The Promise by Katerina Diamond

The Promise is the fourth instalment of one of my favourite detective pairs – Grey and Miles, and this case is as gripping as the first.

Erica Lawson really hit it off with Warren online so when he travels to her city and takes her on an amazing date featuring oysters (fancy!!), she doesn’t want the night to end. The moment she asks him into her house, her fate is sealed. Her poor sister finds her strangled in her bed.

Imogen and Adrian immediately begin to track this killer down and it means their colleague Gary needs to use his savvy tech skills to try find him online. Whilst the case continued to ramp up the tension as I turned the pages, I enjoyed the banter between these three that brought a lightness and warmth to the pages. Having narrowed down who this guy may be, they need to lure him out and Gary has a great idea of how to do it – it involves using Imogen…

Just as you think things are going good, there’s another murder… and then a third attempt. They’re after a serial killer. The stakes are high to catch him before anything else happens.

Meanwhile we’re introduced to Connor, who has moved to England from the States back into his father’s old family home. Jacob; his dad, seems tormented by his past and takes it out on Connor. My heart went out to him, Connor seems like a good lad, why can’t he have the stability and support he deserves from his father? Luckily his uncle Joel seems to be on his side. Being in his troubled family, Connor has an eye for seeing when others are suffering… and something is going on next door. Can he help?

A further voice is added to the story in the form of diary entries from a girl in the past, is her story connected to the case or to Connor?

Diamond has delivered another very cleverly concocted story, that perfectly balances the police case with exploring the characters. With each book, we learn more and more about Imogen and Adrian and explore their vulnerabilities, it was great to ‘catch up’ with them again and see how their lives continued to play out.

This is a thriller that packs a punch, it blends crime and psychological aspects to keep the reader both gripped and intrigued throughout.

What I loved most about this book was the number of sub plots Diamond juggled and the ongoing mind games she played on the reader, teasing them to discover the truth before adding another ball to the mix.

Lots of writers tackle abusive relationships in their plots, but none seem to capture them as movingly as Diamond. She delicately explores the relationship and tugs at my heartstrings throughout. This is something I’ve found with all of her books and it’s very powerful.

This is a book that has a tantalising build up of evidence that throws suspicion in every direction and, oozes with tension as the background stories begin to take centre stage.

Very well plotted, I was hooked!

The Promise is out now in paperback and eBook versions from Avon.

Until next time, Chloé x