Jude Deveraux Delivers Another Atmospheric Whodunnit with ‘A Forgotten Murder’ [REVIEW]

A crime-solving trio ventures across the pond to visit a friend in her restored English manor home. But there is more afoot here than a much-needed vacation. Like it or not, there’s a mystery to solve… if the past doesn’t get the best of them first. Downton Abbey meets Murder, She Wrote in Jude Deveraux’s third Medlar mystery, A Forgotten Murder.

Bestselling romance novelist turned sleuth, Sara Medlar, is bored with life in tropical Florida and ready for a little change of scenery. So, she packs up her niece, Kate, and their friend, Jack, to go visit Oxley Manor, a centuries-old estate that has been transformed into a posh luxury hotel.

Knowing Sara as well as they do, however, it doesn’t take Kate and Jack long to figure out that she has something else up her sleeve, especially when they learn that a whole cast of dubious characters and former housemates will soon arrive for a reunion all of them have avoided for years.

Then there’s the matter of the skeletal remains which are found on the property, which only adds to the mystery. Who is it? Could it be one of the people who vanished from the estate years ago? And if so, is one of the guests responsible for the murder?

As the trio meets each of the guests, they discover that while their histories intertwine like threads in a tapestry, none of them ever saw the entire picture. But Sara, Kate, and Jack are determined to put the puzzle pieces together and identify the body, the killer, and what really went down among this eclectic group of friends one fateful night.

In A Forgotten Murder, Deveraux employs her gift for unforgettable storytelling along with more than a few nods to the Agatha Christie playbook. Every character she introduces in this atmospheric old manor house and its vast property has an intriguing backstory along with a solid motive to kill, which makes for a fabulous whodunnit that kept this reader up long into the night.

If you’re new to the Medlar mysteries, don’t worry, you can read this as a standalone novel. But if you’re like me and have eagerly awaited each new book in the series, you’re going to devour this chapter in the saga as we watch Sara’s keen mind collect the clues while Kate and Jack’s relationship deepens.

Chock full of humor, suspense, and plenty of heart, Jude Deveraux proves once again why she cannot be pigeonholed. A Forgotten Murder is a delicious read that will satisfy loyal fans and undoubtedly win her many new readers as well.