The Promise - blog tour

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Katerina Diamond, The Promise

When troubled teen Connor moves to Exeter from the US to escape his past, he finds himself embroiled in a world of popular kids and easy girls. Everyone wants to be his friend, but they don’t know about what he did…and they don’t know about his father.

As Connor’s life in England begins to unravel, DS Adrian Miles and his partner Imogen Grey are working up against the clock to catch a serial killer who dates his victims before he kills them. Determined to uncover the truth, Imogen is forced to act as bait – but will she take it too far and risk her own life?

Katerina Diamond is back with a bang in this dark, twisted novel, perfect for fans of M.J. Arlidge and Karin Slaughter.

EXTRACT

Next to the shed, there was a large tree with strips

of wood nailed horizontally to the trunk that went up

into the branches.

‘What’s this?’ he called out to his father who had

already pulled up a chair outside with a box of beers

to the side of him. They had been travelling for a few

hours and so it was nice to be outside, even though

it was cold. He couldn’t begrudge him that.

‘Is that still there? It’s a tree house. Or it should be.

Your grandfather built it. About the only good thing

he ever did.’ He knocked back the beer. ‘It’s probably

fucked. I wouldn’t go up there if I were you.’

Ignoring his father’s advice, Connor climbed the makeshift

ladder, careful not to spill his beer. He couldn’t

see his father on the decking anymore. He kept climbing

until his hand reached what felt like a platform. He

pulled himself up onto it and, sure enough, he was

inside a tree house. It smelled musty and there was a

hole in one of the corners, but something about it felt

good. Connor moved slowly across the floor, unsure

how safe it was. There was a window, but it was filthy.

Connor pulled off his jacket and tried to rub away

some of the thick dirt that obscured his view. He picked

up his beer and splashed the window with the liquid,

then rubbed hard with his jacket; it was already smelly

from the travelling so he didn’t mind getting it a bit

grubby as well.

He managed to clear a fair bit of the muck off the

inside of the window. Opening it, he slid his arm through

to the outside and wiped that as well. It was smeared

and kind of disgusting, but at least now he could

see outside. The tree house looked directly into the

neighbour’s back garden and onto the rear of their

house. Connor smiled as he saw a couple, presumably

his new neighbours, kissing against the countertops

in the kitchen.