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2 Burnside Literature- A to Z

Promise Not to Tell

by Jennifer Mcmahon

Promise Not to Tell Cover

ISBN13: 9780061143311
ISBN10: 0061143316
Condition: Standard
All Product Details

Only 2 left in stock at $5.95!

Staff Pick

A semi-spooky modern day ghost story. But the real allure of this book is the amazingly drawn character, Del. An outcast in her grammar school, dubbed "The Potato Girl" because of her dirty, worn clothes and her scent reminiscent of moist earth, Del is denied the one friendship she has, because fellow student Kate doesn't want to admit to the popular crowd that she and Del hang out. A wonderfully written tale of the things that haunt you, both real and imagined.
Recommended by Danielle, Powells.com

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Forty-one-year-old school nurse Kate Cypher has returned home to rural Vermont to care for her mother who's afflicted with Alzheimer's. On the night she arrives, a young girl is murdered—a horrific crime that eerily mirrors another from Kate's childhood. Three decades earlier, her dirt-poor friend Del—shunned and derided by classmates as "Potato Girl"—was brutally slain. Del's killer was never found, while the victim has since achieved immortality in local legends and ghost stories. Now, as this new murder investigation draws Kate irresistibly in, her past and present collide in terrifying, unexpected ways. Because nothing is quite what it seems . . . and the grim specters of her youth are far from forgotten.

More than just a murder mystery, Jennifer McMahon's extraordinary debut novel, Promise Not to Tell, is a story of friendship and family, devotion and betrayal—tautly written, deeply insightful, beautifully evocative, and utterly unforgettable.

Review:

"Part mystery-thriller and part ghost story, McMahon's well-paced debut alternates smoothly between past and present. In the fall of 2002, 41-year-old Kate Cypher, a divorced Seattle school nurse, returns to New Hope, the decaying Vermont hippie commune where she grew up, to visit her elderly mother, Jean, who's suffering from Alzheimer's. Kate has avoided New Hope since the grizzly, unsolved murder of her fifth-grade friend, Del Griswold, 31 years earlier. Kate fears she betrayed Del, a free-spirited farm girl. Did her betrayal cause Del's death? Who killed Del? Another local girl is murdered in a similar manner at the time of Kate's return. Could the killer be loose again? Meanwhile, Jean appears to be possessed with Del's spirit and may have the answers to these questions. As Kate investigates, she learns stunning truths about many events and people from her youth. McMahon does a particularly good job of portraying the cruelty of school children." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

About the Author

A native of Connecticut, Jennifer McMahon lives in Vermont with her partner, Drea, and their daughter, Zella.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
Annie, April 12, 2007 (view all comments by Annie)
I thought this was great! A fun, fast-paced, suspenseful and spooky read, but with genuine depth and emotional resonance. I had to find out what happened next, and cared so much about the characters, especially the mouthy outcast turned local legend, Del Griswold. Highly recommended!
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780061143311
Author:
Mcmahon, Jennifer
Publisher:
Harper Paperbacks
Author:
McMahon, Jennifer
Author:
by Jennifer McMahon
Subject:
Literary
Subject:
Alzheimer's disease
Subject:
Nurses
Subject:
General Fiction
Subject:
Mystery fiction
Subject:
Suspense fiction
Copyright:
Publication Date:
April 2007
Binding:
Paperback
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
250
Dimensions:
8.00x5.38x.64 in. .42 lbs.

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