I've read several Nevada Barr mysteries (Anna Pigeon series) which I enjoyed. Her latest novel is a standalone and it was really very different.

Wealthy, 68 year old and recently widowed, Rose Dennis wakes up in a hospital gown heavily medicated and strapped to the bed. She is unable to recall how she got to where she is now -- an Alzheimer's Unit. When she overhears talk of her not making it through the week, the feisty Rose comes up with a plan. She is determined to ditch the drugs she's been fed in an effort to get her memory back, free herself from the facility and find out who is behind her getting locked away.

I was really looking forward to Rose's story as it's not often we come across a spunky senior citizen in fiction these days. Unfortunately, the story, which is supposed to be a thriller, came across as rather silly at times. It almost felt like it made light of a serious subject like dementia. Hooked me early on but, overall, it was just not the kind of story which I'd expect from this author.

Thank you to the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during that 2nd attempt, I have only managed to make it halfway through so I’d rather stop here and state that this book just wasn't for me.
I wish the author, publisher, and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

I had high hopes for this one, because the premise was fantastic, but I feel like this book fell a bit flat for me. It's about a woman who wakes up in an Alzheimer's Unit and immediately feels like something is wrong. Why is she there? Who is she? However, I just couldn't get over some of the fantastical things in this book, like an old lady doing so many physical stunts...it was just a bit too much for me. I got about 30% into the book and then had to force myself to finish it.

While the summary of the book sounded interesting, I really didn't enjoy this one. I found myself doing some major eye rolling as I was reading about the physical stunts a grandmother in her late sixties was supposedly going through, in a weakened and partially drugged state I might add. I did appreciate the little pockets of humor but the rest was so unrealistic I just wasn't interested in the story and can't recommend it.

A true thrill ride of a story. This made me worry about how hard it would be to prove your own mental competence. Nevada Barr has crafted a wonderful twisty tale!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of What Rose Forgot.

DNF. I got about 25% in and had to put it down. It was too slow, not quite consistent enough, and I just couldn't get myself to care about the story or characters.

I have loved Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon books and have read them on my commutes to Chicago. I was thrilled to find a new Nevada Barr book, disappointed that Anna was not the main character, but thought that it had to be a good read.
I loved Rose - she is close to being my contemporary (by a few years) and she has the liveliness, and fun that I too experience as an elderly woman, although she is a lot more agile than I am.
What Rose Forgot is an entertaining, suspenseful, action filled book which acknowledges the abilities of older women, and also provides a great mystery which proposes questions about the vulnerability of older people.
I worked in skilled nursing facilities for 20 yrs and would have loved patients like Rose -witty, fun, completely with it, and utterly unique. From the start, she questioned her faculties - was it dementia or drugs???.
Nevada Barr definitely raised the bar on the plight of the elderly and the situations that their lifestyle presents for their family. Thank goodness that Melanie and Rose had a close relationship and that her sister could hack computers.
OK - some events were a little far fetched, but I think that t hey emphasized the vulnerability of the elderly and the extent that they could be taken advantage of.
The book was a fun ride, witty and yet poignant, with unique characters, and a note to self- remember your vulnerability. Loved it!

I have mixed feelings about this book. I work in the medical field and have seen people with cognitive problems. This character is interesting in that she is presented as suddenly awakening in a dementia unit, where she has just tried to escape after being on a lockdown ward. She doesn’t recall much of the prior month’s events. She has been bed bound and lost muscle mass but somehow within days is able to perform physical moves most people half her age couldn’t do when healthy. I adored her relationship with her granddaughter but much of the story just seemed to struggle to get to the point. I wasn’t enjoying how convoluted the other family character relationships were and the need for this.
I also agree completely with a comment another reviewer had pointed out about the body shaming that seems to be a repetitive feature from Barr. I would say that she is negative about both super slim and heavy body types but then by attributing the super powers to the protagonist, she basically gives the power to the “scrawny” and “emaciated”. As a medical person, I would argue that it isn’t even likely that an athlete at this age who was bed bound for a month would be capable of the things she was able to do. But the degrading comments about the diet soda drinking nurse being heavy were not necessary for any character point or atmosphere.
Overall, I thought this was an okay read and might try the author again.
#WhatRoseForgot #Netgalley #StMartinsPress

What would you do if you woke up in a Alzheimer's unit in a nursing home? Rose doesn't know what happened but is sure that things are not right. Rose escapes and then returns undercover to gather more evidence. She rescues the only friend she made in the home and discovers that the same thing happened to him. Everyone who has been admitted to the unit has died with in 6 weeks. Who wants these people dead and why?

Yikes! When people think of Nevada Barr, they think Ranger Anna Pigeon. With good reason, the Anna Pigeon books are very good. This book is not even remotely like those. But even so, it’s a rather <em>GoodRead</em>. I suppose one might consider this a bit of a mystery or thriller, but somewhat different from your garden variety mysteries and thrillers (or at least my impression of them).

We begin with an old woman, Rose Dennis, who has escaped a “memory care” unit. She’s very confused, but a few of the things said around her after she's been recaptured do seem to find lodging in her brain and memory. She gets the idea that the “meds” they’ve been giving her are actually part of the problem. So, she contrives to stop taking them and plans another escape.

