I enjoyed this book and it definitely kept you guessing. I cycled through characters thinking, oh it's this one, no it's this one, etc. I loved that Rose's granddaughter, Mel, and her friend, Royal, helped her through this mystery. It was crazy to involve a young girl and the neighborhood boy in this very grownup mystery, but it worked for me. We can't forget about the recluse sister on the phone, although I wasn't very fond of her. The thing I didn't like -- at all, the way the author portrayed Rose's confusion in the first several chapters. It was too much, so confusing that I got tired of trying to figure out what she was really saying. I mean I knew it was a confused Rose, but it was too much work and nearly quit reading the book. I'm glad I persevered, so keep that in mind when you pick up the book, it gets better and it's worth it.

What Rose Forgot is my first Nevada Barr book. It is a fun and entertaining story. The book synopsis lays out the facts of the story. I really liked Rosa. Having had a father in a memory care unit ,Nevada Barr brought back many memories I have of the unit. I think everyone’s worst nightmare would be for others to think you had lost your mental faculties when you had not. Rosa is my age, 68. I do think at times the author made her seem physically much older. There were times that I thought the book dragged but for the most part It was good. I loved the relationship between Rosa and her granddaughter Mel. There were some very funny scenes in the book. For example “the finger.” That is all I am going to say. I do see how this could be the start of a series.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press (Minotaur Books) and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What Rose Forgot sounded like an interesting mystery, and it does start off that way. However, it soon turns into something unbelievable bordering on ridiculous. I realize this is fiction, and a certain amount of leeway can be given, but this one is almost fantasy, especially since nothing short of magic could make a woman in Rose's condition bounce back so quickly. And I don't just say that because of her age. I would find it hard to believe of a twenty-year-old, let alone someone in their sixties. It's a shame because Rose was such a feisty character, and I did have a few laughs along the way. But once things started happening, most of it was just eye-rollingly off the wall. I like quirky characters, and they tend to be some of my favorites, but this one takes quirky to a whole new level. The mystery had potential, but by the time I got through Rose's many adventures, I was just over it and really didn't care one way or the other about the whodunit.

3.5 stars

What Rose Forgot by Nevada Barr is a mystery novel with a touch of humour.

 First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher St. Martin’s Press (Minotaur Books), and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)

68 year old Rose Dennis awakes in the secured ward of a nursing home.  She is a dementia patient.  That would be fine....if that were true.  But Rose Dennis is coming out of her stupor, and realizes that she has been drugged.   Her family has committed her.  She is as sane as she ever was, which is sometimes questionable.

You would think her main problem would be convincing staff and family that her mind is clear.  Unfortunately, Rose's problems are much bigger than that.  Someone has deliberately put her in this position, and now someone is trying to kill her.    She needs to get out, and stay safe until she can figure out who wants her dead.

The only persons she can trust is her sister Marion, who is a recluse, but wicked with a computer, and Rose's 14 year-old grand-daughter Melanie.  Together, they will make one hell of a team.

 
My Opinions:  

Although Nevada Barr has been writing for decades, this is the first of her books I have read.  It makes me want to start her Anna Pigeon series (I think there are 18 or 19 of those).

Anyway, this was a fast and enjoyable read.  Not too deep, and not too believable, but enjoyable.  I am not usually thrilled with humor in my mysteries, but this worked well.  The story was entertaining, and I loved the characters.  Rose and Melanie were a great team, and the author definitely gave them great lines.  The action and pace was very good.

Overall, it was a fun, light read.

(DNF - stopped reading at 10%)

What Rose Forgot begins with a grandmother, Rose, in the forest - not sure how she got there, or what day it is. She quickly realizes she's been living at an assisted living facility, where she's given regular drugs. But, she asserts (to herself) that this is not necessary - that, rather than the drugs being an actual assist, they're designed to sedate, confuse, and perhaps even kill her.

