Cover Image: The Promise

The Promise

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Wow! What a great book! Everything I ask for in a crime thriller. I'll certainly be recommending this one and definitely checking out the author for more!

Was this review helpful?

I have been a fan of Katerina’s books since the moment I picked up her first book called ‘The Teacher’. The series just seems to get better and better. As soon as I finish the most recent book, I immediately look forward to the next book. It seems like forever (in reality it was only a matter of months) that I have been waiting for ‘The Promise’ to be released. The wait for ‘The Promise’ has been well worth it. I absolutely loved reading ‘The Promise’ but more about that in a bit.
I have to admit that I love the work partnership between DS Adrian Miles and DS Imogen Grey. Miles is a policeman, whose dedication to his work has cost him dearly. His personal life has been messy and he already has a broken down marriage. It seemed as though he had found happiness but sadly his girlfriend died. Not surprisingly her death has hit Miles hard. He seems depressed, distant, his concentration is shot and his mind wanders to places unknown. His ex-wife and son are currently living with him as they have nowhere else to go. Miles is finding this arrangement hard to cope with. He needs to have his own space and privacy to grieve for his late girlfriend. Miles and Grey work really well together and Grey can’t help but feel concerned about her friend and colleague. It seems strange to Grey that she is the one doing the worrying because it is usually Miles who is worrying about her. The boot is on the other foot. Grey herself also has a bit of a messy personal life. She was in a relationship with a former criminal but the beginning of the book sees them in the midst of a trial separation. I did feel a bit sorry for Grey because on the one hand she is a career police officer but she is in love with a man, who has broken the law on more than one occasion. She loves him and she doesn’t want him to change as his previous offences have made him into the man he is today and the man she fell in love with, but if she wants to remain a police officer, then she thinks that she can’t stay with him because her bosses would see her relationship as her condoning his behaviour or even colluding with him. Grey does have a bit more stability going on in her work life. She is impressing the bosses and she has been recommended for promotion to Detective Inspector level. At first she seems unsure about the possible move and feels as though she is betraying Miles in some way. That’s what I think anyway.
Oh my word this latest instalment of the DS Miles & Grey series has to be my favourite book of the series so far. The story hits the ground running and maintains the pace throughout. The beginning of the book was memorable in more ways than one. It’s no word of a lie to say that I was literally hooked on this book from the moment I read the synopsis, never mind began to read the book itself. The author certainly knows how to grab your attention from the start and much like a fisherman reeling in a fish, Katerina reels you into the story and keeps your attention throughout the book. For me, ‘The Promise’ really is a ‘can’t put it down book’. The book wasn’t exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it came everywhere with me and I begrudged having to put the book down. If I did have to put the book down then I was counting down the time until I could pick it up again. I also found any excuse that I could to simply get back to reading ‘The Promise’. The book certainly kept me reading into the early morning hours. I decided that sleep was for wimps!!
‘The Promise’ is brilliantly written with fantastic storylines and believable characters. The chapters do often finish on a bit of a ‘duff duff’ moment (think the end of an episode of ‘Eastenders’), which of course means that you simply have to read on and on. I would pick the book up, only intending to read a couple of chapters and before I knew it, I had spent a couple of hours reading and I had read several chapters never mind one chapter. The author writes so convincingly that I really did feel as though I was part of the story and not just reading it. I felt as though I was an invisible member of Grey and Miles’ investigation. I know ‘The Promise’ is a work of fiction but if I am enjoying the book and the story and the writing is that good, I start to interact with the book and randomly shout out certain things, which certainly got me some strange looks on the bus. ‘The Promise’ is one hell of a scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride of a read with surprises, twists and turns galore and I blooming well loved it.
It’s fair to say that I blooming well loved, loved, loved reading ‘The Promise’. As I mentioned at the beginning of this review the series just goes from strength to strength and each book is better than the last. I can’t wait to read what fate has in store for Miles & Grey. Here’s hoping that we don’t have too long to wait. I would definitely recommend this author and her books to other readers. Believe me, you won’t be disappointed. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a hugely deserved 5* out of 5*.

Was this review helpful?

The Promise is the latest in the Grey and Miles series by Katerina Diamond. I’m going to be honest with you from the outset, I hadn’t read the others before reading this one. I didn’t even realise it was part of a series until I was a good chunk in, but that means one thing only. It works as a standalone! So don’t worry if you haven’t read the others.

I’m going to keep this short and sweet. I really enjoyed this. Even though I hadn’t read the previous books the main characters of Grey and Miles felt like old friends, and it was easy to pick up on the threads of their relationship.

