Wow where do I start!!! Ok let's talk the concept of this book..... Rose wakes up in a hospital that specializes in Alzheimers. She feels foggy but knows she doesn't belong here.
Amazing right?!?
What Rose Forgot was amazing! Nevada had me glued to my kindle and wanting more information and find out how and why Rose was in this situation!
I can not wait to read more from Nevada!!

Rose Dennis is a badass grandma who the wrong people try to mess with in Nevada Barr’s latest. Rose wakes up in a memory care unit confused as to how she got there. Using her outstanding wit and creativity, Rose makes her escape and seeks to solve the mystery of why she ended up in the facility and who is ultimately responsible.

Having read all of Barr’s Anna Pigeon series, I am quite familiar with her writing style, but this was refreshingly unlike anything else I’ve read by her. Despite being a senior, Rose’s character is laugh-out-loud hilarious and she doesn’t take crap from anyone, including the most dangerous of foes. She reminded me much of Janet Evanovich’s character Grandma Mazur from her Stephanie Plum series. It look me a few chapters to get into this, but once I did, I could not put it down. It’s a must-read for those looking for a humorous whodunnit.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Minotaur Books and Nevada Barr for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Rose Dennis finds herself in what sounds like the worst kind of horror story: she is in an institution for Alzheimer’s patients, and she is so heavily drugged that she seems just as out of it as the real dementia patients. Thanks to the drugs, she is physically unable to proclaim her own sanity, but because she also has always had a hippy-dippy way about her, not to mention a couple of past episodes of erratic behavior, it isn’t clear she would be believed. The rest of the book is less a thriller than a suspenseful caper, told with humor and starring quirky characters. Rose and her spunky granddaughter discover and investigate a scheme to institutionalize older people and then kill them. This all sounds a little silly, but the well-paced story moves right along and holds your interest. The bad guys seem largely ridiculous and behave in various implausible ways throughout the story, but it’s all in good fun, and Rose does a good job defending herself.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for an advance digital review copy.

As I am a huge fan of Nevada Barr’s Anna Pigeon series, I was intrigued by the opportunity to read and review an advanced reader copy of Barr’s newest novel, What Rose Forgot. I did have some trepidation as I began the book, as it is unrelated to Anna Pigeon, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Rose Dennis is a sixty-eight year old woman who awakens, outside, and has no idea where she is, how she got there, why she is in a hospital gown, etc. In What Rose Forgot, we journey with Rose as she fills in the missing pieces.

Although part of the impetus behind my agreeing to review Barr’s book is that I love and miss Anna Pigeon, I knew there would be no Anna. To my amazement, I found Anna in What Rose Forgot. Of course, Anna Pigeon is not in the book – after all, Rose is an artist, not a park ranger – but there are similarities. Rose, like Anna, is intelligent, resourceful, tenacious, and wholly underestimated by others. The two characters are not so similar that one would accuse Barr of simply recreating Anna with a new name; however, I can definitely imagine Rose standing next to Anna at the bra burning rally.

What Rose Forgot raises some very interesting questions. In addition to the question of “who is elderly?” – it is difficult to believe that the spunky Rose is “elderly” at 68 – the more frightening questions for me concern dementia. Barr shows us how, once one has been given the label of having dementia, no one will believe even a rational, logical argument posited by that person. Everything stated by that person can be discounted – especially if that person is already considered to be “eccentric” like Rose.

What Rose Forgot is very well done. A wonderful reading experience!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in advance for a review based upon my honest opinion.

I haven't read a Nevada Barr book I haven't loved yet and this one is no exception. Poor Rose comes to in the woods and although she knows who she is, she does not know where she is, it turns out she is an escapee from a Mental Care Unit at a nearby nursing home, she is returned against her will but she keeps wondering, if she is a patient who has extreme dementia then why does she feel clearheaded? She hatches a plan to escape and to get her life back, to sort out what has happened and what is happening to her. What a adventure this grandma gets into, she is planning and fighting her way back to who she is, with her only helpers being a housebound older sister and two young teens. I was on the edge of my seat and never knew what was going to happen next. When she discovers that someone did this to her, who would do such a thing; I guessed everyone in the book at least once, but the ending was still a shock and utterly enjoyable.

