Lost Among the Living

By: Simone St. James

Narrated by: Justine Eyre

Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

For fans of historical fiction and Gothic romance, an atmospheric ghost story from the award-winning author of The Haunting of Maddy Clare.

England, 1921. Three years after her husband, Alex, disappeared, shot down over Germany, Jo Manders still mourns his loss. Working as a paid companion to Alex's wealthy, condescending aunt, Dottie Forsyth, Jo travels to Wych Elm House, the family's estate in the Sussex countryside. But there is much she never knew about her husband's origins...and the revelation of a mysterious death in the Forsyths' past is just the beginning.

All is not well at Wych Elm House: Dottie's husband is distant, and her son was grievously injured in the war. Footsteps follow Jo down empty halls. Items in her bedroom are eerily rearranged. The locals say the family is cursed and that a ghost in the woods has never rested. And when Jo discovers her husband's darkest secrets, she wonders if she ever really knew him. Isolated in a place of deception and grief, she must find the truth or lose herself forever.

And then an eerily familiar stranger arrives at Wych Elm House....

©2016 Simone Seguin (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Interesting Story

If you could sum up Lost Among the Living in three words, what would they be?

Two Different Books

What did you like best about this story?

I really enjoyed the feeling of isolation that the book gave you (not that I like feeling isolated mind you)
It set the tone for the mindset of the characters.

What aspect of Justine Eyre’s performance would you have changed?

I've listened to Justine Eyre before and I don't remember her voice sounding this snobbish.
It's really crackily and the ending of some sentences it sounds like she's out of breathe.
It wasn't a BAD narration just not necessarily a good one.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

*spoiler*



when Alex had to leave jo in the train station when she wasn't feeling well. You could tell he was upset, torn between what he wanted to do and what he had to do. Just stay alive. ooooo yea that was a good part.

Any additional comments?

The problem with this book is that it feels like two different ones.
1/3rd of the book sets the tone of loneliness, madness, loss and mystery.
The last 3rd of the book just felt like a cookie cutter romance, it's like the author lost the drive or didn't figure out how to make some of the plot points relevant. You lost the entire feeling of the book.

I enjoyed the characters, but I just feel like the last bit was cliche.

Overall this is a very nice Gothic mystery with a touch of romance. No cheesy romance sex scenes like you'll get in other books- but the relationship between the two main characters is really well played out.
The overall mystery falls a bit flat but it's a nice listen.

3.5/5

Nice story, not her most ghostly

I love this author. I love her way with characters and with the historical novel. I especially love the way she handles supernatural elements and will always buy whatever she writes. I just wish we had heard a bit more from the ghost this time around.

Fantastic Ghost Story Set During WWI!

Any additional comments?

Another great ghost story by Simone St. James! I love the smart observant heroine who is still mourning the loss of her WWI RAF pilot husband who is missing in action. The mystery surrounding the suicide of her 15-year older sister-in-law a few years ago is at the heart of this story and keeps you guessing until the very end!

Terrific story, twists & turns.

This is a good one. Highly recommended. Well developed cast of characters. Great story line. Setting of story is interesting & suits the mystery & characters. I like the hint of paranormal - adds spice to the tale. Reveal is predictable but no less rewarding. Finding out who the traitor is...genius! Didn't see that one coming. The only sticky part is the narrator. While she did many things great, voices for men & women & accents - she has a habit of putting extra syllables in words & gargling the words when she is reading which detracts from the story. I kept shouting ... spit it out already. .. Overall, a great read, excellent story, kept me guessing.

A very good book.

I really liked this book but I thought the ghost story part was a little too much.A little Sci-Fi in a book about London and WWII. Very interesting regardless.

Excellent reading performance

I love the mix of mystery, history , ghosts and romance. The story did not disappoint.

Murder Mystery/Ghost Story

Would you consider the audio edition of Lost Among the Living to be better than the print version?

No. The person who read it was a bit of a distraction. Her tone sounded whiny and when she read the male voices, it just didn't sound right.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Definitely Fran. She had the most interesting story to tell.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

The narrator sounded whiny in parts, although her English accent was fitting.

Any additional comments?

Nice bit of historical fiction. The plot was interesting.

Thick Cauwkneaee Accent

Save it for the Brits. Not fit for the general public. Tedious and tiresome trying to understand what the narrator was saying.

I wish I would have read it!

The story was pretty good, but there was little to no character development so by the end I just didn't care what happened to anybody! The narrator made this very difficult to enjoy and I grew to dread any words that ended in an -er. I usually love a British narrator but this was awful! I wish I would have read the story!

Not a fan of narrator

Difficult accent - sounded very fake British -
I found it quite annoying. Just a personal preference. Story was ok, heroine ok, ending ok. Pleasant enough afternoon snack book.