The Forgotten Room

A Novel

By: Lincoln Child

Narrated by: Johnathan McClain

Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times best seller Lincoln Child returns with a riveting new thriller featuring the charismatic and quirky Professor Jeremy Logan, renowned investigator of the strange and the inexplicable, as he uncovers a long-lost secret experiment only rumored to have existed.

Jeremy Logan (The Third Gate, Deep Storm) is an "enigmalogist" - an investigator who specializes in analyzing phenomena that have no obvious explanation. In this newest novel, Logan finds himself on the storied coastline of Newport, Rhode Island, where he has been retained by Lux, one of the oldest and most respected think tanks in America. Just days earlier, a series of frightening events took place in the sprawling seaside mansion that houses the organization. One of its most distinguished doctors began acting erratically - violently attacking an assistant in the mansion's opulent library and, moments later, killing himself in a truly shocking fashion. Terrified by the incident and the bizarre evidence left behind, the group hires Logan to investigate - discreetly - what drove this erudite man to madness.

His work leads him to an unexpected find. In a long-dormant wing of the estate, Logan uncovers an ingeniously hidden secret room, concealed and apparently untouched for decades. The room is a time capsule, filled with eerie and obscure scientific equipment that points to a top-secret project long thought destroyed, known only as "Project S." Ultimately the truth of what Project S was...and what has happened in that room...will put Logan in the path of a completely unexpected danger.

One of his most thrilling novels to date, The Forgotten Room is replete with veiled, fascinating history and all the exhilarating action and science that are the hallmarks of a Lincoln Child blockbuster.

©2015 Lincoln Child (P)2015 Random House Audio

Felt like some Chrichton style was channeled in.

Any additional comments?

I have always enjoyed Lincoln Child's works and of course his collaborations with Douglas Preston. This new Jeremy Logan entry was fun in all the usual Lincoln thriller ways. Great atmosphere creation, eerie mysteries to be solved, A good amount of science for plausibility, and action to round out the thriller. Beyond the usual fun of Lincoln Child's works, two things in this particular novel made it all the more enjoyable.

First we get a lot more of Jeremy Logan's history shown to us as the story takes place at a think tank he was attached to about 10 years ago. I always love it when Lincoln Child does this with his characters. Similar to how Agent Pendergast eccentricities become almost endearing when we find out his back story, Logan's history with his start at Yale and current work seem to become become a sort of natural evolution of his character as we learn more about his time at the Lux think tank. Definitely one of the highlights of the book for me.

Second, the mysteries and sciencetific explanation while of course still being fiction are top notch. Mr. Child must have done a serious amount of scientific research to create this story. This particular book felt very reminiscent of Micheal Crichton's Andromeda Strain & Congo. Not that the storyline or setting is similar in anyway to those two books but rather how well the science is fleshed out for us. I found myself repeatedly getting sidetracked by looking up Wikipedia articles to understand some of science or history that is referenced in this book. Every so often in his books ("Utopia" for example), it feels like Lincoln Child is channeling a bit of Chrichton's style into this work. I was expecting a Lincoln Child story which I masterfully got and it feels like the Chrichton gap in left by his passing was partially filled by this book as well. This has been my personal favorite of the Jeremy Logan stories so far. I do hope Lincoln Child continues to use this particular talent of his every once in a while.

As for Narration, Johnathan McClain did another great job, just as he did in the Third Gate. Just as Rene Auberjonois is the voice of Pendergast and Ray Porter is the voice of Joe Ledger, Jonathan McClain is now the voice I hear even when physically reading Jeremy Logan. Getting used to his reading may have taken a bit longer for me since I was used to hearing Scott Brick in the other two novels Mr Logan appears in.

If your a fan of Lincoln Child this book is a must read. If not, i dare say this book will make you one.

A rollicking read

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would recommend this book to friends who enjoyed were prepared to lift the veil of reality to enjoy a bit of fun; for lovers of adventure which is tinged with a bit of historical intrigue and science fiction.

What three words best describe Johnathan McClain’s performance?

Very, very good.

Was The Forgotten Room worth the listening time?

