Cover Image: The Promise

The Promise

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Member Reviews

Another cracking read from Katerina Diamond she is fast becoming a highly anticipated “next book” author

This starts out so good with a serial killer meeting women through a dating app and the pace never slows down

Looking forward to book number 5

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I could read Katerina Diamond’s n Grey series all day and would not be bored, these books just get better and better.

There is a murderer targeting vulnerable, lonely women online, he meets them and kills them by strangling them.

Connor and his father Jacob have moved to Exeter to their family home from America. Connor was involved in something bad which is later revealed. They are hoping for a new start but Jacob has his own secrets to keep hidden.

A secret woman is telling her story of how she meets an abusive man, manages to get away from him but sadly he still has control over her which leads to a disastrous outcome.

The 2 story’s are linked but to find out how you will have to read this book. For me when the link was revealed it was an OMG moment!!

A must read book that is deliciously dark, disturbing and totally addictive.

Love the main characters Mills and Grey they work so well together and their relationship is going from strength to strength.

I know they say “Leave the audience wanting more” but please please don’t leave me waiting too long before the next book in this amazing series.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

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The Promise by Katerina Diamond is the fourth novel in the DCI Imogen Grey series. It begins with a women going on a blind date with a man she met online - a date that results in her murder. Following this the investigation begins and we are introduced to Imogen, her partner Adrian and their colleague Gary. Running alongside this narrative are two other narratives. One takes the form of a diary written by a young woman written and the other is Connor's story. Connor is a troubled 16 year old whose abusive father has moved them back to UK from the UK after a pretty traumatic incident.

When I first read the blurb the premise sounded exciting and being a psychological thriller I thought it would be right up my street, unfortunately I didn't enjoy it very much. It is written well enough, switching between points of view seamlessly which did help build up and element of suspense. However, I still found it rather predictable and it didn't have me on the edge of my seat.

I liked the character of Connor to begin with and was really rooting for him right until just before the end when he did something that really disappointed me. I don't understand what that action added to the story - I think it was unnecessary. I also like Gary and I enjoyed the way Victoria told her story. However, I didn't warm to the two main characters - Imogen and Adrian. I found their thought processes quite unnatural and their relationship rather strange. Perhaps if I had read the previous books this wouldn't be the case.

Despite not particularly enjoying this novel, after reading other reviews I would still try others in the series. Perhaps it would be better if I read them in order.

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The Promise is number 4 of the excellent Imogen Grey series. Again it's a book that seems to have several unrelated plots that gradually get drawn together as the book goes on. It's up to the reader of you give yourself a headache trying to work out how or whether just to enjoy the journey. I have a subscription for ibuprofen so you can guess which camp I fall in!

There's not much more I can say about the plot that isn't revealed in the official synopsis but if you're rooting for a Grey/Mile's development you'll want to read this. Not as fantastic as the last book but still a solidly good read.

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Pretty decent book, I enjoyed the writing. This was the first that I'd ever read from the author, so I was positively surprised that I enjoyed the book as much as I did. The plot was great, and the characters were interesting. It kept my interest, more so than a lot of other books I've read recently.

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Another page turner from Katerina Diamond as you try to work out who the psychopath is that is killing women in their own homes. Has this anything to do with the new boy in town Connor or does he know something. The characters are good and strong with some surprises along the way. A good book to lose yourself in.

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One of the best crime writers around at the moment! Love seeing how the lead characters roles and relationships develop through the series of books. As always an incredibly disturbing plot line, it’s terrifying to think just who u might be talking to online. Can't wait for the next book!!

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This is the fourth book in the DS Imogen Grey series.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the three prior books in this series, and I enjoyed this one just as much. The continued character development of Imogen Grey and Adrian Miles throughout the series is excellent and rest of the characters are also well developed.

The story plot was very interesting and will keep you turning pages right to the end.

Definitely looking forward to more from this author.

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The Promise is every bit as good as the other books in this series. Miles is drowning in grief and is doing his best to keep his head above water and focus on the case at hand. Grey is worried about Miles but she has her own personal hurt to deal with too. Connor is just a kid but with a past that haunts him and a Father who hurts him. Then we have our mystery diary writer telling us all about their miserable life. But what do all of these have in common, how are they connected?

The bodies keep turning up and time is not on their side.. can Miles and Grey join the dots to catch the killer before it's too late?

A fantastic read I absolutely flew through it, the writing flows so incredibly well that you nearly have it all read before you even realise it. For crime fans everywhere, highly recommended.

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This book had such a great, tight plot that drew together perfectly, I was turning pages late into the night, eager to see how things turned out. This is technically the fourth story in the Imogen Grey series, but it was the first I read, and I did not feel lost at all.

But after reading this book, I will be checking out the rest of the series, for sure!

There are three main storylines to follow: Connor, a young American boy, moves with his dad into his grandparents’ old home after trouble back home in California. But trouble doesn’t seem to stay far from him; A serial killer is strangling women he meets online at an alarming pace. It’s up to Imogen and her team to find out how he’s doing it and how to trap him; A young woman details her life in a journal, eager to let the world know how her life went so wrong.

Like I said, the plot is incredibly detailed and comes together with great twists. I can’t say you won’t see anything coming, but in this case, it works, because it all ends up making sense - and to me, that’s one of the most important things.

I really liked the characters: they were all flawed in some way, some seriously so, and that really gave another layer to the story, because you didn’t know which side of the coin was going to win with each. Especially for Connor’s storyline, things are really intriguing and ambiguous until the reveals at the end.

Overall, this book was a great thriller, which will have you reading furiously, waiting to see what’s going to happen.

