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. I have all three parts of this Promise Falls trilogy and I won't be stopping reading until I have finished all three. It usually means the author is finding the formula a bit of a chore and is trying to amuse himself at the expense of reader. The main mystery deals with the murder of the mother of an infant son but there is more going on in this little town including incidents at the local amusement park, the local college, and even a case involving squirrels. When the mother of that baby is found murdered, David does all he can to protect Marla despite her sorted past.

Truly addictive is a tag that I've applied to the majority of this author's thrillers - they rock along dragging you in their wake, with twists and turns galore, some tremendously fascinating characters - and in the case of "Broken Promise" a multi layered tale encompassing not only the story at hand but setting things up for future tales from the town of Promise Falls. As the novel opens, David (main character) is moving back to Promise Falls, the town he hates; moving in with his parents. First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Linwood Barclay, and Penguin Group Berkley NAL for providing me with a copy of this book, which allows me to provide you with this review. David finds his cousin Marla, raising a child who is not her own—a baby she claims was a gift from an “angel” left on her porch.Registered address: Unit 31, Vulcan House Business Centre, Vulcan Road, Leicester, LE5 3EF, United kingdom.

It's up to David to find out what really happened, but he soon discovers that the truth could be worse than he ever imagined . There are many characters with many quirks, characteristics and I am sure back stories that could lead on to many different spin offs.

I was kind of surprised to find that this story left a few loose ends that I am sure will be picked up in future installments. Readers can join the Barclay train at any time and not miss a beat, though his sometimes minute references to past stories are not lost on long-time fans. His propensity to be overweight, his half-hearted attempts to do something about it and the fact that he is clearly concerned he’s hanging on the edge of a potential heart attack is something I can identify with on a very personal level.

It’s up to David to find out what really happened, but he soon discovers that the truth could be worse than he ever imagined . He's even more disturbed to find Marla looking after a baby, a baby she claims was delivered to her 'by an angel'. Next up is Far From True, the second in the series, and a chance to pull some loose ends together and shed a little more light onto life in Promise Falls.

While it held my interest throughout, at times I felt there were too many stories competing for attention. 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. 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. However, I wouldn’t say that Broken Promise is a classic cliffhanger because much of the mystery is cleared up by the end of the book, for which I am grateful.

This is a suspense/mystery that will keep you guessing most of the way, but not necessarily about the crime you are thinking. Duckworth assigns his temporary assistant, uniformed cop Angus Carlson, to look into the squirrels, Ferris wheel, and assaults - but Carlson is less than enthusiastic about this. BROKEN PROMISE is a veritable avalanche of sub-plots and storylines but, somehow, Barclay has managed to keep them all intertwined without ever being muddy or confused.Three of those seventeen novels comprise the epic Promise Falls trilogy: Broken Promise, Far From True, and The Twenty-Three. He was one of the paper’s most popular columnists before retiring from the position in 2008 to work exclusively on books. And don't expect all the answers in this first volume - Barclay is keeping plenty of secrets back for parts two and three. There are plot holes and obvious clues through the course of this novel, but with a varied and diverse cast all with threads of their own unravelling, there is also a lot to enjoy. But as he uncovers each piece of evidence, David realizes that Marla's mysterious child is just the tip of the iceberg.