⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was such a melancholy and atmospheric book. I quite enjoyed it, though. The writing was top-notch. It's a slow burn type of story so isn't the fastest paced story. The plot was engaging, intelligent, and kept me guessing. There are plenty of intriguing and well-developed characters as well. My favorite being Oksana, and it was all wrapped up in a satisfactory ending. This one gets two solid thumbs up from yours truly.

**ARC Via NetGalley**

This was an intriguing read. I enjoyed the setting and found it to be grim and atmospheric. There was a lot going on and it was difficult to keep track sometimes

Those Who Return by Kassandra Montag.
This was an ok read . I did find it slow in places. I wasn't sure about Lore.
Dr. Lorelei 'Lore' Webber, a former FBI psychiatrist, has almost grown used to the unorthodox methods used at Hatchery House. But when one of her patients is murdered, Lore finds herself dragged into the centre of an investigation. Those was slow then picked up then was slow again. Also I didn't like how the ending was left. Could be better. 2*.

I liked the concept of the book and the plot but found it difficult to read and keep my attention. I had to keep going back to it. But I am glad that I read it, as it certainly was different.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

Set in the remote desert planes of Nebraska, the story follows Lorie a FBI Psychiatrist. She has been sent to Hatchery House to help treat abandoned children with psychiatric disorders. But when her patients start dying it’s up to Lorie to find out who within the walls of Hatchery House is committing these murders!!

This book was slow at first but then became more fast paced and hypnotic at the end! I found the remote landscape a creepy setting all of its own. I would recommend to thriller fans and readers who enjoy police procedural time stories or twisty mysteries!

Thanks to the author Kassandra Montag, the publisher Quercus Books and Netgalley for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Based in Nebraska is a home for children with psychiatric disorders Hatchery House, and the psychiatrist appointed to them is Dr Lore, formally from the FBI. One by one children go missing or turn up murdered and Lore tries to discover who murderer is, and everyone ends up being a suspect.

I struggled to get into this book perhaps due to vague nature of the writing style, the constant slips back and forth through time and I also felt the ending was a bit rushed. I did however like the concept of this story.

Hatchery House is a home for orphaned or abandoned children with psychiatric disorders, having been a church, an asylum and an orphanage it is haunted by its past. Lore Webber, is a former FBI psychiatrist is now based there and the novel is told from her pov.
Throughout the novel we slip between the present day and the past via Lore's memories. as various actions trigger her. I found that the slipping between different times meant that some times the pacing was a lot faster than at others.
When a child goes missing and another one is murdered Lore is trying to figure out who is responsible.
At some point everybody is a suspect; the crazy neighbour Oxsana Sussel (my favourite character), other staff members, other children. Anyone could have been responsible.

Dr Lorelei (Lore) Webber works as psychotherapist at a childrens facility in the wilderness in Nebraska called Hatchery House. One day the murder of one of her patients sees the place turned upside down and all kinds of abuse and shocking discoveries are made after she’s dragged into the investigation by former partner and friend Cedar. She is forced to confront past events she has spent her life running from.
This book is quite dark but very intriguing. It keeps you guessing at every moment. I would recommend it although at times I found it very slow going.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest views and opinions

Dr. Lorelei 'Lore' Webber, a former FBI psychiatrist, has almost grown used to the unorthodox methods used at Hatchery House. But when one of her patients is murdered, Lore finds herself dragged into the centre of an investigation that unearths startling truths, shocking discoveries, and untold cruelty. And as the investigation unravels, Lore is forced to confront the past she's spent her whole life running from - a secret that threatens to undo her entirely. Atmospheric, haunting and superbly plotted. So powerful and poignant... a beautifully written.

There is a lot to keep track of as you get to know the characters and the context of the house and its surrounding town. Plenty of dark and disturbing back story to keep thriller fans engrossed, too. I found the pace ebbed and flowed a bit but enjoyed the use of different times as a means of dividing the book into sections. I had some unanswered questions at the end and wonder if we might see more from the author featuring this context and characters.

I couldn’t finish this book - 26% in I gave up. Too much information about the characters in such a short time - too many things happening with Lore.

The prologue is confusing and 30 years earlier is 2007.

I found this book confusing and the protagonist has too many things popping up every 5 minutes in regards to her history, her mental health and her love life.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Quercus Books for an advance copy of Those Who Return, a stand-alone psychological thriller set mostly in rural Nebraska in 2007.

Lorelei “Lore” Webber is a psychiatrist working at Hatchery House, a home for troubled teenagers. She used to work for the FBI and finds she needs those skills when one of the residents is murdered. What she uncovers in the course of the investigation is shocking and leads her back into the secrets of her past.

I found that Those Who Return was difficult to navigate and it never held my attention for long. This is a shame as the concept is both excellent and unusual and it is great at building tension. There is a good plot in there, it just gets lost in the execution.