I think what really drew me to this one is how much I love Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix as a kid. But What Rose Forgot just isn't quite working for me. I'm pleased to see a mystery whose main character is in her 60s, and I think the premise is an interesting one. However, after reading the first 10% of the book, I don't feel drawn in - I don't really care about any of the characters or what happens next. I think I just prefer a different balance of suspense or action in my mysteries.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for a free e-arc of this title to review.

Here we find a 68 year old Grandma, Rose, who wakes up from a fugue state in an alzheimer's ward. After regaining some sense and control she figures out what she must do to survive, escape and find out how and why she was there in the first place. From here one has to suspend all belief and reality and just take this book as a funny joy ride. To me it reads more like a cozy mystery and not the exhilarating mystery I was lead to believe the book is. It's main characters are likeable enough but I never felt a connection to them to really care that much. The writing is easy to race through as is the overall pace of the book. Having never read anything by this author before I didn't know what to expect. I guess the book is okay from a lighthearted, comical standpoint but it really wasn't my cup of tea. Others have really enjoyed it though so if you like your mysteries laughable, you might want to give it a try.

Thank you Minotaur Books and NetGalley for my advance copy to read and review.

What a delightful mystery! From the blurb, I was expecting this to be a dark twisty psychological thriller, but it's not that at all, and since I've read a lot of those (and don't always find them satisfying), this was really refreshing.

When Rose Dennis awakens in a hospital gown in the woods, she is confused, since her last memory is of being in her meditation room several months earlier. When she finds out that she's been placed in a nursing home for people with dementia, she suspects darker forces are afoot and makes a plan to escape. Following her escape, she teams up with two teenagers, a hitman, and her hacker sister to prove that she's sane and to find out the truth about who is out to get her.

This book is fun and funny without being over the top wacky, and the mystery is suspenseful and a bit cozy. Rose and her granddaughter Mel are are both lovable characters you will want to root for. I highly recommend this to mystery lovers, especially if you are looking for a change of pace from the typical domestic thriller.

Is Rose Dennis really a demented, old woman or is someone trying to kill her? Nevada Barr, author of the Anna Pigeon Mystery series, has written this humorous standalone. It starts out slowly with Rose as a drugged crazy person in a Memory Unit of a nursing home. She comes to the conclusion that someone is trying to murder her and then the fun begins. Her older sister, Marion, is a computer hacker recluse and helps Rose with her internet capabilities. Along with her 13 year old granddaughter, Mel, and Royal, Mel's friend, they hide Rose from the police and the orderlies. Rose uses her Buddhist teachings to try to figure out her perpetrator. There is a lot of action as Rose is her own detective. I found the epilogue which tells us what is now going on with all of the characters kind of unique. Some of the escapades are unbelievable but fun and humorous. I would highly recommend this book to those who love quirky mysteries. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC to read and review.

I love Barr's Anna Pigeon books and was excited to read this stand-alone novel. It was unexpectedly funny and a great thriller to boot. Rosie, the older woman who is the protagonist has a great sense of humor and a lovely relationship with her sharp-witted granddaughter. Together, they create a lot of mayhem and trouble for the bad guys in this escape-and-chase mystery.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What Rose Forgot is a great stand-alone thriller from Nevada Barr. The book opens with Rose on the loose, trying to remember who and where she is. She’s in a hospital gown, so exposing her backside. She is soon caught and returned to the nursing home where she has been parked. She realizes the drugs are making her less lucid, so the secretes them away while waiting for her memory and senses to return. She escapes again, this time with a plan.

Rose wonders how she ended up in a nursing home and in the course of trying to figure that out with the able and sometimes challenging help of her granddaughter, Rose begins unraveling the clues. It is certain there is more to the story than just forgetting things because an assassin came to her house to kill her and she has one of his fingers in the freezer, proof she is not losing her mind.



Barr is known for her nineteen book Anna Pigeon series about a mystery-solving park ranger, so it was fun to see her trying something new. Rose is feisty and smart. The plot is quite the conspiracy and very original, though it took Rose far too long to understand the motive. I was engaged from the outset and rushed to finish because the suspense was intense from the first to the last. I would love more books from Barr that stand on their own because she knows how to build suspense and creates characters that I like.