She hooks up with her 13-year-old granddaughter, Mel. As things go along, Rose begins to remember more and more. Then one day, someone comes for her with a knife, someone bent on killing Rose. Rose, mostly coherent by now, escapes to the roof of her house, and manages to repel the killer, while also cutting off his finger.

Well, Rose has a sister, Marion, who is a bit of a computer nerd. Marion manages to i.d. the potential killer, through a print of the left-behind finger, and also through information on the truck the assailant had been driving.

Rose, Mel, and Marion become more and more convinced something sketchy is going on at the hospital that houses the memory-care unit: that people are being drugged into the memory care unit, and then, conveniently dispatched (for pecuniary gain, of course) via simple means such as inducing heart attacks. Rose's own symptoms only began to appear after her husband had died. She's certain she'd been given some sedatives to help her deal with her grief, but that the so-called sedatives had other, more pernicious chemicals within. To clarify the issue, they "kidnap" one of the residents out of the memory care unit to see if he can be brought back to coherence.

Well, it's all exciting fun, with more bouts of people stalking Rose or trying again to kill her (the "thriller" parts, I suppose), with some people's not being what they seem and so forth. It may not be Anna Pigeon, but it's a <em>GoodRead</em> none the less. I'd have scored it 4+*s, but GoodReads won't let me.

I’m a fan of Nevada Barr’s Anna Pigeon character, and also enjoyed her previous standalone thriller, 13 1/2. None of those reading experiences prepared me for Rose Dennis and her adventures. Most of the story was well-balanced between feisty, madcap actions and Rose being nearly helplessly imperiled, yet pulling through. At times the character’s action seemed too cartoonish to me, however. Nevertheless, it was enjoyable escapism reading. 3.75 rating rounded to 4.

I have read other Nevada Barr books, which is what pulled me towards this one. It was a change from what I was used to, but I quite enjoyed it. There were times when I felt the story rambled on unnecessarily, but underneath it all it is an entertaining story where a 68 year old woman finds that in order to save herself....she needs to be able to take control of what’s going on around her., which includes an escape from an over-medicated existence in a nursing home. With the help of her sidekick, granddaughter Mel, Rose goes on several escapades to ferret out the truth of how she came to be in the nursing home in the first place. Along the way, the free-spirited Rose finds that some things just aren’t what she expected them to be.....and she finds strength to do some unlikely things to get to the truth she needs to find. All in all....I can recommend it to other readers. I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review, which this has been. #NetGalley, #WhatRoseForgot, #NevadaBarr

What Rose Forgot is my first book to read by Nevada Barr. She will now be added to my list of favorite authors. I love the blend of suspense and comedy which is very difficult to do. Rose is a feisty woman who you will find yourself cheering on. There is a nice group of supporting characters.

I absolutely loved this book! How often does an author come up with a 68 year-old funny, clever, gutsy female for the main character? I want to meet Rose! There were times I was on edge of my seat hoping she'd make it through the next brave thing she was trying to accomplish, and at other times, I'd be giggling to myself over some silly comment or action.

Five stars!

Thank you net galley for the Arc in exchange for my honest review. What a great book from Nevada Barr! At first I was uncertain about Rose as she was waking up outside in hospital gown. But as with any mystery story twists and turns are brought in and the reader is uncertain who is trustworthy. I am a fan of Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon series but this had a more comedic approach then what i remember from that series.

This book had me laughing out loud. :) Please pick it up for yourself if you need a laugh this winter!

2.5 stars

I had never read a book by Nevada Barr, but I saw a few enthusiastic reviews of her standalone What Rose Forgot, and I thought I would give it a try. It started off really strong, but had one feature that led me to lose interest. Rose is in the locked unit of a nursing home seemingly suffering from some kind of dementia. But all her instincts tell her to get out, so she escapes, and keeps escaping. I won’t say more to avoid spoilers. In the beginning, Barr did a great job portraying Rose’s state of confusion, and the claustrophobic feeling of being confused while having an instinct to flee. I also really liked Rose’s feisty 13 year old granddaughter. But what drove me nuts is that the novel had way too many lengthy action scenes. Rather than making the best of a great premise and strong characters, Barr had one scene after another of Rose physically struggling to get out of various tricky situations. The scenes were lengthy, unrealistic and not particularly interesting. This tells me that Barr is probably not for me. I suspect many other readers would enjoy this one far more than I did. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

This was a bit far-fetched, but a pleasant read. It starts out kind of suspenseful, but then slips a bit into Janet Evonovich territory. Not sure what Barr's Anna Pigeon readers will think,

I started to read this interesting thriller and I couldn’t stop it. Granny on the run. This was my first book by Nevada Barr so definitely I have to check more of her work.

I received a digital copy of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a quick read that was different than I anticipated, but still enjoyable. Had funny moments and twisty moments.

Having recently finished “What Rose Forgot” by Nevada Barr, I am happy to have had the chance for the preview; thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press!

This was a fast moving, suspenseful story about a "Memory Care Facility"profiting from the demise of the wealthy elderly in their care. The "follow the money" and mystery throughout the story reached a conclusion that made sense and wrapped things up nicely at the end. Along the way the humor carried the story for me, even if I had to suspend belief that this could happen in the "real world".
One quote unfortunately rang true... "dementia care is a seller's market."