A review by imijen
The Unforgotten by Laura Powell

3.0

3.5 stars. A murder mystery set in Cornwall, 1956. I really enjoyed all of this, but was particularly taken in by a very promising start and the hunt for a violent village killer. Unfortunately, somewhere around the middle, the plot took a few directions I wasn't quite as thrilled by,

Spoiler

specifically, Betty's developing relationship with a much older man. She was completely taken advantage of, but I'm not sure if this was presented well enough. I worry that some readers may take this as "romantic", even if that wasn't Powell's intention

. My interest did pick up again towards the end and I did really like both the exploration of Betty and her mother's relationship and how Powell presented Mary's difficulties in dealing with her traumatic past fifty years later. I have to say I felt the killer was pretty predictable (maybe I've just read too many mysteries at this point!) but I did like the rest of the conclusion. So despite a few misgivings, which mean I can't rate this 4 stars, The Unforgotten was an enjoyable, riveting read that I recommend for crime/mystery fans. Especially great during the holidays, curled up with a steaming hot drink!