Broken Promise: (Promise Falls Trilogy Book 1)

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Barclay's greatest strength is weaving menace into everyday situations and he delivers this in spades in Broken Promise.

What’s even more impressive is that every single story moves forward simultaneously in real-time and the inevitable cliff-hangers as Barclay moves the reader from one perspective to another are never interminable or irritating. But the puzzlement turned to bewilderment and horror when a woman was discovered not that far away, brutally murdered, her baby missing. An ominous abandoned Ferris wheel seems to stand as a warning that something dark has infected Promise Falls. While trying to piece together his life, he is thrown into a harrowing situation when his cousin is found with a child she believes to be her own.

After his wife’s death and the loss of his job, David Harwood moves back into his childhood home in Promise Falls, New York—where he comes across a shocking family secret. It seems as if the town is sure to collapse upon itself either from corruption or decay, or a combination of the two. Little does he know running this simple errand will land him in the middle of a murder investigation?

Marla might be a little off kilter since her baby was still born, but David did not believe her capable of murder. David is one of the two narrators, Detective Barry Duckworth who’s investigating this case is the other. This is the perfect excuse to start taking a closer look at the everyday folk that you nod to when passing on the street. David Harwood has a good job working as an assistant editor on a newspaper in Boston and is raising his son on his own.

The people you hear about on the news with their neighbors saying 'I'm so shocked, they were always so nice!

By the end of the book there were 23 dead squirrels, 5 dead people, 2 unsolved murders and one strange adoption case. The lies and deceit make me wonder who in this town isn't a crappy person or involved in some underhanded dealings. All these instances hold similarities that cause concern for the head detective Barry Duckworth, who is also investigating the brutal death of a young woman and her stolen baby. There are clues generously given along the way without revealing too much, and I eventually had an idea in my head what had happened.But there are still things out there for him to look into, like how his cousin Marla has acquired a baby she swears was given to her by an angel. Some female students at a local college have been the subject of attacks, and someone has killed and hung a large group of squirrels on display in one of the local parks. There is also a backstory of Olivia Fisher, a young woman with a bright future, killed years ago in a brutal murder. Bloody mannequins in car “23” of an abandoned Ferris wheel…a fiery, out-of-control bus with “23” on the back…“23” on the hoodie of a man accused of assault.

Broken Promise is written mainly in 3rd person narrative with several chapters written in first person with protagonist David’s voice. Barclay utlises a formula in his novels that fans know well: present many characters, use numerous storylines to keep them fresh, then tie off the main plot with a twist no one saw coming, even if you paid attention. Businesses that have been Promise Falls landmarks, such as the amusement park and drive-in theater, are falling by the wayside, and, as seen through the eyes of the myriad assortment of characters who pepper the book’s pages, the center of the town --- its essence --- is beginning to break apart.His first standalone thriller, No Time for Goodbye, was published in 2007 to critical acclaim and great international success. 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. Pleading ignorance and sticking to her story, Marla cannot understand what she's done wrong and David's reporter senses begin to buzz. When the mother of that baby is found murdered, David does all he can to protect Marla despite her sorted past.