THE PROMISE is a suspenseful tale that builds slowly and keeps the reader curious thanks to Teresa Driscoll's imaginative writing.

Beth and Sally are best friends from childhood who are looking for the third of their former friendship circle, Carol, when they each get a note alluding to a secret from childhood. Back when they were younger, the three attended a boarding school together and made a pact to conceal a ghastly secret...only now, it looks like someone knows the secret and may use it to destroy their lives.

This book was hard to put down as I was eager to understand what the secret was, and how it would possibly destroy the lives of Beth, Sally, and Carol. The chapters go back and forth to the past and present, and between characters. We also get a perspective from Matthew, a former police officer who is now a private investigator helping Beth and Sally hunt down the elusive Carol. I read some reviews that stated the "secret" doesn't live up to the hype...but I found it was still a good enough reason to cause fear in the characters and it didn't lose my interest once I found out what it was. The twists don't stop at that point.

I'm a huge fan of Teresa Driscoll, and of THE PROMISE, and I can't wait until the next book she puts out.

Thank you to Teresa Driscoll, Thomas & Mercer Publishers, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“The candles. The Promise. The bluebells....”

Something happened at the boarding school run by nuns.

And, now that the school is scheduled to be demolished, a secret may be revealed. It’s the secret that three fourteen year old girls vowed that they would take to their graves. It’s the secret that ended up severing the tight bond that Beth, Sally and Carol once shared when they were students at the school, thirty years ago.

Beth and Sally are still close. But they have been estranged from Carol for several years.

They need to find her before the school is torn down. So they hire PI Matthew Hill to help locate their former friend.

Told mainly through Beth’s perspective (past and present tense) the book takes awhile to set up. Once the plot is established, the present day perspectives of Matthew and Carol, are interspersed as well.

Perhaps because it took awhile to establish the story, I was not immediately engaged in this book, as I was in the author’s previous two efforts, “I Am Watching You” and “The Friend” . I also was not as surprised by the reveals, so it was my least favorite of her three books.

However, I still enjoy her writing style, and the characters she creates, and I never found myself wanting to skim, so, I would still recommend this for readers who have appreciated her earlier novels.

3.5 stars rounded up!

I would like to thank Netgalley, Thomas and Mercer, and Teresa Driscoll (who attended boarding school!) for the ARC I received in exchange for a candid review!

Available Feb. 7, 2019!

This is a rather odd book. I loved the way that the author captured the essence of how, when something happens to a child/juvenile, it festers away and totally goes on to affect the lives of several people who were involved. There is also something moving about the sensitivity with which there was a safe outcome for all of those involved. I am thoroughly impressed.

"The Promise" by Theresa Driscoll tells the story of three friends from Catholic boarding school who share a secret from when they were 14 that they promised never to tell. We know from the Prologue that the secret revolves around a dead girl, but we don't know until about halfway through the book who she is or how she died.

Beth is happily married to Adam. They have two kids, and she works for a sensationalist talk show. Sally is divorced from her cheating husband after having a miscarriage. Carol is estranged from both of them. Her husband Ned has tried over the years to encourage her to see Beth and Sally to no avail. When Beth and Sally find out that the boarding school they attended has been sold and will be torn down, they begin to panic about the body that may be found and are determined to find Carol to discuss whether to finally break their promise to one another and reveal their secret.

The story is told mostly from Beth's point of view with a handful of chapters thrown in from Carol as diary entries and from Matthew, a former cop turned private investigator who Beth and Sally hire to help them find Carol. I think the story could have been written without him since Beth does most of the investigating herself. He seemed to be in the story only to be a love interest for Sally so she would have a nice little wrap-up at the end of the book.

This was a really slow building story and could have moved faster, but I don't think it could have been a full-length book that way. I was a bit disappointed with the secret because it's something that the girls would have been able to reveal. I can see how they would want to keep the secret as 14-year-old girls, but as adults, they should have been able to see that it wouldn't destroy their lives as they kept saying.

