The Forgetful Man (Government Rain Mysteries #3) by L.A. Frederick

The Forgetful Man gives us the backstory of one of the characters from The Rain – Nathan Fisher. An ordinary family man, the 40ish Nathan loves his job at the Royal Museum. Through his presentation to a school group at the museum, we get a glimpse at what has occurred in New Hampton’s history as well. Hundreds of years previously there had been “The Great Depression” (and it’s not the one that immediately comes to mind) where northern towns had failed, and thousands of people migrated south swelling the population of New Hampton to where it is today. Much of the land’s history had been lost so the explanation to the students for why the towns failed must remain vague and attributed to climate changes making the land uninhabitable. Later that day, Nathan is interrupted by men moving large crates of unknown contents into the storage areas of the museum, and some days later, Nathan is let go.

Without telling his wife and children of his job loss, Nathan looks for work during the day. One day he loses consciousness in the back yard when he runs out to retrieve the drying laundry from a surprise rain storm. Later, he is driving with his son in the car when he blows a tire. Changing the flat in the heavy rain, he frightens his son and himself when his skin begins to change color, his anguished scream shattering all the car windows. And, slowly, his internal voice begins to take on a life of its own.

This series, although titled “Mysteries,” touches a broad range of reading interests (mystery, urban mystery, mutants, horror, sci-fi, dystopian, urban horror). There is something for almost everyone.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader copy of this book.