Cover Image: Forgotten

Forgotten

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

This is the first book by Nicole Trope that I have actually read as previous 'reads' were via Audiobooks which I would highly recommend.
These books are always full of high drama, family sagas and told in such thought provoking ways. Forgotten was no different. A wonderful book filled with colour, tension and emotion. Such an engrossing and gripping story, so well told.
One to recommend. My thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for the advance reader copy.

Was this review helpful?

The first half of this book I really disliked the lonely Edna, who kept bringing up her dad - every - single - time with her share of this story. Thankfully, the second half she no longer mentioned what he would have said to her about handling a certain situation. At the end of the book she was the one I liked best.

There is quite a number of characters telling this story, apart from Edna. Ali as a detective is personally involved, Malia of course as the mother of the lost child and more. These different perspectives were an interesting way to build the tension during that one hot day Zach goes missing.

Was this review helpful?

Malia was completely stressed but trying not to show it – Aaron, her five year old son was demanding milk with his cereal, but they didn’t have any. Her three year old daughter, Rhiannon was echoing her brother. Finally in despair she bundled the children - five month old Zach still sleeping –into her car for the quick trip to the service station for the litre of milk. She was going to be late to work, the kids to childcare and school – but what could she do? And when she arrived, Zach was still sleeping; she knew she’d be quick – that decision was to change everything…

Detective Ali Greenberg had only been back at work a month, but she wanted this case. She and her partner Mike were at the service station, along with what seemed like every police team in Sydney. A missing child, especially a baby, tugged on the heartstrings of everyone and brought the police out in full force every time. Ali and Mike needed to move the investigation forward quickly – the weather was scorching; Zach had to be found soon.

With Malia’s parents rushing from Melbourne to be by her side, and everyone trying to help find Zach, Malia wondered if she’d ever feel “normal” again. She was desperately missing her little boy – he was overdue for a feed; was he hungry and thirsty? Was he crying for her? Would someone please just FIND HIM!

Forgotten by Aussie author Nicole Trope is an explosive, fast-paced and emotional race against time. The suspense is breathtaking, the narration is extremely well done - I needed to race through the pages to find out what happened. The author has written another dramatic psychological thriller which shows how one small mistake can have devastating consequences. I loved Hush, Little Bird and Forgotten is up there with it. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley, Allen & Unwin and the author for my ARC to read and review.

Was this review helpful?

What begins as the usual baby snatching story quickly turns into a full-bodied drama that is well written and full of suspense, anticipation, panic, pain, and, ultimately, a way back to wholeness.

When Malia's husband Ian fails to bring home some milk for two of their three children's breakfasts after a night of gambling, the fragile house of cards that is their marriage starts to crumble. Malia gathers up five-month old Zach, and her two older children, ages three and five, and makes a quick run to the local 7-11 for milk, hoping to get all the children squared away at pre-school, school, and day care. And then she makes a terrible mistake. She leaves Zach in the unlocked car, and in the few minutes she's gone, the baby is snatched, by Jackie, a disturbed young woman recently released from prison.

A search ensues, led by police officers Ali and Mike. There's nothing more that I can say without spoiling this well-crafted tale as it unfolds. Suffice to say that while most of the book takes place in the course of one day, it feels like an eternity as emotions rage and time ticks away.

Set in Australia, this book is among the best I've read about baby snatching or kidnapping. I had a feel for all of the characters, from 80-year old Edna who plays an important role in the story, to baby Zach. This is a moving story of people and circumstances that feel all too real. Highly recommended.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

Was this review helpful?

Wow. Nicole Trope did it again. As a mother, I was in a panic for pretty much the entire book. My heart raced with every page and I loved the back and forth between character, and their own lives. It was simply a beautiful, heart wrenching, flawless novel by Nicole Trope. She never disappoints and her books just keep getting better and better. I HIGHLY recommend this book and all of her books.

Was this review helpful?

I was given an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and independent review.
A psychological thriller with a slightly familiar storyline. Well written with some complex and interesting characters. I really emphasised with Malia, for the tragic situation and the wastrel of a husband she has.
But I found the pace too slow, for me it lacked excitement and I struggled with it. It was a shame as it started with great potential.
3 stars only

Was this review helpful?

