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What Rose Forgot

Nevada Barr

3.67 · Rating details · 4,881 ratings · 1,077 reviews

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

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Kindle Edition, 304 pages

Published September 17th 2019 by Minotaur Books

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· 4,881 ratings · 1,077 reviews

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Oct 17, 2019 Julie rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019, e-book, netgalley, mystery-shelf, crime

What Rose Forgot by Nevada Barr is a 2019 Minotaur Books publication.

Wildly entertaining, darkly humorous, with best unreliable narrator ever!

Rose Dennis, a widow in her sixties, awakens in a hospital gown unsure of what has happened to her. Her memory is murky, to say the least. Yet, she soon discovers she has been admitted to a nursing home and is being housed in the Alzheimer’s ward. Overhearing an ominous conversation suggesting she might not make it through the week, Rose realizes her lif What Rose Forgot by Nevada Barr is a 2019 Minotaur Books publication.

Wildly entertaining, darkly humorous, with best unreliable narrator ever!

Rose Dennis, a widow in her sixties, awakens in a hospital gown unsure of what has happened to her. Her memory is murky, to say the least. Yet, she soon discovers she has been admitted to a nursing home and is being housed in the Alzheimer’s ward. Overhearing an ominous conversation suggesting she might not make it through the week, Rose realizes her life is in danger and not because she has dementia! She begins planning her escape, although she has a few lingering doubts about the sharpness of her mind. However, her suspicions that someone is out to get her are confirmed when she catches someone breaking into her home.

With the help of her reclusive sister and her granddaughter, Mel, Rose sets out to discover who wants her dead and why…

I have been meaning to check out Nevada Barr's long running Anna Pigeon mystery series for a long time. I still intend to do that, but when I saw this was a stand-alone novel, my interest was instantly piqued.

I had no idea what to expect, but the story grabbed me right away- and Rose!! OMG! She’s a real hoot! The plot is a unique one because the reader has no idea how stable Rose really is. Her memory may not be reliable, but it does begin to return in fits and starts as the story progresses. The reader has no more of a clue than Rose what is going on, but her investigative methods are unconventional to say the least, and her inner dialogue is hysterical. She has the uncanny ability to think fast and lie hard, which also really funny, and adds another quirky element to the story. The secondary characters complement the atmosphere and play off of Rose’s antics perfectly.

This story is, at the end of the day, a standard whodunit, but the presentation is certainly outside of the box, which sets it apart from the standard traditional mystery. The author’s execution is pitch perfect, making this one of the most entertaining mysteries I’ve read in a long time. I loved the dark humor, the witty dialogue, and the occasion moment of poignancy in the midst of the screwball action and suspense.

Overall, it’s nice to have stumbled across a pure mystery that is fresh and inventive, and keeps the reader off guard, and thoroughly entertained, at the same time!

...more

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Sep 05, 2019 Peter rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley, mystery, thriller

Inheritance
What Rose Forgot is an entertaining novel packed with action and suspense, and with splashes of humour it makes this a wonderful read. What struck me was just how quickly this novel had hold of me and totally consumed the hours until I finished reading. The writing is very perceptive and paints wonderful scenes, a mysterious plot and clever witty dialogue, while the story moves with great momentum.

Rose Dennis awakens in a wood, confused, disorientated and wearing just a hospital gow Inheritance
What Rose Forgot is an entertaining novel packed with action and suspense, and with splashes of humour it makes this a wonderful read. What struck me was just how quickly this novel had hold of me and totally consumed the hours until I finished reading. The writing is very perceptive and paints wonderful scenes, a mysterious plot and clever witty dialogue, while the story moves with great momentum.

Rose Dennis awakens in a wood, confused, disorientated and wearing just a hospital gown. Her first thoughts are, is this a dream? Then very slowly she regains some perspective although her memories are scrambled and missing. Two young boys find her and assume she has wandered from the nearby Nursing Home. They inform the facility, who have been searching for Rose and manage to help her return. During this period Rose is gradually regaining memories and trying desperately to piece together, when, why and how she was committed to the Memory Care Unit at Longwood and who was responsible.

I loved the careful development with the situation Rose finds herself in. Does she suffer from dementia, as the facility suggests, is this just a brief moment of lucidity, or is she actually rational and somehow a mistake has been made? Her questioning of her state of mind and quizzical searching for how and why she has arrived at this place surely isn’t the thinking from someone living with dementia.

Rose makes a decision that she will not ingest the drugs offered to her anymore and covertly hides the tablets and continues to act out her assumed mental state while she gathers information and plans her escape. Regardless of plot plausibility, the believability of Rose’s mental turmoil is very well delivered and the reality as it comes into focus is really heartening.

‘ “Here’s the thing, since I’ve stopped taking the red capsules, my mind has gotten much clearer. I think I’m being intentionally drugged.”
“For how long?”
“Yesterday, of course. Before that . . .”
There is no before that. Not yet.’