What Rose Forgot will be released on September 17th. I received an e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley

What Rose Forgot at St. Martin’s Press | Macmillan
Nevada Barr author site

Rose is a wealthy, recently widowed, grandmother who wakes up in a nursing home and realizes she doesn’t seem to remember much about how she ended up here. The whole story is about how her finding out how she ended up in such state and who caused this terrible state of hers. In this quest, she has the help of her sister (an IT expert at that age is amazing), her granddaughter Mel and Mel’s friend Royal.

She is a totally badass grandmother who handles everything to find out the truth and the motive of people who want her to be dead. This is a fast paced, well-plotted (though not completely believable but that’s fine), suspense mystery. The witty dialogue between Rose and Mel is engaging and funny too. Rose is so healthy and fit in her 60s that it is inspiring in a way. There are suspects at an initial stage but since they are not introduced or detailed much, it is not really predictable or possible to guess. Light and great read!

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

I realize that Ms. Barr may have burned out on writing books aboutAnna Pigeon and the national parks;, however, she needs to stick to doing what she does best. I would call this book ,mystery light. Not a lot of depth to it.

What Rose Forgot is the story of a geriatric grandma with dementia who can't remember when or how or why she was placed into a Mental Care Unit (MCU) in a nursing home. She finds herself in a hospital gown outside wandering around away from the home, wondering where she is, how she got there, and how to keep from returning. Two boys find her and one of them reports back to the nursing home that one of the patients has escaped, and then Rose is sent back to the MCU. But she forms a plan. She is going to break out of the nursing home. She doesn't really have dementia, does she? She can't remember. Rose stops taking her medication, hiding the pills in her drawer when the nurses aren't looking, while continuing to act subdued and demented. Finally, Rose sees her chance and puts her plan to action and makes a break for it. She is free! But, now what? She has to be very careful since she is an escaped patient. Any trouble or attention to who she is will send her back to the MCU.

Rose enlists the help of her sister, Marion, and her granddaughter, Mel, who promises not to send her back to the MCU, but instead, help Rose figure out who placed her there in the first place. Rose starts to prove that she is not as demented as everyone seems to think she is, and with Mel's help, starts to unravel her past and all the events that led up to her admittance to the nursing home. Along the way, Rose fights off a potential murderer, or two, proving that she is mentally stable enough to escape her likely demise. Who wants Rose dead? And why? Is someone trying to kill her to collect her (wealthy) inheritance? Is it someone she knows? Is it one of her step-sons? Is it someone else?

Overall, I liked this book. The beginning was pretty slow for me, but picked up around chapter 12, which seemed to be the turning point in the book. From then on, the pace was much faster and more intriguing. THe writing style was great, the wit of the characters and some of the catastrophes they encountered were fun and engaging. This book is a family drama with a twist of thriller, and an easy read. 4/5 stars.

A fascinating read! Rose finds herself locked up and being drugged. This is a story that paints a worst case scenario picture of what can happen to the elderly. This is a story about determination and self preservation. It is also a story about how greed can drive you to destructive things. Joined by two teenagers and her older sister, Rose goes on a quest to find the missing pieces of her life and determine who is trying to do her harm. Their is mystery and mayhem as she confronts the bad guys. There are moments that will make you laugh out loud and you will cheer her on with each win she gets. Her inner monologues are especially amusing and her heroic feats will impress.

What a great story! It has everything: can't-stop-reading suspense, laugh-out-loud humor, lovable characters, and a feel-good story line. This just might be a hidden gem.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC to read and review.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Nevada Barr for the opportunity to read this fun mystery.

The book opens with 68-year-old Rose in a memory care unit inside of a nursing home, unable to remember how or why she got there. She overhears a threatening conversation and stops taking her meds, leading her to plot her escape from the unit. But by acting crazy, how will she convince people she's not crazy? With a little help from her step-granddaughter, Mel, Mel's friend, Royal, and Rose's sister, Marian, she starts taking back control of her life.

