~Book Review - Promise Not To Tell~

Product Description

Forty-one-year-old school nurse Kate Cypher has returned home to rural Vermont to care for her mother who's afflicted with Alzheimer's. On the night she arrives, a young girl is murdered—a horrific crime that eerily mirrors another from Kate's childhood. Three decades earlier, her dirt-poor friend Del—shunned and derided by classmates as "Potato Girl"—was brutally slain. Del's killer was never found, while the victim has since achieved immortality in local legends and ghost stories. Now, as this new murder investigation draws Kate irresistibly in, her past and present collide in terrifying, unexpected ways. Because nothing is quite what it seems . . . and the grim specters of her youth are far from forgotten.

More than just a murder mystery, Jennifer McMahon's extraordinary debut novel, Promise Not to Tell, is a story of friendship and family, devotion and betrayal—tautly written, deeply insightful, beautifully evocative, and utterly unforgettable.

My Thoughts:

This book really took me by surprise. I had seen it around, but had always avoided it for some reason....maybe the cover. The cover didn't appeal to me. But oh, what a treasure was waiting inside those pages!

This story was part mystery, coming-of-age, and part horror. I found myself cringing while reading some parts, or taking a deep breath and holding it while reading others. My husband was in the room with me while I was reading, and he stopped what he was doing to ask "What is going on in that book?"

The story built up to an ending that surprised me. I felt like it was tied up a little too neatly - however, it answered a lot of questions about what went on leading up to the finale.

I highly recommend Promise Not To Tell. Especially to those who love coming-of-age stories.


OUTSTANDING!

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (April 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061143316