Rose escapes again but this time with a clearer mind and a plan which involves her granddaughter Mel, and her sister Marion. There are some other strange relationships developed as Rose navigates the sinister machinations that seem intent on causing her death. Who would want her dead, and of course following the money leads obviously to the family? Although it’s not just as obvious as that.

The story is gripping and the adventure Rose goes on with Mel, is enthralling and builds with us eagerly straining to find out who is behind the conspiracy. The plot credibility issues and convenience, are masked by the entertaining scenarios and witty moments that are maintained at a relentless pace.

I would recommend reading this book and I'd like to thank St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC version in return for an honest review. ...more

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Aug 22, 2019 Thomas rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley, southern-us-crime

4 stars for an entertaining mystery. This is a stand alone mystery and not part of the Anna Pigeon series by Nevada Barr. Rose wakes up in a state of confusion. She is in a hospital gown and near a road. She sees 2 boys on bicycles and asks for water. One gives her water and the other goes to the nursing home to tell them that one of their patients is nearby. Rose is taken back to the nursing home. But she realizes that she is being drugged and pretends to continue taking the drugs and escape. S ...more

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Aug 21, 2019 Liz rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

I read each and every one of Barr’s Anna Pigeon books and have missed the series. So, I was thrilled to see she’d written a stand alone. As the story begins, 68 year old Rose has escaped from a memory unit in a nursing home. She’s quickly re-captured and returned. But it’s obvious to the reader that she’s not a typical early Alzheimer’s victim, so what brought her there?

Barr’s writing mesmerized me. “Memories downloaded into Rose’s skull with all the nuance of a dump truck pouring rocks into a h ...more

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Sep 15, 2019 Paige rated it really liked it

Shelves: humor, contemporary, mystery-thriller

The plot synopsis provided for this novel is extremely accurate, so I will just be reviewing my likes, dislikes, and other thoughts.

I enjoyed the character of Rose: a yoga doing, meditating, mantra chanting, spunky step-grandmother. Her character was interesting, unique, and easy to relate to. Rose was simply awesome, and I love her! I also fell in love with her sister, Marion, and loved Marion’s character. On the other hand, most of the events that unfold are far-fetched, so you must read with ...more

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Oct 31, 2019 MarilynW rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, traveling-sisters-read, netgalley-2019

The book starts with Rose, dressed in only a hard to keep on hospital gown, outside the Memory Care Unit of a nursing home, trying to escape her captors, while she fights off a drug induced (or is it dementia induced) haze covering her thinking. Caught, drugged once again, and strapped down, outside her room she hears threatening words saying that she won't last the week. Rose knows she has to prevent being drugged into oblivion again, so she can escape this place and allow her body to shed the ...more

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Sep 28, 2019 Diane S ☔ rated it liked it

Shelves: lor-2019

3.5 i wasn't sure while reading this stand alone by Barr, whether I needed to suspend belief or to wish that in my mid sixties I would be as fit and while as Rose. I decided to just go with the flow, the story as it was presented, because it was a fun read. Plus, I adored the character of Rose, loved her relationship with her granddaughter and her friend Royce.

The plight of the elderly is often not a smooth one, as it shows here. Beyond the storyline there is a seriousness of how vulnerable man ...more

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Oct 08, 2019 Linda rated it really liked it

Shelves: humor, fiction

"Of course, Rose knows there are people who live and die in the shadow of lies, betrayals, violence, and crime. People should love one another right now. Buy the world a Coke and keep it company. The Age of Aquarius was way too short as far as Rose is concerned."

And Nevada Barr just about touches on all of that in What Rose Forgot. Her main character of Rose Dennis is a way-out-there-somewhere kind of ol' gal of sixty-eight. She wakes up in a special nursing home unit for Alzheimer's without a c ...more

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Aug 17, 2019 PamG rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-2019, mystery-thriller-suspense, netgalley-2019

What Rose Forgot by Nevada Barr is a well-written standalone mystery that I was excited to read since I thoroughly enjoy her Anna Pigeon series.

This story is set in Charlotte, North Carolina and the main protagonist is 68 year old Rose Dennis who wakes up outside in a hospital gown and her mind is foggy. She has been committed to a Memory Care Unit of a nursing home, but Rose becomes convinced that her life is in danger. With this information, Rose enlists the help of her sister in New Orleans, ...more

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Sep 21, 2019 Mackenzie - PhDiva Books rated it really liked it

Heart-pounding and unique! The pace of this book moved quickly. I imagine this would be a great vacation thriller because you will want to be able to read it through without stopping!

Rose wakes up in a Memory Care Unit with no idea how she got there or how long she has been in. When it becomes clear that the staff at the hospital are intentionally making her sick, Rose cleverly avoids swallowing her medication and plots her escape. Soon after making a run for it, an attacker breaks in and tries Heart-pounding and unique! The pace of this book moved quickly. I imagine this would be a great vacation thriller because you will want to be able to read it through without stopping!

