Beth, Sally, and Carol have been friends since their high school days. True, Carol has been distancing herself from the other two for the past few years, but Beth still considers her to be one of her very best friends in part because of the dark secrets the three of them share.

Thirty years ago, the three teenaged girls did something terrible, something they all promised to keep between themselves. Now though, their former school is closing, and Beth has reason to suspect their secret might be revealed. She wants to come clean, but she's reluctant to do so without first talking things over with Carol, but Carol seems to have disappeared.

Desperate to find her missing friend before it's too late, Beth hires a private investigator to assist in the search. Sally isn't nuts about the idea, but she goes along with it just to keep the peace. However, it soon becomes clear to both women that something very strange is going on with Carol, and finding her could put them and those they love in serious danger.

AAR reviewers Shannon Dyer and Lisa Fernandes got together to discuss The Promise, and are here to share their thoughts.

Shannon: I read a lot of thrillers and I'm always on the lookout for more dark, creepy books, so I thought The Promise had a great deal of potential. What drew you to this story, Lisa? Are thrillers like this part of your normal reading fare, or is The Promise something new for you?

Lisa: I read a fairly steady diet of thrillers too.  I love stories about teenagers committing Atrocious Acts (Heathers is one of my favorite movies) and I have a fondness for close female friendship and deep dark secrets. The blurb definitely drew me in.

Shannon: Most of the story is told from Beth's point of view, with small portions slipped in from other perspectives. I found Beth quite relatable and the most likable of the three friends, but I didn't always trust her perception. She’s a little too self-involved at certain points in the story, and this made it difficult for me to feel as though I was getting to know the other characters. Did you find her a trustworthy narrator, or were there things that called her reliability into question?

Lisa: I felt for Beth, and liked her the most. In a field littered with mostly unreliable narrators, she was the one I trusted the most, even though she was indeed selfish, especially in trying to make sure the secret stayed fully hidden. She was just trying to keep it together, just trying to deal with the burden of the shared secret without giving in to her barely-buried panic and PTSD.  She was the best choice for narrator, being the one with the least to hide – although I’d have liked more chapters from Sally’s PoV.

Shannon: Let's talk about Sally for a bit. It's obvious from the beginning of the story that she's had a lot to deal with in her life. Beth seems to feel kind of protective toward her at first, but as things escalate, that protectiveness appears to wane and Beth grows frustrated with some of Sally's choices. I found Sally difficult to like. She was too whiny for my taste, and I wanted to see her step up and take responsibility for the things she did wrong, but she didn't seem capable of doing so. How did Sally's character work for you?

Lisa: Sally was, IMO the classic hard-to-wrangle loose cannon coping badly with what she’d been through – she acted out against her trauma in a different way than Beth but was still believable.  Sometimes I think her fragility was used as almost a way to stretch out the plot to fit the page-length, and a little frank discussion between them would’ve mitigated some of the plot-silliness going on.

Shannon: I would agree with that. Sally’s fragility was understandable at certain points in the story, but I'm not sure Ms. Driscoll needed to take it as far as she did. The quest to find Carol is one of the most important plot points of the story. There were times I felt it took precedence over the actual crime the girls committed in their teenaged years, which gave the story an uneven feel. I found myself wondering if the author was trying to squeeze too many elements into one story.

Lisa: The worst part about the Carol storyline was that I’d easily guessed where she was hiding out, and what she was doing.  I agree that there was too much of it, and the book took far too long to settle into giving us flashbacks of what exactly happened.  I cared and didn’t want her suffering, but I also wanted to know what had bound Carol, Sally and Beth so closely together in the first place!

Speaking of all three women, their sisterhood was believable in places, but sometimes felt ludicrous, especially because neither Beth nor Sally talked to Carol for years

Shannon: I found their connection more believable when they were younger, since they were in constant contact then. They rarely saw or even spoke to Carol as adults, so I struggled to fully buy into Beth's assertions that Carol was one of her closest friends. The relationship between Beth and Sally was more believable since they were each a regular part of the other's life.

Buried secrets is a theme that runs through the novel from beginning to end, with almost most every character having something to hide. It makes for a compelling mystery, but I'm not sure how realistic it actually is. I mean, we all have certain things we choose to keep to ourselves, but most of us don't have the kind of secrets these people were dealing with. Did this feel realistic to you?

Lisa: Oh, it definitely wasn’t realistic – not much of the book honestly was, including the girls’ ultimate crime – less the thing that happens but how they hide it.  But I was fine with suspending my disbelief and going along with the pretty wild ride this time, though some of those secrets were ludicrous.

Shannon: I find the whole miscommunication thing quite common, not just in books like this one, but in today's fiction in general. We see it in romances on a pretty regular basis. It's a plot device that isn't always my favorite, but I understand why the author chose to employ it here.

Lisa: Another strong theme in the book is motherhood.  Without spoiling anything, how did you feel about the girls’ relationship with it, and the way that connected back to the nuns who took care of them?

