Reviewed
Read Time
8 min read
Age & reading levelAdult
Reader ratingreader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score
4.4
· 7,688 Amazon ratingsShare This Review
Our review
But Not Forgotten
But Not Forgotten by BJ Bourg Review: A Gripping, Grief-Driven Mystery Series Opener
by BJ Bourg
But Not Forgotten launches BJ Bourg's Clint Wolf Mystery Series with a Louisiana swamp murder, a compelling protagonist rebuilding his life after tragedy, and a case that keeps readers guessing — a strong foundation for what has grown into an extensive and prolific series.
LuvemBooks Verdict
Best for
Readers who enjoy character-driven procedural mysteries anchored by authentic grief, regional atmosphere, and a long-running series they can sink into — particularly those drawn to small-town Louisiana settings and protagonists shaped by genuine personal loss.
Worth it if
You want a mystery that pairs a satisfying central investigation with a realistically drawn protagonist working through trauma, and you're open to committing to a prolific series with 38 more installments waiting.
Skip if
You prefer a lighter, plot-forward procedural where the detective's emotional life stays in the background — Clint's sustained cycle of grief and self-blame is central to the series' identity, not a subplot.
What readers & critics say
Blogger Patti Aliventi at Thoughts from the Mountain Top praised the novel as well-written with good pacing and characterisation, noting that Clint's grief arc is realistic and that Bourg captures the absurdity of swamp life without tipping into parody. Series tracking site Fantastic Fiction documents the breadth of the Clint Wolf Mystery Series, confirming the series now spans over 30 boxed-set groupings from 2016 through at least 2025.
Sources: Thoughts from the Mountain Top, Fantastic Fiction4.4from 7,688 Amazon ratings— reader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score
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But Not Forgotten launches BJ Bourg's Clint Wolf Mystery Series in Mechant Loup, Louisiana, where Chief of Police Clint Wolf investigates a gruesome swamp murder while quietly reckoning with the loss of his wife and daughter — a dual-layered procedural that earns its emotional weight. The combination of vivid swamp-country atmosphere and a protagonist shaped by genuine grief gives this series debut more texture than a standard police procedural, and 39 installments later, the readership's verdict is clear. Readers who prefer lighter, plot-forward mysteries may find Clint's sustained self-recrimination a slower burn, but for those drawn to character-driven regionalism, it's a compelling place to start.
- Is it worth reading?
- For readers drawn to procedural mysteries anchored by character-driven backstory and regional atmosphere, But Not Forgotten is a strong series debut. The dual-layered narrative — a compelling swamp murder paired with Clint Wolf's authentic grief and guilt arc — gives the book more emotional texture than a purely plot-forward procedural. The caveat: determined readers may assemble key elements of the mystery by the midpoint, and Clint's recurring self-recrimination, while realistic, is a slower burn for those seeking lighter genre fiction. The series' sustained run speaks to a readership that has found both the character and the Louisiana setting worth returning to.
- Similar books
- Readers who enjoy But Not Forgotten's blend of regional atmosphere and character-driven procedural mystery will find kindred titles among the curated recommendations below. Jeff Carson's Cold Lake offers another series-based detective mystery with a strong sense of place, while Elle Gray's I See You delivers the kind of investigative tension and realistic character work that anchors Bourg's novel. J.L. Doucette's On a Quiet Street and Laura Griffin's Last Seen Alone both share the character-forward suspense approach, and Louise Penny's A World of Curiosities — part of her long-running Chief Inspector Gamache series — demonstrates how a well-established fictional community and recurring cast can sustain a mystery series across many installments, much as Mechant Loup does for the Clint Wolf books.
- Who should read this?
- But Not Forgotten is designed for adult readers who enjoy procedural mysteries anchored by character-driven backstory, regional atmosphere, and surprise endings. The publisher's description specifically calls out readers who like surprise endings, realistic characters, and long hours of reading — signaling a novel built for sustained engagement. Readers who appreciate a protagonist shaped by genuine loss — rather than a stoic, emotionally uncomplicated detective — will find Clint Wolf's grief arc the series' central appeal. Those with a preference for lighter, purely plot-forward mystery fiction may find the emotional texture a slower burn than expected.
- How does Clint Wolf's grief affect the story?
- Clint Wolf lost his wife and daughter to violence two years before the novel begins, and the guilt — a conviction that he could have prevented their deaths — runs as a quiet second investigation beneath the swamp murder case. His former father-in-law helps him secure the position of Chief of Police in Mechant Loup, a role that functions as both a lifeline and a proving ground. As reviewer Patti Aliventi noted, Clint's working through grief and blame is realistic, as is what he experiences from those around him — keeping the character from slipping into either stoic cliché or maudlin excess. The recurring cycle of grief and self-blame is the series' emotional foundation, though readers seeking a lighter procedural may find it a heavier undertow than they prefer.
- How big is the Clint Wolf series?
- What began with But Not Forgotten in March 2016 has grown into one of the more prolific independent mystery series in the genre, now spanning 39 books with titles released across boxed sets through at least 2025. That sustained output reflects a readership that has embraced both Clint Wolf as a character and the Louisiana swamp setting across an unusually large body of work. For new readers, But Not Forgotten offers a clearly defined entry point — the origin of Clint's role in Mechant Loup, Susan Wilson's introduction as his investigative partner, and the establishing of the emotional and geographic framework the entire series builds upon.
- How is the mystery constructed?