Rose wakes up in a Memory Care Unit with no idea how she got there or how long she has been in. When it becomes clear that the staff at the hospital are intentionally making her sick, Rose cleverly avoids swallowing her medication and plots her escape. Soon after making a run for it, an attacker breaks in and tries to incapacitate Rose for good, and then she knows. It wasn't just the hospital that was the problem. Someone wants Rose dead and it may be someone closer to her than she realizes.

I want to talk about something that never occurred to me about psychological thrillers until I read this book—they aren’t very diverse in age or gender of the main character! I was marveling at this amazing 68 years-young protagonist, and the more she commented on ageism and how she sometimes feels younger than her biological age, I realized that the majority of psychological thrillers feature female protagonists typically between the ages of about 25-45. Well, this book turns that on its head because Rose is an amazing leading character!

Here’s the other thing I found interesting and fun—this is not a slow-burn psychological thriller where the lead character succumbs to the gaslighting around her and spirals into self-destruction and doubt. This book is action-packed. Fights, rough-and-tumble drag outs, and battle scars. These characters will not escape the same way they went in! And I found this not only unexpected, but delightful.
Rose is amazing. She has this healthy balance of “Well, I really might be suffering from dementia” to “I’m pretty confident that I’m healthy which means someone is out to get me.” It would have been disingenuous if Rose didn’t question her diagnosis at all, but it also was amazing to see her so grounded and sure of herself and how she feels. Rose is a boss, don’t let her hippie-ish clothes and marijuana fool you! Rose is razor-sharp and fearless. We should all learn to be a bit more like Rose!

I also loved Rose’s granddaughter Mel and their relationship. In addition to Rose’s reclusive sister who happens to have a knack for “exploring” the internet (aka Hacking), Mel is her closest resource. Mel is wise beyond her years and brave. I love how much she respects Rose, both checking on her health but hearing Rose out when she presents some pretty wild sounding conspiracy theories. Lovely!
I highly recommend this book. Nevada Barr is a delightful writer and I’ll be looking into more of her books!

Thank you to St Martins Press and Minotaur for my copy. Opinions are my own. ...more

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Sep 14, 2019 Toni rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019

What Rose Forgot is an extremely entertaining action-packed mystery. I fell in love with Rose's dry self-deprecating sense of humour from the very first scene. Rose wakes up in a wood and has no idea how she ended up in the place. has there been an accident? Then why is she wearing a hospital gown,and most importantly, why is she struggling to clear her mind from its foggy state. Two teenage boys find and report Rose to a nursing home nearby and we quickly understand that not everything is as in What Rose Forgot is an extremely entertaining action-packed mystery. I fell in love with Rose's dry self-deprecating sense of humour from the very first scene. Rose wakes up in a wood and has no idea how she ended up in the place. has there been an accident? Then why is she wearing a hospital gown,and most importantly, why is she struggling to clear her mind from its foggy state. Two teenage boys find and report Rose to a nursing home nearby and we quickly understand that not everything is as innocent as it seems to be. The orderlies drag the poor lady, the relatives (whose names escape Rose) seem to be really angry, to say nothing of the home managers. Rose cannot remember being committed to this secure unit and she doesn't believe herself demented. Could she have been drugged? Rose pretends to take her medication and then hides her daily dose stash in a drawer of her cabinet. Slowly and painfully, the fog begins to clear away, while she is continuing to behave as if nothing has changed. When she hears two voices saying that she won't last this week, Rose knows her life is in imminent danger and hatches an escape plan. Once out, Rose can count on very few people, partly because she still doesn't know who exactly wishes her harm to the extent of hiring a hitman, and partly because the kind soul she is, she doesn't want to risk the lives or freedom of people she loves.
The character of Rose is absolutely adorable. I might forget the exact details of this intricate plot, but I definitely won't forget its feisty protagonist, an eccentric artist, a Buddhist and a doting grandmother. Rose and her sidekicks- her recluse sister/ hacker Marion, wonderfully practical and elusive, and Mel, Rose's thirteen year old granddaughter, made an excellent team.
I believe the charm of this book lies in Rose's attitude to the events . The comments and opinions she voices in her head are hilarious. She is both humble and resilient, and won't go down without a good fight.
The pace is really fast and the author makes sure there is never a dull moment. The events are, of course, far-fetched, but the book is well-written and the protagonist is so endearing in all her kookiness, that you will readily suspend your belief and keep turning pages.
The big issues touched in the book- ageism and extended family relationships- are serious and need to be discussed more often. This light and funny read is quite insightful, without losing its entertainment value.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Minotaur/ St.Martin's Press for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion. ...more

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Sep 27, 2019 Carol added it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, standalone-by-series-author

The Hook - Nevada Barr was one of my adopted authors at my public library. I haven't read anything by her in years. Decided a standalone novel was just the right one to add her back to my life.

The Line -
There is the suffering of suffering.
The suffering of change.
The suffering of self.

The Sinker - If you've read Nevada Barr before and are expecting Anna Pigeon, forget it, she flew the coop.