To me, the problem with the novel lies with Lore and her first person point of view narrative. It could be said that it is done realistically as her mind darts from the present to past memories as it makes connections, much as many of us do, but in fiction it makes the read disjointed and a bit disorienting. I also think this means that her thoughts are not fully formed and it leaves the reader searching for meaning and making assumptions. It’s all a bit woolly. Then there is her mental state. Deep trauma from her past, which is only gradually revealed over the course of the novel, makes her distrustful of others, uneasy is company and has certain physical manifestations. It’s very difficult to see her as a reliable narrator and begs the question of how she ever managed to become a registered psychiatrist.

Those Who Return is outside of my comfort zone, but it will probably appeal to those who like a more character based, psychological read.

Former FBI agent Lore(Lorelie) Webber works at Hatchery House in an isolated area of Northern Nebraska. Hatchery House has a chequered past having been an asylum, a therapy house and an orphanage and is now a combination of all three, being a nonprofit funded by billionaire Howard Davis. When a boy goes missing and another is found dead combined with some students behaving oddly, Lore finds her traumatic past colliding with the present.

This is a “game of two halves”. The Nebraska setting is excellent and utilised well to create a good atmosphere with a sense of foreboding and building anxiety. Some of the characters are very well portrayed especially the only real neighbour Hatchery House has in Oxsana Sussel. I find her absolutely fascinating and she exudes an atmosphere all of her own! Lore is interesting as is her background and you grow to understand her reticence to trust. The premise and plot are basically good but oh boy is it ever a crowded plot with everything being chucked in bar the kitchen sink, although in fairness it does build up an intensity. There are hints of Gothic mystery, modern day misdeeds, past hauntings and so on and so on it gets just gets a bit overwhelming.

At times the writing style is slow and laborious then the pace picks up and then it slows again. The nonlinear format going backwards and forwards is also too much and it becomes confusing as my head reels as I try to piece it together to get some clarity.

The ending is a letdown, it feels rushed and pulled together with too much ease and yet some things are still left unresolved. If this could be pared down and some sort of better order created with the format it could be a very good read.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Quercus for that much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

I have both positives and negatives about this book. I liked the idea of the storyline and I think it sounded so interesting and i thought I would be gripped by this book. In some ways I was I was gripped by the storyline and needing to kno what happened. However I found the writing style to be hard to get into and that some things felt cvlunky and over explained whilst others felt like they were skimmed over.
The biggest negative for me though was that the ending felt like it was hurried and fell flat to me personally. I would still read more by this author again though.

Hatchery House is a building that has been able to stand the test of time - it was over the years an asylum, a church and an orphanage and it gives off the air of a house that should be set in a horror movie. Hatchery is now a treatment facility for children with disorders, behavioural problems and no one to look after them. The kids here have a multitude of problems and do not like to follow the rules. Among the staff that live in this isolated house is Dr Lorelei 'Lore' Webber (our main protagonist). Lore is an ex FBI psychiatrist and has some series trauma issues of her own - while mostly under control.

Lore is at the centre of a murder investigation that turns into a series of strange and foreboding events where everyone is a suspect including the children.

You could never accuse the author of hand holding in this book and I quite liked that approach a nice breath of fresh air from the usual he said, she said, he did this, she did that type books. HOWEVER, I think the author may have taken it a step too far (I will come back to this).

There is a constant sense of anxiety building throughout the book and I was thinking something really big is going to happen, although murder had already taken place and that is always already very serious... this place and the feeling the author built was like you were on the edge of something all the time. The air, the atmosphere and the sense of danger was constantly ready to come out from every corner and engulf you.

Lore gives us some insight into her past throughout the book in bits and pieces but it is not handed over easily and blink and you will miss it... this book is not the easiest to follow. So if you are looking for a nice easy thriller that follows a pattern this is definitely not the book for you.

When I said there was no hand holding I meant it... there were times I found myself going back and re-reading whole chapters (which to me is just so much work when you want to read forwards) to remember and gain a better understanding of what was going on. I was however excited because it really felt like something big was coming like a metaphorical 'storm' was brewing where some serious was psycho damage was going to happen.

I was left completely disappointed and while we did get a wrapped up story - I think that there was a rush to the ending and there were unanswered questions. The fact that we had to imagine or guess our way through the majority of the book already, was one thing but then to be left with a sense of well... what now... it was a let down.

I was ready to give this book big stars... unfortunately that is not going to happen 2.5* rounded down to 2*.

I am very grateful for the chance to read this book ahead of publishing and appreciate the time and effort the author has put into it, I want to thank NetGalley and Quercus Books for this ARC.

Rounding up to three stars.


I struggled with this one,I don't mind admitting.
From the beginning I could get no sense of the size of the house,the amount and ages of the children there... meaning I couldn't set the scene in my head.
Too many vague references that for me,took too long to explain.
From that point,I could never fully get into it.
I read through to the end,as I needed to know the how and the why.
Wrong person for this book I believe.