way Camilla Sten uses it here in this book. On top of that, we have a locked room mystery – my very favorite mystery/thriller trope. It just lends itself so perfectly to a claustropic feeling and when you add in that our main protagonist has trouble distinguishing faces, you have such a tense situation.
Alternating between the past and the present, this story, unlike most NordicNoir, moves rather quickly and I found myself completely captivated. The short chapters beg you to keep reading and you find yourself consumed with dark secrets that are just waiting to be revealed as the twists keep you on the edge of your seat until the final reveal.
I loved this one. I loved how the mansion itself was creepy enough to be a character – something that is often the case in this genre. And I loved how unsettling the story was. I definitely recommend picking this one up if you love a good atmospheric, chilling read.