Filled with lots of dark humor, this is just a fun mystery that will keep you guessing. I definitely want to be Rose when I grow up!

"In New York Times bestselling author Nevada Barr's gripping standalone, a grandmother in her sixties emerges from a mental fog to find she's trapped in her worst nightmare.

Rose Dennis wakes up in a hospital gown, her brain in a fog, only to discover that she's been committed to an Alzheimer's Unit in a nursing home. With no memory of how she ended up in this position, Rose is sure that something is very wrong. When she overhears one of the administrators saying about her that she's "not making it through the week," Rose is convinced that if she's to survive, she has to get out of the nursing home. She avoids taking her medication, putting on a show for the aides, then stages her escape.

The only problem is - how does she convince anyone that she's not actually demented? Her relatives were the ones to commit her, all the legal papers were drawn up, the authorities are on the side of the nursing home, and even she isn't sure she sounds completely sane. But any lingering doubt Rose herself might have had is erased when a would-be killer shows up in her house in the middle of the night. Now Rose knows that someone is determined to get rid of her.

With the help of her computer hacker/recluse sister Marion, thirteen-year old granddaughter Mel, and Mel's friend Royal, Rose begins to gather her strength and fight back - to find out who is after her and take back control of her own life. But someone out there is still determined to kill Rose, and they're holding all the cards."

Barr steps away from parks but still delivers a strong, and disconcerting mystery for the aging amongst us.

Rose Dennis wakes up to find herself incredibly groggy, dressed in a hospital gown, and escaped from the Alzheimer's Unit of a nursing home. She's quickly caught and returned to the home, but Rose has no idea how she came to be there initially. When Rose overhears one of the hospital administrators comment that she won't make it through the week she knows something is terribly wrong and that she has to get out of there. She pretends to take her medication and acts the part of an old woman suffering from dementia while secretly hatching a plan of escape. But how do you convince people that you're not actually demented? Everything seems to be legitimate and the more Rose objects, the less sane she sounds. But when a hit-man shows up in her house in the middle of the night determined to kill her, Rose is convinced that she's not insane and someone is indeed trying to get rid of her.

This book was quite a ride! Rose Dennis is practically a 68 year old ninja! This woman is outmaneuvering hit man, perching precariously on rooftops, and outrunning people half her age. Many parts of this story are unbelievable and sometimes dots are connected rather loosely. However, it's definitely a page turner and the adventure of this woman trying to reclaim her life is entertaining and compelling. I found the basic concept for this thriller to be original and quite terrifying -- the more a person argues that they're sane the more they sound like they aren't. What Rose Forgot was an enjoyable read that definitely took my mind for a spin. It was a little too far fetched and lofty for me to really connect with the characters which kept it from being a 4 or 5 star read for me. It's a solid thriller that I enjoyed but probably wouldn't reach for again.

|Thank you @minotaur_books @netgalley for the eARC #partner|

It's been too long since I had the pleasure of reading a Nevada Barr novel, and as I devoured the story of Rose Dennis, I cheered, I laughed, and after its conclusion, I closed the book with a huge smile on my face. What fun!

What Rose Forgot reminds me of Barr's Anna Pigeon mystery, Destroyer Angel, and for me, that is a very good thing. This newest story from Barr has a lot to say about ageism at both ends of the spectrum. Many of us are not very kind (or accurate) in our assessments of the old or the young, and Barr shatters the stereotypes of both age groups with ease and a maniacal gleam in her eye.

She's also blunt in what she says about life being tough on the elderly at both ends of the pay scale. When you're old and poor, chances are that no one gives a damn about you. When you're old and rich, you get more attention, but it may not be the kind you want.

What Rose Forgot is laugh-out-loud funny in many places, and-- yes-- the action is often over the top, but check reality at the door and buckle up your seat belt. Nevada Barr has written a ripping good yarn that is a delight to read.

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book by Nevada Barr. I’ve read her entire Anna Pigeon series and it’s fantastic. This book was about a different main character, but it was classic Nevada Barr, which meant it kept me reading “one more chapter.” Hoping for more books from this great author very soon.