Eleanor suffers from prosopagnosia (face blindness) which prevents her from recognizing any familiar face. She’s had this her entire life and has learned to cope with it by recognizing specific physical features, mannerisms, and voices. When Eleanor goes to her weekly dinner with her Grandmother, Vivianne, she witnesses Vivianne’s murder. Unfortunately, Eleanor’s condition makes it worthless that she’s seen the murder’s face. Months after the murder, Eleanor is notified that she has inherited the Solhoga estate. Never having been to Solhoga, Eleanor hopes to find answers about who her grandmother was while visiting Solhoga. When Eleanor arrives at the estate though, along with the estate lawyer, her aunt Veronika, and her boyfriend Sebastian, strange things start to happen including a freak snowstorm. Cue all the creepy and eerie vibes.

Just like The Lost Village, The Resting Place, is told in alternating past and present tense. Not only do we get Eleanor’s point of view but we read from Annushka’s diary, a character from the past. We flip between the two continuously throughout the story, which provides some nice background on Annushka’s time spent at Solhoga, while also contributing to the overall mystery of the story. The short chapters, which Sten puts forth, really help the story to move at a quick pace and build up suspense.

I had never heard of Prosopagnosia, until picking up this book. Honestly, I’m shocked that this is my first psychological thriller that uses this medical condition in a storyline. As the synopsis states, “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.” I felt this was used well in the context of the story, and allowed the reader to be completely surprised by the end. Or at least I was surprised by it.

The Resting Place keeps you on your toes and is a great example of psychological suspense writing without the main female characters just being gaslighted. Personally, I think that Camilla Sten’s books should come out in September every year instead of in March because they are perfect for spooky season, which is exactly when I read it. Highly recommend picking up a copy when it hits shelves in 2022, and I can’t wait to read more from Sten.

Fun fact, Camilla Sten is a Swedish writer and her books are translated into English. She has three other books not yet translated. Her mother is also the famous Crime author Viveca Stein.


The Resting Place comes out March 22, 2022. Huge thank you to Minotaur books for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof_books.

We have many thoughts of a Resting Place and they weren't like what Camilla wrote in her story. Eleanor walks into a crime scene without knowing who brushed by her because she has prosopagnosia. Prosopagnosia is face blindness. It means the brain doesn't process human faces the same way others' do. She can't recognize faces, so she has to memorize distinguishing features instead. She can't recognize herself in a mirror. The police had a hard time processing this when she told them what she saw. Her grandmother was killed by a person who ran by Eleanor. Now Eleanor, with her boyfriend, Sebastian went to a house out in the woods to take any inventory of the assets with who they thought was a man who was a lawyer for her grandmother's estate. Her aunt shows up unannounced and we have many flashbacks to when they were younger. You'll have to read this for yourself to see just how everyone is involved with Eleanors history. It's amazing is all I will say, other than it was a 4 out of 5 stars book.

What if every face you see is just a white blank, even the face of the person you just saw murdering your grandmother? This is the nightmare that Eleanor lives every day with her condition called prosopagnosia, or face blindness. Five months after her grandmother Vivianne's murder, she gets a call from a lawyer that the estate in Sweden, called Solhöga, has been left to her. She and her boyfriend, Sebastian, her aunt Veronika, and the lawyer Rickard visit the dark and imposing mansion to inventory the assets. From the first, Eleanor feels uneasy, like she's being watched. Several times she sees a shadowy figure watching her outside. Is it just her imagination, or could it just be the missing groundskeeper? No one believes her, but unexplainable events keep happening. What happened here fifty years ago that caused the mansion to be abandoned?
This was a good mystery, creepy enough, but it didn't have that punch of dark haunting dread that I felt when reading her debut novel [book:The Lost Village|53137992]. I just recently read another book about prosopagnosia, but this book did better at using the condition to add to the creepiness of the story. While most women would feel comfort having their boyfriend with them for protection, Sebastian seemed whiny and spineless, making Eleanor seem even stronger by comparison. He just didn't seem that sympathetic to her situation. Overall, I liked this thriller and I love the author's writing style. I look forward to reading more of her spine-tingling fiction in future.
Thank you to the publisher St. Martin's Press for sending me an early copy of this chilling new book! I received an advance reader copy of this book through NetGalley. The views and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