If you like unreliable narrators Rose can lie with the best of them.
If an unrealistic plot bothers you ...more

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Sep 08, 2019 Judy rated it it was amazing

Absolutely delightful! I truly couldn't put this one down. At the start of the book Rose has excaped from a Memory Care Unit but feels she shouldn't have been there. She is found and taken back. She plans her escape. The events that follow and the situations she finds herself in are both scary and funny. Rose is a charming character who is very artistic and it seems she has always done yoga so, even after her incarceration in the MCU seems to be strong and resilient for a woman in her sixties. H ...more

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Sep 05, 2019 Sandra ~ ♥ Cross My Heart ♥ rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery-thriller, humorous, arc-publisher, netgally-arc

What a hoot! What Rose Forgot is an outrageous, rip-roaring good time! I expected a dark, scary thriller and while there're certainly some spooky scenes, there are many more that are over-the-top, laugh out loud hilarious. Rose awakens in a foggy, dream-like haze, surprised to find herself confined in the lock down section of a Alzheimer's elderly care facility. As she struggles to clear her muddy mind and figure out what's going on, she overhears a conversation saying she won't last out the wee What a hoot! What Rose Forgot is an outrageous, rip-roaring good time! I expected a dark, scary thriller and while there're certainly some spooky scenes, there are many more that are over-the-top, laugh out loud hilarious. Rose awakens in a foggy, dream-like haze, surprised to find herself confined in the lock down section of a Alzheimer's elderly care facility. As she struggles to clear her muddy mind and figure out what's going on, she overhears a conversation saying she won't last out the week. She would know if she was "dying", wouldn't she? Why can't she remember how she ended up committed to a place for people who have lost their memories - as well as most of their marbles? Rose isn't crazy . . . or is she?

The story that unfolds follows the antics of Rose as she escapes and begins a stint on the lam as an amateur sleuth, hiding out from unknown villains and participating in hand-to-hand combat with professional killers. She's aided in her investigation by a great support team - her granddaughter Mel and her long distance sister Marion. Rose is lovable, preposterous, flamboyant, and on-the-run from the law, nursing home, and most of her family as she follows the clues to solve the mystery of who wants her dead. What follows is a comedy of errors - a story that borders on slapstick comedy while exploring some serious issues faced by aging seniors. It touched my heart even as it tickled my funny bone. I laughed loud and often as I read this book mostly in one sitting. The story is paced to flow quickly from one hilarious scene to the next and while I figured out the bad "guy" before the big reveal near the end, it was an absolute hoot getting there. A little old lady super-heroine wreaking havoc on the bad guys! You've got to love it! Well-written and delivered, I consider What Rose Forgot more of a funny, cozy mystery than a thriller, but no matter how you shelf it, it's a fantastic read!
*A special thank you to the publisher for an arc of this book!
**Reviewed at Cross My Heart Reviews ...more

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Aug 10, 2019 Gail C. rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

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 th 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.
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Aug 23, 2019 Carol rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, kindle, netgalley, humor, read-2019, mystery, published-2019

3.5 Fun-Filled Stars!

Yep, I like ole Rosie....Rose Dennis, that is. She's a fit and spry 68 year old stuck in the Longwood Memory Care Unit and doesn't remember how she got there. With a sense of hopelessness at being bound to her bed with the nasty stench of urine in the air and overhearing nurses not follow doctors orders, Rose has one goal in mind: GET OUT!

WHAT ROSE FORGOT is not at all the serious storyline I thought it would be, but a humorous, very entertaining mystery with Rose and a fe

...more

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Jul 27, 2019 Hannah rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019-challenge, mystery-thriller, stand-alone-2019, amnesia, new-authors-2019, suspense-2019, ebooks-2019, new-releases-2019

I’m trying out more mystery authors this year, and what reeled me in for this book was the premise and the senior character, something that we don’t see enough of. And the cover is definitely dreamy!

The narrative grabbed me easily and I identified with Rose’s troubles right away. However, as the clues and action came out, I really found they weren’t adding up, and that pulled me out of the story. One month generally doesn’t turn for individuals in their sixties into a wasted skeleton, and two da I’m trying out more mystery authors this year, and what reeled me in for this book was the premise and the senior character, something that we don’t see enough of. And the cover is definitely dreamy!

The narrative grabbed me easily and I identified with Rose’s troubles right away. However, as the clues and action came out, I really found they weren’t adding up, and that pulled me out of the story. One month generally doesn’t turn for individuals in their sixties into a wasted skeleton, and two days away doesn’t restore their powers so entirely. Once she gets to her home, all attempt at reality seems to go out the window in a very literal sense and the roof chase becomes straight comedy. But really, really unlikely after the condition she was in only days before. There were other really unrealistic scenes, also laughably a “try not to breathe at all” followed by two pages of quick dialogue.

I felt like the emotions of the scenarios were really well-written and I absolutely loved the scenes with her and her granddaughter and young Royal. These were the best parts of the book. I also really appreciated that there were zero sex scenes and no innuendo.