- The central case opens with one of the more distinctive inciting incidents in the genre: a local businessman's arm discovered in the jaws of a large alligator in Mechant Loup, Louisiana. The investigation reveals the victim was killed before the alligator entered the picture, making the how — and the who — the twin engines of the mystery. The case is constructed to sustain suspense across its length, though attentive readers may find themselves assembling key pieces around the midpoint. The novel wraps up its central mystery satisfyingly while leaving deliberate threads for the series to continue — a structure that rewards readers without leaving the standalone feeling unresolved.
Summarize this book
Is it worth reading?
Who should read this?
How does Clint Wolf's grief affect the story?
How big is the Clint Wolf series?
How is the mystery constructed?
Summarize this book
But Not Forgotten, published by Death Shadow Press, LLC in March 2016, opens in Mechant Loup, Louisiana, when a local businessman's arm is discovered in the jaws of a large alligator — setting off a murder investigation led by Chief of Police Clint Wolf and his partner Susan Wilson. The victim was killed before the alligator entered the picture, and untangling how the arm got there forms the spine of the central mystery. Running beneath the procedural plot is a quieter story: Clint lost his wife and daughter to violence two years prior and carries a consuming guilt that his new role as Chief is both lifeline and proving ground. The novel resolves its central case while deliberately seeding threads for the 38 subsequent installments in the series.
Follow up
What's the setting like?
How long is the series?
Is the mystery satisfying?
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Our Review
We review the evidence: published critics, reader verdicts and BookTube reviews, gathered and weighed with AI assistance and edited by LuvemBooks, rather than one reader's first-hand take.
A confident and emotionally grounded debut mystery that establishes both a vivid setting and a deeply human detective worth following through 39 entries and counting.
What the Book Is: Premise and Plot
But Not Forgotten, published by Death Shadow Press, LLC in March 2016, is the first installment in BJ Bourg's Clint Wolf Mystery Series. The novel opens in Mechant Loup, Louisiana, where blood, body parts, and a grim discovery set the investigation in motion: a local businessman's arm is found in the jaws of a large alligator.
Chief of Police Clint Wolf and his partner Susan Wilson are pulled into a murder inquiry that quickly deepens beyond its grotesque starting point. The victim was killed before the alligator ever entered the picture, and untangling how the arm got there — and who is responsible — forms the spine of the novel's central mystery.
The case unfolds against the distinctive backdrop of Louisiana's swamp country, and Bourg uses that environment deliberately. As the blogger Patti Aliventi at Thoughts from the Mountain Top observed, Bourg manages to capture the absurdity of life in the swamp without making it ridiculous, and the result is a very entertaining story.
Character and Emotional Stakes
Clint Wolf arrives at this investigation carrying considerable personal wreckage. Two years before the novel begins, he lost his wife and daughter in an act of violence that left him broken and consumed by guilt — convinced, however irrationally, that he could have prevented their deaths.
His former father-in-law helps him secure the position of Chief of Police in Mechant Loup, a role that functions as both a lifeline and a proving ground. The mystery Clint must solve is thus layered over a quieter, internal investigation: whether a grieving, self-blaming man can rebuild a life and a professional identity from the wreckage.
This emotional dimension gives the procedural plot genuine weight. Aliventi noted that Clint working through grief and blame is realistic, as is what he experiences from those around him — a balance that keeps the character from slipping into either stoic cliché or maudlin excess.
Pacing and Construction
As a mystery, But Not Forgotten is constructed to sustain suspense across its length. The central case keeps its secrets long enough to reward attentive reading, though some readers may find themselves assembling key pieces around the midpoint.
The novel wraps up its central mystery while deliberately leaving threads available for the series to continue — a structural choice that rewards readers who commit to the broader Clint Wolf world without leaving the standalone narrative feeling unresolved. Supporting characters are established with enough distinctiveness that the series has a cast to build on, not merely a protagonist in isolation.
The pacing is described by Aliventi as good throughout, with the investigation and the character study advancing in tandem.
Series Scope and Significance
What began with this first entry in 2016 has expanded into one of the more prolific independent mystery series in the genre. The Clint Wolf Mystery Series now spans 39 books, with titles released across boxed sets through at least 2025.
That sustained output speaks to a readership that has embraced both the character and the Louisiana setting across an unusually large body of work. For readers approaching the series now, But Not Forgotten offers a clearly defined entry point — the origin of Clint's role in Mechant Loup, the introduction of Susan Wilson as his investigative partner, and the establishing of the emotional and geographic framework the entire series builds upon.
Who This Book Is For
But Not Forgotten is designed for readers who enjoy procedural mysteries anchored by character-driven backstory, regional atmosphere, and surprise endings. The publisher's description specifically calls out readers who like surprise endings, realistic characters, and long hours of reading as the intended audience — signaling a novel built for sustained engagement rather than quick resolution.
Readers new to Bourg's work will find a first entry that establishes the series' tone efficiently. Those with a preference for emotionally uncomplicated genre fiction may find Clint's sustained self-recrimination a slower burn than a purely plot-forward mystery, but for readers drawn to protagonists shaped by genuine loss, the combination of swamp-country atmosphere and personal reckoning is the series' central appeal.
Sources & Further Reading
The key facts and claims in this review are grounded in the retrieved, verified sources listed below.
- Cited in this review
- 1
- 2
- Further reading
- 3
fantasticfiction.com
- 4
bjbourg.com
Age & Reading Level
Recommended age
Adult
2 content notes · who it suits
Content to know about
violence against family members (off-page, referenced)
grief and survivor guilt
Skip if you prefer lighter, plot-forward procedurals without sustained emotional darkness from a protagonist's personal loss.
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