BROKEN PROMISE by Linwood Barclay

"Shocking things are happening in the small town of Promise Falls, New York."

Broken Promise

Posted: July 14, 2015

As a single parent, newspaper reporter David Harwood returns with his young son to the small town of Promise Falls, New York, to work for the local paper. No sooner does he move in with his parents, than the paper closes and he's without a job. With plenty of time on his hands, he agrees to check on his cousin Marla, who isn't coping well after losing her baby nearly a year ago.

Arriving at her house, David sees a bloody handprint near the front door. If that weren't disturbing enough, he's shocked to find Marla caring for a baby she claims was given to her by an "angel." When a woman is found stabbed to death and her baby missing, it looks as if Marla is involved in something sinister.

David is not convinced his cousin is a killer, but who is behind what's going on? Working to clear Marla's name, David is shocked by what he eventually uncovers.

With a well-written and cleverly devised plot, Linwood Barclay's BROKEN PROMISE contains numerous subplots and a large cast of characters. The cliffhanging conclusion leaves readers' with many unanswered questions, which I'm expecting will be answered in the next installments, since this is the first of three linked novels about Promise Falls.

Book Summary

From the New York Times bestselling author of No Safe House comes an explosive novel about the disturbing secrets of a quiet small town…

After his wife’s death and the collapse of his newspaper, David Harwood has no choice but to uproot his nine-year-old son and move back into his childhood home in Promise Falls, New York. David believes his life is in free fall, and he can’t find a way to stop his descent.

Then he comes across a family secret of epic proportions. A year after a devastating miscarriage, David’s cousin Marla has continued to struggle. But when David’s mother asks him to check on her, he’s horrified to discover that she’s been secretly raising a child who is not her own—a baby she claims was a gift from an “angel” left on her porch.

When the baby’s real mother is found murdered, David can’t help wanting to piece together what happened—even if it means proving his own cousin’s guilt. But as he uncovers each piece of evidence, David realizes that Marla’s mysterious child is just the tip of the iceberg.

Other strange things are happening. Animals are found ritually slaughtered. An ominous abandoned Ferris wheel seems to stand as a warning that something dark has infected Promise Falls. And someone has decided that the entire town must pay for the sins of its past…in blood.