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Thursday, September 5, 2019

What Rose Forgot Review

Title:  What Rose Forgot
Author:  Nevada Barr
Publisher:  Minotaur Books
Release Date:  Sept. 17, 2019
Purchase Link:  Amazon


My Rating:  4 Outrageous Hearts


*With special thanks to the publisher for an arc of this book.



Synopsis:
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.

Review:
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!

My Rating:  4 Hilarious Hearts
Cross My Heart . . . xxx


Sandra

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