Yes, I enjoyed it and was not disappointed with using a credit to buy it. It was a light book and surely written with a young audience in mind. Definitely a bit of fun (as opposed to humour) in contrast to the recent gory thrillers I've listened to.

Any additional comments?

Not a literary masterpiece, but if you enjoy the genre and have enjoyed this writer's other books, you will enjoy this too.

The" Enigmologist " gets better and better

What did you love best about The Forgotten Room?

I really like the premise that Jeremy Logan's calling is the investigation of enigmas. I also liked the settings of this one on one of the grand historic estates of Long Island.

What did you like best about this story?

I could never quite figure out where the story was going. Was it something supernatural or something else? Interesting twists and turns in this one. I like that Jeremy Logan has become more "fully fleshed" in this latest story in the series. He is a more dynamic figure and less reticent than in the last one.

What does Johnathan McClain bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He is great with the variety of voices and brings the main character to life. HIs voice is easy to listen to.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Not really, but I enjoyed it. In fact, I listened to it all in one day.

Any additional comments?

I like pretty much everything that Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child have written and it is always nice to see them do their individual books, too. They have such unlimited imaginations. With this book, the newest character of Lincoln Child's, Jeremy Logan, is more developed. I also love the idea that the main character has a unique occupation as an "Enigmologist", investigating arcane and unusual happenings that no one has an answer to. I look forward to more books with this character in them. The beginning of the story was very fun. We are introduced to Jeremy as he investigates the Loch Ness Monster.

Exciting story line

This came up on the "books we think you'd like' Audible recommendations. Had I realized it was third in a sort of series-but not really- I'd have read them in order..if there is a real order.

In any case, all it suffered from is a bit of backstory that I wasn't privileged to and which turned out to be inconsequential anyhow.

An old mansion with the 'Forgotten (Hidden) Room" draws the protagonist to discover why a noted scientist went nutzo. Then he starts to hear things-but he has a talent we just discover and maybe it's his talent coming forth, not the mysterious whatever thats causing other professors to get a bit balmy.

Worth the credit-and look for others with the same protagonist.

Good but not stellar suspense novel.

Not my favorite work by Lincoln Childs. The final third of the book cold have benefitted from heavy editing of the implausible chase scenes that stretched beyond entertainment. I tighter story would have been an improvement.

Terrific listen!

McClain is a great narrator. Story was a little predictable, but really engrossing. I usually pick Preston/Child collaborations but this was every bit as good and not quite so detailed.

Mediocre

Worn theme, predictable events, fails to get the reader involved in the characters. The reader did a fair job differentiating the character voices, but did not impart suspense.

Interesting read. Left me a little flat at the end

Would you consider the audio edition of The Forgotten Room to be better than the print version?

yes. The narrator gave a lot to the story.

Would you be willing to try another book from Lincoln Child? Why or why not?

Probably not. The plot wasn't complex enough for me.

Which character – as performed by Johnathan McClain – was your favorite?

Main character

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No

Any additional comments?

I thought this was going to be a supernatural thriller along the lines of Stephen King. It was more a of Jurasic Park scientific snafoo. I was surprised by the demise of the love interest and the relative ease with which the main character took it. The ending was quite flat for me.

Perfect Summer Read

A book that starts with the Loch Ness monster has to be good! This is very different from Child's Reacher books, but in a very good way.

The story line is interesting and clips along, holding your interest from start to finish. It tells of an investigation by an "enigmologist," Jerome Logan. He's a sophistocated "ghost hunter" and his investigations in this book take place in an atmospheric old structure called Dark Gables. At times I wanted to scream "don't go into the basement"! There's even a hurricane.

The characters are sympathetic and well developed. The narrator does a great job.

I couldn't ask for anything more in a summer read. But don't skip the book if you can't read it during the summer, it's a terrific effort from Child and should be read, whenever. I hope Child writes more books in this vein.

You won't be disappointed.

Great listening on long walks

The narrator was a pleasure to listen to and the story kept me wanting to hear more. I was sorry the story was over and look forward to more Dr. Logan adventures.