3.5 rounded upGood story. Characters are good except for the evil "potato girl"

Not quite the creepy vibes I usually get with a Jennifer McMahon book but still a good mystery.

6 out of 10 ревью на русском/review in russianYet again we're in Vermont. This time we have a paranormal thriller which is also a psychological drama and country horror, in which forests, fields, meadows, strangled girls, and creepy urban legends serve as the backdrop for the investigation of another murder. Not bad, not mind-blowing, but engaging. We see how stupid decisions give birth to prejudices. How love turns into hatred. And many secrets can keep family members. McMahon did it again.

There are two things I hate about how the Internet suggests things that I'd like based on what I've already purchased/read/watched: 1) It reminds me, by suggesting crappy stuff over and over again, that I'm a sucker for crap and 2) I'm almost powerless against suggestion, so, inevitably, I purchase/read/watch what it suggests, and the cycle of crap continues. Okay, I admit that I sort of love that, actually. I am blessed to live in a time and place where I have access to a practially endless men...

I don't mind gore. An author can describe in detail how they rip open someone's belly and dissect their large intestine and I'm just fine. You tell me a ghost story though... I'm out. I made the mistake of reading this silly book while my big, bad, keeps-the-mean-ghosts-away husband was out with friends. I had to stop reading it and lay there with my eyes wide open, not blinking, stiff and terrified waiting for him to get home. I, of course, fell asleep, thankfully - but ended up having a dream

Decent writing, interesting premise, some memorable characters. But there's a fine line between writing an ending that makes you say, "OMG that was so surprising! I would never have guessed that X was the perpetrator of such a horrible crime, but looking back I can see that it makes perfect sense! Oh, you clever author, you!" and an ending that makes you say, "OMG that was so surprising, I would never guessed that X was the perpetrator of such a horrible crime, because looking back I can see tha...

I enoyed reading this book very much! I got hooked almost immediately because it's got so many elements I love about reading: strong, realistic characters, a bit of mystery, a bit of horror, and themes I can relate to. There are actually two stories: Kate Cypher then and now, 1971 and 2002. In 1971, she was a lonely little 10 year old, new in school and wanting to be friends with people but an outcast from the start because she was "different"--she lived on a commune with her mother and a group

Nicely handled and a clear balance between past and present, but I didn't care for the metaphysical element and the part Del's ghost played in solving the crime. I like my crime fiction to be solidly grounded in this world with a nice touch of psychology.

Release Date: April 10, 2007 Genre: Murder Mystery. Hint of paranormal. I love Jennifer McMahon's novels and whenever she releases them I try and devour them fast because I always know I am going to be taken on a thrilling journey. This particular book is good. I didn't love it as much as I love some of her other novels, but I certainly didn't hate it either. I just felt that it was a lot slower than I would have liked. Normally, a slow pace doesn't bother me so much but the fact that this on

Although I’m not a big fan of mysteries, I am a die-hard horror fan, and when I saw the book Promise Not To Tell by first time novelist Jennifer McMahon come across my desk, I had to read it. Part murder mystery, part ghost story, it tells the story of two similar murders that take place thirty years apart in small town Vermont.Kate Cypher is a Seattle school nurse returning to her hometown to check into nursing homes for her mother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s. On the night of her arrival, a y...

This could have been a nicely written, kind of creepy ghost story, but everytime someone referenced 'the Potato Girl' in some menacing way, it made me laugh. There's nothing scary about potatoes or their ghostly girls, I'm sorry. The story has more plot holes than fishnet stockings (thanks Emily!!); ***SPOILER!!!*** (view spoiler)[so 'the Potato Girl' (shiver) was really Kate's ghost buddy at the end -- then who killed Artie? Potato Girl was looking out for her half-sister the whole time, but sh...

Meh. This story didn't quite hit the right note for a thriller, a ghost story, or a psychological drama for me. It started out with a thriller beginning, and then failed to follow up on it. Then there was a large chunk that was about growing up poor with an undesirable best friend, and also about moving home to care for your Alzheimer's-suffering mother. I didn't think it really hit home with either of those--I could never figure out why the main character was drawn to Del or Nick or any of the

I've read two of Jennifer McMahon's books so far, this one and Island of Lost Girls, and they were both so awesome. Out of those two, Promise Not to Tell was my favorite. This author makes it so easy for me to start reading and not stop until I'm finished it, and it's rare for me to find books that I like so much. I actually passed the book along to my mother, who is currently reading it. I definitely hope that Jennifer continues to write more, since she is so talented, and I will continue to te...

This is the first book in quite some time that I finished and discovered that I had not put in a single note on my kindle.Alas, I just don't have a lot to say about it. I have heard good things about McMahon's newest book (and in fact, have it checked out to read) and I remember seeing this on my public library's "too good to miss" shelf last summer. And so I grabbed it.It is a decent story, moves rather quickly and is compelling enough. And that's about it. Nothing profound and nothing very spe...

WOW!! I just blew through this book! My friend is buying the next two, so hopefully before I leave Florida I will be able to read those as well. This is an odd story~told in both present time AND flashbacks. It does at times get tricky keeping up with what time period you are in. Told by Kate, this is the story of a friendship that is unexpected and what happens when you deny that friendship and hurt the one true friend you have for being part of the popular crowd. And its the story of forgivene...

2.5 StarsI think McMahon is such an author with real potential. I previously read and loved her later novel, The Winter People. She has a talent for writing twisted mysteries that add a dash of creepy and surrealism. Unfortunately, this debut novel felt like a debut novel, in a bad way. I found the multiple timelines choppy and difficult to follow. The story started strong, but failed to come together. I would watch for McMahon's future novels, but may not read all her previous work.

I loved this book!! Definitely will read again. And I did. I kind of forgot the story so it was like reading it again for the first time.Third time's a charm. Still loving this book...

Not a bad “Christmas” read. It moved fairly quickly and didn’t take too long to get used to the past and present chapters. I didn’t figure out whodunit but I didn’t fall for the red herrings either. I wasn’t convince of who was the killer or who wasn’t. I basically just went with the flow and let the tale lead me to the culprit. I have to admit though, I wasn’t a fan of Del’s. She was a little to hard core trash for my liking but when they explained her upbringing I got it.

Promise Not to Tell is an excellent page-turner with strong character development. The story goes back and forth between spring of 1971 and the fall of 2002. In the present day, main character Kate Cypher has returned home to Vermont to care for her mother, who has Alzheimer's. The night that she arrives a preteen girl is murdered in the woods. The murder is eerily similar to the 1971 murder of Del Griswold, an outcast that Kate befriended who was called "potato girl" by teasing classmates and l...