This was a very difficult book for me to read. Not because of the subject matter, but because the story advanced very slowly. Mostly because the author spent so much time describing everything in so much detail, I started to skim. Practically every paragraph had only one sentence advancing the story and the bulk of the paragraph described a building, a car, Rose's silly thoughts, etc, etc.
And the action scenes were very difficult to follow. Too many things happening at once and again...described in great detail.
The story actually was very small and very silly. I wasn't sure whether this was supposed to be a comedy or just a very bad mystery. The ending was over the top ridiculous. The motivation of the villain hardly warranted the degree of harm they inflicted. And the epilogue summed it all up EXCEPT what happened to the main character, Rose? Did she go back to her new home? Did she move in with her step son and granddaughter?
I don't recommend this book.

A well plotted mystery told from intended victim Rose’s point of view. The reader is immediately plunged into Rose’s world as she comes out of a meditative trance to find herself not in her meditation room, as expected, but outside surrounded by trees and other shrubs. How did she get her? Where is here? And Why is she so thirsty and confused?
Moments after becoming aware of her surroundings, Rose is found by two young boys, one of whom gives her the little water he has and then hurries off to the local nursing home/Alheimer’s Care Center for help. Before she understands what is happening, two orderlies descend on her with orange juice and pills. Just as the thought that the juice contains poison enters her mind, Rose is drug back to the facility and returned to the Memory Care Unit from which she escaped, although no one knows how.
Through a curtain of confusion brought on by drugs that are pushed on her by the staff, Rose maintains enough lucidity to suspect she is being poisoned. She has no clue as to who is trying to harm her, but she has reason to suspect they want her dead within the next week. Armed with this belief, Rose hatches a plan to escape the unit and figure out who is trying to murder her.
As the book unfolds the picture of Rose comes into focus. She is 68 years old, wealthy, a widow who practices Yoga, pursues Buddhism, and has an artist’s temperament. Add in a quirky sense of humor and you have the makings of a truly enjoyable mystery. The writing is off center just enough to add to the unique nature of the narrative with descriptions like: feeling like she’s been trampled by a herd of gnus. Rose is that older woman we always see depicted with a highly individualized sense of style, bordering on bohemian, an accomplished artist, and devoted grandmother.
As the story progresses, Rose becomes increasingly convinced that she is the only one who can solve the mystery of who is trying to do her harm. After all, who is going to believe an older woman who is recently widowed and then diagnosed with early rapid onset dementia? She sets out to solve the mystery herself, getting help along the way from her young teenage granddaughter and her sister Marion, a computer expert, whose aide she enlists by relating facts that demonstrate how her life is in danger.
The book is well paced, pulling the reader through at a speed that allows for continued interest and makes room for appreciation of the humor when and where it appears. The suspense of the culprit’s identity builds to an excellent climax at the point of denouement and then gently returns to earth with an insightful epilogue. My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this novel in exchange for an unbiased review.

As a serious fan of Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon series I wasn't sure what to expect. I read the first few pages and thought not the usual but, a few more, and I was hooked! I could not put it down. Not what I expect from this author but yet it is. The same knowledgeable approach to the nuances of the plot. The same edge of the seat engagement. The same well defined characters. This book has something for every one. And, a Rose Dennis sequel wouldn't be a bad thing.

I jumped at the chance to read this new book by Nevada Barr. I love her Anna Pigeon series, and her book Blind Descent is one of my all time favorites. So I went into this expecting great things.

To be honest, the first third of the book did not do it for me. It was slow moving, and I did not like the writing style from the point of view of a drugged person. But once Rose was attacked in her house, the book switched into high gear and I became more invested in the characters. I enjoyed the scenes with Rose and her granddaughter Mel. They have the kind of relationship that I aspire too. I wish we had more with Rose's sister Marion. She sounds like an interesting character, but she was barely in the book. The ending with the reveal of the bad guys was a complete surprise to me. I was also really interested in what happened to Chuck, a man Rose met in the care facility.

I enjoyed reading this. Once I got past the initial few chapters, it was a fast moving, fun read.

I received a free copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

A badass Grandma, dementia patients, an assassin, a 12 year old sidekick. A fun, touching, novel about family, aging, dying and living! Enjoy the ride!

