Promise Falls, in upstate New York, is the epitome of small towns everywhere. Though it might look quite idyllic in appearance, there is a lot going on behind the doors of the homes within its boundaries. And... there is a lot going on in Promise Falls. I mean, a lot!

Also, there are a lot of characters in this novel, though the author has done a stellar job of keeping them well delineated in his descriptive prose, so that the reader is never confused.

Firstly, there is David Harwood. A widower with a young son, he has recently been made unemployed when the paper where he worked closed down. Now he has been humbled by having to move back in with his aging parents.

Marla, David Harwood's cousin, a young woman who has lost a baby and now has a history of stealing other people's babies to ease her loss.

Marla's mother, Agnes, who is the administrator of the town hospital. A woman who enjoys the power she wields.

Then, there is the stereotypical small town cop, Detective Barry Duckworth. With a keen mind, a loving marriage, and a waistline that expands more and more every year. Duckworth has a lot on his plate in a short time. A grisly murder of a young mother, an attempted rapist at the local college, weird happenings at a closed amusement park, and creepily, twenty-three dead squirrels strung up on a fence...

Also we meet an immoral physician with a serious gambling problem that seems charming and caring at first glance; a smarmy and unscrupulous former mayor seeking re-election; a young woman who works for a defunct amusement park; an arrogant and criminal head of security at the local college; a single mother whose violent husband is in prison; an illegal immigrant who works as a nanny, ... so many characters, but thanks to Barclay's writing, all were distinct and memorable.

Due to the plethora of characters there were also a lot of sub-plots permeating this novel. All of which were interesting to follow, and most of them were brought to a conclusion. Perhaps the rest will be explained in further novels in the series. Anyway, all I know is, it works. Barclay's skill at tying things together is noteworthy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, my first time reading any of Linwood Barclay's work. I particularly enjoyed the character of Detective Barry Duckworth. I do intend to read all of the other novels (and novellas) set in Promise Falls. A compelling read that I found hard to put down.

4.5 stars rounded up

It seems I'm in the minority with this one. The story started out well, with promise but truthfully, overall it was a disappointing read. The inhabitants of Promise Falls were quirky enough but dull narration and repetitive writing just put me off that I barely finished. I won't be continuing with this series.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Berkley (NAL) and Signet Romance (DAW) fo providing a digital copy in return for an honest, unbiased review.

Journalist David Harwood and his son move back to Promise Falls from Boston after the death of David's wife. Soon after, an "angel" appears to David's cousin, Marla, with a baby boy for her to look after. Since Marla lost her own child the previous year, the family are very concerned about where this baby has come from and who the "angel" really is. They should be! Soon David is caught up in a terrible series of events that are running out of his control and are heading directly to the roots of his family tree.

I really liked some of this book - the mystery involving Marla and the baby is well written and would work very well. Unfortunately, the author seems to have decided to use this novel as a springboard for a series (presumably about David) and so we have many side stories and nods to other plots that are just not necessary and, in the end, very dissatisfying.

I would prefer not to almost be forced into reading the next one and, in fact, don't really have any intention of doing so. This one was fine but I have many better on my list that I would have preferred to read instead.

This was a disappointment. I have read many other Barclay novels, and this one just fell flat for me. I think I need to take a break from his stories and these genres for a while. The mystery involved was lacking. Maybe I read this one during a time when I wasn't ready to receive it well.

David Harwood is a former Boston Globe city editor and widower who returned home to Promise Falls so he could spend more quality time with his nine-year old son (better hours). He was to be a reporter for the local newspaper but it closed on his first day and now he’s living with his parents until he finds something new. When he stops by to check on his cousin, Marla, whose baby was stillborn some months ago and she’s still pretty fragile, David finds her with a baby boy she says was delivered to her by an “angel.” He knows something’s wrong and discovers information that leads him to an address where he finds a murdered woman he suspects is the baby’s real mother. This discovery is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

I opted to listen to this book and that was a great decision. The two narrators were so good and made the book even more interesting. I also chose not to read the synopsis and had no idea where the story would lead. That also served me well as this tale meanders into several directions that eventually connect, some loosely and others more concretely. David is one of the two narrators, Detective Barry Duckworth who’s investigating this case is the other. Their perspectives couldn’t be more diverse, which adds another element of interest. There’s a strange phenomena occurring at the town’s theme park and a crisis at the local college. And, the connections between David and his family with others in the town provide more murky situations.

