The Secret of Helmersbruck Manor

This Christmas story is both spooky and magical and it was a great combination! I really loved the illustrated chapter pages for the days of advent that was a lovely addition. This book gave me sort of The Secret Garden and Charlie Bone vibes and it was great, very immersive with really likable characters

I absolutely adored reading a hardback edition of The Secret of Helmersbruck Manor in October 2023. It's great to be able to share my review again ahead of the publication of the paperback edition in Autumn 2024.

The Secret of Helmersbruk Manor: A Christmas Mystery called to me from my bookshelf today so I pushed everything else aside and spent a wonderful morning curled up with it. It completely drew me in. I love the darkness and mystery of Eva Frantz’s writing – carefully placed clues, shiver inducing sightings and layers of questions that allow the reader to really be a part of the story. Translated from Swedish by A. A. Prime, it is an engaging read with beautiful language and clarity. The Secret of Helmersbruk Manor: A Christmas Mystery has placed itself firmly as one of my favourite books of 2023.

A beautifully illustrated hardback, this is a book that feels special. Each of the 24 chapters begins with an intriguing black and white drawing that adds to the mystery. It’s a seasonal story that could be read a chapter a day in December but it will certainly be a challenge for readers to stop after just one chapter and wait until the next day to find out what happens next!

It’s December 1st, 1975. Twelve-year-old Flora Winter and her mother have gone to stay in the Gatekeeper’s Cottage at Helmersbruk Manor for a change of scenery. It’s their first Christmas since the death of Flora’s father and neither is quite sure how to handle it. As soon as they arrive, Flora wonders what her mother has gotten them into. It’s cold, dark and rainy – no sane person goes to the seaside in the middle of winter. The manor house itself is abandoned and dilapidated. The only welcome is from an unusual man named Fridolf and Egon, a strange boy who appears near the house.

With mum busy writing her next book, Flora is left on her own to explore the grounds. Picturing herself as the lady of the manor, she lets her imagination run wild. Rustling in the wind, flashes outside the window, the sudden appearance of little porcelain figures and a distant tinkling of music leave her feeling uneasy. There’s a definite magic about the manor – one that is unexplained and raises more questions with each page. Voices seem to know Flora. They appear in her dreams and invite her to explore further into the depth of the grounds, the labyrinth and the old summer house.

Flora is determined to find out the truth about the local legend of the von Hiems family, the magic spell on the manor house and the long lost treasure. What does a Christmas Eve tragedy 50 years ago have to do with Flora and her mother’s visit? Why are they able to open the gate to the grounds when other cannot? What is their connection to this strange place?

The Secret of Helmersbruk Manor: A Christmas Mystery is a gripping story of identity and family – of loss and being found again. The past defines the future as Flora’s determination unravels secrets left unsaid for far too long.

Fans of The Haunting of Aveline Jones will thoroughly enjoy The Secret of Helmersbruk Manor: A Christmas Mystery.

Thank you to Pushkin Children’s for a copy of this spine-tingling Christmas mystery!

It is 1975 when Flora and her mind take a journey to Helmersbruck- a seaside town- where they rent a small house close to an abandoned manor.
Upon arrival Flora is aware that the manor and its grounds have a story to tell- a mysterious white squirrel keep appearing, the discovery of a maze and the finding of small nativity figures in different locations all add into the mix of this curious story.

As the story unfolds, Flora becomes more and more attached tp the house and starts to make some startling discoveries....indicating there was a reason they were drawn to the hose in the first place.

This is a book that's not easy to categorise- adventure tale, ghost story, a light-touch gothic Christmas tale of other worldly spirits but also the story of a family and tragedies in times past.

Elin Sandström's illustrations add further magic to the tale. This is not as dark as Eva Krantz's The Mystery of Raspberry Hill but still a good read- perfect for festive winter evenings

Reading age range 10-13

In The Secret of Helmersbruck Manor we follow Flora, a teen, who visits Helmersbruck with her mother for Christmas. The year is 1975.
Flora soon discovers a strange manor, strange items and happenings.
Flora's mother's a writer and Flora keeps exploring the odd small seaside town.
She is not entirely alone in her journey - voices, Egon and Fridolf accompany her in what she is about to find out.

This was a highly enjoyable and gripping read. I liked the characters, especially Flora and Egon.
The narrative was atmospheric and the illustrations were a perfect match.

Here is a breakdown of my thoughts

Plot 4/5 (good twists)
Pacing 3.5/5
Structure 4/5
Characterisation 4.5/5
Prose 4/5
Themes 4/5
Mood 4/5

A lovely little tale which will appeal to my young readers at school. Vivid and satisfying. Lovely characters and setting.

This book went down very well with our little reading group. It was well paced , magical and spookily scary without inducing nightmares. We loved the well fleshed out characters and the setting. The only complaint was that reading a Christmas book in the summer holidays was a bit odd !