Two other things really bugged me. I wasn’t aware I was picking up Buddhist fiction. From the 30% point on, the mentions of Rose’s Buddhist beliefs grow and grow until they are even applied as needful to the society around her, which takes it well beyond mere characterization. Second, having my entertainment become political is a huge pet peeve, and in this case it was all sorts of politics I dislike, which only made it worse. The politics did not change the plot in any way. They were jibes thrown in for free that only annoyed. Cheap shots at the President, never tasteful no matter who’s in office; immigration; Planned Parenthood (I could not make sense, if I tried, of “values” that worry about karma, then donate 1/3 of a fortune to saving dogs and 2/3 to killing babies to get rid of global overpopulation....seriously....that’s not a religion of peace). The final thing that irked me was how Rose broke the law repeatedly and had no consequences (even evidently getting away with perjury).

There is some profanity and a couple s* before the halfway mark, which at least was infrequent, but then the bad guys had to show how bad they were by cursing up a blue storm, and first I dislike the swearing and second, that’s a lazy way to characterize bad guys.

While I did finish the book, I won’t be picking up another Barr mystery.

Thanks to the publisher for a free reading copy. A favorable review was not required. ...more

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Feb 17, 2020 Chris rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This book was a hoot, although it certainly did not start out that way!

Rose is drugged and in a memory care unit, but escapes. She is having a hard time sorting out any details. She is caught and brought back into the facility and realizes she’s got to keep her wits about herself, follow the rules and not take the medications and get a grip on what is going on here, otherwise there is no hope for her being alive beyond a week!

Oh, she is a feisty senior citizen though and as her brain clears, s This book was a hoot, although it certainly did not start out that way!

Rose is drugged and in a memory care unit, but escapes. She is having a hard time sorting out any details. She is caught and brought back into the facility and realizes she’s got to keep her wits about herself, follow the rules and not take the medications and get a grip on what is going on here, otherwise there is no hope for her being alive beyond a week!

Oh, she is a feisty senior citizen though and as her brain clears, she’s able to make her plan. Moments of confusion still mark her brain. Amnesia blocks out periods of time.
But she gets out! Yes, they were overdosing her to keep her cloudy and complacent. But there was more to that, you’ll see.

Once she’s out, she’s in touch with her granddaughter, Mel. They are partners in crime here and know someone has set up Mel’s beloved grandmother, Gigi/Rose. The love between the two of them as they try to crack this case, lying low under the radar and using technology and Gigi strong arming one of the thugs is cute and hilarious. It does not undermine the seriousness of the perpetrator behind having put Rose away in a facility and continuously drugged to effect a quick death. The purpose - as usually comes up for crime - greed. Pure and simple - Money.

I loved reading the cat and mouse games. Rose hiding out, going incognito, blatantly following the hit man who broke into her home and threatening him, going back in to the facility disguised to get files and rescue another patient, to name just a few things this Spritely senior citizen is doing to get to the bottom of this and clear her name. The funny thing is, she just keeps getting into trouble deeper and deeper. Her behavior is so unlike the beginning of the book, it’s refreshing and rewarding to see her come back to herself and not only pick up pieces of her life, but unravel The Who, what and why of what happened to her that caused her incarceration into the Longwood facility.

Obviously, Rose always was different and eccentric but that did not make her a candidate for the Longwood facility by any means. The recent surprise death of her loving husband was bad and the crooks took it upon themselves to use that incident to render her as depressed, despondent and a threat to herself and others. Rose was not the only victim in this case.

The finale was perfect and I so enjoyed this book that I read it in one sitting! ...more

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Oct 17, 2019 Lisa Vegan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, novel, thriller, readbooks-female-author-or-illust, zz-3star, 1-also-at-librarything, z2019, cancer, orphaned-and-quasi-orphaned-kids, reviewed

I’ve read the first 17 (of 19 now; I’d thought it was more!) of the Anna Pigeon mystery books by this author. I still have extremely fond feelings for book 1: Track of the Cat, but as with most mystery series I read, I eventually stop reading. They get to be too much, old, etc. but I might go back and read more from this series at some point. I love the National Parks settings. I thought this standalone book would be a good change and it was. It’s very different. Characters, story, everything.

I I’ve read the first 17 (of 19 now; I’d thought it was more!) of the Anna Pigeon mystery books by this author. I still have extremely fond feelings for book 1: Track of the Cat, but as with most mystery series I read, I eventually stop reading. They get to be too much, old, etc. but I might go back and read more from this series at some point. I love the National Parks settings. I thought this standalone book would be a good change and it was. It’s very different. Characters, story, everything.

I think it hit a bit too close to home. The main character isn’t that much older than I am.

This is a thriller. I’d read something that said it was more of a humor book but except for the Epilogue which was funny (more humorous than the rest of the book) and provided information I wanted about what happened to all the characters, for me this was not a humor book, even though it had humor in it. Luckily it was not extremely nightmare style scary.

