"The Promise" by Katerina Diamond is the 4th book in the Miles and Grey series. This wasn't my favorite; something felt missing, though I'm not sure what. The story is told from the perspectives of a dead mother/wife, a teenage boy, and the police duo, Miles and Grey. There was less policing action, and I figured out the murderer early on, which is unusual for me. It only picked up in the last five chapters, leaving many questions unanswered, likely for book 5. Despite this, I'll continue with the series, as one less-than-great book doesn't mean the next ones won't be as good as the first three.

A solid 4-star addition to the DS Imogen Grey and Adrian Miles series! Once again, the charming city of Exeter serves as the backdrop for a gripping story involving a string of staged murders targeting women in their 30s. Amidst this, we also delve into the troubled life of Connor, whose violent father Jacob and uncle Joel play significant roles. Connor's character is intricately portrayed, evoking a sense of sympathy despite his involvement in shocking events, as he carries a heavy burden of his own.

The novel skillfully weaves another perspective into the storytelling, allowing us to glimpse into the life of an unnamed woman with connections to 'Rocket' and JD. Katerina Diamond's writing keeps the narrative dark, twisty, and irresistibly engaging, making it nearly impossible to set the book aside.

As we progress through the series, the characters become more familiar, and this installment delves deeper into Adrian's struggles following the loss of his girlfriend Lucy in the previous book. Additionally, Dean and Imogen work through their complicated relationship. Speaking of Imogen, she seems to be the unluckiest cop, finding herself in yet another perilous situation. The ending leaves us hanging, eager to find out what's in store for the characters in the next installment.

In summary, this book offers a well-crafted and engrossing tale that fans of the series will thoroughly enjoy. It may not be a perfect 5-star read, but it's definitely a worthy addition to the Imogen Grey and Adrian Miles series.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

This is the first book in the DS Imogen Grey series I have read…and it won’t be the last! There are several threads that appear throughout the book. And while you think you wonder in the back of your mind if they are really woven together or just stray strands.

The characters are well developed and you will find yourself developing strong feelings about each one. The secret behind “what Connor did” keeps you guessing until the end of the book. There are hints about the emotional trauma experienced, but you don’t know the details until the end.

I also enjoyed the viewpoint of the women who were being targeted via on-line before they meet their mystery man … and during the actual murder. It makes the women feel real and you want them to be able to find that special someone with whom to begin a meaningful relationship.

Get ready for twists and turns and shocking secrets to be revealed as you flip through the pages as fast as you can! Great mystery and I am so ready for the next book in the series. In fact, I will be going back and reading the first three books in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Publishing for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

The premise of the book is great and the author really delivers. Great read. Highly recommended. .

Great read! Looking forward to reading more by this author! I highly recommend this book and author to all!

The Promise is the 4th book in the Imogen Grey series and as with the others, it was a great read.

A women has been murdered by someone they have met through a dating app. The only problem is for Imogen and her partner Adrian Miles is that descriptions of the potential suspect differ greatly and there is no discernible link between the victims and the men they may have been dating. The killer is really clever as they ensure that all the electronic trails are eliminated and leaving no trace of themselves at the scene.

The question is, if there are no leads and no similar descriptions, how do you catch a killer?

Katerina Diamond has definitely become one of my top five crime authors - I get ridiculously excited whenever a new book is released. This is the fourth in the Imogen Grey & Adrian Miles series and although I would thoroughly recommend reading from the beginning I Promise you won’t be disappointed if this is your first experience of Imogen & Adrian (see what I did there?!).
On Detective Imogen Gray & Adrian Miles' patch young women are being ruthlessly strangled in their own homes with the scenes having been scrupulously cleaned. When a connection is found to an online game Imogen makes herself bait with potentially horrific consequences....
The characters, whether they are the returning characters or new are so well developed it brings the story totally to life. An exciting read for all lovers of crime fiction, go get your copy now!

Thanks to Avon Books UK for allowing me access in exchange for reviews, shares & recommendations.

I was not a huge fan of this book. I found the pace very slow, and the plot not very interesting, so it was hard to finish this one for me.

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Avon Books UK in exchange for an honest review.
I will start this review by saying I requested this ARC a long time ago before I realised police procedurals weren't really my thing, so take my opinion with a pinch of salt. Having said that, The Promise is a fairly decent addition to the genre which mostly suffers from having quite a lot going on.

The Promise is the story of DS Adrian Miles and his partner Imogen Grey, who get involved in a serial killer case where the murderer is finding women through a dating site to strangle to death. Parallel to this, we are told a story about a teenage boy named Connor who has recently moved to the UK and is being physically abused by his dad. There is also a set of chapters from an unknown female POV of a woman telling the story of how she met her abusive partner.

You might already be able to tell that this is a lot but sadly, it isn't enough to hide the solution of the serial killer mystery. I had it worked out by 50% of the way through and it became very linear from there as I waited for the characters to catch up with me. I am not familiar with this series and so I also found it difficult to work out if Adrian or Imogen was meant to be the protagonist. From the blurb I see it was meant to be both of them, but Imogen felt more like the main character and Adrian's parts felt a bit intrusive as a result. It added even more to a story which already had three POVs.

