Promise Not to Tell by Jayne Ann Krentz

A broken promise reveals a terrifying legacy in this electrifying novel from the New York Times bestselling author of When All the Girls Have Gone.

A painter of fiery, nightmarish visions throws herself into the sea—but she’ll leave some of her secrets behind...

Seattle gallery owner Virginia Troy has spent years battling the demons that stem from her childhood time in a cult and the night a fire burned through the compound, killing her mother. And now one of her artists has taken her own life, but not before sending Virginia a last picture: a painting that makes Virginia doubt everything about the so-called suicide—and her own past.

Like Virginia, private investigator Cabot Sutter was one of the children in the cult who survived that fire...and only he can help her now. As they struggle to unravel the clues in the painting, it becomes clear that someone thinks Virginia knows more than she does and that she must be stopped. Thrown into an inferno of desire and deception, Virginia and Cabot draw ever closer to the mystery of their shared memories—and the shocking fate of the one man who still wields the power to destroy everything they hold dear.

Book 2
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆☆
M/F Romance and Thriller
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

Whew! This book was fast paced, riveting, and didn't disappoint at all. I didn't read the first book in this series, but never felt that I was lost or didn't know what was happening.

There are a lot of people involved in this story. Cabot and Virginia grew up for their first few years together in a cult that was led by Quinton Zane. He was a man who was charismatic and insane. When the worst happens, Virginia and Cabot are separated until they are adults and Virginia seeks out Cabot for help.

The twists and turns in this book were exciting and unexpected. I enjoyed the fact that the story kept the reader moving through the story, but threw in historic pieces too. The pieces fit together well and when they didn't, Krentz didn't leave the answers until the end. The answers came in bits in pieces, but it never felt that they were trickling in.

While I really enjoyed the mystery immensely, the romance was nothing to sneeze at. While it was much more subtle, the connection between Cabot and Virginia was very strong. Because of their shared history, they simply got each other. It's rare to find someone who can accept the quirks of PTSD right off the bat.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story – more for the mystery than the romance, but still, it was enjoyable all around.

Also Available in the Cutler, Sutter & Salinas Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

For reviews & more info, check out our When All the Girls Have Gone post.

The author of a string of New York Times bestsellers, Jayne Ann Krentz uses three different pen names for each of her three “worlds.” As Jayne Ann Krentz (her married name) she writes contemporary romantic-suspense. She uses Amanda Quick for her novels of historical romantic-suspense. Jayne Castle (her birth name) is reserved these days for her stories of futuristic/paranormal romantic-suspense.

“I am often asked why I use a variety of pen names,” she says. “The answer is that this way readers always know which of my three worlds they will be entering when they pick up one of my books.”

In addition to her fiction writing, she is the editor of, and a contributor to, a non-fiction essay collection, DANGEROUS MEN AND ADVENTUROUS WOMEN: ROMANCE WRITERS ON THE APPEAL OF THE ROMANCE published by the University of Pennsylvania Press.  Her commitment to her chosen genre has been strong from the very beginning of her career.  Each year at the annual convention of the Romance Writers of America she participates in a special day-long workshop for librarians and speaks on the importance of the romance genre.

“The romance genre is the only genre where readers are guaranteed novels that place the heroine at the heart of the story,” Jayne says.  “These are books that celebrate women’s heroic virtues and values:  courage, honor, determination and a belief in the healing power of love.”

She earned a B.A. in History from the University of California at Santa Cruz and went on to obtain a Masters degree in Library Science from San Jose State University in California.  Before she began writing full time she worked as a librarian in both academic and corporate libraries.

She is married and lives with her husband, Frank, in Seattle, Washington.

Connect with Jayne

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Promise Not to Tell (Cutler, Sutter & Salinas #2) by Jayne Ann Krentz to read and review.