Her Deadly Promise by Carla Kovach is the 12th in the Detective Gina Harte series.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


Series Background:    (Warning – Contains spoilers from previous books)
DI Gina Harte works homicides. Her team consists of: DS Jacob Driscoll, DC Harry O’Connor and DC Paula Wyre, with a lot of assistance from PC Smith and PC Kapoor. Gina is a stubborn lady, and a determined detective. She has had a rough life, which has led to an uneasy relationship with her daughter Hannah and grand-daughter Gracie.  It has also led to a lack of real friends.  She used to have a relationship with her boss, DCI Chris Briggs, but he has found someone else. It is not common knowledge that Gina's husband was abusive, and only Briggs knows that she did not save him when he fell to his death many years ago.


My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Billie Reeves is murdered, just steps away from her 5 year old boy Kayden.  While he waited for her to tell him it was okay to come inside the house she lay dying in her kitchen.

Billie had secrets, and one of them was that she was sleeping with her sister Serena's boyfriend.  Another is that she was sleeping with men for the money to survive her meager lifestyle.  Some of her secrets were not as private as she thought.

Kayden's father (Shaun) abandoned them, and last they heard, he was in Australia.  He's closer than they think, and he wants his son.

Nadia is Billie's best friend, but she is the one that spreads rumours about Billie's activities.  She and her husband Ed have their own secrets.

Meera is another of Billie's friends, and she too has her own secret.

Then there is Claudia, friend number three to Billie.  She and her husband Gavin supposedly have a perfect marriage.  Claudia knows a lot of her friends secrets, and has one of her own.

Gina and her team have a lot to discover before someone else dies.  Meanwhile, Gina is having her own issues.  Between menopause and hot flashes, she is struggling to let Briggs go. Then, there is this case,,,.


My Opinions:
I think this was the best in the series.

The book is about physical and emotional abuse.  It is about secrets, lies, and gossip, and it's about murder.  It is also about friendship and family and love.  The menopause issue was too real.

The plot was really good, and there were a number of twists.  I liked how the chapters alternated between characters.

Even though I have not always liked the relationship between Gina and her boss, the emotions were quite real, and I'm actually looking forward to where this may yet end up.  I really like the team members.

I'm definitely looking forward to the next one!

This was the first I've actually read in the Gina Harte series, which is quite embarrassing considering this is the twelfth in the series.

Well plotted and suspense filled from beginning to end, the tension palpable throughout. And secrets and lies are always the basis for a good thriller, making you question the characters, their stories and credibility.

Can I just point out that I absolutely hate cliffhangers, but I'm now looking forward to the next book in the series for the story continuation.

Many thanks to Bookouture for my tour spot.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Don't you just love a book that keeps you guessing throughout? Her Deadly Promises is one of those books. I thought I had the mystery figured out several times and wow was I wrong. This is an exceptional book that kept me reading well into the night. I love the Gina Harte series that Carla Kovach has created and look forward to the next book.

Her Deadly Promise opens with a young boy left outside to play. When his friend has to go, he sits on the curb as his mom told him not to come back in the house until she told him to. Unfortunately, she will never get to tell her son to come in as Billie has been murdered. Who would want to kill a young mother? Why would she tell her son not to come home until she said to? Why did her son hide at night inside a wardrobe? Things are happening inside that house, but what?

Billie's friends are meeting with their young children to have a drink and a chat while the kids play. Billie is missing and they think it's because she had a migraine. They assume this because her curtains were drawn and the house looked quiet. Little did they know that while they were enjoying the afternoon their friend was being murdered. The group of friends all have secrets. Are any of them hiding something dangerous? Could any of them be involved in what happened to Billie?

There's so much going on with all of the friends and their families that you'll have ideas about who could have done it and other things. Keep the guesses coming because I was blindsided at the end! What an awesome book! I rate Her Deadly Promise 5 stars with my highest recommendation. I'd like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy in exchange for a fair review. #HerDeadlyPromise #NetGalley

would like to thank netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this book

little kayden has promised his mom he wouldnt go back into the house until she called him, but he was all alone and he was hot and thirsty

but hes never going to see his mom again....

gina and her team are on this very puzzling case, why would anyone kill kayden mom for what reason...but behind the curtains who knows what goes on behind them

and as the investigation begins another victim is found that was friends with kayden mom

a more sinister motive is beginning to show itself and can gina and her team work out who the perp is before someone else dies

"One thing I don't know is how it all ends, but I know it's not going to be pretty. It's going to be explosive."