The strengths of this book were that I felt it handled the police procedural stuff well and I didn't feel as bored as I normally do with the genre. Connor's storyline provided a lot of the heart and depth to the book and, though it was predictable, I still think his sections added a lot and were probably my favourite of the bunch. The characters were solid and well-written throughout, and the detective team had some nice interactions. It was also paced pretty well. It maybe could have been a little shorter but it was clear, easy to follow and the plot kept moving.

Overall, The Promise is a decent example of its genre. It's not the most groundbreaking thriller but Diamond clearly has talent and I had a better time reading this than some procedurals. If you're a fan of the genre, you will almost certainly love this more than I did.

Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

Absolutely enjoyed from start to finish, u didn't want the book to end. Highly recommended, if you like books that keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat.

I recently bought a new kindle after my old one broke. For some reason I was unable to download this title from the cloud onto my kindle, therefore I will be unable to review this title. I am sorry for any inconvenience caused

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

Another amazing book from the fabulous Katerina Diamond. Will most definitely keep you hooked from the start and leave you wanting more.

With thanks to Netgalley and Avon for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

First of all I always admire the front covers of Katerina Diamond's books. The ballerina reminded me of my first jewellery box as a child.

The Promise is the fourth book featuring DS Imogen Grey and Adrian Miles.

Adrian and Imogen are still feeling the after effects from their last case. Adrian is grieving over the murder of his girlfriend. He wants to be alone but now has his son and ex-wife living with him. Meanwhile Imogen`s boyfriend Dean had decided to leave Exeter to clear his head.

The story starts with the victim preparing to meet a man she met online for the first time. However he is not what he seems and strangles her to death. When Imogen is temporarily promoted to DI she decides to create a fake profile to lure the killer in.

The killers second victim only survives because her flatmate returned home during the attack.. Can Imogen and Adrian find the killer before it is too late?

In another storyline expats 15 year old Connor and his father move back to Exeter. An tragedy occurred in America and his father decided to move back to the UK so Connor could start again. Connie becomes obsessed with his classmate Celina who is also hiding a dark secret.

During the story we get the POV of an unknown woman and the abusive relationship she had with her ex boyfriend.

This plot was excellently woven with dual plotlines. The abusive storyline was a difficult read and I wondered what it has to do with the over all storyline. Once I guessed, I was blown away it was so clever.

I liked Connor and enjoyed his burgeoning romance with Celina. He think he was a good kid who was easily led by his peers because his father was cold. Also I know this is fiction but I don't understand Connor`s neighbours never reported him for driving underage.

This was another excellent storyline from Katerina Diamond. I don't want to give any spoilers but I can't wait to find out what happens next for Adrian and Imogen.

It was their darkest secret. Three schoolgirls made a promise – to take the horrible truth of what they did to the grave.

Thirty years later, Beth and Sally have tried to put the trauma behind them. Though Carol has distanced herself from her former friends, the three are adamant that the truth must never come to light, even if the memory still haunts them.

But when some shocking news threatens to unearth their dark secret, Beth enlists the help of private investigator Matthew Hill to help her and Sally reconnect with estranged Carol ­– before the terrible act they committed as teenagers is revealed.

Although Teresa Driscoll has two previously published number 1 bestsellers I have read neither and so she was a new author to me when I was given this book in exchange for an honest review. It’s always great to find a new psychological thriller writer and I wasn’t disappointed at all with her style, What makes a great psychological thriller writer? Well, two main things in my opinion…

Firstly you need to be able to relate or feel the characters. Driscoll characterises so well that I felt like I knew them all personally. Their strengths, secrets and weaknesses were carefully constructed to paint a picture of three women and a lifetime of hiding the truth.

But the other key ingredient is the secret… The shocking twist, turn, revelation and the bits that lead you up to it. This book was lacking in actually it was beyond 60% when things started to happen. I felt like Driscoll had to throw a couple of curveballs in just to get the book heightened up and they sort of fell flat. Psychological thrillers are not generally slow burners but this one was.

The ending brought everything together neatly – and that was the saving grace for this book. The craziness of everything is revealed and the ends are tied together. Unfortunately the journey to get to that point is painful.

I can promise you this, once you start reading this book you won’t be able to stop!

The Promise grabs your attention from the very first chapter and it doesn’t waiver one bit until you get to the end. The book is so well written and as you try to piece together the three different points of view you are reading and trying to figure out how they are connected you realize that this author is nothing less than a brilliant writer!

This is a five star review from me as the Detective Imogen Gray series just get better and better with each book! Highly recommend the whole series!

I have been in a big reading slump for over two months. I decided to pick up The Promise as it’s in one of my favorite genres and I loved it. Katerina Diamond did not disappoint. Her writing style is by fair one of my faves. The anticipation of what is to come next and the suspense definitely makes this book a page turner. I’m definitely intrigued my DSI Grey’s And DSI Mile’s relationship. Cannot wait to read the next one.

I really enjoyed previous books by this author and this did not disappoint. Great level of suspense and mystery.

I’ve loved Katarina’s books from the beginning and I truly think they’re getting better and better as the series progresses.
The characters are captivating and the storylines addictive. I would treat yourself to the whole series but be warned that you won’t get anything else done once you start reading them! Highly recommended five stars from purplebookstand!