The Great Forgotten

Coming January 6th

One War. Two Loves. A Lifetime to Remember.

July 4, 1918, Nashville, Tennessee. Even as the war in Germany drones on, patriotism swells at home. There are celebrations, music, and dancing. But for five men―one train engineer, one porter, one salesman, one farmer, and one thief―the world will soon take a terrible and tragic turn.

Summer, 1988. Ginny Campbell is a young woman unsure of her marriage and her future. Moving into a new house, she finds an old, abandoned trunk filled with carefully wrapped memorabilia, photos, and a woman’s name. Intrigued, she sets out to uncover the mystery of the steamer trunk, leading her on a sweeping journey of love and loss that stretches back to 1918.

Inspired by a true event. The great train wreck near Nashville on July 9, 1918, when two passenger trains collided due to human error, was a horrific disaster that killed over 100 people and injured hundreds more. The Great Forgotten is a gripping tale of five men whose lives were intertwined that fateful day and the ripple effect of this little-known American tragedy on the woman who knew them all.

For readers who enjoy The Keeper of Happy Endings by Barbara Davis, The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer, and All the Broken Places by John Boyne.

Advance Praise

“Murphy gracefully memorializes this tragedy… emphasizing the importance of respect, dignity, and love.”
—Booklist
“This moving narrative not only revisits a forgotten tragedy but also offers a compelling glimpse into the societal and economic forces shaping the Great War–era United States.”
—Library Journal
“[A] uniquely crafted work that keeps the reader wanting to know more. K. L. Murphy intertwines the present and the past in a skillful manner. A must read for lovers of historical fiction and readers all.”
—Award-winning NYT and USA Today bestselling author Charles Todd