The description of Forget My Name had me intrigued that is why I requested it, plus I do like a good thriller/suspense book to get my teeth into. It starts with a woman turning up to a house in a village she knocks on the door and says she has forgotten her name but remembers the house, detailing the layout of the house. The couple now living there feel a bit sorry for her and offer to put her up for the night and take her to the doctor the following morning. During this time the husband decides that she looks like a Jemma and so she is called that. But there was a murderer called Jemma from that village too, who did live in the same house, a coincidence? Will she get her memory back and find out she is, in fact, the murderer called Jemma or is something else going on? Well, you will have to read the book to find out.

This book did have me completely hooked as I really didn’t know what was going to happen next. Just when I thought I had sussed it all out something would happen and I was back to square one. And when I did realise what was happening it was like a movie, the suspense kept me on the edge of my seat just waiting to see what would happen at the end. I was not disappointed. I absolutely loved this book! ( )

This review first appeared on CriminOlly.wordpress.com

‘Forget My Name’ is a twisty, turny thriller that kept me gripped to the last page. It’s not perfect, but the denouement is great and the writing style is engaging enough to carry it over the rougher patches.
The premise is one of those simple and immediately attention grabbing ones: a woman turns up on the doorstep of a couple’s house suffering from amnesia but saying she believes she used to live there. They take her in and, when she describe the layout of the house perfectly, they agree to help her regain her memories. As the plot moves on we get to meet other characters in the village the couple live in, all of whom have their own theories about the mystery woman’s background.
The book suffers from having a somewhat muddled second act, sandwiched between a strong opening and a brilliant conclusion. I almost gave up a couple of times during that middle third, when two of the sub-plots failed to engage me fully, but I’m glad I stayed with it. When the story moves into its final act, my perception of the events and characters was flipped on its head in a really pleasing way. I read the last 100 pages in a delighted rush and found the ending very satisfying indeed.
Like many modern thrillers it’s written from multiple viewpoints. We get chapters in the first person from the mystery woman and others in the third person covering the other characters. The style works well here, and I felt like I’d been taken into the confidence of the amnesiac and could empathise with her confusion and desperation.
The plot relies on a couple of huge coincidences. Author JS Monroe mostly kept me convinced, but I did scratch my head and ask “really?” a couple of times. Once I’d got past that doubt and let the story carry me along I forgave them. This was partly because the twist is so good and also because the characters are convincing and sympathetic. Monroe juggles a number of different personalities, but manages to keep them distinct and give them believable and sometimes moving lives.
Despite its occasionally flaws I found ‘Forget My Name’ an enjoyable and compelling read. It has a great concept at its heart, a solid and diverse cast, some fascinating scientific detail on amnesia and alzheimer's and an unexpectedly chilling and memorable conclusion.

( )

This is an original book but very far fetched.
A girl arrives in a small Wiltshire village she claims to have forgotten her name and says she used to live in a house now owned by a couple called Laura and Tony. Tony runs the local Vegan cafe and is a photographer.
They take pity on her, try and help her. Laura gets a bit freaked out and is convinced Tony fancies this girl, he even calls her Jemma after a local girl who used to live in this house who stabbed her best friend. Luke who also lives in the Village thinks this new Girl is his estranged daughter.

The Police and local Doctor try to help this mystery girl. Laura goes to stay with her Parents for a while. Tony who isnt all he appears see this as the time to move in on Jemma.

Meanwhile the real Jemma appears in the village tries to stab someone and is shot dead by the Police. The mystery girl turns out to be called Maddie she is Indian but was living in Germany for a while. It was there that she first bumped into Tony who is a photographer.
It turns out Tony is a Serial killer he killed 6 people including Maddies best friend she wants to kill him too and she tricks him to go back to Berlin with her. Tony is about to be killed when Luke arrives in Berlin and stops Maddie from killing him. ( )

Tony and Laura feel sorry for the young woman standing on their doorstep and invite her to stay overnight in the hope that her memory will return. Tony says she looks like a Jemma, so that is the name they call her by. Jemma is carrying a small suitcase but there is no clue about who she is.

They take her to see a local doctor who thinks she recognises her. Jemma is diagnosed with a form of amnesia. Susie, the doctor, messages Laura warning her that she should be very careful about their house guest. At the local pub a man called Luke thinks he also recognises Jemma but is not sure from where.

After the doctor's message Laura becomes less comfortable with Jemma staying in the house.

An engrossing read where the tension builds as more clues accumulate about Jemma's possible identity.

I thought there was a bit of a hitch about midway through the book, and wasn't entirely happy with the final plot resolution. ( )

This is what I call a psychological thriller! It's so well-plotted and full of surprises.

A young woman turns up on the doorstep of a couple in a small Wiltshire village. She's lost her handbag and with it all forms of identification. She doesn't know who she is, where she is, where she has come from or where she needs to be. All she knows is that the house she has come to is the house where she lives. Yet the couple, Tony and Laura, have never seen her before. Already that is such an intriguing proposition, don't you think?

However, my thoughts were that this mystery would soon be solved and that this is not a story that can sustain almost 500 pages of text. Wrong! This is a masterpiece in plotting, in keeping the reader in suspense and revealing a story piece by piece, like a huge and complicated jigsaw puzzle that only starts to form a picture once most of the pieces are in place.

There are many complications ahead for the unknown woman and I can't tell you about any of them. This is a book that needs no spoilers but rest assured, this is a totally twisty tale.

I liked the village setting, that small community always looking on. There are very few extra characters in this book but one of them is Luke, a man who is back in the area due to certain events in his life and he's somebody who becomes quite important to the woman. I really liked Luke and I found his sections particularly engaging. The police also become involved and two officers in particular play a big part in the book. Again, they added so much and they were able to fill in blanks in the story that our unknown narrator couldn't tell us.

There are so many different strands in this book and when they all started to come together I was amazed at the story that was unfolding. I would never have guessed at any of it.

Forget My Name is a hard book to review (because of not wanting to give anything away) but a very easy book to read and enjoy. It's such a clever story from a very skilful writer. I don't know where he got the idea from for such a complex story, much of it about memory and what happens when you lost it, but it was completely inspired. Fab psychological thriller! ( )