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.