Great summer read and as always Nevada Barr delivers an engaging, satisfying thriller.

I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this book as I read the first chapter. But I wanted to know more and by the end of chapter 2, I was hooked. Rose is the true definition of eccentric. She is quirky and fun. Somehow she was able to escape the home she had been put in with no memory of it. She had enough wits about her to escape a second time before she is killed. With the help of her elderly sister, 13 year old granddaughter Mel and Mel's friend Royal, she sets out to figure out who had her sent to the home and is trying to kill her.

With each chapter, I loved Rose more! The story was full of twists and turns. The book also made me laugh out loud. It was a fabulous combination. The characters were so much fun. The descriptions were so clear, I could picture it all perfectly.

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

This was an excellent read. Nevada Barr has such a gift for writing gritty, unusual characters, and this is no exception. The book is a stand alone; not part of the Anna Pigeon National Park series.

Rose groggily becomes "aware" one day and discovers herself in an older, unfamiliar version of her own body. She is uncertain how much time has passed, nothing is familiar; her surroundings, her clothing, even her own arms. She hears snippets of conversation which frighten her, and fear causes her to take flight, even in her hazy condition. As Rose desperately tries to come to grips with what is happening to her, and the mystery begins to slowly unravel, the sinister mechanisms of the modern world indicate there is far more going on than she could ever have imagined.

I have become stingy with Five Star books over the years, but this one captivated me from the first page, and I found myself wanting to read even when I wasn't, thinking about what was happening to Rose and what might lie behind the story. Rose's semi-Buddhist-Yogi philosophies, her lack of being an apron wearing, cookie baking Granny; her artistic, dramatic tendencies make her a perfect, courageous, outrageous heroine. Her granddaughter, Melanie becomes her partner-in-crime, despite Rose's best efforts not to endanger her. Together, Rose and Melanie prove that the ties that bind do not necessarily have to be blood.

Raw and dark, this is a modern day frightening look at Alzheimer's and those who stand to benefit from the unfortunate demise of innocent, unsuspecting, unaware, unprotected citizens. So well written and captivating, I didn't figure out the whodunnit until the very end.

I picked What Rose Forgot (Minotaur Books 2019) because I like every book Nevada Barr has written. She usually writes about surviving nature against impossible odds--that sort of story. But this one was a new character and quite different. Still, Barr has always been a good storyteller so I cheered when NetGalley awarded it to me. 

A quick summary: Much to wealthy, late-60-something Rose Dennis' surprise, she finds herself a resident of an expensive, high-end mental care facility being treated for late-onset Alzheimer's. She overhears folks there saying she isn't expected to live more than a few more weeks. Somehow, despite the murky fog and confusion that has taken over her brain, she comes to believe she shouldn’t be there. Worse than not being allowed to leave, she suspects the nurse's of drugging her to keep her mindless and complacent. When she manages to break out, the managers pull out all the stops to recapture her going so far as to send a burly hit man to kill her. It becomes clear to Rose that even though those who know her best kind of do think she's half-gone, there’s more to this incarceration than her failing mental health. With the help of her computer-savvy sister and her lion-hearted granddaughter, Rose uses her time outside the hospital to figure out who admitted her and who gains by her incarceration or death. 

Rose is a compelling character. She's scrappy, opinionated, and her closely-held never-quit attitude hasn't abandoned her despite her age. But she has been heavily drugged over a long period of time so when we first met her, Rose couldn't figure out where she was or how she got there, much less any details of her life. Even when she escapes and the drugs wear off over time, she seems too old to escape a hit man, outrun pursuers, and connect the myriad of disparate clues that underlie how she landed in a locked mental health facility. This juxtaposition of fact and fiction becomes what accomplished reviewer Barb Saffer (she writes insightful and pithy book reviews I love reading) calls 'exaggerated plot points' (good term). All in all, although I wanted to, I couldn't suspend my disbelief. My rare 3/5 reflects that.