I like meditation but I like secular meditation. The main character Rose seems to have a long history of Buddhist style meditation and uses a lot of the language from Buddhism & Buddhist style meditation. I know somebody who talks like that and I find it slightly annoying sometimes. Readers who have a practicing Buddhist meditation might like this large part of the book even more than I did. Other than this personal quibble I’m 100% on board with Rose. I love having a main character who’s just a bit older than me and full of personality and strength. She’s a wonderful, memorable character.

I also really liked Mel and Chuck, Marion, and some others, and I got a kick out of some very interesting villains.

Even so most of the characters don’t seem all that realistic, nor does the plot. It’s a fun ride, though not as much fun as I would have liked, mostly because I guessed much of what could be guessed as early as a reader could have. Even if that was the author’s intention, knowing too much made it a bit less fun and for some reason no less scary. It was a complex enough plot that some other things came as fun surprises.

I appreciated the woman power & girl power displayed too.

This one is hard for me to review and even to rate. This is one time when half stars feel crucial. It’s exactly 3-1/2 stars for me and I had to think about which star rating to use. I decided to bump it up, mostly because of the uniqueness and the entertaining shenanigans of the main character.

I had great fun reading it but it wasn’t as much of a page-turner and I’d expected it to be. ...more

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Jan 06, 2020 Erin (from Long Island, NY) rated it really liked it

I really, really enjoyed this book! Much more then I expected! I think the book description, while accurate, leaves out the most important “flavor” of the book. Rose is INCREDIBLE! Her relationship with her granddaughter is awesome too. This is a thriller.. Action packed! (Honestly at times even far fetched..) But, I found myself laughing out loud several times. Then I was shocked during the ending when I- gasp! Almost shed a tear?!😂 & the epilogue? 1 of the best ever! Seriously.. I’m eager to s ...more

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Jul 27, 2019 Jean rated it really liked it

Oh, boy! I got so excited when I saw this standalone, What Rose Forgot , by Nevada Barr. I am a big fan of her Anna Pigeon mystery series, and the blurb for this clever little novel really grabbed me: “...a grandmother in her sixties emerges from a mental fog to find she’s trapped in her worst nightmare.”

Rose Dennis awakens to find herself outdoors dressed only in a hospital gown. She is disoriented and very thirsty. After she is hastened inside, she slowly puts two and two together and calcu Oh, boy! I got so excited when I saw this standalone, What Rose Forgot , by Nevada Barr. I am a big fan of her Anna Pigeon mystery series, and the blurb for this clever little novel really grabbed me: “...a grandmother in her sixties emerges from a mental fog to find she’s trapped in her worst nightmare.”

Rose Dennis awakens to find herself outdoors dressed only in a hospital gown. She is disoriented and very thirsty. After she is hastened inside, she slowly puts two and two together and calculates that she has been committed to a memory care unit. How did this happen? We get a picture of residents shuffling about, being plunked down in front of the TV, which is set for them to mindlessly watch cartoons, and sadly, we see Rose submitting to being disrobed and bathed. My mother, a grandmother, an aunt, and an uncle all dealt with dementia. I wasn’t sure I could handle this, but then something curious happens. Rose “knows” she is being poisoned and begins to plan her escape! To be sure, we do get a picture of some of the terrifying aspects of both the Alzheimers and of institutional life at its worst, but for the most part, Ms Barr’s intent in What Rose Forgot is to entertain and amuse us with this lighthearted mystery.

Rose Dennis is a recently widowed artistic wanna-be-Buddhist. She practices yoga. She adores her 13-year-old granddaughter, Mel, who becomes her ally and co-conspirator when she is bound and determined to learn who is responsible for trying to kill her. Yes, kill her, as she believes that someone had her committed and was trying to make sure that she died rather quickly of a “natural” death. Rose also relies on her older sister Marion, who is an internet fanatic and also something of a crazy cat lady (writes the crazy cat lady). Marion does research online, stating more than once that she is “not a hacker,” sends credit cards, and information to her sister, and lends plenty of moral support, all the while hoping to talk Rose out of her wild schemes.

Is this story believable? Oh, heck no! Is it far-fetched? Absolutely! I found myself laughing out loud many times at the one-liners spouted by Rose, and by the conversations between Rose, her granddaughter, and her sidekick Royal. In one discussion, Rose tells the teens that people make older folks feel like sheep because they are trying to fleece them. When Mel says it’s because they are so fluffy, Rose defiantly states that she will not be fluffy. There were times when I forgot who the author was, although there were a couple dangerous, death-defying Anna Pigeon-like moments that were not the least bit funny. Sixty-eight is not exactly ancient, but some of the antics Rose accomplishes would put a 30-year-old to shame.

Be forewarned: If you are expecting a somber, nitty-gritty mystery, you might want to skip this one. But if, like me, you’d love to sit back and simply enjoy a wild, exciting, fun-filled ride, I recommend Nevada Barr’s newest venture, What Rose Forgot .

