"Her Deadly Promise" by Carla Kovach

 

Four-year-old Kayden has been sitting alone on the little patch of tired grass outside his house for hours. His cheeks are wet with tears as he waits for his mother’s warm embrace. But she’ll never arrive to pick up her darling boy. She’ll never be seen again…

Church Road is a quiet corner of suburbia where happy families play in the local park and neighbours smile as they pass in the street. But behind the bright red door of number 8 lies the body of Billie Reeves, a young mum who just took her last breath.

Serena is Billie’s sister. When she found out her boyfriend had been obsessively calling Billie, she’d all but cut her from her life. But not before vowing she would make Billie pay for ruining her relationship…

Shaun is Billie’s ex-boyfriend. He left her the moment she fell pregnant. When he turned up at Billie’s door, demanding to see Kayden, she refused to take the risk of him hurting her precious son. He’ll do whatever it takes to get his little boy back…

Nadia is Billie’s best friend. Their kids attended the same school and Billie often opened up to Nadia about her struggles as a single mother. She knows Billie’s deepest, darkest secret. She promised never to tell, but that was before the argument…

When police investigate the quiet little street, they discover everyone was whispering about Billie’s late-night callers. What was going on behind the closed door of Billie’s small home? And if someone was prepared to kill her, what do they know, and who will be next?

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! ~taken from Goodreads

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. You can check out the other Kovach novels I have read and reviewed on my blog by clicking here.

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!