Without having read the previous book, this was hard to follow at times and a bit slow. I appreciate the story but it wasn't for me.

I received this book to read from NetGalley and Grove Atlantic and I thank them for the opportunity to read this book. I found the book extremely difficult to get into. I had to restart it a couple of times. I didn’t find the characters to be believable nor were they people I could like. While the storyline sounds exciting the actual book lacked any excitement and was quite blah. It wasn’t an awful book but it wasn’t a good book either. I finished it because I don’t like to leave a book without giving it a complete chance. Perhaps others may find it more enjoyable but for me it was slow and boring.

Fascinating look into the dark world of publishing.. There is so much going on but it doesn't take away from it's enjoyment.
Different points of view narrated gives honesty to speakers feelings.
Will definitely recommend to others. Great read,!!

I remembered reading Forgers long time ago and finding it pretty blah or more like surprisingly underwhelming considering how much I love bibliomysteries. I mean, I learned about the world of book collectors and the art of literary forgeries and all that, but the book itself, specifically the writing, left something to be desired. I actually managed to forget the plot completely, just remembered the general idea of the book And you’d think that lukewarm recollection wouldn’t be especially inviting when it comes to a sequel, but there are not enough good bibliomysteries out there, so one must occasionally settle for mediocre ones. In fact, this one was quite promising at first, the protagonist of book one is now older, more settled in his way, a family man, long retired from forgery, but then he gets blackmailed by an old associate into recreating Poe’s ever so difficult to find early poem collection Tamberlane and with assistance of his similarly talented daughter sets off to do just that. There’s some suspense, not as much as in book one, this one mostly is about family and forgery, the balancing of the two. There’s once again tons of detailed information on the craft and so much about books in general, enough to appeal to most book lovers and collectors. The plot is told from dual perspectives of Will and his wife, something that seems unnecessary and at times even confusing, especially since these transitions are pretty subtle without proper chapter separations. Will’s got a lovely family, so the dramatic aspects of the narrative are good, but the suspense is pretty mild, at best, the surprises and plot twists are too easy to guess, it’s all perfectly pleasant, just not very exciting. Not great for a book sold as a literary thriller. And then there’s Morrow’s writing, perfectly good, but weirdly emotionally aloof and highbrow for this sort of thing. Great for drama, in fact having read his other dramatic work and liked it more, I can definitely say that, but doesn’t quite work as nicely for a suspense thriller. Approach this more as a literary drama about books and forging and you’ll get more out of it. Maybe. I enjoyed it enough. Not sure how much of an audience it’ll have. There wasn’t even a listing for it on GR yet, had to create one, although that does make me a proud first reviewer. Not page count to be found, but if I were to guess, it’s approximately 250 or so. Reads pretty quickly. Might work as a decent how to guide for aspiring forgers. Thanks Netgalley.

288 pages

4 stars

Narrated from various points of view adds to the authenticity of the speakers' feelings and thoughts.

When Will thought he left his life as a preeminent forger behind, he never dreamed that his past would come back to haunt him. Enter Slader, once a colleague of Will's, now someone to be feared and intensely disliked essentially blackmails him and his daughter Nicole into forging an early work of Edgar Allan Poe’s called Tamerlane.

Masie, Will and his wife Meghan's adopted daughter is terrified by a man in the woods on her way home from a friend's house. A strange man has given her a package to deliver to her father. So begins the tale of the forger's daughter.

The tension in this story is delicious. Will and Meghan fear being found out at every step in the process. But Will has no choice but to go along with the murderous Slader. Slader is responsible for the knife attack on Will sometime earlier that left him with only a partial right hand. Thus he know of what Slader is capable.

I learned much about the world of forgers and publishing from this book. I like Will and his family. They seemed so authentic to me. I appreciated Meghan's fears about Slader and what he was really up to. I was a little distressed at how much Will seemed to trust him even after what Slader did to him. I truly enjoyed the little subplots, especially the Atticus one. I guessed correctly early on after he reentered Will and Meghan's lives.

I want to thank NetGalley and Grove Atlantic/Mysterious Press for forwarding to me a copy of this great book for me to read, enjoy and review.

**This book is not yet available on GoodReads or BookBub to review.

While there is so much going on in this book, it does not detract from its readability and enjoyment. Will, a reformed forger is seemingly happily married with two daughters to raise. However, once a forger always a forger. His past catches up with him and eventually involves his entire family in his dirty little secret. Edgar Alan Poe's life and history figures prominently in the story as does forgery and forgers. There are alternating voices, but with no hint as to who is speaking before they speak. Do not let this put you. It is well- worth the time spent reading it - one sitting will do because you'll get so involved you will have to see how it all ends. I absolutely adored this book!

Will believed he had left his life of forgery behind him. All that changes when someone breaks into his home, terrifies his wife and daughter, and leaves behind a package demanding that Will dust off his forgery skills. The book to be forged is the first written by Edgar Allan Poe. Few copies have survived, but now in order to save his wife and daughter Will must help create a perfect forgery of Poe’s famous work, Tamerlane. A fascinating look into the dark and seamy side of publishing