We are back in northwest England for “The Girl They All Forgot”, the eighth Lake District mystery from Martin Edwards featuring DCI Hannah Scarlett, a police officer in charge of cold cases, and Daniel Kind, the historian who moved to the district and who happens to be the son of Hannah's mentor.

This time our adventure involves two different stories, joined by the common thread of an unassuming nobody named Kingsley Melton. While sitting on a bench overlooking the Crooked Shore bemoaning his life one afternoon, Kingsley sees a man walk into the quicksand and deliberately drown himself. At first lauded as a hero for calling emergency services, he is soon vilified and hounded by the media for failing to have prevented this man’s death.

It turns out that the man who killed himself was Darren Lace, the son of Gerald Lace, who had killed himself in the exact same spot 20 years ago. Gerald was accused of killing Ramona Smith, a girl who worked for him and with whom he had an affair before she disappeared forever 21 years ago. Gerald was acquitted of the crime but was guilty in the eyes of the town, who hounded him until he could take no more. All of this publicity leads to the original case being reinvestigated by Hannah and her team. Were the police unfair in their pursuit of Gerald all of those years ago? And what really happened to Ramona, whose body was never found?

But returning to the suicide, what was Kingsley’s distraction that led to his delayed response? It’s the reemergence of Logan Prentice, a conman who once had his sights on Kingsley’s mother before finding another victim in the retirement home, a victim who Kingsley is certain was killed by Logan. Now Logan has his hooks into Tory Reece-Taylor, a rich widow who is also playing with Kingsley’s affections. Can Kingsley prevent another tragedy from happening before it’s too late, or is all of this the the workings of a jealous mind?

Another middle of the road mystery, not really a cozy but definitely a cozy-type location, this time with quite a shocking conclusion. Once again, Daniel ends up taking a backseat to the investigation. And after all of the dancing around their attraction for six books or so, it is quite a distraction to see how quickly Hannah and Daniel’s relationship starts to crumble so soon after it started… or is it getting stronger?

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

DNFing this one unfortunately. The writing feels very clunky and is super hard for me to follow. I don't know if that's because it's the 8th book in the series of which I haven't read the first seven but I can't get into it.

I ended up DNFing this one due to the fact that this was book 8 in a series. I struggled with trying to follow along,

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review*

Great addition to the Lake District Mysteries series - kept me reading into the night.

I haven't read any of the previous books in the series, but feels this reads nicely enough as a standalone. I enjoyed the book, waiting with bated breath so see how the story unfolds. Book was well written, and I will now go back and start from number 1. Recommended.

I enjoyed this book. It had a decent pace and interesting twists. It is part of a series but worked as a standalone

The Girl They All Forgot is the 8th Lake District thriller/mystery by Martin Edwards. Released 7th June 2022 by Poisoned Pen Press, it's 352 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a long-running series with established characters which are so well fleshed out at this point that they really seem to have a life of their own. The author is adept at his craft and the plotting and settings are well rendered and believable. Despite being book 8, the plot is self-contained in this book, so it can be read as a standalone. The entire series is well written and would make a good choice for a binge/buddy read, but it's not strictly speaking necessary to read them in order. 

This volume's plot turns on a very old cold case mystery disappearance (presumed murder), trial, acquittal, and suicide of the man acquitted of the presumed crime. Precisely 20 years later, on the anniversary of his father's suicide, the son is found also drowned, reopening the original disappearance. 

The story is more a psychological thriller than strictly a mystery, and I found much of the book quite melancholy and steeped in nostalgia. It's very well and subtly written; the author has a deft touch with characterizations and settings especially. The denouement and resolution are well written and satisfying.

Four stars. A good addition to the series and highly recommended. Definitely one for fans of Elly Griffiths, Ann Cleeves, and Peter May. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

First this is part of a series to be aware of this before you start reading this!

Ramona Smith went missing and was presumed murdered over twenty years ago but they never found her body. Gerald Lace was accused of murdering Ramona and eventually faced trial for the murder. He was acquitted of the crime but not long after he ended up committing suicide in the lethal water along the Crooked Shore. He decided to leave a suicide note and when they found it, it stated that he was blaming the police for falsely arresting him and therefore ruining his life. 20 Years later on the anniversary of Geralds suicide his son drowns himself in the same area. Due to the nature of his death the original investigation is opened. DCI Hannah is desperate for an answer and why this happened but while doing this more people die and it is threatening to hurt those near and dear to Hannah.

This novel was well written but there were moments I predicted. Not all of them were expected but there was more that were than werent. Maybe this has to do with me reading so many thrillers and mysteries. It does become rather sluggish in the middle and kind of slow. I wish the plot would have been through the whole book but unfortunately it wasnt. Literally everything happens in the last 15-20 pages. It was okay just not my favorite by any means.

That didn’t appeal much to me. Such a letdown.

Thanks to Netgalley! Hoping for a better read next time!

This book works as a stand alone, as I have not read any of the other books in the series. There are parallel stories that are interesting but initially feel somewhat random. Edwards does a good job tying the stories together and in a well written way.

This book is a brilliant who dun it. The plot had me engaged from start to finish with well developed characters and a depth ths isn't understood until the final twist. I didn't see the end coming and I loved it! I look forward to reading more from this author.