Thank you so much to Pushkin Press and Netgalley for the book to read and review.

Flora moves to a small haunted town for the winter, she is instantly drawn in by the manor on her grounds and finds a mystery to solve and the manor to save from being demolished. From the very start I was hooked and I loved the whole thing. Such an incredibly well written book, so haunting and gripping. So many mysteries throughout, I loved reading this story.

What an absolutely fantastic read, its so creepy and eerie the vibe the whole time is intense, you feel that people are watching her constantly, you can hear them but don’t know who they are. The town is an almost absondoned haunted town and it’s stuck in the past to when it was all last heavily lived in, she’s the first one to come disturb it, to wake it up.

I really liked Flora as a protagonist she’s so interesting and so curious, I love how she daydreams but they aren’t really daydreams at all. She’s seeing the past of someone else’s life there. I really liked how she grew throughout and gained her courage and how determined she was to get inside the manor, to save the manor.

I loved the snippets of the past the story of Rigmor as you read through, It added to the whole story, knowing something that Flora didn’t enhanced the stories mystery. Egon was also interesting but creepy, he just appears and disappears all the time, you knew there was something with him but putting the pieces together I never twigged on at all. I loved learning more of the history of the people and the building, the land surrounding. This story kept ramping up the eeriness and I loved it.

What an incredible mystery, so many twists and turns through the story and though a few things were obvious most of it wasn’t at all. I loved solving everything with Flora and seeing how she fought to save the manor. A very well throughout story with some deep heartfelt scenes towards the end in particular.

I loved the illustrations at the beginning of every chapter, they shared a preview to what was to come, they were really beautifully done but also a little creepy by knowing what was coming a little. Such a great addition to the book.

Oooh but I liked this one! It had everything I enjoy in a middle-grade story: a clever and misunderstood protagonist, mysterious happenings no one else notices, and a hidden world-within-the-world element that was magical and eerie and fabulous to watch unfold! Frantz has done a magnificent job crafting a tale that is charming and slightly off-kilter, full of insightful consideration of what it means to feel awkward and like you never fit in. The mystery unfolded perfectly, with just enough misdirection and teasing revelation to keep me engaged and curious throughout the whole book.

Upon finishing, I immediately went in search of more by the author - only to find that there is only one other book that appears to be readily available in English (The Mystery of Raspberry Hill) - which none of my libraries carried but which I found on eBay and promptly ordered. Here's hoping her adult crime fiction makes it into translation soon, because I really enjoyed the way she told a story - and my Finnish is non-existent!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. This was a fun and spooky read. My kids love mysteries,so this is right up their alley. I love how Flora keeps trying to put the pieces together,even when time is running out.The drawings were a nice touch as well.

What an enchanting read! This is exactly the sort of story I would have eagerly devoured as a child. Reading it filled me with such empathy for the characters and a hope that there would be a resolution to the intriguing mystery which Flora finds herself faced with. The gorgeous black and white illustrations just added to the charm of this book.
Thank you also for the reading suggestions at the end of the book - I'll certainly be looking out for these.

This book has just the right amount of spookiness and mystery to engage Y5-6 students, without scaring them too much. It is perfect for children who are into mysteries and spine-chillers. The book is also beautifully illustrated.

** “Maybe this was just how it was in old places? Maybe events of the past had a sort of … echo, even though the people who had lived there were long gone?” **

Eva Frantz delivers a story for youth and adults alike with just enough spooky to be satisfying in “The Secret of Helmersbruk Manor: A Christmas Mystery.”

Flora Winter and her author mom Linn decide to take a monthlong break from life in the city and stay in the remote town of Helmersbruk while grieving the loss of their father and husband. They find themself staying in part of the mostly abandoned von Hiems Manor, a place that “chooses who it allows in.”

As Flora quickly is hit by mysterious voices, a playing music box that she can’t ever find, pale faces and an odd white squirrel, she is determined to solve the mysteries of the manor — is there really a hidden treasure, why do plants seem to grow in the middle of winter, and who is the mysterious Gonny she meets even though no one but the caretaker lives on the property?

Frantz does a great job of creating a plot of intrigue and mystery, filled with unexpected twists. She also develops two interesting sets of characters, the von Hiems who used to live at the manor and those now surrounding Flora. She also includes some great themes, like having faith and trust in one’s self; finding courage to overcome your fears; fighting for what you want to protect; and staying true to your identity.

Lovely illustrations by Elin Sandstrom add to the charm of “The Secret of Helmersbruk Manor: A Christmas Mystery,” with is due out Sept. 24.

For those with younger readers, there are a couple occurrences of very mild swear words and a slightly mature story line at one point.

Five stars out of five.

Pushkin Children’s Books provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.