I’m always fascinated by rare diseases. This is a thriller. The main character has prosopagnosia aka face blindness. This is an interesting read but I noticed myself skimming paragraphs. Her grandmother is murdered and she ends up face to face with the murderer… see the problem? Crazy right! There’s some twists, it’s creepy, fast moving, an easy and enjoyable read.

A dark, stormy and claustrophobic atmosphere storyline that takes place in a haunted house. I did have issues with the characters names. I hate when my reading continues to slow down because I have to think about who we’re talking about because the names are too similar. Im also not a fan of the prosopagnosia storyline. I did enjoy the alternating timelines and trying to figure out who murdered the main characters grandmother. I’m at a 3.5 rounded up to 4.

This is the second book I've read recently with a prominent character having prosopagnosia, or face blindness, and while it was something I had never heard of until recently, I'm wondering if it's going to become a trend in mystery/thriller books.

In The Resting Place, we meet Eleanor while in an interrogation room after finding her grandmother dead and coming face to face with the killer. Since she suffers from face blindness, she's unable to describe who the person was. Five months later, she receives word that she's been left a house in her grandmother's estate deep in the Swedish woods, where she arrives with her boyfriend, her aunt, and a lawyer to inventory the house.

I would say it started out pretty creepy and very haunted house-esque, but by about the middle of the book I started to get a bit bored. It wasn't that it wasn't good; I was just expecting more, well creepiness and horror that comes with a creepy old mansion.

It does have a good twist, although, I think for many you'll see it coming. Overall, it was good. I don't think it was nearly as good as The Lost Village, but a good read nonetheless.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5/5 stars

Rating: 3/5 stars.

“The Resting Place” by Camilla Sten is a mystery thriller centered around the main character’s prosopagnosia and inability to recognize faces. I loved “The Lost Village” and had high hopes for this novel, which kind of fell flat. I feel like the author could have really manipulated the protagonist’s prosopagnosia in a number of chilling ways, but missed almost every opportunity to do so. The story really lulled in places, partly due to the unlikeability of the personalities. While this was not a favourite of mine, I am looking forward to reading more translations of the author’s work into English.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book on NetGalley and have provided an honest review.*

4.5 stars rounded up to 5!

This one took me longer to get through as I took a little break during to focus on some other reads and thought I just wasn’t feeling it so much, but picked it back up today and finished the last 65% in one sitting! Part two had me completely sucked it and I needed answers to the endless dark and twisty family drama. Imagine having seen the person who murdered your grandmother, but due to a condition causing face blindness, you are unable to identify who it was that you saw? Ummm WHAT?!

I personally have not read any of Camilla Sten’s books after hearing lots of negative feedback about The Lost Villiage, but I’m thinking I may need to give that one a try now as well!

Eleanor has prosopagnosia. Otherwise known as face blindness. She doesn’t recognize faces like other people do. She is on her way into her grandmother’s apartment when someone comes sprinting out. Her grandma is laying dead on the floor and Eleanor has no way of identifying the murderer she saw.

Later on it’s brought to Eleanor’s attention that her grandmother owned a mansion that she wasn’t even aware of. When she goes to visit with her husband, aunt, and lawyer she begins to discover secrets from her grandmothers past.

Overall this was an okay read for me. Nothing ground breaking, but it held my attention and I was curious to see what was going to happen. I had no idea what the family secrets that unraveled were going to be and enjoyed that aspect of it. However, I didn’t think think the face blindness was used enough- it felt like an afterthought that was added in (and for anyone else knowing they have read this trope before but forgetting where it’s Rock Paper Scissors). Also, the chapters in this book are extremely short and for majority of the book I felt like they were that short to distract from the fact not much was happening.

I’m looking forward to seeing what others think of this book.

Super good fast paced thriller with wintery vibes! I loved this story of a woman visiting her late grandmother's secret estate while untangling what happened in her family's past. I would highly recommend this thriller with a touch of horror!