I really liked this one. The twist was good and the reading was smooth. I really enjoyed the writing and I will be looking at other books from this author.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this novel. It was quite interesting. I like police procedurals and even more ones set in Britain. This book was very entertaining but I didn't not know this was a part of a series but it can be still read alone as the book did well on describing areas from the previous book. I would read more from this author.

First off thank you to NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for my review.

I did not realize this was part of a series until looking it up on Goodreads. Fortunately it can be read as a standalone and you won’t be confused.

Everyone wants to know what happened to Ramona. We follow Hannah a woman detective as she searches the small town to solve the crime. There were some good twists and turns to keep the story interesting. But the plot was a little messy in spots.

If you like small town mysteries then grab this book or better yet grab the series.

I’m sure I’ve read this book before under a different name? Maybe it’s a different name for a different country?

British procedural...after a father son suicide, a cold case is reopened. Great backdrop of the lake region

I didn’t realise this was a series until I read the reviews on Goodreads but this is fine to read as a standalone. I didn’t feel like I missed out or was confused at any point in the story.

This story follows officer Hannah as a drowning suicide case leads her to investigate a cold case related to the disappearance of a woman, Ramona, 21 years ago. The case was originally investigated by Hannah’s mentor and had his eyes set on Gerald, Ramona’s old employer, as a suspect. Although Gerald eventually managed to clear his name, the stigma of him being a murderer never went away. Gerald ended up committing suicide by walking into the waters of Crooked Shore. Creepily enough, his son Darren also followed in his footsteps twenty years later. What happened to Ramona? Is Gerald as innocent as he claimed and are the suicides just coincidences or is there more to it?

The plot is pretty complicated and I had a hard time keeping up at first with what is happening but I caught up eventually. Despite the complications, this is a good plot. The different characters added more mystery to Ramona’s disappearance and it kept me wondering what really happened to her.

There were a lot of little sub plots that kept me guessing who had something to do with Ramona’s disappearance and I thought I had guessed it all until the last few chapters where the truth was revealed! The build-up is a little slow towards the middle but I was pretty satisfied with the ending.

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the arc.

Twenty years ago, Gerry Lace, despondent at being accused of murdering his lover, Ramona Smith, walked into the sea off the Crooked Shore to his death. Now his son Darren has literally followed in his father’s footsteps. A lone watcher tries, too late, to warn the man of the danger to no avail. By the time Kingsley Felton notifies the authorities, Darren is beyond help.
Ramona’s body was never found. DCI Hannah Scarlett, of the Cold Case unit of the Cumbria Constabulary, has reopened the case, and uncovers some startling information that will impact current cases.
The plot is clever, with plenty of twists and turns and red herrings. The characters are fully drawn and fascinating in their own special way. They include a neurotic, paranoid estate manager, a handsome and dashing con man who specializes in taking money from old ladies, a best-selling author who is Hannah’s lover and son of the DCI who investigated Ramona’s case, and a host of other colorful characters. The beauty and history of the Lake District add to the rich tapestry of this novel.

The Girl They All Forgot is a mystery rooted in the past in several ways. A young man kills himself in the same place as his father did twenty years earlier. The father had been accused of raping and murdering a young woman though her body was never found. The suspicion remained despite his acquittal and in despair, he drowned himself. This made me think of Agatha Christie’s excellent “Ordeal by Innocence” which suggested that the innocent suffer most when a murder is not solved.

His murder is witnessed by an encroaching sort of man who thinks far too highly of himself. He fancies himself a suitor to a wealthy woman who recently purchased one of the homes in a development he pretends to sell. He, too, has a secret and perhaps a killer instinct.

DCI Hannah Scarlett of the Cold Case Squad is tasked with looking back at that original murder to solve it and bring an end to this ordeal by innocence.



The Girl They All Forgot is a very fair mystery that managed to surprise me despite giving me all the information I needed to solve it. But imagining the solution, this is the struggle.

Martin Edwards is effective at creating a strong sense of place and interesting characters. This could very easily be a Masterpiece Mystery. In fact, why not a series? In the beautiful Lake District, what more could you ask for?

I received an e-galley of The Girl They All Forgot from the publisher through NetGalley.

The Girl They All Forgot at Poisoned Pen Press | Sourcebooks

Martin Edwards

The Girl They All Forgot, is the latest in a series from author Martin Edwards, which is set in the Lake District.

Putting a thriller in such a tranquil and isolated setting may seem like a clever move, but you need then twists and turns to make this a real page-turner.

Sadly, this is not the case as The Girl They All Forgot almost becomes the story I want to forget.

While there is an element of mystery, it feels like a missed opportunity as the story plods along to a very unsatisfactory and abrupt conclusion.

The girl in question is Ramona Smith, someone who disappeared many years ago and the case remains open. When a suicide linked to Ramona potentially adds new evidence to the case, the Police must look at new options to try and find justice for Ramona plus solve this new mystery.

Edwards is certainly a competent enough writer, but his characters don't really jump off the page. The cardinal sin of a thriller is to never convey danger of the central characters or care when they are in peril.

At 352 pages this was a bit of a slog, and could have been a lot better.