What do readers think of Broken Promise by Linwood Barclay? Write your own review.

While embracing this genre of "who-done-its", this one left me lukewarm. Although I'll always persevere to the end, it's more a matter of the quest, and in this case this rings true.

Too many characters and too many distractions for its own good, making it a trifle tedious and way too long.

I really wanted to like this book, since I've never read any others by this author, however it didn't really even seem very well written.

Sorry to be so critical, but of course, this is just my opinion.

I was reading right along, enjoying this book, when BAM! It ended. I love mysteries and, like everyone else who reads the genre, try to figure things out as I go along. If I'm surprised or can't figure it out, I consider that a good book when all is revealed at the end. This was definitely a surprise because very little was revealed. The book just ended. I'm assuming it's a lead-in for Mr. Barclay's next book and maybe then the mysterious questions will be answered? Or not. I felt cheated and a bit angry. I don't like to be left twisting in the wind.

When an author discovers a "voice", the writer and the reader both profit because that character becomes both a friend and confidant to each. That relationship can last decades such as Sanford's Lucas Davenport, Connelly's Harry Bosch, and Burke's Dave Robicheau have to many. David Harwood, the protagonist in this novel, showed promise as a "voice" but, in Barclay's case, we are required to devote three book reads to get to know him since this book is Part 1 of a trilogy. Other authors create stories that begin and end in one volume while Barclay does not. While David Harwood and his family are the main focus of the ongoing story, the reader is introduced to over 50 characters in this book all of which show interest if developed fully- the police chief, the former mayor, the Thackery College staff, etc. All of the characters seem to either have significant character flaws or a "to be revealed" secret as their hometown, Broken Falls, New York falls into decline creating an environment where misfits and evil deeds seem to prevail. The plot was a "page turner" and the characters were all interesting (if somewhat predictable). My disappointment with the novel stems from the fact that I did not know that it was Part 1/3 and there were too many threads left open for the next installment. I recommend the book with the warning that there will be more to follow.

This book has all the makings of a really good tale but for me, it really never worked. There are so many parts of the book that I liked, but there were too many parts that didn't work. Every author has the ability to define his characters through their descriptive prose. Too many of the characters in this book were written as stereotypes. Because of this, I found myself not only disliking them but also caring about them. I cannot recommend this book. I read this book twice to try and find a way to recommend it but could not.