Still, it may be perfect for you. The plot moves quickly, the characters are appealing albeit borderline unbelievable, and I cheered for Rose throughout.

--to be reviewed on my blog, WordDreams, in October

I enjoyed this book although I would call it more of a cozy mystery than a thriller. I liked the characters but found some of the events a bit unbelievable. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is a mystery with a twist. The main character is an escapee from a mental ward. But is she really crazy? I read this in one sitting to get through the twists and turns to the final truth of the story. It was a very enjoyable read. My Library has it on order and I will be making sure my customers know about it.

I've loved many of Nevada Barr's mysteries, but this one didn't do a lot for me. It felt like there was an ulterior motive here, like the author is trying to push her own views on the reader. I have no idea if Barr is Buddhist, and I have nothing against Buddhism, but having the viewpoint character spouting things like, "we are all one," and to have the expository text say things like "Astral body, etheric body, and physical body crash back together" and "She sends metta to the monster" left me feeling like I needed a dictionary and perhaps a life coach in order to really get into the story.

I liked Rose and her grit and bravery, and the mystery itself was fine, but then things just go too over the top. <spoiler>Seriously, she wants to help the guy who literally tried to murder her? Whose finger she cut off? Really, she didn't want to talk about her husband's death "being eaten alive by a carnivore was some kind of wonderful?" And she found his death "excruciatingly funny"?</spoiler> I guess my mind is hopelessly trapped in "the battered, poisoned gray matter of [my] brain," because this all started to feel a little too ridiculous to me. I read to the end because I've liked so many of Barr's books, but I wouldn't read another in this being.

Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur for the chance to read an advanced copy of this book.
I am a huge fan pf Nevada Barr and her Anna Pigeon series I was excited to see a new stand alone thriller listed by the author.
When Rose wakes up in the woods in a hospital gown and no idea how she got there, she tries to find a reason why she was in the hospital in the first place. Dehydrated, disoriented and worried, she stumbles from the woods and finds two teenage boys who call for help for her. Rose is returned to the Memory Care Unit of the nursing home and so begins a story of why Rose is hospitalized, where her family is and who sent her to the nursing home. With the help of her granddaughter Mel, Mel's friend Royal and an assorted group of people she meets along the way, Rose uncovers the truth about what she had forgotten, why she couldn't remember anything and who was behind a plot to harm a feisty senior citizen.
Whether you have ever read Nevada Barr or not, pick up What Rose Forgot, You will not regret it!.

4 stars for an entertaining mystery. This is a stand alone mystery and not part of the Anna Pigeon series by Nevada Barr. Rose wakes up in a state of confusion. She is in a hospital gown and near a road. She sees 2 boys on bicycles and asks for water. One gives her water and the other goes to the nursing home to tell them that one of their patients is nearby. Rose is taken back to the nursing home. But she realizes that she is being drugged and pretends to continue taking the drugs and escape. She does escape and unravels a conspiracy behind the drugs. Rose is a feisty 69 year old woman who ends up saving her life. To say more would be a spoiler, but if you liked the Anna Pigeon series, then you will like this book also. I read it in 2 days.
One quote on Rose philosophizing: "Of course, Rose knows there are people who live and die in the shadow of lies, betrayals, violence and crime.
It has to be exhausting.
People should love one another right now.
Buy the world a Coke and keep it company.
The Age of Aquarius was way too short as far as Rose is concerned."
Thank You St Martin's Press and Nevada Barr for sending me this book through NetGalley.

The story may have been told before but not by Nevada Barr. The characters are formidable and the approach is fresh. A very engrossing novel.
Thank you NetGalley, Minotaur Books and Nevada Barr for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was hooked from page one and read the book in one afternoon. What Rose Forgot is as good as the author's Anna Pigeon series, but it is an entirely different sort of suspense novel.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. This story begins with Rose "waking up" from an unconscious state in the middle of the woods with only a hospital johnie covering her. As she is found and brought to "safety" by those who work for the facility where she is being, "cared" for, she begins to become suspicious of how she got there and why she can't remember anything. As Rose begins to emerge from the drugged stupor she starts to suspect her state was induced....but "who" and "why"? This book follows the struggles of Rose who defies her predicament and along the way also saves a few friends in the same position. It is written in a way that leaves the reader wondering if this could really happen...if it hasn't already! Well written and a story with action, friendships, family and perseverance. Worth your time to read.

