Forgotten Murder
Forgotten Murder
by Dolores Gordon-Smith
Severn House Publishers
Historical Fiction , Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 01 Mar 2019
Review
Forgotten Murder is an excellent, Christie-esque mystery. In fact, it is almost too Christie-esque in that it brings to mind a very similar novel, Sleeping Murder. Jenny Langton, a friend of Jack Haldean’s wife, Betty, has come across a house that is strangely familiar. Despite having no memory of ever being there, she remembers the house as it was before it was remodeled. On top of that, while standing in the garden, she has a disturbing vision which horrifies her and makes her turn to Betty and Jack for help. As in the Christie novel, Betty’s emerging memories threaten a murderer who has long believed he is safe, and that his secrets are well hidden.
As I read, my own sense of dejavu was strong, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying Forgotten Murder. Gordon-Smith is a skilled writer with her own unique and eloquent voice. While there are many similarities to Sleeping Murder, the novel never stoops to being derivative. The story is enjoyable in its own right, and it is likely that most readers will not be familiar with its precursor. Still, there is enough in common to make me rate Forgotten Murder a 4 rather than a 5.
4 / 5
I received a copy of Forgotten Murder from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
-- Crittermom
Description
Jack Haldean’s newly-wedded bliss is disrupted by a series of shocking revelations in this gripping historical mystery.
When an old schoolfriend of Jack’s wife Betty witnesses a disturbing vision in the garden of a smart suburban house, Jack is intrigued. Just what did Jenny Langton see beneath the cedar tree at Saunder’s Green that frightened her so much she fainted on the spot? Jack’s subsequent enquiries stir up a hornet’s nest of repressed emotions and long-buried secrets. What exactly happened at Saunder’s Green almost twenty years before – and why will no one talk about it? As he unearths evidence of a possible murder, how is even a seasoned investigator like Jack supposed to solve a crime that took place two decades before with no tangible clues, no reliable witnesses – and at least one person who is determined to stop him discovering the truth … whatever it takes.