***Minor spoilers***

There is a storyline with Carol and a Ouija board that doesn't seem to fit. She clearly has a number of mental health issues that manifest over time, but there were several references to the Ouija board incident, and it seemed a bit much. We find out at the end of the book that her relationship with her husband is not what it seems, but at one point, she is suddenly portrayed as seeming completely fine, and I found myself thinking, "What the heck?!" Once you realize that she IS still a bit disturbed, it makes sense, but it took me a few minutes to reconcile.

At another point, Beth and Sally get into an argument about Matthew and stop speaking. Beth falls into this deep depression, and Sally doesn't bother coming to see her to make amends. These two seem to be as close as sisters -- not a friendship that would end over a disagreement over a boyfriend without a serious conversation. They've been friends for 20+ years. Their unwillingness to talk it through doesn't seem realistic.

All in all, I'd say it's a decent book with some flaws, but still a good read. I'll give it 3.5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book is scheduled for publication in February 2019.

While this book moved very slow in the beginning, I really liked it after the momentum built. Beth, Sally and Carol cover up a secret during their boarding school days that could come back and haunt them as grownups.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Three friends met in boarding school and quickly became inseparable. However, something happens while they are at school which changes their lives forever. As the school is soon to be closed down and the site cleared, two of the girls are worried about what might happen when bulldozers begin to work. They try to get a hold of Carol, the third girl in their trio, and even hire a private investigator to do this. However she doesn't want to be found and the mystery is slowly becoming apparent. Although the pacing was a bit slow to start off, by the end I could put the book down.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I found this really slow at the start about 3 friends from boarding school but it gradually picked up and really enjoyed it in the end

This book was fantastic!
I greatly enjoyed the build up, the twists, the agony between friends and the untrust between families. I never knew who to trust, who was telling the truth. This terrible secret that tore 20 years of friendship apart continued to cast a shadow over the three lead characters. Once the secret is revealed, the story doesn’t end there! Most twists, more are secrets brought out of the woodwork. This has become one of my favorite thriller novels!

This starts very slowly. This does allow for some character building though not as much as I would have liked. At about the halfway point the action starts and once does this gets good! There were a few surprises and twists, some quite sad. Satisfying conclusion.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Amazon Publishing UK for a copy in exchange for a review.

I really enjoyed this book. There were a few nights I literally couldn't put it down.
Three girls...one secret. I loved the fact that you were kept guessing pretty far in the book as to what "the promise" actually was.
All the characters came together nicely for a very surprise ending.

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me gripped to the end, with a very late night/early morning finish, because I didn't want to wait to find out the ending. Well-written, in an easy style, and focussing on the perspectives of different characters, it gives good insight into the plot, without revealing too much at a time. The characters are well-developed, and flawed, which always makes for more realism, and the premise is believable. The book emphasises how important life choices can be, and how they can affect us for years to come. It's also about facing up to responsibility, however hard the choice is at the time. Ultimately, guilt eats away at the soul, and I know that in hindsight, Carol, Beth and Sally would not have chosen to make The Promise. Well worth the read, and my thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Thomas and Mercer, for the opportunity to read this book.

It was their darkest secret. Three schoolgirls made a promise to take the horrible truth of what they had done to the grave. Thirty years later, Beth and Sally have tried to put the past behind them. Carol has distanced herself from her former friends but all three are still adamant that the truth must never come to light. When shocking news threatens their secret, Beth enlists the help of private investigator Matthew Hill to help her and Sally reconnect with Carol. Somebody is watching them and wants to ensure the secret remains buried. 

'The Promise' is a very intense, slow-burn of a read. We are introduced to Beth and Sally and can see how close they are. We discover about the three schoolgirls through flashback chapters and Beth reminiscing and again can see how close all three of them were but do not know what happened to Carol to cause a rift. The book then progresses with the friendship being further explained and tested. I enjoyed reading about this friendship and it is clear to see how close they all are and were but this is a slow-burn and as a result quite boring in places. 