Four-year-old Kayden has been playing outside in his garden for hours. His mother, Billie, told him not to come in the house until she tells him to, so he's waiting for her to call him. But she never will. Because while Kayden was playing someone brutally murdered his mother in their home.

Detective Gina Harte and her team are called in to investigate the shocking crime. Who could commit such a savage act? As they delve deeper, they discover that things are not as simple as they seem and that this is a case filled with dark secrets that could hold the key to cracking the case. They just have to unravel them first.

The twelfth book in the Detective Gina Harte series is another gripping thriller. Infused with mystery and a sense of imminent danger, I was on the edge of my seat as I tried to figure out the secrets each of the characters were hiding. It had a dark and ominous atmosphere, like there was something evil lurking in the shadows, waiting to pounce. And I couldn’t get enough.

While I enjoy a good standalone thriller, there is something to be said about coming back to characters you know and love. It’s like catching up with an old friend and I’ve come to care about Gina and her team. Gina herself is one of my favourite crime protagonists, and it was hard to see her going through such a hard time in this book. But in addition to the regular characters, each instalment in a series requires new characters and Ms. Kovach manages to create fascinating new characters who draw us in and tug on our heartstrings or enrage us again and again. And while we know one of them is our killer, the mask they wear is so convincing that it can be hard to see their true face. This was particularly true in this story and my jaw was left on the floor at the big reveal.

Carla Kovach is one of my auto-buy authors thanks to this series. Her books are always well written, morally complex, darkly thrilling, and filled with compelling characters. I also enjoy how she weaves important issues such as domestic violence, mental health, and, in this book, the cost of living crisis into her stories, giving them greater depth and making the reader think. I also like that her books are often hard to predict, keeping me on my toes as I read. But this time she had something truly tantalising in store with the book's final line. How can you do that to me?! I need the next book now! I’m going to be thinking about what it could mean until book thirteen.

Suspenseful, captivating and twisty, this is perfect for anyone who enjoys a multilayered thriller.

★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

Honestly, just when the last in this series was the best thus far along comes the next case for Gina Harte. And this one HER DEADLY PROMISE is one of the best yet. Instead of serial killers or a local nutter on the loose, this one is filled with all the usual domestic suspense tropes such as secrets, lies, deception, betrayal...you name it, this has it! And one of the reasons this is one of my favourite series is that it is not all filled with the procedural side bogging the reader down with facts, statistics and the holy trinity of murder cases. Instead we hear other voices added to the mix as we try to unravel the truth.

Admittedly, I have tired of a lot of procedurals as I find them too samey and a but too textbook...I have but a bare minimum of crime thriller series that feature procedurals that I still read. And this is one of them.

This story begins with a secret. And secrets are something we can share our closest friends, someone we can confide in or have a shoulder to cry on. At least, that's what friends Billie, Nadia, Meera and Candice thought...until one of their secrets gets out and is soon the hot topic of gossip amongst others at the school gates with fingers pointed and careless whispers spread. And then one of them is found murdered in a pool of blood on her kitchen floor while her 5 year old son sat outside on the step waiting for his mother to call him in. A mother he will never see again.

Enter DI Gina Harte.

As menopause rears its ugly head whilst the country is in the grip of a stifling heatwave, Gina finds herself struggling with her the flurry of flushes at the most inconvenient of times as well as the breakdown of her budding relationship with Briggs. She's finding it hard to move on but as she arrives at the scene and is confronted with the sight of the tearful young boy, Gina puts her problems aside and focuses on the case at hand, determined to find a young mother's killer.

As the investigation progresses, the suspects are in abundance. And Billie, the murdered woman, had many secrets...but would someone kill her for them? But she isn't the only one with secrets as more and more of them come bubbling to the surface in the form of husbands and supposed friends. But would one of them kill to keep their own secret from coming to light?

As the plot thickens, will there be another victim in an attempt to keep the secrets and lies from surfacing? Will Gina find the killer before it's too late? And will she be able to move past the Briggs-shaped elephant-in-the-room in her heart and her head?

HER DEADLY PROMISE is such an intricate tale of secrets, lies, deception and betrayal that is a complex web so intriguing to read you won't be able to put it down! Gina used to frustrate me no end in the earlier books but she has grown along the way as did her relationship with Briggs. But now she finds herself alone with her only confidante in someone else's arms. Briggs, who knows all her foibles, flaws and secrets. And now she has menopause to deal with on top of that and a flipping heatwave!

I read this book in one day as it was so engrossing I was completely immersed within the story. I admit to figuring out Billie's secret almost from the beginning as well as the identity of the killer, despite the numerous red herrings Kovach put in our way to mislead us. And I must admit to wanting Gina to find another face on the hook-up sight she was perusing...I won't say who, but oh how I wish!!