This is not my review. I want to try to give this book the incredible justice it deserves, however I also don’t want the publisher, St. Martins Press, to think I’ve read it and don’t plan on reviewing it. Oh, I’ll be reviewing this bloody, beautiful, wicked, messed up, twisty gem……I’d just like a bit more time to do so so that I don’t rush it. Below are my thoughts during status updates. I hope it’s okay to be doing this. Thank you ‘so’ much for the chance to have read this early. My gut begged me to request it because I knew it was going to be within my top five favorites of all my reading years and my gut was correct! I’ll be posting to GoodReads and Amazon when my review is complete.

October 19, 2021

Well, holy mother of creepy beginnings! Yep, only 1% & putting it down already. Because this calls for cozy chair, silence & complete attention. Will feed my dog, make my dinner, to hell with folding laundry & the bloody dishes can wait. This night is devoted to reading “The Resting Place”. I must be dead or dreaming to be holding this highly anticipated book right now! Thank you so much #StMartinsPress for this"

October 24, 2021

Well, reading this in one cozy sitting was the plan, but satan has kept me working a ‘lot’ so I’m reading in stolen moments. Breaking up the flow of a creepy, tension filled story of suspense and suspicious people in a hauntingly atmospheric house. I loathe you satan. Seriously, this is sooo good so far! Exactly as I’d hoped it would be."

October 27, 2021

This book is so amazing I wish I had been able to read it in one sitting like I had posted in the beginning. Real life is tossing many evils my way so unfortunately it’s in bits and pieces, but it is ‘everything’ I’ve been looking for in a thriller/suspense novel since about 2005. Dead serious….FINALLY!! It’s meticulously and extraordinarily written you become utterly immersed and feel every damn thing."

October 29, 2021 finished reading:

Gushing’! My thoughts are bloody gushing out, like a gaping hole has been blown open in the center of my chest. The emotions which had me held tautly throughout this story have let me breathe *exhale* I worry now, what in Heaven or hell am I supposed to write to give justice for this impeccably written haunted gem of death, love, betrayal, sweetness & sin? *rhetorical* not sure, but I’m sure as death gonna try"

Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

Eleanor came face to face with her grandmother’s murderer, but she cannot identify the killer. She has prosopagnosia, a condition that renders her unable to recognize a face, even the face of a friend or a family member. The distress she feels hounds her whether she's asleep or awake, leaving her feeling rather paranoid and uneasy.

Some months after her grandmother's death, a call from a lawyer handling Vivianne’s affairs sends Eleanor and her boyfriend, Sebastian, off to Solhöga, an estate tucked away in the Swedish woods . . . the place where Eleanor's grandfather died. The plan is for them to meet there and inventory the contents of the house.

Although she’d expected her aunt to stay away, Veronika is already there when Eleanor and Sebastian arrive; the four of them will do the inventory. But Eleanor cannot shake the feeling that someone is watching them, stalking them. Could it be the missing groundskeeper, Mats Bengtsson?

And when strange things happen and the weather strands them at Solhöga, will they fall victim to the tragedies of the past?

=========

Past and present come together as the stories of two women, Annika and Eleanor, converge in a haunting Swedish estate. Annika’s story provides the necessary backstory for Eleanor’s story. Annika, whose given name is Anushka, was a housekeeper who lived at Solhöga some fifty years earlier while Eleanor is the granddaughter of the woman who owned the estate.

Well-defined [and, for the most part, thoroughly unlikeable] characters, a strong sense of place, and a captivating plot pull readers into the telling of the tale from the outset. The unfolding narrative, with its surprising revelations, keeps the suspense building and the undercurrent of apprehension adds an eeriness to the narrative.

The plot takes some interesting twists as the story evolves; Eleanor’s face blindness creates an unusual situation and lays the groundwork for a surprising twist late in the telling of the tale. The atmosphere, dark and menacing, keeps the pages turning.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley
#TheRestingPlace #NetGalley

Thank you #Netgalley for the advance reader copy of The Resting Place by Camilla Sten in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book. I really enjoyed Stem's The Lost Village and was very excited to be approved for an ARC of her next book. I was not disappointed. I really loved reading about Eleanor and and her face blindness. I loved the story going back and forth between Annika in the 60s and Eleanor now in Solhaga. Was a delicious murder mystery with a whole new twist.

