Promise Not to Tell

2007 • 250 pages

Ratings8

Average rating3

Forty-one-year-old school nurse Kate Cypher has returned home to rural Vermont to care for her mother who's afflicted with Alzheimer's. On the night she arrives, a young girl is murdered—a horrific crime that eerily mirrors another from Kate's childhood. Three decades earlier, her dirt-poor friend Del—shunned and derided by classmates as "Potato Girl"—was brutally slain. Del's killer was never found, while the victim has since achieved immortality in local legends and ghost stories. Now, as this new murder investigation draws Kate irresistibly in, her past and present collide in terrifying, unexpected ways. Because nothing is quite what it seems...and the grim specters of her youth are far from forgotten.More than just a murder mystery, Jennifer McMahon's extraordinary debut novel, Promise Not to Tell, is a story of friendship and family, devotion and betrayal—tautly written, deeply insightful, beautifully evocative, and utterly unforgettable.

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Popular Reviews

Reviews with the most likes.

Blagica Jankuloska

one of My friends recommended this had it read in 3 days if you like gripping stories that will make youu laugh and cry all in one this is it

March 22, 2014

Joan

This book was fast paced and I enjoyed the mystery part of it. I didn't care for the supernatural elements or the ending. If it would have stayed a straight mystery/thriller, I think I would have enjoyed it more.

May 24, 2016

Nicole Young

2.5 stars.

⭐⭐.5
Not a book for me and not one I would recommend. It didn't hold my interest, and probably felt more of a chore to get through. Not completely terrible, but I didn't have a good experience. This book was an enjoyable read, but there are several things I wish were done differently.

Overall the story wasn't bad and started off strong. As the book continued it got a little bland. The ending felt somewhat rushed. You find out who the killer is and bam all of the sudden everything is over.

The “paranormal” aspect of the story just wasn't doing it for me. I couldn't get into that part of the story.

August 22, 2022