We have the return of Matthew in this book which is welcome, although I am confused about possible changes to his life, I also do not think he is necessary in this book. He is just there, does not do much and I do not think this book would suffer if he were not included. Anyway he is there and it is always nice to catch up with a returning character.

Despite this being slow, I was invested in the book and absorbed in the plot, I did sit and read this for a chunk of time, I was invested in the characters and their lives rather than wanting the plot resolved. When Driscoll reveals the big secret, I thought it was a bit weak and could have been something more. There are more revelations that make it more powerful but it was too late for me by then. 

'The Promise' is a good read focusing on an intense friendship being pushed to the limits. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the characters and am sure you will too. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advanced copy.

3.5 stars- It started way to slow for me. I had trouble connecting to the story and the characters. After I got farther into the story it started becoming more intense and fascinating. There were a few twists that I did not expect at all and that held my interest. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book and write about it.

3 women make a pact at the age of 14. As their boarding school awaits demo, dark secrets will be uncovered.

I was surprised by the secret and the whole persona of Carol. Great writing and kept me on my toes from the start.

I’d like to thank Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Promise’ by Teresa Driscoll in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Three schoolgirls Beth, Sally and Carol meet at the Convent of St Colman and when they’re in their mid-teens something so shocking happens that they make a promise to keep it a secret for ever. Thirty years later Beth and Sally have put the horror of the event behind them but when they hear that the Convent and its grounds are going to be built on they employ a private investigator, Matthew Hill, to help find the address of Carol who’s now living in France as they need to discuss with her the possibility of revealing their promise before it’s too late.
‘The Promise’ is a psychological thriller which had me hooked from page one. It had a storyline that moved smoothly from the girls’ schooldays to the present time and characters that were believable. As the story progressed I found the tension mounting and after twists and turns it concluded with a surprising ending. I like Teresa Driscoll’s style of writing which flows well and makes it easily readable. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and would have no hesitation in recommending it.

Really enjoyed this psychological thriller, loved all the characters, the way the author writes and I found myself getting involved with the girls although I didn't guess the secret, an excellent gripping page turner.

Can definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a thoroughly good read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for giving me the opportunity to read this excellent book.

It was their darkest secret. Three schoolgirls made a promise – to take the horrible truth of what they did to the grave.

Thirty years later, Beth and Sally have tried to put the trauma behind them. Though Carol has distanced herself from her former friends, the three are adamant that the truth must never come to light, even if the memory still haunts them.

But when some shocking news threatens to unearth their dark secret, Beth enlists the help of private investigator Matthew Hill to help her and Sally reconnect with estranged Carol ­– before the terrible act they committed as teenagers is revealed.

Beth wishes she could take back the vow they made.

But somebody is watching and will stop at nothing to ensure the secret stays buried. Now, with her beloved family in peril, can Beth still keep the promise?

my thoughts
5 stars
the author has a way of pulling you in and making you think about what would you do if it happened to you or to a friend ,would you keep the secret or tell, and even after i finished i still don't know the answer to that question . With that said i want to think Netgalley for letting me read it and reviewing it

I really enjoyed this but thought the actual Promise was going to be a lot worse than it actually was. Didn’t really class it as a thriller but still a good read.

A book of tension, secrets and unravelling lives. Something that has traumatised three friend's adolescence seems likely to ruin their futures. It takes a lot of skill to write a story from several different points of view in different timelines - this book is clever, evocative and detailed. Highly recommended.

This is the second book I’ve read by this author and I liked it more than the first one I read. I liked the mystery but the characters got on my nerves. I think Matthew was an unnecessary character and I think he’s a terrible PI. He just never seems to do much, I mean they found what they needed on their own. This was well written and I’ll probably read another book by this author. Thank you to Netgalley for a chance to read an arc of this book.