This book won me over, then lost me then won me over again. I found the story a little hard going at times, quite brutal in places and I almost gave up on it but a tiny spark of interest remained and I am glad I persevered. It all came together in a pleasing way and most of my questions were answered. Not one of my favourites but certainly intriguing enough that I might just read it again one day. ( )

Author Sarah Rayne features regularly on my reading list and I've been looking forward to reading House of the Lost since it's publication last year.

Rayne developed a complex narrative, weaving together a mystery that was a delight to unravel. There were many threads, some taking me to very dark places, much darker than any of her other books I've read (The Death Chamber, Tower of Silence , Spider Light and A Dark Dividing).

Rayne was able to plunge deep into the psyche of several characters and reveal their many layers. We also see how both human suffering and love drives and shapes characters throughout the course of their lives.

I always know Rayne is going to bring all the threads together in the end, and I enjoyed watching how each of the stories began to intersect and I certainly wasn't disappointed. (On a lighter note, there was one point in the book that I was reminded of Flowers in the Attic, and flooded with pleasant reading memories).

I must say, House of the Lost is less of the horror/thriller that initially attracted me to the author, and more mystery/drama. Having said that, Rayne seems more serious about her writing, and I'm looking forward to reading her next book, What Lies Beneath. ( )

The major portion of the action takes place in Romania during the time of Ceausescu's repressive regime. A period when the people were terrified of being woken in the night and dragged off never to be seen again.It was also a time of the notorious State Orphanages where young children were taken from their parents and placed in the squalor of these awful places.
In the present day Theo Kendall inherits a lonely house where he intends to continue writing his latest novel. It seems however that he is being channelled into writing something very different than the book that he intended.It seems also that his cousin Charmery was murdered here and things begin to happen which seem to mean that her spirit still walks.
'The House of The Lost' is somewhat of a departure for Sarah Rayne with less horror and more sex. A good read but far from being her best book by any means. ( )