I'll start by saying that What Rose Forgot is nothing like what I excepted. What I thought was going to be a dark-ish mystery/thriller about elder abuse in nursing homes turned out to be more of a comedy than anything.

Rose Dennis, a sixty-eight-year-old grandmother, wakes up in a complete fog in an Alzheimer's ward with no clue as to how she got there, only the nagging suspicion that something is very wrong. This is compounded when she overhears people outside her room saying that she probably won't last the week. Committed to her escape, she stops taking her medication, uses it to drug a nurse, and runs away.

Now she's got to convince people she's not actually demented. But when a hitman shows up at her house, she realizes that much more is at stake. She enlists the help of her reclusive sister, Marion (I'm not a hacker") and her thirteen-year-old granddaughter, Mel, to uncover a dark conspiracy.

I'll repeat--based on that description, I was sold that this would be a twisty thriller, like a Karin Slaughter or a Tess Gerritsen. It was a bit jarring to find out the narrative was much different. It took me awhile to get into, though once I did, it flowed quickly.

Navada Barr is clearly a talented writer. I haven't read her books before, but now I may have to check them out. That being said, I was left shaking my head more than once. Rose would probably be called "one gusty broad" in a gritty PI novel of yesteryear. Plotting well thought out escapes while under a drug-induced mental fog, sliding down a roof, stabbings, etc., all while nearly 70? I had to desperately cling to my willing suspension of disbelief. I get it, ageism, yada yada yada, But she made Bruce Willis's survival in Die Hard seem plausible.

The characters are definitely interesting. Rose's ability to find a sense of humor in her predicament was unexpected and her loyal granddaughter was adorable (I'm sure she'll ace the English portion of the SAT--are we sure this girl is only 13? She sounded very much like Rose's contemporary). And I liked Marion, though I found her utterly unbelievable. This book is what I picture if Sophia and Dorothy from The Golden Girls starred in their own novel.

I'd recommend checking out this fun, if somewhat unbelievable, romp.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me this ARC to review.

When I requested a Netgalley copy of What Rose Forgot, by author Nevada Barr, I thought I was getting a new book about Barr's character, Anna Pigeon. The series of books about Anna, who investigates crimes in the National Parks, are among my favorites.

Instead, Rose turns out to be the protagonist in this novel, and she is not a disappointment. When the story opens, sixty-something Rose wakes up in a nursing home, confused and unsure how she got there. There's a lot of action and unexpected surprises as Rose realizes someone is trying to harm her and decides to fight back.

I highly recommend this new stand-alone by Nevada Barr. My opinion is honest and my own.

I read each and every one of Barr’s Anna Pigeon books and have missed the series. So, I was thrilled to see she’d written a stand alone. As the story begins, 68 year old Rose has escaped from a memory unit in a nursing home. She’s quickly re-captured and returned. But it’s obvious to the reader that she’s not a typical early Alzheimer’s victim, so what brought her there?

Barr’s writing mesmerized me. “Memories downloaded into Rose’s skull with all the nuance of a dump truck pouring rocks into a hole. Not collated, alphabetized, or arranged by date, a heap of images, sounds and emotions hit so hard she sits down with a bone-jarring thud.”

This is a fast paced, edge of your seat, suspense filled mystery. I felt just as much in the dark about what was happening as Rose. And it’s a great group of characters, not just Rose, but also Mel and Marion. Even Eddie. There’s a little bit of dry humor thrown in.

Well done Ms. Barr!

My thanks to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Nevada Barr and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

This is my first Nevada Barr book, and I really liked it. Rose is a spunky grandmother who reminds me of my own (minus the part where someone is trying to kill her, of course). A good, quick read when you're stuck on a plane for a few hours.