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.

What a gripping book. Amnesia or Alzheimer’s? Rose is a fighter and with her family and friends, she fights to survive. I was rooting for Rose. This was a hell of a good book.

I really loved how this book gave you a real view of just how frightening it would be to wake up and realize you are in a memory care center. What would you do? How could you get out of a place for people who have lost their memory, yet yours is just fine? How do you figure out how you got their?

This is a really fun read where Alice and Mel, teenager granddaughter work together to unravel Alice’s situation.

What Rose Forgot is a fabulous unique thriller. I loved this book and could not put it down.I have a new favorite author to add to my list.

This was my first Nevada Barr book, and boy, was I impressed! It's loaded with action, humor and suspense (which must have been hard to develop with an assisted living facility as the backdrop). I fell in love with the main character, Rose. She's tenacious, smart, and just wily and unconventional enough to save her own life under quite adverse circumstances. The story was riveting; I had to put the book down several times just to savor the experience and make it last longer. And it was genius to include her young teenage grand daughter Mel as her main sidekick. This smart, sassy and resourceful girl helps keep things believable and grounded and moves the story along nicely.

I truly appreciated the author and publisher taking a chance on a book with a 60-ish female main character. There are SO MANY books out there with lovely teen, 20- and 30-something year old women leads; it's as if women over 50 couldn't possibly be doing anything interesting (unless they're an evil villain or sympathetic supporting character) that's not related to being a mother/wife/support figure for their families.

In any case, I loved this book! Please please please bring on more like it!

I'm a fan of Nevada Barr, and over the years have read every one of her Anna Pigeon books, set in the U.S. national parks. The basic issues in this new novel -- aging and dementia, and how we view, react to and treat them -- is so different from those in Barr's long-running series that at first it felt like a different writer entirely.

As the story unfolded, however, the author's trademark humor and suspense were on full display. This book is a thriller, yet there are many, many chuckles, and some heartwarming inter-generational action. I liked Rose's pluck. Her almost-70-year-old body held her back very little (thanks to all that yoga!), and her spirit not at all.

In the end, Rose uncovers a sinister plot largely because she out-thinks the bad guys (and also has an almost-hacker sister and a couple of teenagers she can call on) -- but this is also a very physical book. Rose is no sedate, shrinking violet. Also, What Rose Forget is set firmly in the 2nd decade of the 21st century, with the aforementioned hacking and sophisticated use of smart phones.

Back to the book's basic issues: It's not only Rose's menacing, stop-at-nothing adversaries that are scary. There is the whole terrifying question of our eventual mental decline, and how easily we each could be gaslighted and exploited.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance readers copy.

Nevada Barr has written another page turner a book that drew me in from the first scene .Rose has been committed to a nursing home she has no idea why she knows he does not have dementia she’s in danger and can’t ask her family for help because they committed her .sA multilayered read that will keep you guessing till the end.So so well written Highky recommend this and all of Nevada Barr’s books,#netgalley #st.martinsbooks

Amnesia or Alzheimer’s? Who decides? Who benefits? Who suffers? Nevada Barr raises lots of questions and brings to light how relationships can be strained. An excellent standalone thriller that keeps the reader’s interest throughout.

Wonderful! I devoured this book. I love Nevada Barr; this is different from her Anna Pigeon novels. An elderly lady wakes up to find herself in the memory care ward of a nursing home with no memory of how she got there. But somehow she feels that it’s all a mistake, that she should at least remember something. With the help of her granddaughter and said granddaughter’s friend, she starts to piece things together. It’s sort of a madcap mystery. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

"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 recognize the culprit.

How did Rose end up waking up in the middle of the woods?
How did she get there?
Why has she been committed to a Medical Care Unit for Alzheimer's?

I never thought diving into the mind of a 68-year-old woman would be that much fun until I stumbled upon this book. I fell in love with Rose's character; everyone is trying to convince her that she's crazy but little do they know she's got many tricks up her sleeve.

What's also caught my attention was the lyrical, poetic style of writing. From the start, we can feel we're in for a fast-paced, action-packed ride, and I absolutely enjoyed the adventurous feel to the mystery.

I think What Rose Forgot is a fresh and successful deviation from the author's Anna Pigeon series, and I'm looking forward to what she writes next.

What Rose Forgot by author Nevada Barr is a gripping, fascinating novel full of character and feelings!
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rose wakes up realizing that her family has committed her to an alzheimer's unit and has no idea why. She can not ask her family for help as they are the ones who put her there. I enjoyed the mystery in this book and the characters

I love Barr’s Amanda Pigeon books, so I was really curious about this standalone, and I wasn’t disappointed. The story centers around Rose, a woman who wakes up to find she’s been committed to an Alzheimer’s Unit, but has no memory of how she got there. She soon has reason to believe her life is in danger and begins stockpiling her medication in hopes of mounting an escape. She can’t trust her immediate family because they are the ones who had her committed. With some help from her computer savvy sister and her precocious granddaughter, Rose plots her escape, hoping to succeed before she’s silenced forever. This is a claustrophobia inducing nightmare, imagining being locked up in a place where no one believes you, knowing no matter what you say, it’s only going to make you sound more unhinged? This is a fantastic, first-rate thriller