Promise Not to Tell by Jayne Ann Krentz
Series: Cutler, Sutter & Salinas #2
Subgenre: romantic suspense
Release date: 2 Jan 2018
Publisher: Hachette Australia
Format: ebook and print
Length: 338 pages
RRP: $11.99 (ebook); $19.99 (print)

Book 2 begins when one of those surviving children from the cult (introduced in Book One) takes her own life by leaping into the sea off her isolated island. Some say she was mad anyway. But fellow cult survivor and gallery owner Virginia Troy believes that the poor woman sent her a message in a painting before she died, and that she did not die willingly.

Virginia seeks out PI Cabot Sutter, fellow cult survivor, to help her solve the mystery of what is true, and what danger might be lurking out there. Virginia knows that Cabot will believe there is an element of doubt in the spin that the poor woman committed suicide, due to their shared history.

Again, there are some trigger elements here: cults, suicide, panic attacks, PTSD and the accompanying horrific flashbacks that can paralyse people. This bleeds into ongoing situations where people think they might be going mad because their mind plays tricks on them, doesn’t let them sleep at night, and completely spooks them into second-guessing themselves. However, JAK deals with it very well.

The horrific thing that emerges in this book—and it’s not really a secret—is that the insane cult leader may not be dead (as previously presumed by the authorities) and is coming to get the remaining survivors. Enough to chill anyone!

JAK solves this mystery with so many twists and turns along the way, the pace becomes dizzying. What you think gets turned upside down, and the revelations don’t stop coming.

I love the way Virginia and Cabot work together. She is intelligent, cool and rational most of the time, but underneath is struggling to keep things together. Still, her strength and grace under fire is impressive. Cabot is horrified as his past crashes back but is also challenged to rise high and strong as faces his childhood worst nightmares. Oh my, what a hero.

These two come together in a meeting of the minds which is truly awesome. That they need to be a couple is blindingly obvious, so it’s a relief when they take that step and come together. It’s also a comfort they don’t need to keep explaining why they are the way they are, because they both ‘get’ what’s happened in the past with each other—and that is yet another way they ultimately become stronger, together.

The mystery here is a cracker, fast-paced with a high-stakes ending. The villain is totally insane, so the ending was electric. The mystery of this book is solved, but the overall arc of the trilogy is obviously going to feature in Book 3.

Reviewed by Malvina

A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher.

I am a fan of Jayne Anne Krentz and will eagerly pick up a new book by her. This one was a quick read and easy to read as a stand alone although it was good to have the background story from the first in the series. The first chapter was thrilling and set the tone for the rest of the book, which was tense and interesting with Virginia and Cabot desperately trying to unlock the clues in a painting that one of the survivors of the fire that had almost taken their lives when living in a cult.
The relationship between Virginia and Cabot was great and it was good to see how both of them understood the misery that PTSD brought. This added a depth to the story. For me there seemed to be less of the wry humour that I love so much about Krentz's writing, but I can't wait for the next installment of this series.

Promise not to Tell by Jayne Ann Krentz is #2 in her Cutler, Sutter and Salinas series. This one is about Cabot Sutter, one of three men, who as a boy was rescued at a crime scene and adopted by their rescuer.

Has the mad cult driven Quinton Zane returned? Why has a woman gone off a cliff? And so the mystery and the suspense begins. Virginia and Cabot combine to follow the clues. Virginia was also there that horrible night when fire almost engulfed them as children, she now runs an art gallery and has had contact with the artist who is now dead after going off the cliff.

Virginia and Cabot are a great couple. They have been together as children, suffer from the same horrific experience in their childhood, so they understand each other and the way they still suffer from that now in adulthood. Each was very compassionate towards the other. As they work on the case, they grow in their relationship. I liked how there was no false parting and then reuniting due to some mistaken issue.

I really enjoyed as well Cabot's issue with his family, his grandfather disowned his mother when she went off to do her own thing, but now he is dead, and there is some new happenings. Greatest of all a surprise visit from one relative - one who soon became very much part of the story.

The mystery kept me guessing, I thought it was all clear early on, but no - plenty of twists and turns and a very good set up for the next book as well. The plot moved along at a great clip, moving from one event to another with speed, which kept me turning the pages.

The kind of suspense I like - not too graphic in the gory detail, and characters who worm there way into my heart. I am certainly looking forward to the next one in the series.

An incident from 22 years ago comes to light, will the nightmares blend into reality?
Virginia and Cabot are connected, both survivors of a horror when they were children.
I loved the twists and turns in this story, it kept me guessing until the end. The banter between the characters lightened the mood from all the drama. I was glued to my kindle and absolutely loved it.

This was an incredible story that really had me from the very start. I was guessing from the very start who the murderer could be and I absolutely loved the main characters in the story. I really hope there will be a sequel because I have so many questions. that I was left with at the end of this book.

Another great book from Jayne, looking forward to the final in the series.