The story jumps from our two returning characters, and their attempts to catch a killer, and the “new boy” in town, who is running away from his past. We are left guessing as to where these two stories actually catch up with each other, and the writer works this angle very well. I really enjoyed the switch ups from over worked cops to new kid.

With strong characters and just the right amount of suspense, this is definitely one for you thriller junkies. Recommended.

Was this review helpful?

Wow I love Katerina Diamond's novels and this book did not fail to disappoint. This was so cleverley written and kept me gripped right up until the end. I can't wait for the next one in the series.

Was this review helpful?

This is the fourth book in the series featuring Detectives Miles and Grey and their team, but can easily be read as a standalone. It is a complex story with three threads running through it which all slot into place towards the end of the book. The book starts with Miles and Grey involved in tracking down a murderer who finds his victims on the internet and strangles them and Grey placing herself in danger in order to find the killer. Then there is the introduction of Connor, a very troubled teenager with an abusive father. The third thread of the story is a diary written by a girl who was raped and in an abusive relationship. The narrative from the different characters perspective is weaved in and out throughout the book and it is only towards the end when everything falls into place. I love the relationship between Miles and Grey and their team, a highly recommended read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Was this review helpful?

I’ve really enjoyed other books by this author, however I just couldn’t get into this one. I found the plot very disjointed and the ending left me with lots of unanswered questions. It’s a slow read that I couldn’t engage with.

Was this review helpful?

Excellent. Can’t ever go wrong with this author. Quality read and gripping story kept me going from beginning to end

Was this review helpful?

I have read all of Katerina Diamonds books and this is a good read but the previous have been better.
The book is written from four POV and for the majority reads as completely separate stories. You have two police officers who are after a serial killer, Connor a tennager from the US who came with his father to the UK after an incident in his old school. The final seems to be a diary written by a woman.
I love the characters of DS Adrian Miles and his partner Imogen Grey as they tracked a serial killer but I didn’t like Connor or his story. I felt sorry for his circumstances but as his story unravelled I didn’t know what to think.
I wasn’t as gripped as with the previous novels but still enjoyed it.
Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Amazing as always. Katerina Diamond writes her characters with a flair.
They are not perfect characters, they have flaws, they are relatable!
Imogen Grey is a fantastic protaganist and a superb detective.
I look forward to the next book from Katerina.
I recommend her to every one I know

Was this review helpful?

This is the new case of our loved detectives; DS Adrian Miles and his partner DS Imogen Grey, it will not be an easy case, some women have appeared dead and raped but the only connection between them is an online social game.
This will not be an easy case, our detectives will not only have to discover the killer but keep up with their personal problems, Adrian trying to find motives to continue living after all the problems he had in the previous book. And Imogen has a quite complicated personal life that will conflict with her job... is time to stand up and decide what she really wants.
The case has 4 narrators, our main detectives and their progress on the case and their own problems; a troubled adolescent called Connor, that has to adapt to a new country and school, while he is dealing with some big troubles at home. And the last one is the story of a woman, it seems that is told like a diary, we can only read her dark thoughts and dreams. What they have in common or with the killer/victims? You will have to read the book to discover more!
I was a little disappointed with this book, I loved the previous books of Katerina Diamond, but this one didn't engage me like the others and in the end it felt rushed, some questions were not answered and part of the story felt like it didn't connect with the book.
I didn't like much Connor, I am not sure if we have to pity him or hate him, his character is ambiguous and in the end I didn't connect with him or his acts. I would like to think that we will know more about the ending of this case in the next book.
Ok, even if I didn't like much "The Promise" doesn't mean is not very well written and with an interesting case, I read the previous books of this series (this is the 4th book of the DS Imogen Grey series) and I already know the main detectives and their stories, so I will continue reading the series, even if this one wasn't my favourite, the previous ones were a must read.

Was this review helpful?

Interesting story and loved the twists and turns. Found the book to be easy to read and would definitely recommend it to fans of this genre.

Was this review helpful?

This was the fourth book in the series, I didn't know that. Though it did work as a stand alone, I felt that I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the previous books the series. It would have formed a base for me.
In saying this, this book had its own serial killer who would date women and kill them. The story had other sub plots which fitted on well at the end. This was a dark read which scared me up a bit as I hadn't expected that. And the abuse in the book had me skim reading it as I couldn't bear to read the descriptive writing.
Overall it is a good dark thriller for those who like this genre.

Was this review helpful?