The opinions stated are my own. Thanks to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and the author for this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

4 stars ...more

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Sep 10, 2019 Bam cooks the books ;-) rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019-netgalley, thriller-suspense, 2019-reads, mystery

This hilarious standalone mystery from the author of the Anna Pigeon National Park Service ranger mystery series is quite a change of pace for her. A fun romp! Rose Dennis, a 68-year-old Buddhist artist, emerges from her meditation feeling foggy and confused. Wait! She's under a shrub barely covered in a hospital gown! Where the heck is she?

Turns out that Rose has tried to escape from the Mental Care Unit at the Longwood facility in Charlotte, NC, where she's been held for the past month. Becau ...more

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Oct 03, 2020 Lindsay - Traveling Sisters Book Reviews added it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, dnf

DNF at 20%. Not connecting to the writing or storyline.

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Nov 10, 2019 Esil rated it liked it

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 Ros ...more

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Sep 30, 2019 Suzanne rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley, mystery

I really loved this well-written mystery and I'm so glad I got a copy on netgalley. I am new to Nevada Barr's work, and since this was a stand-alone, it was a good place to start. I'll certainly be checking out her other books.

This book starts out with a confused Rose having run away from her care facility. Since we are seeing things from her point of view - it is a jumble, and everything is frightening. As Rose attempts to determine what is happening, an interesting mystery unfolds. I'm always ...more

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Sep 23, 2019 Donna Davis rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Boomers.

Shelves: drc-st-martin-s-press, feminist-fiction, mystery-crime-fict-etc, reviewed, blogged, net-galley, fiction-adult

4.5 rounded up. Nevada Barr’s newest stand-alone mystery is a humdinger. My thanks go to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for the review copy; this book is for sale now, and you should read it.

Rose Dennis wakes up ragged and half naked in the bushes. Sturdy staff members close in on her and drag her back to the secure wing of the Alzheimer’s unit. She overhears an administrator in the hallway opine that she’s unlikely to last a week, and she knows she has to get out of there. But proving she’s 4.5 rounded up. Nevada Barr’s newest stand-alone mystery is a humdinger. My thanks go to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for the review copy; this book is for sale now, and you should read it.

Rose Dennis wakes up ragged and half naked in the bushes. Sturdy staff members close in on her and drag her back to the secure wing of the Alzheimer’s unit. She overhears an administrator in the hallway opine that she’s unlikely to last a week, and she knows she has to get out of there. But proving she’s not suffering from dementia is a tall order, and saving herself calls for desperate measures.

Barr’s wit and sass are at their best here, and the pacing picks up at ten percent and never flags. Rose and her thirteen year old granddaughter Mel are well crafted characters. Although I appreciate Rose’s moxie and self reliance, Mel is the character that impresses me most. I spent decades teaching children of about this age, and so I am overjoyed to find a writer that can craft a believable seventh grader. For Mel to do the things she does, she has to be gifted—as Barr depicts her—and again, this character is right on the money, clever without losing the developmental hallmarks of adolescence. The dialogue is resonant and I love the moment when Rose borrows Mel’s cell phone for most of a day. The suffering Mel tolerates for her beloved grandmother is priceless.

But now let’s go back to Rose, and to her situation. A lot of Barr’s readers are Boomers; I am perched on the margin, retired but not yet drawing Social Security. Looking through Rose’s eyes at the way senior citizens are treated gives me the heebie-jeebies. As a younger woman I had regarded assisted living facilities as a sensible approach to aging; my mother lived the last few years of her life in one, and I have often joked to my children, whenever I have done them a favor, to “remember this moment when you choose my nursing home.” But after reading this novel, I am not going into one. Not ever.

Now of course most places aren’t complicit in murder for profit schemes, but there is so much here that is completely believable. Nursing assistants talk to the patients as if they are toddlers. “Diapers are our friend.” Rose is planted in a day room in front of a picture of Sponge Bob and a handful of crayons. Do we really believe such patronizing behaviors aren’t present in real-life nursing homes? It makes my skin crawl. And the pills that render senior citizens passive and helpless: “Her brain floats in a chemical soup concocted by evil toddlers in a devil’s pharmacy.” And this place has a two year waiting list!

Rose isn’t going gently, and before we know it, she’s on the loose. Now and then the things that she does in her own self-defense make me arch an eyebrow, but the fact is that people age very differently from one another. Some are still kicking butt and taking names when they’re eighty; others pick up the knitting needles and head for the rocker at sixty. And more to the point, what Rose does makes me want to cheer, and so I choose to believe.

My only quibble here is with the way Barr depicts large women. She’s done it for decades; I wrote to her about it once, and her response was that these negative notions weren’t her own thoughts but those of Anna Pigeon. Well folks, here we are with Rose Dennis, and the Nurse Ratchet character here is—oh of course—huge. I would love to see Barr feature a plus size character, oh just once, that is a good person. Please let’s lose the stereotype; other authors have managed it, and Barr should too.

Should that hold you back from buying and reading this book? It should not. I laughed out loud more than once, and the subtext is powerful. I recommend it for Barr’s many readers, and for all feminists at or near Boomer-age.
...more

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Feb 02, 2020 Denise rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: dnf

DNF at 40%.

