She Treads Softly: The Forgotten Room

Thursday, May 14, 2015

The Forgotten Room

The Forgotten Room by Lincoln Child

Knopf Doubleday: 5/12/2015
eBook review copy, 304 pages
ISBN-13: 9780385531405
http://www.prestonchild.com/

My Thoughts:

The Forgotten Room by Lincoln Child is a highly recommended thriller.
Yale professor Jeremy Logan is an enigmalogist or an investigator who specializes in analyzing phenomena that have no obvious explanation. He has been asked by Gregory Olafson, the director, to come to the Lux to discreetly investigate what could have led to the erratic behavior and horrific suicide by one of their distinguished doctors, Willard Strachey. The Lux is a think tank located in Dark Gables, a seaside mansion in Newport, R.I. Ten years earlier Jeremy was asked to leave the Lux based on questions about his research.

Once he arrives, Jeremy discovers that the doctor wasn't the only one behaving erratically. He thinks that Strachey's behavior may be related to his oversight of the renovation of an unused wing of the mansion. While investigating, Jeremy discovers a secret room in that wing. The secret room contains equipment from a project that doesn't seem to have any documentation on it. It seems to be from something that may have been called Project Sin that was conducted in the 1930's.

Jeremy has keen insight into people and as he interviews the residents you will wonder if the cause of the problem is related to the paranormal or if it can be explained by science. It is clear that whatever has caused the problem is still ongoing and Jeremy may be in danger himself if he can't figure it out soon.

The writing is excellent, as usual, and Child will grab your attention and hold it to the end. The chapters are short and quick, which made this an excellent book to read in quick bursts here and there as time permitted during the day. I found myself reading it pretty quickly as the mystery and plot were compelling and Jeremy is a likeable character.

Jeremy also appeared in The Third Gate and Deep Storm, but this is a stand-alone novel that can be enjoyed without reading about any of his previous investigations.

Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Knopf Doubleday for review purposes.

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John Updike's six rules for reviewing:

1. Try to understand what the author wished to do, and do not blame him for not achieving what he did not attempt.

2. Give him enough direct quotation--at least one extended passage--of the book's prose so the review's reader can form his own impression, can get his own taste.

3. Confirm your description of the book with quotation from the book, if only phrase-long, rather than proceeding by fuzzy precis.

4. Go easy on plot summary, and do not give away the ending.

5. If the book is judged deficient, cite a successful example along the same lines, from the author's oeuvre or elsewhere. Try to understand the failure. Sure it's his and not yours?

To these concrete five might be added a vaguer sixth, having to do with maintaining a chemical purity in the reaction between product and appraiser.....Review the book, not the reputation.... Better to praise and share than blame and ban. The communion between reviewer and his public is based upon the presumption of certain possible joys in reading, and all our discriminations should curve toward that end.