There are a host of surprises, small and major, to keep everything moving at a satisfying pace. There are also a lot of characters to track, which isn’t an issue for me as I maintain lists for all the series I follow. But be forewarned that it will be important to remember them and the audio performers help in how they distinguish them. While I figured out early on the biggest mystery, there are still other open threads that weren’t completely resolved...no cliffhangers, just a continuing story arc that’s very compelling. I really enjoyed the story, am glad I chose audio and am anxious to continue.

Linwood Barclay is an author that I always read, I like his writing style and genre. Broken Promise was another excellent story with great characters and an intriguing story-line. The author pulls you into the main characters lives, and the growing mystery and horror of the town of Promise Falls. I like that there are more books in this series.

Promise Falls, sleepy little town? Not a bit of it!

David Harwood, a newspaper editor, moves to Boston with his 9-year-old son after his wife’s death. He has been offered a job on the Boston Globe and thinks that he will be able to spend quality time with his son. The hours he works, however, are in the evening and he has to pay a sitter to be with his son, who he rarely sees.

He moves back to Promise Falls to live with his parents and work for the local paper. The newspaper folds and he now has no job and no home of his own. The town is failing, businesses are closing and an adventure theme park has also closed, taking other supporting ventures down with it. The town’s former mayor, Randall Finley, who was forced to resign when it was disclosed that he had paid for sex with an underage girl, is now on the comeback trail.

David calls on his cousin, Marla, who has never recovered from losing her baby girl 7 months before and seems to live in a fantasy world. When he arrives, she is cradling a small baby boy and declares to David that “an angel” brought him to her. He soon finds that the baby belongs to a couple in the town, but when they visit to return the child, they find the wife murdered in her kitchen.

The police are convinced that Marla was the killer, but David has to convince them otherwise and find the true story.

Linwood Barclay writes very well, and I am a fan of his books. He writes mostly novels, but Broken Promise is the first in a series of books about Promise Falls, and I shall be keen to read the next instalment.

Mr Bumblebee

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Penguin Group Berkley NAL/Signet Romance, DAW NAL, and Linwood Barclay for an advanced copy of Broken Promise for an honest review.

Ex Newspaper Reporter David Harwood and his son move back into his childhood home in Promise Falls, NY after his wife's death. He quickly can't resist the number of things that just don't make sense. One, his cousin Marla a year after a devastating miscarriage is suddenly raising a child as her own. Broken Promise isn't a fast paced thriller, it reads like Anytown, U.S.A. The story that could be happening in your own town, in your neighborhood and you would be surprised when you found out. The plot is good, great characters, and kept my interest throughout. I definitely recommend Broken Promise.

Linwood Barclay always delivers and this book is just is good. Really enjoyable, well plotted and a thriller that kept me turning the pages. Brilliant.

Promise Falls is a small town that is slowly losing itself. The amusement park has shut down along with the newspaper. Because of this latest incident, David Harwood is forced to move back in with his parents along with his son, Ethan. Eager to find a job he helps his parents with whatever they need around the house. As he takes some food to his cousin, Marla, he makes a startling discovery. She has a baby that she insists an angel has brought to her house. When the mother of that baby is found murdered, David does all he can to protect Marla despite her sorted past.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read and review this title. Broken Promise is the first in a new trilogy by Linwood Barclay. This book wasn't necessarily action packed, but it held my attention completely. By the end of the book there were 23 dead squirrels, 5 dead people, 2 unsolved murders and one strange adoption case. There is a cliffhanger at the end of the book that made me immediately go out and get the second book in the trilogy Far From True. Linwood Barclay is a great storyteller who keeps the reader wanting more.