Shannon: All three women had very complicated feelings about motherhood. Sally and Carol both really wanted to be mothers, while Beth had children but seemed pretty distant from them. As I read, I found myself wondering if their relationships with their own mothers colored their perceptions of motherhood, and I do think their experiences with the nuns played into it as well. Despite the large number of women in their lives, there wasn't a strong mother figure to be found.

Lisa: Compare that to how they reacted to any new girls who entered the picture and came close to piercing the union between the three of them, and there’s definitely a whiff of girls-without-guardianship going on.  The nuns seemed to realize that and found them to be calming influences on ‘wild’ girls – seemingly ignoring what was lurking under the surface of it all.  It was fascinating.

Shannon: When Matthew first entered the story, I'll admit to wondering why he was necessary. I worried he would further complicate the already busy plot, but I ended up being quite pleased with the role he played. How did you feel about Matthew? Did his presence add something to the story, or did you find him a bit extraneous?

Lisa: Matthew was another of my favorite characters, and I found his secret to be the most compelling!  I rooted for his healing more than that of our three main characters, and I don’t know what that says about the narrative. Someone was needed to weave all of the threads together and he was pretty good for that, and good as a love interest of One of The Girls.

Shannon: I want to talk about the big reveal. I had some of it figured out, but there were a few things that seemed to come out of nowhere. Obviously, plot twists are an important part of psychological thrillers, but they need to feel organic in order to work for me. Some authors invent twists for the sole purpose of shocking the reader. Do you think Ms. Driscoll fell into that trap, or did the twists she used work for you?

Lisa: Now we’ve come to the part of the book that annoyed me the most.  I had most of the Big Cecret pieced together by the time it dropped, and I bought what it was.  You know what I didn’t buy?  The way it turned out that it wasn’t a big deal after all, because someone else had already handled the details of the crime WITHOUT TELLING ANYONE.  That forced a shift to clearing out other plot elements that again, exist just to pad out the page count.  It felt like the author was playing for time and decided to pad things out with twists that didn’t work.

Shannon: What's your final grade? I'm giving it a solid B. It's not the best book of its type I've read this year, but it definitely isn't the worst either. Despite its flaws, the story kept me fully engaged, and I came away from it with a feeling of contentment.

Lisa: I’m going just a notch below you with a B-; those twists really are bad and distract from a fairly taut mystery.

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Firstly, the story line for this book was great and i adored the characters! The novel tells the story of 3 young girls that find themselves in a terrifying situation and make a decision that haunts them for the rest of their lives. The past secret is about to come to light and the girls need to make a choice that could define their futures. There are highs and lows and twists and turns along the way. I enjoyed the way this story was told. The only complaint i have is that it was a little bit slow and drawn out, but the character likability makes that tolerable.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
It thought this book was a smart and addictive psychological thriller and it kept me interested the entire book.
It was a slow build to a great unexpected ending.

This was a slow read but I didn't feel it dragged on or was boring one bit. Everything built up towards the end though, so many twists and turns! What an explosive ending!

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer for the ARC!

This was my first book by Teresa Driscoll. I enjoyed the story, but for some reason I couldn't connect with the characters. I wanted to know what happened to them, but I wasn't feeling their emotions. The ending was surprising, though. I really liked it.

This book took me a little while to get into, but once I'd gotten a good few chapters in I was hooked. I did not see some of the story line coming! Shocking!
3 friends from boarding school share a secret and promise not to tell. Circumstances lead to their secret being close to being discovered. Will they own up? They face trouble when it's clear someone knows their secret and wants it left alone. As the story develops 2 of the friends don't know the full story behind the secret they keep. What comes out is a surprise, I was totally shocked.

Another brilliant book from this author. Had me hooked from the start but felt a little let down by the ending. A worthy 4 stars.

Another brilliant book from this author. Hooked from the start this book is unputdownable. Felt the ending was a slight let down but a worthy 4 stars.

This is a good read. This is the story of three girls and a secret they kept between themselves about an event which had changed their lives. It is well written and the characters are believable and engaging. I think its main let down is that the description I read before reading the book promises more than the book delivered.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I started and stopped this book several times before finally finishing it. The storyline was a sound concept and intrigued me from the first. My problem was the time line kept jumping back and forth between the three girls/women and I had trouble keeping what was happening straight. It took a while to get to the "secret" they were sharing but once it was revealed the book did get better and had a satisfying ending.

This is the third psychological thriller I’ve read by Teresa Driscoll and I continue to be in awe of how she weaves a story.

In THE PROMISE, three girls make a vow to keep a secret about something they have done. Years later, Beth and Sally have mostly moved on with their lives, while Carol has distanced herself from her old friends. When shocking news threatens to bring their secret to light, Beth hires a private investigator to find Carol before their act is revealed. Beth regrets having made the promise, but as she considers what she should do, someone is watching and determined to keep the secret hidden, no matter what it takes.

The author is a master at characterization. No cardboard cutout characters here. She lures you into the lives of her characters by combining just the right amount of daily routine with complicated life issues. It all feels so real and convincing. This could be your life, after all. And that’s why you’re shocked when you get to the end.