**i received an ARC from NetGalley for a fair and unbiased review of this book.

An action packed thriller starring a woman in her 60’s is everything I wanted and thought I would never see. Rose is such a badass! I was aghast reading the fight scenes because this grandma is incredible. Yes there are plenty of fight scenes featuring Rose. To be clear, she’s not a trained fighter but yoga has left her in great shape and when she has to fight she fights hard. Some of the scenes are borderline slapstick because she’s just a regular, if exceptionally fit, granny forced by circumstances into insane physical altercations. Mostly I was just in awe of her toughness. I couldn’t do half of what she does in this book. Yes it’s a little unbelievable but it sure is a riot!

The story begins with a drugged and dazed Rose escaping from the “Memory Care” ward of a hospital where she has been diagnosed with dementia. I can’t imagine anything scarier than thinking, and being told, that you are losing your mind. Rose has no memory of how this happened or of her descent into this state but she knows something isn’t right and she runs from the hospital. So begins Rose’s quest for the truth which leads her to some pretty dark places. The whole premise of this is absolutely terrifying and unfortunately I can’t say why without spoilers so I’ll just leave it at that. Just know that you will be cheering for Rose and looking at your family more closely.

At first I thought this might be a sad story, and there are definite depressing undertones, but it ended up being quite fun. The tension never let up and kept me turning the pages. I was incredibly invested in the outcome and never would have guessed exactly what happened in the end. This is such a unique mystery with an elderly, possibly unreliable, narrator but yet there is tons of rather brutal physical action. If a granny (she hates being called that) kicking butt and solving a twisted mystery sounds like your idea of a good time then pick this one up. I loved it!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for providing an Electronic Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley for review.

First off, the title doesn’t work with the story, but that’s only my opinion. Secondly, though the blurb and premise of this story showed true potential, the story as a whole is strange.

Rose wakes up in a forest and has no idea how long she’s been there, how she got there, or why. From there Rose is constantly in a struggle.

I really hope that if I ever have to be put in a home, it’s not a place like the place Rose was in.

What a nice find. This was the first book I've read from this author and I really enjoyed it. The story was different from anything I've read recently and really captured my attention. It was so well written and the characters were fantastic.

Wht Rose Forgot is a delightful novel about an elderly widow who funds herself in the memory cart unit of a retirement home. Is Rose a victim of Alzheimers? Or a victim in a twisted plot of murder? This book was great fun to read. Quirky characters. A joy to read.

Reminiscent of Miss Marble. Bit difficult to get into. Book had mystery and hilarity. A good author with a worthy standalone novel.

When she awakens in the forest, Rose is not merely confused.  She's in a complete fog.  Where is she?  How did she get there?  What's going on?  She soon learns that she has been committed to the Alzheimer's unit of a nursing home and is not expected to make it through the week.  But Rose is convinced she doesn't belong there and with her life at stake, she will stop at nothing to break free.  

This was my first Nevada Barr book, and  I'll definitely be looking up more books written by her.  I did struggle a bit in the beginning because it was a little disorienting as I experienced the fog of confusion right alongside Rose while she tried to piece together where she was, how she got there, and all the details of what's going on around her.  Once past that, though, things really took off, and I was whisked away on a fun ride with a feisty old lady who is bound and determined to break out of the nursing home.  I loved the zany characters in this book, especially Rose.  She reminded me of Miss Marple with one part James Bond mixed in.  I can only hope I'm that spunky someday.  There were many laugh-out-loud moments, which I admittedly found a little over-the-top at times, but it made for a fun mystery.  This was a ⭐⭐⭐⭐ for me.

This is a delightful book about conspiracy and murder. That may be an oxymoron but it's also true. Rose is, to put it politely, a woman of a certain older age who finds herself confused and in the Longwood Mental Care Unit. She knows she doesn't really belong there. She quietly hatches a plot to escape that is unbelievably Machiavellian for a person of any age.

I'm hoping Nevada Barr will follow up with a second book featuring Rose. She is a wonderfully complex woman who has lived a long time and has a great sense of the absurd. The characters who come to life as the story unfolds are skillfully crafted. The plot kept me guessing right up to the exciting reveal. An excellent read.

