“The older I get, the more I realize that everyone is weird in one way or another.” Virginia

Hello Everyone,

Happy New Year! This is my first read of 2018. A much anticipated read. In the July 26th review, (Re-Inventing One’s Self, if you haven’t read it, please do so) I spoke of waiting for the new year to read this book. Seeing as it’s a Jayne Ann Krentz book, I was more anxious and excited than a kid at Christmas. I counted down days and cleared my schedule to make sure there would be no interruptions. Phone was turned off, bedroom door locked, knocks ignored…you get the picture. Anyone violating my sanctity would absolutely not be forgiven.  Well it turned out to be well worth the self-imposed isolation (which was extended when I picked up another book and got caught up, but that’s another blog-check it out). I wonder if that makes me weird?

Jayne Ann Krentz’s  Promise Not to Tell is about a promise to children amidst a tragic event, a promise not kept. This is the second in a can-be-read-alone trio of interconnected novels about foster brothers. The first book, When All The Girls Have Gone is the book I did my very first review on this site on (check it out…that seems to be my go-to phrase ‘check it out’…sigh). That blog is called T.G.I Frappe Friday.

Anyhoo, I started this book with the greatest of expectations; boy was my expectations met and then some. I finished it way too fast, which may account for the fact that I ended up reading another most excellent book right after this. May as well keep the good vibe going. Promise Not To Tell is a cautionary tale of overcoming the past, no matter how traumatic, to have the best future your can have.

We meet Cabot Sutter, the second of the foster brother’s and partner in the PI firm of Cutler, Sutter and Salinas. As in WATGHG, the firm is still struggling. Then they get a new client, Virginia Troy, who was, with the boys, a survivor of the fire at the compound and rescued by then Police Chief Anson Salinas, who adopted the boys. Virginia owns a gallery in Seattle. When the police rule the death of one of her artists a suicide, she is not convinced. Although the artist was a recluse whom some considered eccentric if not downright crazy, Virginia is sure her death is a murder connected to the cult. She hires the firm to look into the artist’s death, especially since the artist sent Virginia a last picture of a painting depicting the past, in a final effort to keep a promise made to the parents of the trapped kids. It is determined that Cabot is the perfect person to help her.

Being part of a cult and surviving the fire has of course left scars. As they search for clues about the identity of the killer, while trying to stay safe, their shared past trauma has made it possible for them to form an unbreakable bond, because as the body count rises, the tension from danger becomes another type of tension, the kind that finds kindred spirits falling in love, even as they both work through their issues and in Virginia’s case, to put the past behind her. She has a hard time making that work. “Did it work for you?” “No” Cabot said. “Gave up trying a long time ago. Makes more sense to acknowledge the power at the core and channel it.”

As the investigation heats up, Cabot finds himself in the middle of unwanted family drama that he has to navigate to keep from being distracted from the mounting danger stalking him and Virginia.

Promise Not To Tell was an easy read. It wasn’t so much a slow read, as it was a smooth one. At first, I felt there wasn’t much suspense since Krentz revealed the protagonist early on, but unbeknownst to me, the suspense came from various directions that took my by surprise. The biggest surprise came at the end. I promise you, I didn’t see the ending coming though I should have and I know you will get it long before I did. The only sure thing was the romance and the happy ever after. Just the way I like it.

Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. To me it was worth the wait, and that is not me being biased because I am a huge Jayne Ann Krentz fan. It didn’t have the fast paced, heart racing suspense of her other books, but that did not make it any less awesome. So, yeah. Read the books and drop a comment giving me your thoughts on them both. I would love to hear from you and either debate or trade notes. I am looking forward to Jack’s book that will hopefully come out sometime this year.

Happy Reading,

The Book Diva