Driscoll should be nominated the Mistress of the Successful Red Herring. Actually, make that red herrings. She slips them in so effortlessly, I found myself second-guessing and changing my mind several times about where I thought the story was going. In the end, she got me again. Well done.

I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy a psychological thriller with characters that are fleshed out and a plot that simmers before it comes to a rapid boil.

Netgallery # The promise.
Another Teressa Driscoll novel that just goes not let you down I have said before I hate spoilers to mr they can ruin a book but once again a really good novel with the twist and turns popping up when you least expect them, I do recommend this book as a must read

Oh wow. Put some time away for this book. It has all the ingredients for a terrific psychological thriller.

No spoilers from me. Book is great with lots of lies, deception, tragedy, and twists. Also, loved the unpredictable ending. Can't say enough great about this. Read it today!!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this fabulous book.

This book has all the ingredients for a terrific psychological thriller.
Without giving anything away, the plot is great with lots of lies, deception, tragedy, and twists. Also, loved the unpredictable ending.

My thanks go to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for the chance to read this fantastic novel.

This was a hard one to get into, found I struggled for a little while. But once I got half way I started to enjoy it! Twist to the end I didn’t see coming but all ends tied up and I wasn’t left with any unanswered questions

Such a great book. The friendship and tragedy that both brought the characters together and then separated them was devastating. And oh the end, I did not see that coming. Very exciting and loved all the twists.

I loved this book! It took a little bit to get into it learning each of the characters and how they fit into the storyline. Something really bad happened many years ago to 3 young girls and they made a promise
that had not been broken..... until now. There are other characters that get entwined into the story.
This is my first book by this writer. I'm interested in reading more of her books.

This book has plenty of twists,deception and lies if you love your thrillers. Unfortunately for me it took a while to really start up. Having said that I still loved the book, and her writing style. I was emotionally involved with the characters. I loved the storyline which is what grabbed me in the first place.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer, NetGalley and Teresa Driscoll for the chance to read and review this book.

“Three girls. One dead.”

Three young girls make a terrible promise to never speak of that awful night and what they did. But what did they do? What awful thing could these girls have done that lead to someone dying in a blood-filled room? Secrets aren’t given up easily or quickly in this intriguing story that is told in two timelines by multiple narrators.

“Who will clear up our mess? That thing we did all those years ago.”

The Convent of St Colman is closing and Beth and Sally receive a letter inviting them to the party to say their goodbyes to their old boarding school. Both women are horrified by the news as it threatens to expose their long held secret. The trio were friends ever since that first day at their new boarding school when three nervous, new outsiders were drawn together in their dormitory by a common situation. Despite Carol’s estrangement Beth and Sally remain loyal to their friendship. Sally is insistent that nothing has changed and they should keep their promise. But Beth disagrees, she wants to find Carol and see what she wants to do. But Carol doesn’t want to be found.

“There’s something not right here…”

Beth hires Private Investigator Matthew Hill to find Carol. She can’t give him the whole story and he’s suspicious of her claim that she is merely trying to find an old friend because their school is being demolished. However he soon tracks down Carol’s Mum, Deborah, who is shocked when approached by Beth and Sally. She seems nervous to talk and is being evasive. Around this time an anonymous Facebook account sends a warning to leave things alone and other threats are made towards Beth’s family. It is clear someone who knows what happened that day doesn’t want the secret told. Could Carol be behind it? While almost certain their friend would do no such thing, despite their estrangement, Beth and Sally can’t think who else could know about the events that night. But they must find out who is sending the messages before their is any more risk of harm.

“Drifting to and fro in time is something I can’t stop these days. Flashes of scenes from the past pushing their way into my day.”

While Matthew hunts for whoever is making threats, Beth spirals into a deep depression. She can’t keep the distressing images from her mind and is haunted by flashbacks and a deep sense of guilt. As the party at The Convent draws closer with no leads on who is behind the malicious attacks on her family or where Carol is now, she and Sally argue. Losing the one person she could truly confide in makes it worse but when Adam is hurt, Sally is the first person she calls and the one to rush to be by her side. Meanwhile it seems Carol is also struggling with severe anxiety and is unable to come to terms with what happened, seeking solace in consulting psychics. However instead of leaning on her friends and family like Beth, Carol runs from them.

“The candles. The girl with the blue lips…”

When their secret was finally revealed I was shocked. I thought I’d figured it out but I was blindsided by the author. The Promise is a captivating psychological thriller. The latter part of the book in particular is full of twists, turns, bombshells and discoveries. I was on the edge of my seat and couldn’t stop reading until the end. I liked that the story addressed how what the girls went through would affect their mental health, even so many years later. I thought these parts of the story were well written and realistic. I think the three main characters were well written, especially how they each dealt with things so differently as their secret seeps insidiously into every facet of their lives. Another great read from Ms Driscoll.

I love these types of books!! Such a great read from the start. Another amazing thriller with fantastic characters. The writing was top notch and an easy read which is always a positive trait! Go ahead and read this one!