The Promise. Katrina Diamond is one of my favourite authors she’s absolutely brilliant. All her books are good however this on as genuinely surpassed any other book I have read. I honestly didn’t think she could get any better, how wrong was I. She just goes from strength to strength in her writing. I would encourage everyone to read her books. By far a brilliant authoress DEFINITELY A MUST READ. Thank you for the advance copy of the Promise

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed this book. It seems like 3 unrelated stories but of course it all comes together at the end.

I didn't realise this was the 4th book in a series and although it worked on its own I would have preferred to have read the earlier ones first. I have now added them to my tbr pile!

Highly recommend this book.

Was this review helpful?

This is the fourth book in the series about Detectives Miles and Grey, it could be read as a standalone but reading the other in the series first will give you background on Imogen and Adrian.

This book is a well written, up to the minute, compelling read with three storylines which intermingle and come together neatly at the end. The ending itself was a little blunt but I can only presume that further answers will be provided in book number five.

Was this review helpful?

The books are set in the UK and follow detective Imogen Grey. This one is the fourth book in the series and I was so excited that it was available in NetGalley for review! They are a bit darker than other crime books so if you have triggers then I wouldn’t recommend them to you. They deal with cases that range from child abuse, rape, domestic abuse... pretty much all the bad things we like don’t like to think about. I personally don’t have any of these kinds of triggers. I also like that nothing is exactly gruesome or spelled out. A lot of the descriptions are clinical when the characters talk about the cases. Thankfully, I don’t have any triggers because I really am enjoying the storyline! Each book deals with a case but there is also backstory going on continually.

I have enjoyed them all so far and this one was no different. The only thing that did bother me was that the ending was a bit too open ended for me and at the same time rushed. I was left with a lot of questions about the case that ended and I’m not sure I’ll get the answers since the case is now over.

Was this review helpful?

The Promise by Katerina Diamond is a psychological thriller that is the fourth in the series about Miles and Grey, although you could read this one by itself with no issues. We meet Connor and his father who move to the US after a terrible school shooting so that Connor can start over and rid himself of the stigma related to the shooting. As we are learning about him we are also learning about a date that went terribly wrong and someone was murdered. Her name was Erika and her sister found her strangulated on her bed. The killer did some terrible things such as use bleach to clean her genitals. The police wanted to catch the killer but it was apparent that he/she was going to kill again and again if not captured. The MO was the same on the other women who were found dead by strangulation. That was until the killer was in the act with his fourth victim and her roommate came home and stopped the intrusion. The police were able to get information from her compute and found out that the killer dates his victims and then kills them. The police decide that it is time to go in undercover with the female officer. Will it work? It is a very well written thriller that will keep you guessing and wanting to read more.

Thank you to netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for my honest review.

4 stars out of 5

Was this review helpful?

This is the fourth book in the Grey & Miles series of detective novels. There is a killer on the loose - he finds his victims on the internet and strangles them. The Police must track him down before he kills again. The book also follows the story of Connor, who is a troubled teen with a dark past and an abusive father.

The story was reasonably good; there were a few character threads that came together in the end. However, I did feel like I was missing out on a lot of relevant back story because I hadn't read the previous three novels. I really did fee like this put me at a disadvantage and that I was missing out on a lot of enjoyment in the book for that reason. I think this is why I enjoyed following Connor's story more than that of the detectives, because he was a new character and I hadn't missed any of his storyline.

The writing was good, there was quite a lot of character driven plot and the story was well put together. Having said that, this was quite a mediocre detective story in my view. It was quite slow paced, which I see as a bit of a negative given the nature of the story and that there was not much detail. In comparative terms, it wasn't really that original or memorable, and for a book of that genre it was okay as a throwaway read.

I was also greatly disappointed with the ending. It was quite abrupt and there were a lot of things left unresolved, which were the things I wanted to know about most of all annoyingly!

All in all I didn't dislike it but I feel like I won't remember it. I enjoyed it okay whilst reading, but I didn't love it. I probably would go back to read the previous books in the series, just to see what I missed out on and I think maybe they would be better than this one!

Was this review helpful?

Having enjoyed the other books in the series i was eager to get started on this one and like the others i enjoyed it a lot, fast paced and lots of story lines woven together. I really like the way the two detectives are developing together as the books go along. The only negative i have is that i wish it was a tiny bit longer as id like to know what happened to Connor and his Dad but hopefully thats addressed in Book 5!

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this fabulous ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"The Promise" is very promising. It would make a good movie. Each characters have their own mini story to tell of their life. The author wrote in a way that the reader would know that each characters are some how interconnected. I would love the fact that I'm reading many mini book within a bigger story. Not once was I confused and could not keep up with the story. Sometime authors can have too many characters and it would get jumble. However, the ending was not at all surprising. That was a little disappointing.

Was this review helpful?