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy from Minotaur Books. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.
#WhatRoseForgot #NetGalley

What Rose Forgot is a thriller about a woman in a nursing home who is trying to escape.

The story starts with Rose coming to in a forest in a hospital gown, severely dehydrated and disoriented. The last thing she remembers is being 68-years-old but when she looks down at her body she thinks she must now be much older.

As the story moves along, whether or not Rose is crazy becomes an open question. Who put her in the memory care unit? Was it a loving decision or an attempt to keep her quiet?

Buddhism and interconnectedness are a theme, as is sibling love. Rose’s sister says, “we were the last of the feral children allowed to run free,” at one point as the quick-moving plot allowed a short moment of rest for Rose.

This book is a delight. Armed and cantankerous. Onward unto the breach. A will change leaving the bulk to a certain women’s rights org. Orange is the New Black, the Golden Years. Rose is my spirit animal.

Will be pre-ordering this book for my sister.

I really like Nevada Barr and was questioning her leaving Anna Pigeon and all the National Parks, but with Rose and Mel she has a lot to work with also using more of the humor she inserts into her books. With Rose (my grandmothers name) she creates a woman that you know has been drugged and wants to be made well by not using any medication she is given by the staff. I know this by working at a Mental Health Hospital first hand, and being a patient at the VA Hospital. Being a little older than what she's supposed to be I would hate to be in her shoes. I feed my 104 year old father-in-law by a belly tube so I know the feeling it entails. She needs to find out who is the persons who are responsible for her present predicament. With the help of her older sister and Mel, she escapes two times from the same night nurse while breaking out a male patient (Chuck). Utilizing her potential killer, another story, who she talks into it to break out Chuck and take him to de-drug. She finally figures out who is the potential killer is, and Mel gets involved with this part of the story. I like the humor she puts into the action and the way she can talk people into things. I would recommend everybody read this book, it's cute, it's a lot of the truth with old people.

Rose, a 68 year old woman wakes up in the woods dressed in a hospital gown. She has no idea how she got there or where she should be. She is taken back to an expensive nursing home where she is supposed to be in a unit for Alzheimer's patients. As her mind unclouds, she doesn't think she belongs there.

This is different than the Anna Pigeon books that I love. This one has a feisty 68 year old as the protagonist who I loved reading about. Some parts are a bit over the top and sometimes the writing became too "flowery" for lack of a better word, but overall I enjoyed the storyline and reading about Rose and her granddaughter. I would call it more cozy than thriller, but there are parts that keep you on the edge of your seat.

Thanks to Netgalley for giving me the chance to read this delightful story.

This is the most action-packed book ever! Rose is a spunky elderly lady who will keep you guessing as to what she will do next. Great imaginative read.

What Rose Forgot is not the typical Nevada Barr mystery
IT IS SO MUCH MORE! Thank you for writing a book that is a wild romp . I enjoyed this book from the first page till the last. What a hoot! Thanks you netgalley for the gift of the arc. The review is my personal opinion

A fun mystery with the feisty grandmother Rose and her smart-as-a-whip granddaughter Mel. Rose very much reminded me of Miss Marple. Rose wakes up and finds herself in the Memory Care Unit of a nursing home. She has no idea how she got there or why. What she does know is that she is not ‘demented’. Rose manages to avoid the drugs she is being given and escapes the nursing home. Then the adventure starts. Rose is determined to find out who is responsible for putting her in the home and who wants her dead and why. She has the help of her sister and her devoted granddaughter, Mel. Full of humor and mystery this is a delightful read.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a fantastic book! It is exceptionally well written. I look forward to reading more from this author.

This is a wild romp full of zany characters and unbelievable situations- but that's what made reading it so much fun. Rose wakes up in a home for the elderly and is told she has Alzheimer's disease. She is told she can't remember things because of said disease. But Rose begins to wonder if she really has it or if she is being drugged so that she can't function. But who would do such a thing?

This is not a book for people looking for serious takes on Alzheimer's disease. It's a book for people who think what if...? and then let their mind wander off onto paths that are totally unlikely to happen, but would be a great story.