Malia, a mother looking after three young children takes her eye off the ball for one minute. Zach the baby disappears from the car and what ensues is a fast paced race against the clock to find him before it is too late.
The story is not just about the hunt for Zach, which is primarily what keeps the pages turning, but about the characters and how they have come to be where they are, which at times makes for uncomfortable reading.
In my opinion this was a good book, worth reading.
I received a copy of this novel via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This book is an emotional rollercoaster that challenges your judgement. It makes you spin between disgust and anger to compassion and heartbreak. It's perceptively & sensitively written and the characters are vividly drawn. I might add here that you also sway from love to hate with a few of them. That's what makes the book so solid and compelling. A careless few moments and Malia is a victim of an opportunist abductor of her baby. This is one of those life-changing moments. I thought the author brought out very well that women can get a raw deal out of life with the experiences of the characters and some narrative. Quote: "We expect too much from women." Apart from rearing children and tedious housework many are forced to hold down a job too.. Men often fail to understand what it's like to care for a baby day after day. I've never heard of forgotten baby syndrome. I didn't buy it as an appropriate defence for Jackie and it beggars belief that prisons release such vulnerable people. It made me gasp when she excused her crime as "one small slip" when it was momentous. I think the biggest message brought out in this book is about how careless we are on judging others. I shall post this review on Amazon and my blog as soon after publication as I can. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read it. Brilliant book like the author's other books.

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed this book, it was full of suspense and I wanted to keep reading to see what happened! I thought the characters were well described and the plot was a very realistic situation.

Was this review helpful?

Great read! Looking forward to reading more by this author! Highly recommend!

Was this review helpful?

Beautifully drawn characters and a tense believable story very well told. Can't say more and I have no criticism at all on this book. I hope the two detectives Ali and Mike make a good partnership so I hope they get to appear together again in another book.

Was this review helpful?

Superb book. So much happening in the book and so many characters and plots but the author is very good at making it all work. I went through many mixed emotions which shows how good this book has been written. Very moving. Very hard to actually explore so many plots and characters. Really looking forward to reading more books from this author. Really recommend.

Was this review helpful?

Oh my word - I so enjoyed this book, so much so that I am actually pretty tired this morning. Yes folks this is another don't start this unless you can finish it, because honestly I didn't want to put this down.

Hailed as the "Australian equivalent to Jodi Picoult" I can see where the similarities lie, both are obviously used to writing family dramas, but I confess I have never read any of Nicole Trope's previous novels. If ''Forgotten'' is any indicator I've obviously been missing out, and I certainly mean to rectify this as soon as I can. For some reason Picoult novels always remind me of being on holiday, and I can picture myself lazing around catching up with Trope's back catalogue - though perhaps I'm fantasising too much considering the three children usually vying for my attention! Anyway, so to the book.

Telling the tale of an abducted baby, ''Forgotten'' is the stuff of nightmares - that split second decision that can have such terrifying consequences. And it is the mundanity of the situation that makes it so compelling, deciding to leave your baby in the car whilst just popping into the shop for a pint (or litre - sorry!) of milk. I mean it's the dilemma most face at some time, especially when you're in a rush or unwilling to wake a sleeping baby. Should you do it? No. Do people do it? Of course. They probably wouldn't after reading this though!

Now I'm a pretty neurotic mother, I can see danger in pretty much any situation, but I felt so on-edge reading this. The fear I have of anything happening to my children is guaranteed to bring me out in a cold sweat, so I totally empathised with Malia and the overwhelming distress she feels on discovering that baby Zach is not safely tucked up in his car seat where she left him. As much as I understood her complete frustration at her useless husband Ian who fails to bring home the milk that prompts this whole scenario. The interactions between each of the characters is so realistic that I could imagine pretty much all of them as neighbours or friends. And it is this realism which dragged me into the book and kept me hooked until the very last word.

The abductor is pretty much as you'd expect - and her mental instability only served to heighten the tension. I believed that they were capable of anything and whilst I was urging there to be a happy ending, I was never completely sure that I was going to get it. I was on this rollercoaster of a read that I was totally enjoying, but at the same time I wanted to get off and watch it make the safe return from afar. The surrounding characters are as rounded and well-portrayed as the main players. The two officers in particular are thoroughly engaging, especially Ali who is trying to come to terms with her own horrific experience.

In fact I found pretty much everything perfection. ''Forgotten'' is totally engrossing, jam packed with tension and drama - totally recommended.

Was this review helpful?

Can not give feedback as it was not downloaded on my kindle.

Was this review helpful?

It’s a parents worst nightmare – you turn your back for an instant and your child is gone. You leave your sleeping baby in the car to run into the store to grave something quickly only to discover that during that time, someone has taken your child. Malia is filled with guilt and terror after her child Zach disappears. Detective Ali Greenberg is assigned the case, and even if it brings back some bad memories, she knows she’s the best person for this case. A thrilling mystery that will have readers on the edge of their seats

Was this review helpful?