My only complaint is the cliffhanger ending. NOOOOO! How could you do that to us? I want to know what happens now! But I guess I'll have to wait till Book 13.

Overall, a spectacular addition to one of my most favourite series.

I would like to thank #CarlaKovach, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #HerDeadlyPromise in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

Four-year-old Kayden has just lost his mother. DI Gina Harte is on the case and is determined to discover the murderer of the victim, whose name was Billie. This case is particularly difficult for Gina, as Billie was leading a double life - a caring, responsible mother to her young son, and a life that revolved around sex. The more Gina learns about Billie, she finds that Billie may have had more than one enemy, and the list of suspects continues to grow.

Another reason this case is difficult for Gina is that she has a young boy in her life and that makes her strongly feel that she has to find justice for young Kayden. While it is difficult to interview a child, asking the right questions begins to make sense of why Billie might have been killed. However, the question is, will she be the only victim or will someone else soon be killed? If so, what would be the connection between the victims?

I have been reading this stellar series since book three and I have become very drawn to Gina‘s character. She had a difficult past herself, and sometimes that comes through while she is working on her different cases. What I love about this latest book is how tense it is. How well written it is. How compelling it is. I love it when a series never loses its steam this far along.

This is the type of police procedural that will keep you on your toes. It certainly kept me invested from beginning to end in one sitting because of how addictive it was when you consider how talented the author, Carla Kovach, is. She has done a great job with this latest book in this incredible series and I am truly looking forward to reading the next book.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy my YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/NdshXq-uOkM

Her Deadly Promise by Carla Kovach
I give this book 4.5 stars

Church Road is a quiet corner of suburbia.
But behind the bright red door of number 8 lies the body of Billie Reeves, a young mum who just took her last breath.
When police investigate they discover everyone was whispering about Billie's late-night callers. And if someone was prepared to kill her, what do they know, and who will be next?

Another gripping instalment in an excellent series.
This book can also be read as a standalone.
I was engrossed in this story,this realistic plot has plenty of twists,a shocking murder and an array of suspects..Filled with tension,secrets and lies no one is as they seem .The chapters are told from different points of view,allowing you to get into the characters minds.Gina is a strong female lead and l love catching up with her.Who is the murderer and what is their motive in this enticing crime thriller!
With thanks to Netgalley,Carla Kovach and Bookouture for my chance to read and review this book

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'Her Deadly Promise' by Carla Kovach.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Carla Kovach, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 2nd December 2022.

This is the eighth book I have read by this author. It is also the twelfth book in the 'Detective Gina Harte' series but can be read as a standalone. I have previously read 'Their Silent Graves' , 'The Broken Ones', 'One Left Behind', 'Her Dying Wish', 'One Girl Missing', 'What She Did' and 'Find Me' and I highly recommend them all.


I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that 'Fans of Angela Marsons, Cara Hunter and Clare Mackintosh, will love Her Deadly Promise – a completely gripping crime thriller that will have you hooked from the very first page!' I am a huge fan of Angela Marsons so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a huge fan of Carla Kovach and if this is half as good as 'The Broken Ones', 'One Left Behind', 'Their Silent Graves', 'One Girl Missing', 'What She Did', 'Her Dying Wish' and 'Find Me' it is sure to be an epic read. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of a prologue, 64 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is based in England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 , UK 🇬🇧 . I always enjoy when books are set in the UK as I'm from Wales and have sometimes visited areas mentioned in the book. This makes it easier to picture where the scenes are set at times. I have in fact visited England on many occasions including going there on holiday last and this year so am looking forward to possibly recognising name places.

This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonists are Detective Gina Harte and Nadia. The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything. .

WELL, WELL, WELL CARLA DOES IT AGAIN!!!! YET ANOTHER EXPLOSIVE PAGE TURNER BY AN EXTREMELY TALENTED AUTHOR!!

This book is another riveting installment in this gripping and addictive series. Filled with vivid descriptions it is easy to get lost in the pages for hours. The cover and synopsis work perfectly with the storyline. This book hit every possible emotion and I loved every part of it.

The storyline was unique, very fast paced and filled with suspense, tension, secrets, action and lots red herrings to throw you off the scent. I was completely shocked by who the killer turned out to be and never expected them in the slightest. I always love it when I'm shocked as there's nothing worse than working out the killer and your not even half way through the book yet. I love that several chapters are from different perspectives which gives a larger insight to what is going on. . As always Carla has done an immense amount of research and it shines throughout the book. An extremely well written and thought provoking action packed crime thriller. The ending left me needing the next book now so I hope you are already typing it up ready Carla!!! I also loved how this book gives us more of an insight into Gina and her personal life which just made me like her even more which I didn't think would be possible as I have always been a huge fan from book 1!! As always this book has left me wanting more in the Gina Harte series!!

