The Girl They All Forgot is a mystery rooted in the past in several ways. A young man kills himself in the same place as his father did twenty years earlier. The father had been accused of raping and murdering a young woman though her body was never found. The suspicion remained despite his acquittal and in despair, he drowned himself. This made me think of Agatha Christie’s excellent “Ordeal by Innocence” which suggested that the innocent suffer most when a murder is not solved.

His murder is witnessed by an encroaching sort of man who thinks far too highly of himself. He fancies himself a suitor to a wealthy woman who recently purchased one of the homes in a development he pretends to sell. He, too, has a secret and perhaps a killer instinct.

DCI Hannah Scarlett of the Cold Case Squad is tasked with looking back at that original murder to solve it and bring an end to this ordeal by innocence.

The Girl They All Forgot is a very fair mystery that managed to surprise me despite giving me all the information I needed to solve it. But imagining the solution, this is the struggle.

Martin Edwards is effective at creating a strong sense of place and interesting characters. This could very easily be a Masterpiece Mystery. In fact, why not a series? In the beautiful Lake District, what more could you ask for?

I received an e-galley of The Girl They All Forgot from the publisher through NetGalley.

The Girl They All Forgot at Poisoned Pen Press | Sourcebooks

Martin Edwards

https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2022/06/15/the-girl-they-all-forgot-... ( )

The Girl They All Forgot by Martin Edwards is a highly recommended procedural and whodunit as well as the eight book in the Lake District Series.

What happened to Ramona Smith? The man who was accused of her murder committed suicide. His son also did so on the same day twenty years late. Now DCI Hannah Scarlet, and her Cold Cases Division have reopened the investigation of Ramona Smith's death. Her body was never found, but Det. Insp. Ben Kind, father of Heather's colleague and lover Daniel, is sure she was murdered. In a small close knit community though, everyone has their own opinion. The race is on as Hannah and her team collect clues and leads on the cold case as the body count rises.

This is a well-written atmospheric whodunit that moves at a relaxed pace until the end. Since I haven't read any of the other books in this series, I did feel a bit out of sorts reading the novel at the beginning. I kept up with what was happening, but still felt for most of the beginning that I was a step behind or off to the side of the action. Once things clicked the reading was smooth and interesting but I can't help but think I should have started at the beginning of the series due to the strong sense of location in the setting.

There are a lot of characters and viewpoints presented in the complex narrative, especially with two narrative threads to follow in pursuit of the answers, but when you continue reading and focus on the plot they all sort themselves out eventually. This is set in a small community, so there are many interrelated rumors and theories swirling around in the populace and all of these must be investigated. Those who like complex mysteries will appreciate The Girl They All Forgot, but may want to start the series from the beginning.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Poison Pen Press. ( )

This is an outstanding police procedural murder mystery set in contemporary Britain. It's the eighth detective story in Martin Edwards' Lake District Mystery series. There's a clever plot, not too complicated, supported by a suspenseful sub-plot and the evolving personal life of the protagonist, DCI Scarlett Hannah. In addition to the recurring characters, Edwards has added two interesting ones who are unique to this story. Backstopping the detective story is the local colour of the Lake District with its natural beauty.

DCI Hannah is given charge of a high profile cold case review after a high visibility suicide brings fresh media attention to the case. It's a "missing body" murder investigation where the principal (and only suspect) is acquitted by a jury. Scarlett and her team go back to basics, which soon touches on the original police investigation. It fizzled out however with the acquittal, although the suspect' s suicide led to a campaign by his family for vindication. The subsequent suicide by the suspect's son is the spark for Hannah's review.

It can be read as a standalone without the need to have read its predecessors in the series. ( )

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

When I requested it, I didn't realize it was the eighth in a series. It stood fairly well on its own, although at times I felt as if I was missing something. I couldn't get a handle on Daniel and Hannah's relationship at all, and the way Louise kept trying to set Daniel up with Alex was inexplicable to me.

Initially I found the Tory/Logan/Kingsley thread unpleasant, but it grew on me. The resolutions at the end were not at all clued for the reader and I didn't find them particularly likely, but the plot held together fairly well in retrospect. I would have preferred the balance of the narrative to be more heavily weighted towards the police procedural thread, but perhaps this series is always a blend of perspectives. ( )