This book had me asking many questions at the end and wanting to know what is going to happen next. Marla, who is David Harwood's cousin lives alone and posts reviews online for various companies. Less than a year earlier, she had lost her child and her life will never be the same. David was working for the Boston Globe, when he became a single parent, and decided to move back to Promise Falls so that his parents can help him with his son, Ethan. Detective Duckworth is celebrating his 20th year on the force, when these incidents take place. These characters along with the other residents of Promise Fall will spend the three days trying to solve the mysteries that are taking place in their small town. Will Marla be charged with murder? How did this baby really come to be in her possession? Will David be able to get to the bottom of the mystery before he becomes a part of it?

First, I would like to express my thanks to NAL Publishing, NetGalley and the author who provided a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
Broken Promise is my first adventure into the writing of Linwood Barclay, and it definitely will not be my last. This is the first installment in the Promise Falls Trilogy. Barclay has put together a very interesting and intricately intertwined thriller. I have deep admiration for an author that can have so many things going on in a novel and the reader has no idea whether they are connected or not. Nor do the characters know what is up, including Detective Barry Duckworth.
David Harwood, a very likable character, is an out-of-work reporter raising his son, Ethan, in Promise Falls, New York. He is a widow, and he returned to Promise Falls to go back to work for the paper, and the paper immediately folds. The book is written mainly in the third person, but some of the chapters switch to the first person perspective of David Harwood - an interesting approach. Barclay is also very adept at his characterization. A lot of thought went into the characters. And, the way Barclay intertwines Broken Promise with the different storylines going on and if they are even remotely connected.
This is not the greatest thriller ever written, however, Barclay has laid out a thriller in Broken Promise that grabs one’s attention and keeps their attention. The ending of the novel is very exciting and includes a hook (which I normally do not like) that makes one want to rush out and buy the other two books in the trilogy. I would have no trouble recommending this book to any reader of mysteries and thrillers. This is an easy 4-star rating.

Cam

I have had this book for awhile and kept putting off reading it, now I wish I had read it right away. I was riveted and once I got into it, I could not put it down. This is the first book in a trilogy and all the books have been published, so I will definitely get into the next one. This is a suspense/mystery that will keep you guessing most of the way, but not necessarily about the crime you are thinking.

David Harwood, a single dad, leaves a job at the paper in Boston because he spends no time with his son. He moves back to Promise Falls to take a job with the local paper, which closes its doors his first day on the job. He and his son Ethan are now living with his parents until he can find a new job and get back on his feet. His mother asks him to take some food to his cousin Marla, who is having some mental health issues and when he gets there she has a baby that she says an "angel" brought her. Marla lost her baby in childbirth 10 months earlier. Using information on the stroller, David goes to the house where he believes the baby lives and they find the mother's body, dead in the kitchen. The story takes off from there.

There are many storylines going on at the same time in this book. The story starts with the discovery of 23 dead squirrels, all hanging by their necks on a fence. There are several attempted rapes at the local college, a physician with a gambling problem who is being threatened, a local police detective who wants to know what's happening to his town, an ex-mayor who was outed after he was found 'associating' with underage prostitutes, but wants to make a comeback, a local town-worker whose daughter was murdered several years earlier and whose wife has recently died of cancer, and then some naked mannequins found in a carnival ride at a local amusement park that has closed down and is being sold off in the car numbered 23. This number comes up several times in the police investigations. What is its significance? All these seemingly disconnected stories are easy to follow, yet the story is easy to follow. They are not all solved at the end of this book, in fact, there are more unanswered questions, but it works and I can't wait to get to the next book. This is a character driven story and the characters are well drawn. I can't help but like many of them and hope that things work out for them. A great book for those who like mysteries and suspense. Pick it up and give it a go, I don't think you will regret it.