Although this is the twelfth book in the series I had absolutely no problems reading it without the others. Any details or events that have previously happened are mentioned in just the right amount of detail to let a new reader know what has happened and yet not too much to bore a previous reader.

I love Gina and the fact that she is a strong female role model who has got a history herself makes it even better. I enjoyed meeting all the previous characters along with many new ones who all had their own personalities and were strong Characters, well maybe not all!! I love the dynamics in Gina's team and the fact they all work so well together. Each of her team has their own unique traits and personalities and I love meeting them in each new storyline that Carla brings out. I am looking forward to meeting them all again when I read more of the fabulous Carla's books.

If you have never read this series I highly recommend starting now. It is always great if you can start at the beginning of a series but the brilliant thing with Carla's books is that it really doesn't matter where you start as they can be read in any order.

CONGRATULATIONS CARLA ON YET ANOTHER EXPLOSIVE INSTALLMENT IN AN EPIC SERIES!!! This is exactly why you are in my top 5 crime authors list!!

Overall a page turning, psychological thriller that will leave you shocked and wanting to read more of this incredible series

Genres covered in this novel include Suspense, Noir Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Crime Fiction, Thriller, Police Procedural, Mystery, Crime Thriller and Psychological Thriller amongst others.

I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Angela Marsons, Carol Wyer, C. L Taylor, Tess Gerritsen, Cara Hunter, Clare Mackintosh and anyone looking for an addictive and explosive series.


374 pages.

This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle and £8.99 in paperback via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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I love this author. Such a brilliant writer. Each book gets better and better and this series is absolutely brilliant. Can’t recommend it enough. All household chores went on hold till I finished it. Read it late into the night!

A quiet street, filled with secrets between friends, and a murder is committed leaving the residents shocked and scared. Gina Harte finds herself investigating as a web of lies is uncovered. This well written thriller engaged me from the start as the team investigate the brutal killing. There is plenty tension and a steady pace throughout, as Gina investigates and struggles with the menopause symptoms she is experiencing. I would recommend the read and give thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

4 year old Kayden is found outside his house, his mother Billie has been murdered inside.

The suspect list is extensive and everyone seems to have a reason to want Billie dead. Twist after twist in this extremely gripping novel kept me guessing right up to the very last chapter! I kept changing my mind and got it completely wrong!

Gina Harte the DI in this novel is so real! Her current life situation of menopause was so well described I could almost feel each hot flush. Her past life gives her such an empathetic outlook and makes her so genuine and the way she sympathises with people make her incredibly likable. Despite this being book 12 in the Detective Gina series I didn't feel lost, but I feel the need to read more in the series!

Carla Kovach not only wrote a story, she also captured a realistic situation that so many people are having to face in tough times, just how far will you go to keep promises and make basic ends meet?

The cliff hanger ending is everything too! We just know there's more to come, and I'm here for it!

Thank you netgalley and bookouture for this arc copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

This was not my first Carla Kovach book and certainly won't be my last! I truly love her writing style- it's easy to follow, she is brilliant at creating relatable and authentic characters, and she perfectly sets scenes. This book is the 12 book in the Detective Gina Harte Series, though reading the previous books is not necessary to read this novel.



For those who haven't read this series before, these don't read like other police procedural series. They read more like a true thriller. We get to dive deep into the lives of several characters, some might even be suspects along the way. We also continue the ongoing story that is Gina Harte and her squad. We continue to see how their personal lives mix with their work lives and make their bonds stronger.



This case was very unique. It immediately had me hooked. The mix match group of girlfriends had me questioning everything. There were so many twists that it kept me interested almost the entire read. It did start to waver 3/4 of the way through. It seemed to just drag on and on without any real meat. Then it seemed to wind down suddenly and I was partially confused on what was going on. This wasn't a favorite Gina Harte read but I liked it.



Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me an advanced ecopy to read and give my honest review. It was a 4 star read for me.



Her Deadly Promise is set to be released here in the U.S. on Dec 2, 2022 so preorder now!



Happy Reading!