The newest psychological thriller from Camilla Sten. I haven’t read her other novel yet, The Lost Village, but I’ve heard it’s excellently disturbing and frightening. The Resting Place seems to be promoted as suspense and even horror, but I found it to be quite tame and more of a slow burn. It has an interesting concept with the protagonist having prosopagnosia (face blindness). Definitely makes solving mysteries and identifying killers difficult, not to mention daily interactions and interpersonal relationships. The family drama in this one was quite complicated and even confusing to keep track of at times. Secluded estates always make for perfect creepy settings though!

This is one of those books that I enjoyed while I was reading it, but felt there was something missing. I think I wanted more suspense or maybe for it to be a bit darker since that’s what I was expecting. I also think the family tree needed to be less complex or explained better and earlier on. But if you like your thrillers more mild and don’t want to get too freaked out this might be a good fit!

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books and Macmillan USA for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Camilla Sten blew me away again! I really enjoyed The Lost Village, so when I saw Camilla Sten had another book I had to read it. The current day story line is a slow burn. A distraught Eleanor, at a home she didn't know her grandmother owned, keeps having weird experiences. There's just enough going on to build suspense and keep the reader engaged, but it's not over the top crazy action. The interspersed chapters from the diary of Anushka are innocent enough to not give anything away too early, but interesting enough to add to the suspense. Towards the end, the suspense hits its peak and everything goes crazy. I was able to figure out a few of the twists before they were revealed, but I was blindsided by others. Overall a fantastic book by an author that's quickly becoming a must read.

Although I love thrillers and mysteries, this book work for me. I found the pacing to be slow, the story predictable and the characters were flat. Also, some details just didn't add up or couldn't be explained. I am happy that so many other readers seemed to connect with and enjoy this book.

<i>Resting Place</i> by Camille Sten is a page-turner. A murder, a manor house deep in the Swedish countryside, longstanding family conflicts, and a blizzard provide plenty of atmosphere, questions and chills. Ms. Sten knows how to write an eerily compelling mystery. I read until I absolutely had to go to bed, and then bits of <i>Resting Place</i> intruded on my dreams. The surprising denouement will leave you pondering. <i>Resting Place</i> will be released on March 29, 2022. I’m looking forward to another book by this author.

I received an ARC for my fair review.

The Resting Place is a very enjoyable mystery with multiple plot twists. Chapters switch between the modern protagonist and an earlier character and slowly disclose the history that has created the current scenario being played out in a secluded estate during a snowstorm. Interesting and well written premise that held my interest.

Super creepy story. A fast read with lots of suspense and drama. Couldn’t put it down.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc

The Resting Place by Camilla Sten ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A big thanks to @minotaur_books and @netgalley for the ARC! This one comes out March 29.

Sten is a master of alternating timelines. I found the past/present structure to be effective in maintaining the tension in this story.

The setting was so spooky - an abandoned estate away from everything in a blizzard. It oozed creepy from the beginning.

The face blindness aspect didn’t play as much of a role as I expected it to. While it was there, I felt it could have been explored a bit more.

My only small complaints are the pace and characters. I felt it slowed down in the middle. But once the action started, it moved very quickly. Also, while the characters were distinct, I didn’t really connect with any of them. I didn’t dislike them; I just never connected with them.

Overall, I really enjoyed this suspenseful family drama. I was pleasantly surprised with how things played out, and I found this to be a great spooky read.

This was an interesting book. I found it sad and a little frightening about the heroine's condition. She had to learn other ways to get through life

This book has a wonderfully creepy gothic feel to it with family secrets, murders, and plenty of people who could have been the 'bad guy (or girl!')'. The writing kept me engaged throughout as I tried to figure out who did what and I admit to being totally surprised by the reveal. I was also somewhat disappointed by the ending for some reason but it's still a great read.

