Veena’s review of Promise Not To Tell by Jayne Ann Krentz
Romantic Suspense published by Berkley 02 Jan 18
Virginia Troy has buried her past deep beneath her successful veneer as a businesswoman. She suspects foul play when an artist with whom she has deep ties in her past dies suddenly, after mailing her a digital picture of a disturbing painting. Virginia teams with PI Caleb Sutton to search for the truth, setting off a chain of events that will bring long-buried secrets into the open. An excellent whodunit with a nice romantic flourish. The investigation quickly gathers arms and legs as clues on the murder site indicate possible foul play. As the two return to Virginia’s apartment, they learn that someone has been in her home and, lo and behold, left behind a dead body at the gallery in the storage area where other paintings by the artist are stored.
The dead body quickly leads to another plot which seems to be related to an embezzlement scheme in a start-up tech company. As Virginia and Caleb follow the trail, there are multiple attempts on their lives and the body count around them continues to grow. Clearly, the clues are leading them into a years-old mystery, which involved the cult in which both their mothers died while Caleb and Virginia barely escaped with their lives.
Caleb has moved into Virginia’s apartment to protect her, but soon they’re sharing midnight cups of tea and stories and then intimacies. The story is like a giant puzzle which needs to be slowly and painstakingly put together. Mz. Krentz shares certain truths with the readers but keeps other truths hidden, making for an interesting read.
Some interesting characters are injected into the story, like Caleb’s poor little rich boy cousin, the crooked lawyer from San Francisco who’s trying to steal an inheritance Caleb doesn’t want, and the tech firm executives who all have their parts to play to make the story interesting and compelling. The writing style is elegant and understated, the romance and dialogue sweet, but the hook at the end will definitely bring me back for more.
Grade: B-
Summary:
A broken promise reveals a terrifying legacy in this electrifying novel from the New York Times bestselling author of When All the Girls Have Gone.
A painter of fiery, nightmarish visions throws herself into the sea—but she’ll leave some of her secrets behind…
Seattle gallery owner Virginia Troy has spent years battling the demons that stem from her childhood time in a cult and the night a fire burned through the compound, killing her mother. And now one of her artists has taken her own life, but not before sending Virginia a last picture: a painting that makes Virginia doubt everything about the so-called suicide—and her own past.
Like Virginia, private investigator Cabot Sutter was one of the children in the cult who survived that fire…and only he can help her now. As they struggle to unravel the clues in the painting, it becomes clear that someone thinks Virginia knows more than she does and that she must be stopped. Thrown into an inferno of desire and deception, Virginia and Cabot draw ever closer to the mystery of their shared memories—and the shocking fate of the one man who still wields the power to destroy everything they hold dear.
No excerpt available.