Her Deadly Promise certainly gives you lots of twists and turns!
So many characters
So many secrets
So many lies
DI Gina Harte has to unravel so many clues when called out to a murder of a young mother. Each time she is getting the feeling she’s found something relevant to the case, it doesn’t seem to go anywhere. Will she be able to solve this very involved investigation?
Gina has personal issues going on within the story to include menopause problems and getting over the ending of her relationship with someone she still is in love with.
With reading Her Deadly Promise you will be embarking on a domestic, psychological thriller of a ride! I could not figure out who the killer was until the last pages of the book.
Though this is part of a series. I do believe it can be read as a standalone. Though I do recommend reading all the books in the series. That way you can get to know Gina’s backstory.
Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I am loving this series ,it gets better with every new book. This book has a fantastic storyline with many twists which had me gripped throughout. I'm looking forward to reading more

Another great book in this series from this author . Great characters and brilliant story and I just didn’t guess who was the murderer. The book had just the right amount of tension and the story with Gina and Briggs was ongoing . I can’t wait for the next book to see what happens between the couple . I will highly recommend this book to my audience, definitely 5 stars from me .

4.5⭐

DI Gina Harte is back and not 100% herself struggling with her health, a heat wave, and the breakdown of her relationship with Briggs. She's a bit of a mess, and her colleagues are starting to notice.

But when single mum Billie is stabbed to death and Gina is confronted with her grieving four-year-old son. She's determined to put all her problems aside and find Billie's killer.

However, the suspects are plenty. As Billie had lots of secrets the biggest being she was working as a prostitute to make ends meet and provide for her son Kayden.

But she isn't the only one with secrets as her sons father Shaun is back on the scene. Then there's her lover Nathan who also happens to be her sister Serena's boyfriend.

Not to mention her three friends Meera, Nadia, and Candice. Who have plenty of secrets of their own. And one of them made sure every parent in the playground knew how Billie was making her money.

Yet, why would any of them really want to kill the vivacous Billie?

That's what Gina can't figure out. Until another friend is targeted and more secrets are revealed. Ones that hit too close to home for an already on edge Gina.

And with plenty of twists and a killer I didn't expect. This was a cracking read. That I enjoyed a lot. And one I would happily recommend to others.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of Her Deadly Promise, the twelfth novel to feature DI Gina Harte, set in the fictional Midlands town of Cleevesford.

Single mother Billie Reeves is murdered in her own home and despite her being an outgoing character that everyone warmed to there are plenty of suspects as Billie was keeping secrets. Gina and the team are pushed to the limit keeping track of all the information they receive.

I thoroughly enjoyed Her Deadly Promise, which is a full on investigation with little time for the reader to breathe or take stock. It feels as if there are developments on every page. I have been lukewarm about this series recently, so this is a welcome return to form. Yes, Gina still has personal issues and they feature prominently in the novel, but they are more relatable and not as distracting.

The novel is told mainly from Gina’s point of view with Billie’s friends, Nadia, Meera and Candice, offering their perspective on events, even if they, too, are keeping secrets. There is a bit of domestic noir to it as most of the drama revolves around these four households with a couple of bonus suspects thrown in for variety. It is hard to keep up with all the drama, secrets and potentially unrelated events that occur, but never difficult to follow or keep track. It’s go, go, go, so no wonder the team is stretched to cover all the bases.

I think that the author does a great job of keeping the reader engrossed. It starts with an easy question. What was Billie’s secret? That one is very guessable, but after that I guessed nothing and didn’t anticipate and of the many twists, turns or incidents that ensue. I was glued to the pages trying to work out who and why and being surprised at every turn events took.

Her Deadly Promise is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Number 12 in the series and possibly the best yet!
A brilliant main plot, four friends, their friendships, secrets, lies and betrayals. The author paints such believable characters, especially exploring Gina’s struggle with working while suffering symptoms of peri menopause (very relatable and faithfully portrayed) and the effects the cost of living crisis has on one of the other characters. I also liked that while touched on for those readers not familiar with the series, her back story is not as front and central as it was previously.
Many twists and turns in the main plot create a great read, but oh the tease in the final line of the book in the subplot!

So, here we are on book 12 in the series, how did that happen so quickly! As always, the author treats us to an enthralling, well plotted read with lots of twists and an array of well written and believable characters, which is especially important as this tale is told from various viewpoints.

In this book, along with some grisly murders and lots of suspects, we see Gina dealing with menopausal symptoms and others dealing with the impact of the current cost of living crisis - this made the book feel very relevant and in touch with goings-on. One of the things I love about this series is how well the investigating team work together, there are no in-fights or people trying to get one over on the rest of the team - I find this really refreshing.

All in all, this is another gripping instalment in an outstanding series, worthy of all 5 stars.