Set in the cold dark winter of Sweden, you can feel the frigid winds and snow in your face as Eleanor fights for her life and discovers a dark secret about her family.
   Eleanor is the granddaughter of Vivianne: a nasty, cold, miserable woman who can cut her granddaughter to the quick and has done so many times over the years. She doles out love in small doses, just enough to make Eleanor want more even though she knows none is coming.  Vivianne had two daughters: Eleanor’s mom, who passed and Veronica. Both were on the receiving end of her wrath…..but what made her this person? It’s an interesting tale.
   The story ricochets back and forth between decades and you learn the truth about this family and the lives of a privileged few. There is always drama between the have and have-nots and this story is no exception.  You discover the real truth of who has been living lies and what they had to do to keep up the premise.
   This was not an easy storyline to follow for me, as there are so many names……..who they are now, who they were, all those names starting with V, then all the A names. While anxious to know what happened next, I was slowed down by having to rethink who was who. Slowing down served me well because it forced me to absorb what was happening as opposed to trying to set to the next scene because it was such a thriller.

This one is oddly difficult for me to review. While I did enjoy the story, I have to confess that I skimmed and speed read at least 50% of the book. It was admittedly difficult for me to keep going; yet I really did want to do know what happened. So, I did finish.

I felt like the what and why of the ending was obvious from the beginning. I was surprised at who the antagonist turned out to be, but it wasn’t a jaw dropping surprise. More of a slight eyebrow raise.

I’m sorry to say this one just wasn’t my cup of tea. 3.5 stars

My thanks to Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read this book before its March 29 publication date.

A very very interesting read. I love Camilla Sten's writing and the way it leads to such a chilling atmosphere. I didn't know what to expect next and the ending definitely surprised me. I think there were some parts that didn't add to the story, but overall I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good thriller!

This is my first book by Camille Sten. Yes, I missed reading her earlier book but believe me after reading this one I will be going back to that. The amazing reviews for that make me realise I need that book in my life!

This book is creepy and oh so atmospheric. The characters are extremely interesting and complicated.
We have the protagonist Eleanor walking in on the scene of her grandmother's murder. She actually comes face to face with the murderer but there's a twist. Ofcourse there is one! She has prosopagnosia. That's the medical term. What it means to the layman is that the person has face blindness- the inability to recognize people's faces.

And therein begins this twisted tale. Her grandmother has left her a house and this estate is in a desolated landscape. Despite her boyfriend's misgivings they head there. This place has history, has a tale to tell, a place with a chilling past which Eleanor is desperate to understand and know.

Without revealing anything else I just want to say that this story has you hooked from the beginning. One can't wait to know how the story will unfold. The atmosphere, the setting, the creepiness adds so much more to this tale.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Resting Place by Camilla Sten starts out with an interesting premise. Eleanor walks in on the murder of her grandmother, a cruel and hateful woman, and comes face to face with her killer. Unfortunately, Eleanor suffers from prosopagnosia, the medical term for face blindness. She is unable to even recognize even those closest to her. Who is the killer and could Eleanor be next? Unable to know who to watch out for, Eleanor's anxiety increases as she looks over her shoulder at every turn

When Eleanor finds out she has inherited her grandmothers large home located deep in the woods she heads there along with her boyfriend, aunt and the family lawyer in the hopes of finding answers to the grand mother's murder.

This is a Nordic noir thriller of the best kind- heavy on atmosphere and a sense of foreboding with an intriguing mystery at it's core. This is a book that is hard to put down. It is psychological suspense of the best kind and the addition of the main character suffering from face blindness adds another layer and creates an elevated sense of tension. The atmosphere created in this book is everything. I loved the mansion located in the snowy woods that is haunted with the memories of the occupants of the past.. You can feel the eeriness, desolation and creeping cold. On this level this book was a home run for me. An eerie setting will draw me in every time. I also really enjoyed the actual mystery. It is very much a locked room mystery which I always love because it creates a sense of claustrophobia and desperation to find the answers to the puzzle quickly. Many thrillers are all about the build up and the ending can often be a let down, not with this book. The twist and answer to the puzzle is one the reader won't see coming and is one they will think about for a long time afterward.

