The Forgotten Room

A Novel

By: Lincoln Child

Narrated by: Johnathan McClain

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

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.

A lackluster effort from a great author

What did you like best about The Forgotten Room? What did you like least?

I'm a fan of the Preston/Child "Pendergast" novels, but I found this solo effort by Lincoln Child somewhat disappointing. The story is lacking any of the deep research and convincing detail that's always present in the Preston/Child novels, and really seems better suited to a short story or novella length. This book is similar to the Pendergast novels in that there is an element of supernatural invoked and eventually resolved, but in this case (perhaps due to the lack of detail) it's somehow less convincing and believable. It' s set in a fictional location in Newport, RI; contrast this with the real backdrop of various sites in NYC and NOLA in the Pendergast novels. The early going is somewhat incredulous and the end is completely predictable in its broad strokes. It drags throughout, and I had a lot of trouble maintaining my concentration on the story.

What aspect of Johnathan McClain’s performance would you have changed?

Overall it's a bit too monotonic and the rising action sequences sound contrived, put on.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No.

Logan's Back!

Jeremy Logan returns to his old stomping grounds in Lincoln Child's new thriller. Dr. Jeremy Logan with a PhD in Enigmology returns to his old haunt Lux a think thank he was a researcher at. His goal, to find out why a scientist went crazy and committed suicide.

There's some good mysteries in this book. I thought the looming threats were well done, and there was a great sense of what's happening. Is it paranormal, is it someone, or is it this strange machine. Moreover, what is this strange machine in this room with no entrance.

I think my only real complaints that keep this from being a standout book are the lack of strong female characters. There really aren't any. There are female characters and they're all intelligent and have personalities, but they aren't exactly strong. They demonstrate moments of strength, but I didn't find them taking a lead alongside our hero.

McClain's narration for Dr. Logan and the rest of the cast was solid as usual. I don't have too much to say about the performance. It's good, and I don't have any issues with it, it's just not anything new.

Overall, this is just an average thriller. It was worth my time as I like Lincoln Child and mysteries/thrillers. As with all of his books, it requires a bit of a suspension of reality, but the characters felt mostly real, and I think Logan is a strong enough character to lead books, which he does pretty well.

Looking forward to his next solo novel along with more Pendergast.

Falling short of the great story it should be.

I liked listening to this story;however, I thing some of the highlighted details detracted from it. it may have been the narrator over emphasising those parts. Good audio, but not great.

S...L...O...W narration

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

I really liked this story. It was not a "run of the mill" detective yarn--there were some unexpected twists that I appreciated. But the narration was so slow that I had to put the speed on 1.25. After that it was perfect!

Read, don't listen

This is a book that I wish I had read. The reader was just awful when moving from character to character, especially when trying for a female. Very distracting.

Meh

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

It was ok. Not something I would listen to over and over. Decent story but wrapped up a bit cheesy. If its your last credit, get something else.

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

This is a good author set and i will try other books they have written. Some are great and some aren't. You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince.

Do you think The Forgotten Room needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No, it ended on a dud. How do you follow that up? Maybe just sneak out the side door and let someone else take the blame?

Not My Favorite

I was really disappointed with this one. I didn't like the narration. I made my self finish since I had already paid for it. Would not recommend.

A slouthing story that touches on the paranormal

Not a bad story. It has a lot of elements one might find in a typical murder mystery. I don't know much about paranormal investigations because I don't put a lot of stock into that field but it is good to read something different once in a while.