What Rose Forgot by Nevada Barr

68-year-old Rose Dennis wakes up in a hospital gown in the woods feeling confused and unsure how she got there. It turns out she's been committed to an Alzheimer's unit in a posh nursing home. Rose has no memory of how she got there but she’s sure she doesn't belong. This feeling is confirmed when she overhears somebody saying that she's not going to make it through the week. This starts Nevada Barrs's new stand-alone novel, What Rose Forgot.

Once Rose is returned to the nursing home she is convinced that the medications they are giving her are part of the problem, not part of the solution. Rose stops taking her meds, engineer's another escape and this time works to make sure that she is not recaptured. Rose doesn't trust anyone except for 13-year-old granddaughter Mel. She is convinced that someone means her harm. This is confirmed when a man with a knife breaks into her house in the middle of the night.

Since her family was the one to commit her and the authorities are convinced that she's an escaped mental patient, Rose is left with few people to rely on. Granddaughter Mel, Rose’s computer-savant sister Marian (who is definitely not a hacker) and Mel's friend Royal are all she has. Aside from her own wit, ingenuity and survival instinct. Rose can't afford a single misstep but she's determined to unravel the mystery that robbed her of her memory and is attempting to rob her of her life.

What Rose Forgot is a gripping novel with an outstanding protagonist and colorful cast of supporting characters. Barr convincingly portrays the sense of isolation and doubt that's created when you can't trust your own memory and when others don't trust your sanity.

Rose Dennis is an amazing character. A pot-smoking Buddhist grandmother who is stubborn, cantankerous and absolutely devoted to her adoring granddaughter. Following her as she doggedly tries to unwind the mystery of what happened to her and why someone is trying to kill her makes for a thrilling story. As Rose gets closer and closer to the truth, the stakes and the tension ratchet up to a breathtaking pace. What Rose Forgot has as exciting a conclusion as any thriller I’ve read this year.

Narrator Kate Burton does an amazing job with the audio version of the book. Her range of southern accents, as well as voicing characters that vary in age from 13 to mid-seventies, is seamless. Her narration complements the story adding to both the tense moments and the humorous moments, of which there are many. Her talents aid in making this book thoroughly engrossing and time will fly while you're listening to it.

This is an outstanding story and a great listen. Highly recommended.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher.

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