If you are looking for a thriller that has a great setting, a wonderful creepy atmosphere, suspense and is just a really good mystery then look no further. With a Resting Place, Camilla Sten has established herself as a writer not to be missed.

I was a bit hesitant going into this because this author’s previous book really did not work for me. However I was so intrigued by the synopsis for this one that I decided to give Sten another chance, and I’m glad I did!
This is a pretty quick bingeable story with lots of twists and although I figured out most of them, it was still exciting to see how they all came together.
I do wish that it expanded more on Eleanor’s face blindness - with it being a part of the synopsis I thought it would play a bigger part in the story, but it seemed more like an afterthought and really wasn’t important to the plot at all.

"The Resting Place" was a twisty ride with a great surprise ending. The alternate points of view created a full picture and kept you guessing until the very end.

Another thrilling novel from Camilla Sten! As much as I loved The Lost Village, The Resting Place was less horror and more of a thriller and family drama. I have always loved books around a house. Even better, I've always been a sucker for storied unfolding in an isolated house. In this case, the story is set in Victoria's summer house called Solhoga, located in the Swedish woods. Her granddaughter Eleanor has to meet there to handle things after her grandmother's death, or should I say murder (?). She has never been to that place, but heard of it. She is accompanied by her boyfriend and aunt, as well as the lawyer who set up the meeting. Very quickly, scary things are starting to happen in that house and the situation quickly gets out of control, allowing us readers to dive into the past and discover family ugliness that needs to come out for final resolution.

I loved the story, the atmospheric haunting vibe of the house, the mysterious grandmother Victoria, the what-happened and who-dunnit feeling throughout. The translating job was on point and the end did not disappoint. I will definitelt keep following Camilla Sten's work because I can't get enough of it!

Thank you Net Galley and Minotaur Books for this ARE in exchange for my honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed everything about this book and Sten's writing style. I have to get the first book and put her on my TBR list of authors. This book was filled with everything that I like about books that I read. Couldn't put it down until I finished it.

This book was one of those books that had me on edge the entire time. Every single sound that I heard at night while reading this book made me JUMP. It got to the point that I had to tell myself that if there was someone or something in the house, that my dogs would let me know. It freaked me out (in a really good way.) I have not read a book that did that to me in a long time. The characters were so good. The writing was so good. The plot was so good. The book goes back and forth between the present and a diary that was written 50-60 years ago. It was not hard to follow along (as books like this sometimes are for me). I HIGHLY recommend this book. It will NOT disappoint.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a chilly tense story with a super slow start. The main character has face blindness and after coming face-to-face with her grandmother's killer she's on edge because she knows she doesn't have the ability to recognize them.

There's lots of build up to a big "twist" but ultimately the ending was a bit of a letdown just because it was rather sad. I feel like the lushness of the prose was lost in translation here because some parts of the story chilled me and made me feel like I was in the dark woods and others just fell flat.🤷🏻‍♀️


If you're looking for a chilly atmosphere and a story that's spooky, but not scary this might be a great book for you. For me, a seasoned horror reader it was just alright.

The book was good but it was a bit slow in the beginning for me. I found myself getting confused with all of the other names that were used throughout since they all started with the letter V. The story line was ok though. The twist was good. Didn’t see it coming at all. Quite sad when you think about it really.

There are a lot of things I enjoyed about this novel - the main character, her rare diagnosis, the strained and complicated relationships she has with her family members, and the tense whodunnit moments that crop up more frequently in the last third of the story. However, I found the first two-thirds moved very slowly for me and I wasn't compelled to keep reading and see what happens like I usually am. Also, I did not find the ending satisfactory - I don't want to spoil anything, so I will just say it felt rushed and undeserved in a way.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy to read and review. All opinions are my own.