Book Synopsis:
Let the dead stay dead.
Clara Marsh is an undertaker. She spends her solitary life among the dead and bids them farewell with a bouquet from her own garden. But Clara’s carefully structured life shifts when she discovers a neglected little girl, Trecie, playing in the funeral parlour, desperate for a friend.
It changes even more when Detective Mike Sullivan starts questioning her again about a body she prepared three years ago, an unidentified girl found murdered in a nearby strip of woods. Unclaimed by family, the community christened her Precious Doe. When Clara and Mike learn that Trecie may be involved with the same people who killed Precious Doe, Clara must choose between her solitary but steadfast existence and the perils of binding one’s life to another.
Clara’s search for the girl pulls her into a spiralling series of events that threaten to endanger the few people Clara has grown to love – and finally brings her own tragic and long-buried past to the surface.
The Unforgotten is available now in ebook for the bargain price of 99p. You can purchase your copy using the link below.
My Review:
The Unforgotten is an unique and emotional crime story that i will definitely be thinking about for a while.
The setting of the book in an undertakers is an unusual one and it was fascinating to learn more about what they do. The preparation of a body for burial is not one I’ve thought much about before and I enjoyed learning more about the process that they go through. Some of these details are a bit graphic and stomach churning though so its probably best to avoid if you are squeamish!
I wasn’t sure about the main character Clara at first as she came across as being quite emotionless and standoffish, especially towards Trecie. As we discover more about her past though it becomes obvious that her experience have shaped how she acts now. I found myself warming to her as the book goes on, especially with her attempts to befriend the little girl which i though were quite heartwarming.
The book starts off slow but soon gathers pace with lots of twists and turns that keep the readers attention. I felt that the book focused more on the human element on the story rather than the investigation which made me feel more invested in the story as i got to know the characters very well. The story of the little girls is an emotional one and my heart broke for all that they had experienced. As a mother of three I can’t understand how anyone could do that to their children and I often found myself tearing up whilst reading.
I must admit that I did guess elements of where the story was going but this didn’t put me off as I was so enjoying the story that it was interesting to watch it all unravel. The final twist did take me by surprise though and I thought it was quite shocking which i always love when a book manages to take me by surprise.
The Unforgotten is a fantastic debut and I look forward to reading more from this author. If you like emotional, gripping crime fiction then you’ll love this book.
Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Orion for my copy of this book via Netgalley.
About The Author:
Amy MacKinnon, a former congressional aide, is a freelance writer whose commentaries have appeared in theSeattle Times, Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Patriot Ledger and on National Public Radio and This American Life. She lives in Marshfield, Massachusetts with her husband and thHuge thaneir three young children.
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