This was the first book by Nevada Barr that I have read, but I read quite a few glowing reviews about this standalone, so I thought I would give it a try. Maybe it is just me, but after sticking with it until about the 40% mark, I ended up putting it in my DNF pile.

The premise was intriguing - an elderly woman escapes from a locked dementia unit of a nursing home, and she has no idea why she was there in the first place. It went downhill quickly from there though. Awkward, stilted di ...more

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Aug 25, 2019 Jacqui rated it liked it

I picked What Rose Forgot (Minotaur Books 2019) because I like every book Nevada Barr has written. She usually writes about surviving nature against impossible odds--that sort of story. But this one was a new character and quite different. Still, Barr has always been a good storyteller so I cheered when NetGalley awarded it to me.

A quick summary: Much to wealthy, late-60-something Rose Dennis' surprise, she finds herself a resident of an expensive, high-end mental care facility being treated fo I picked What Rose Forgot (Minotaur Books 2019) because I like every book Nevada Barr has written. She usually writes about surviving nature against impossible odds--that sort of story. But this one was a new character and quite different. Still, Barr has always been a good storyteller so I cheered when NetGalley awarded it to me.

A quick summary: Much to wealthy, late-60-something Rose Dennis' surprise, she finds herself a resident of an expensive, high-end mental care facility being treated for late-onset Alzheimer's. She overhears folks there saying she isn't expected to live more than a few more weeks. Somehow, despite the murky fog and confusion that has taken over her brain, she comes to believe she shouldn’t be there. Worse than not being allowed to leave, she suspects the nurse's of drugging her to keep her mindless and complacent. When she manages to break out, the managers pull out all the stops to recapture her going so far as to send a burly hit man to kill her. It becomes clear to Rose that even though those who know her best kind of do think she's half-gone, there’s more to this incarceration than her failing mental health. With the help of her computer-savvy sister and her lion-hearted granddaughter, Rose uses her time outside the hospital to figure out who admitted her and who gains by her incarceration or death.

Rose is a compelling character. She's scrappy, opinionated, and her closely-held never-quit attitude hasn't abandoned her despite her age. But she has been heavily drugged over a long period of time so when we first met her, Rose couldn't figure out where she was or how she got there, much less any details of her life. Even when she escapes and the drugs wear off over time, she seems too old to escape a hit man, outrun pursuers, and connect the myriad of disparate clues that underlie how she landed in a locked mental health facility. This juxtaposition of fact and fiction becomes what accomplished reviewer Barb Saffer (she writes insightful and pithy book reviews I love reading) calls 'exaggerated plot points' (good term). All in all, although I wanted to, I couldn't suspend my disbelief.

Still, it may be perfect for you. The plot moves quickly, the characters are appealing albeit borderline unbelievable, and I cheered for Rose throughout. ...more

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May 25, 2019 Ludwig Reads rated it really liked it · review of another edition

"Wind takes all that is left of Rose, trailing it in pale blues and pinks and golds. Then all of it is gone. Rose is gone."

What Rose Forgot is a fun mystery you can easily fly through, with a protagonist that's very reminiscent of Miss Marple - the book did feel like an Agatha/Marple mystery with the exception that there was more focus on Rose's attempt at survival, which was such an entertaining journey to witness, and less introduction of the suspects, which made it even more challenging to re ...more

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Jun 30, 2019 Toni Osborne rated it it was ok · review of another edition

This is the story of Rose Dennis, a grandmother in her sixties, who wakes up in an Alzheimer unit at a nursing home. But Rose’s mind is fine, who has committed her is the question?… She does not linger with whom, what and the how, and soon a plan emerge: avoid all medication and stage an escape…. Rose on the lam is at the heart of this story and following one crazy lady trying to find who put her away is sometime funny and sometime unbelievable…...

This sounded like an interesting read and it did ...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Mystery/Thriller ...: Group Read - What Rose Forgot Chapters 21 to 31 (end) Spoilers Welcome	20	31	Jan 10, 2020 09:58AM
Mystery/Thriller ...: Group Read - What Rose Forgot Chapters 1 to 10 Spoilers Welcome	20	28	Jan 09, 2020 11:18PM
Mystery/Thriller ...: Group Read - What Rose Forgot Chapters 11-20 Spoilers Welcome	9	19	Jan 06, 2020 11:04PM
Play Book Tag: What Rose Forgot by Nevada Barr 4 stars	1	14	Oct 26, 2019 04:32PM
Goodreads Librari...: Please correct page count	2	19	Sep 23, 2019 05:29AM

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About Nevada Barr

Nevada Barr

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Nevada Barr is a mystery fiction author, known for her "Anna Pigeon" series of mysteries, set in National Parks in the United States. Barr has won an Agatha Award for best first novel for Track of the Cat.

Barr was named after the state of her birth. She grew up in Johnstonville, California. She finished college at the University of California, Irvine. Originally, Barr started to pursue a career in ...more