HomeThrillerBroken promise

Cover of Broken promise

Thriller · 2015 · PG-13

Broken promise

by Linwood Barclay

His cousin found a baby in her home. She swears she has no idea where it came from.

For14+GenreThrillerLength448 pagesRead time~11.5 hours

This analysis was generated by AI from publicly available reader reviews, literary criticism, and book discussions. It has not been verified by a BookLens community reviewer and may contain errors. Be the first to verify →

Content snapshot

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What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.

Violence

Some

Murder; the circumstances of the dead woman; thriller investigation

Language

Some

Moderate language

Sexual Content

Barely any

Mild; adult relationships in the community

Substance Use

Barely any

Mild

Emotional Intensity

A lot

Strong; grief for a lost child and its aftermath; the small-town setting where everyone's history is known; the tenderness with which Barclay treats Marla's delusion

What this book is about

The first book in Barclay's Promise Falls series follows David Harwood (returning from Never Look Away) who discovers his cousin Marla — who lost her own baby — has found an infant in her home, with a dead woman as the source. The investigation leads into a small New York community's buried crimes. Barclay builds a series arc while delivering a satisfying standalone mystery.

Notes for sensitive readers

Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.

Grief and delusion following a baby's death

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