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Thriller at its best one of those you can’t put down, lots of red herrings to keep you guessing , excellent read

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A fast paced heart pounding thriller!

This is the fourth book in the Miles and Gray series... I keep telling myself “no more series!“ I have so many to catch up on and I keep getting hooked into new ones, it’s a battle I am seriously losing! When I picked this up I did not realize it was part of a series, so I have not read the prior books, but this can absolutely be read as a standalone!

We have several stories going on with multiple points of view... A teenage boy who had some trouble at his school in America and has been shipped to Exeter in the UK... then the serial killer plot, someone is taking women out on dates they meet on an online site, and the women never return home.... we also are privy to the police investigation with Adrian and Imagen.... so what could a teenage boy possibly have to do with a serial killer? Well you will need to read this to find out and believe me the stories were woven together seamlessly....

The plot was brilliantly paced, the characters were magnificently drawn, and the thrills kept coming... The perfect blend of A police procedural and a thriller, all wrapped up in one spectacularly eery cover! Recommend!

*** many thanks to Avon UK for my copy of this book ***

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Katerina diamond never fails to screw with my head ! In a good way of course. This was an book full of a maze of clues, characters and storylines to follow and devour.
Miles and Gey are a great force to be reckoned with working together.
I totally love KD ‘s work some of it has frightened the pants off me and some has reallymade me think.
The characters are really well rounded, and having the book being told from different characters views was a great move and totally split my brain in pieces !
I would buy this book for most of my friends and family.
It’s a dark twisted tale of how evil and wretched people can get when they need to get their own way.
Ive read all KD books but I need more
If you want to read more read:
The Teacher
The Secret
The Angel

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I really enjoyed this one, it had me gripped and I read the book in just over a day – I love this author’s books and I think that this is her best one to date!

I loved the characters in the story and how we got to see more about their different backgrounds, especially Connor’s and what it was that brought him and his father back to the UK from the States.

I enjoyed how the story was told from different view points from main characters and I was guessing how they would all come together. I thought that it was very well written and flowed brilliantly. I loved the suspense the author managed to create as the book progressed and I really enjoyed how all the loose ends were brought together at the end – it was very well done!

Five stars from me for this one – a gripping story, that I thoroughly enjoyed!! Looking forward to see what she releases next – I can’t wait!!

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Absolutely superb read.
Held my attention all the way through ...you cannot put it down once you start.
Will certainly keep my eyes out for other titles from this author.

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Full review to come.
I deeply apologize, but life is a handful lately and I'm using all my free time to read, not review. I hope everybody understands.

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Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.

Although this book is part of a series I read it as a stand alone. The plot and the characters are so well developed that I really didn't feel as if I had missed out on the back story to the two detectives. There is a lot happening in this book, a shooting in a US school, abusive relationships including physical and sexual abuse. troubled teens and a serial killer on the loose.

This book packs a wallop and gallops along quickly and convincingly. There are characters that tugged at my heartstrings and some I wanted to punch in the face. I enjoyed this author's writing style and will read more by her.

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Another book of non-stop action and brilliant twists. Although I loved the story, I was a bit disappointed with the ending. It just seemed to finish so abruptly. I know some of it will be continued in the next book but I would have liking the Connor story to have finished up with a nice little bow on top.

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Although this is the fourth book in the series featuring DS Imogen Grey and DS Adrian Miles, and I might happen to have two of the previous three waiting to be read, I knew that if I didn’t pop my Katerina Diamond cherry soon I never would. So I took the risk that comes with starting part way through a series and decided I wanted to read The Promise. Not only does it work very well as a standalone (past events are referred to but explained in enough detail), but I also had myself a cracking good read. Of course, I’m now kicking myself for not getting on and reading The Teacher, The Secret and The Angel before now but never mind.

In this book, Grey and Miles are investigating a man who is going on a date with a woman and then strangling them to death. Surely no date can be that bad! Obviously there’s more to it and as it turns into a hunt for a serial killer Grey puts herself at risk to try and find him.

A story running alongside it is that of Connor, a 16 year old American boy who has just moved to England with his father. Things are not as they should be and their relationship is difficult to say the least.

There’s also a less prominent story, told in a kind of journal by an unnamed woman. She tells of her abuse at the hands of a man and for much of the story it’s unclear where this storyline fits in. Towards the end it all slotted into place and I got a dawning realisation of how the three strands fitted together. I think it was extremely clever plotting by the author to leave it open enough that it wasn’t obvious straightaway. And those last few chapters! Looking at the few pages that were left I couldn’t imagine how she was going to tie it all up, but then wham bam it was suddenly and very effectively wound up in a thrilling way.

I found The Promise to be a fast-paced and exciting book. I was completely engrossed from the moment I picked it up and didn’t want to put it down. The dynamic between Grey and Miles is fascinating and I really must go back and read the other books to see how their partnership has come about and been built up.

Every character is well drawn, the plot is gripping and lively and the writing is excellent. I absolutely loved it.

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I do love a good thriller when I am in the mood, and this one had the added bonus that it is set in a city local to me (Exeter).  This is not truly scary and isn't a horror novel but it is not for the faint-hearted and I would never recommend it to my Mum for a multitude of reasons.

The pacing was excellent, short scene length chapters with alternating viewpoints from Connor (the teenager), the Police and an increasingly horrifying tale of a woman in an abusive relationship.    The three stories seem quite separate at first but gradually converge near the end.
If you are looking for a crime thriller to keep you hooked pretty much from the start then this may well be your book, If you have read the other books in the series all the better but it won't matter if you haven't.

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