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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
cliche, predictable, but entertaining (and at times a little spooky)
Well, this book was...okay, I guess. Maybe I expected more from the rating here on Goodreads and Amazon, but to each their own.
I picked this up because I was really intrigued from the first book I read from Jennifer McMahon, Don't Breathe A Word. I was a bit frustrated with that book (for slightly different reasons), but I saw a lot of promise - it was incredibly creepy, and it kept me turning the pages, even if I wasn't too jazzed with where it ended up. So I figured I'd give this novel a shot.
I found Promise Not To Tell strangely predictable. Maybe I'm just a bit too familiar with storylines from other books and movies that combine grounded-in-reality mystery/thriller with slightly supernatural aspects. I also really appreciate a twist you don't see coming, and I didn't get that here. It felt like there was no big reveal, no real A-HA moment, nothing that made me say, "SHUT THE #&*$ UP!" I guess it just kind of fell flat, for me personally.
However despite my criticism, I still finished it in probably three sittings, so there was at least something to keep me turning the pages. Unfortunately I think the pages were turning, hoping for something this book simply didn't deliver.
I'd still be willing to give Jennifer McMahon another shot. The way she sets a scene to be subtly ominous is intriguing, so I'm curious to see if a different plot line might better live up to my expectations.
I picked this up because I was really intrigued from the first book I read from Jennifer McMahon, Don't Breathe A Word. I was a bit frustrated with that book (for slightly different reasons), but I saw a lot of promise - it was incredibly creepy, and it kept me turning the pages, even if I wasn't too jazzed with where it ended up. So I figured I'd give this novel a shot.
I found Promise Not To Tell strangely predictable. Maybe I'm just a bit too familiar with storylines from other books and movies that combine grounded-in-reality mystery/thriller with slightly supernatural aspects. I also really appreciate a twist you don't see coming, and I didn't get that here. It felt like there was no big reveal, no real A-HA moment, nothing that made me say, "SHUT THE #&*$ UP!" I guess it just kind of fell flat, for me personally.
However despite my criticism, I still finished it in probably three sittings, so there was at least something to keep me turning the pages. Unfortunately I think the pages were turning, hoping for something this book simply didn't deliver.
I'd still be willing to give Jennifer McMahon another shot. The way she sets a scene to be subtly ominous is intriguing, so I'm curious to see if a different plot line might better live up to my expectations.
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
I found this book to be ok, the characters were entertaining, but it seemed to take the entire book to bring their relationships to each other together. I believe I would read more by this author.
McMahon's debut novel is a decent murder mystery, that veers, unfortunately into the world of ghosts and unsettled spirits. Really good writing, and well-rounded characters, but I'll read a good ghost story if it's advertised as such. This was as annoying as when James Lee Burke goes down this road.
dark
sad
slow-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I’m just not a fan of this author, I had also made an attempt at Winter People and couldn’t get into it. This is trying too hard to be a Gillian Flynn book, but it really feels like a Lifetime movie.
I don't know why I decided to read this one, considering I didn't like the one other book I read by her. We'll see...
ETA: Better. Not great, but definitely better.
ETA: Better. Not great, but definitely better.
More like 3 1/2 stars. Good, but a little too much going on for it to all work well.
An interesting look at old and new murder mysteries. Throw in some interesting characters, a different environment than most of us grew up in, and modern challenges many of us do or will face and it was challenging novel to put down.