Camilla Sten is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors!
The Resting Place is a story about deep.. dark.. family secrets. We follow 2 characters, in the present we follow Eleanor who after her grandmother Vivianne is murdered her and her aunt inherit the family mansion.. One she had no idea even existed. The other perspective is Anushka.. a maid living and working for Vivianne when she was a young woman..
This book was spooky and soo atmospheric..Full of twists and turns, some I saw coming and some were complete surprises,, It takes place in a mansion in the middle of nowhere in winter.. and of course while our characters are exporing a huge blizzard blows in... So when things go missing, the groundkeeper is nowhere to be found, and Eleanor has the feeling that she is being watched.. there is nowhere to go.. They are completly snowed in.. When Eleanor finds the diary of Anushka she begins to unravel the story of her families past.. and what a past it is..
I read this book in one sitting, and I can't wait to see what Camilla Sten comes out with next

I have been anxiously waiting for the author's next book since I was a huge fan of The Lost Village. Did I stay up too late reading? Why yes I did. Did I love this murder mystery and the creepy atmosphere? That would be another yes.
Eleanor is living with not only grief but also guilt and fear. Her grandmother, Vivianne, was murdered and she saw the killer. Case closed, right? Wrong, because she suffers from face blindness, so the killer could be anyone. A stranger or someone she knows, she has no idea and it is making her extremely upset, paranoid, and confused. Who would want to kill Vivianne? She wasn't the nicest person, but murder seems an unlikely outcome.
She is shocked to discover that Vivianne left a house, Solhoga, to her and her Aunt Veronika. She never even knew this estate existed, and when the family lawyer, Rickard asks her to accompany him to the house to take inventory, her curiosity leads her to say yes. Soon Eleanor, her boyfriend, Sebastian, Veronika, and Rickard are trapped in the house by a blizzard. But secrets and lies can be found in every corner, and there might be someone else there with them.
The POVs shift from Eleanor in the present to a maid, Anushka in the past. Little by little, we learn there was much more to Vivianne's life than Eleanor imagined. The setting was perfect as I never knew what was just around the corner. I guessed the twist about halfway through but still needed the author to reveal the why. It was tragic and explained a lot about why Vivianne became such a cold person.
I enjoyed this book just as much as The Lost Village and I hope more books will be translated. 4.5 stars.

** spoiler alert ** This was an intriguing read. This was probably like a 3.5 star book, but I'll give it the full 4. I was worried there would be nothing in the end to explain why Anushka became so hateful. I suspected it was to complete the farce that she really was Vivienne, however, that still wasn't satisfying to me. Why be hateful to your own daughters and granddaughter? Wouldn't the guilt have made her treat Kickie better, not worse? Why didn't she drop the act as time went on and become less of a beast? Also, how on earth did they ever get Kickie to think Anushka was Vivienne? She was five when everything happened. That is certainly old enough to be able to tell the difference between two people you lived with. I felt like that could've done with a little more hashing more. I also wish they had said what happened to Rickard in the end.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I was delighted to receive this advanced copy by Camilla Sten! I have very high hopes for this and wanted a creepy read for this fall. While this book did give those atmospheric elements that I was looking for, I was absolutely lost with the characters. Every character in this book started with V, and the family dynamics and relationships were just very hard to understand. Our main character suffers from facial blindness, a condition where she cannot recognize anyone by their face but rather some detail about them. This was very interesting to read about. Overall I just got very lost and not lost in a good way reading this. It just wasn’t for me.

Thank you net galley and Minotaur books for the ARC. This was the perfect novel to read on a rainy day. It had all the elements of a great thriller that I look for. It was gothic ,eerie and had me thinking. The story centers around Eleanor who comes face to face with her grandmothers killer but due to her suffering from face blindness, she is unable to recognize this perpetrator. So in Eleanors world anyone could be the killer, and after she comes to inherits her grans mansion, she is thrown directly into this killers path. This is dual timeline novel. The alternating story is told from the POV of Anuchska, a maid who worked and lived in the mansion in 1965. Her account will reveal the mansion sinister past and its connection to Eleanors present. This book will keep you up late at night as you yearn to find out who killed Eleanor grandmother and what dark secrets the mansion is hiding in its shadowy corners.