Colleen Mondor Reviews Forgotten Sisters by Cynthia Pelayo

Forgotten Sisters, Cynthia Pelayo (Thomas & Mercer 978-1-662-51391-6, $16.99, tp, 284pp) March 2024. Cover by Olga Grlic.

Cynthia Pelayo’s Forgotten Sisters begins with a nightmare, then moves to a nuanced family history of sisters Jennie and Anna, who live in a historic bungalow on the Chicago River that was owned first by their grandparents, then their parents, and now is theirs to treasure and maintain. In the second chapter, the book shifts to a police procedural as two Chicago detectives grapple with the discovery of the latest in a series of drowning victims in the river and a suspicion they might not be accidents or suicides. Anna is the novel’s primary narrator with Detective Adam Kowalski occasionally chiming in for the chapters following the murder plot thread. The Chicago River, scene of the crime and an overwhelming presence in Anna and Jennie’s lives, is the connec­tion between the two characters. There is more to that connection than just geography, however, a slight shared past that will slowly become clear as this outstanding mystery reveals itself to the reader. You cannot imagine what Pelayo has in store for you in Forgotten Sisters; it’s best that you just plant yourself in a comfortable position and consume this book from start to finish. Trust me, you won’t want to put it down.

Anna takes care of Jennie, who has suffered some trauma in the recent past. The house is theirs be­cause their parents were killed in a car accident and they are supported by family investments. Anna is fascinated by Chicago history, especially the city’s haunted places, and has a podcast exploring people and places long forgotten. Jennie repairs antique machines, record players that arrive through the mail from clients Anna neither knows nor sees. Both sisters are rooted in the house, a house that Anna is certain is haunted and demands a great deal of her time and attention. Jennie is a cypher; a prevalent presence who insists that Anna do as she says and follow her lead. (Anna does not always agree and sibling bickering ensues.) But there is something about these sisters, something about this house, that is not right. As the bodies in the river pile up, and Kowalski moves closer to the house, the degree of wrongness is slowly revealed.

First, HOW I LOVED THIS BOOK! Forgotten Sisters charges on so many cylinders, from the drama-infused sibling relationship to the frustrated detective fighting to solve a string of [maybe] mur­ders to an historical review of the city’s haunted past. Anna’s fascination with Chicago ghosts takes her to several locations where Pelayo weaves her discoveries into the narrative, particularly those involving immigrants, and Anna then crafts her stories to share with her podcast listeners. (One of whom becomes a romantic interest.) All the while, more is revealed about the river and its connections to tragedy and readers will find themselves beguiled by the storytelling magic at work. The uncovering of clues, the considerate walks through Chicago, the eerie house, the extensive nature of mermaid mythology, saving puppies from a watery grave, (dog-related spoiler: the puppies come through the story just fine), all of it makes for a page-turning plot that builds in suspense until the final, heart­breaking, heart affirming, end. With Forgotten Sisters, Cynthia Pelayo has revitalized the nature of ‘‘haunting’’ and given readers a tale of love and survival they will not forget.

This review and more like it in the June 2024 issue of Locus.

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