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.
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.